Frozen entrees: yes or no?

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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    I occasionally have frozen meals, they're ok, not overly tasty like my home cooking but if strapped for time they do for now and again.
    I've found I have a few go to meals I can make from scratch which are ready to eat in 20 mins, so I'm more likely to make them now. I can't actually remember the the last time I bought a frozen meal. I do buy a lot of frozen veggies though, they are very handy.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    I'm not opposed to them on principle but honestly, I've struggled to find anything worth having. Most have been mediocre quality and not much easier than just cooking something from scratch. Much better to cook in bulk from scratch and store single servings in the freezer instead.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
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    Not a problem occasionally, as long as you don't need to worry about specifc ingredients, but personally, I just don't like them the way way I used to. I used to love a few different meals, but now, just... yuck.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    No for me...I don't think they taste very good, and it's not very much food relative to the calorie content in most cases. I used to eat them more often when I traveled a lot for work and always had to have two just to feel remotely satisfied.

    I'm also hypertensive, so that much sodium on a regular basis is pretty much a non starter.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    IME, the "meals" are higher in sodium.

    But for the last 18 months or so I've lived almost exclusively on precooked frozen food and a microwave for meal prep.

    2 Angus patties
    Green giant/Birdseye veggies and starch
    Couple slices of cheese.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,793 Member
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    I prefer fresh with two exceptions. I use frozen peas when making Fried Rice. I use Frozen corn when making chowder.
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
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    Frozen meals make good backup food for work lunches. Usually I have dinner leftovers, and often make batches of soup specifically for lunch. When I don't, I have a couple Lean Cuisine meals in the freezer. If I add a big serving of frozen green beans or broccoli, they make a decent enough lunch. Healthy Choice Café Steamers are sadness though.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    There's nothing inherently wrong with frozen meals. Whether they fit your goals and leave you feeling full is a different question, but that's a question that can be asked about literally any food item you choose to incorporate. The nutritional value of the meal is what's important, not who made it or whether it was frozen at any point.

    I'm usually only cooking for myself, so I make a lot of semi-homemade meals where I use some components that are packaged and others that are fresh. For example, I'll toss packaged tortellini with steamed vegetables, or roast vegetables along with a frozen quiche or pizza or whatever.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    Ebony_Kitty wrote: »
    I eat them often and see no problem with them. I enjoy Stouffer’s meals for the most part and buy frozen breakfast burritos to take with me when I travel for work. As a runner, I need quite a bit of sodium in my diet. No kids and my other half travels for work too so most nights I am alone in a hotel or alone at home. I don’t enjoy preparing meals from scratch. I buy frozen meals, jarred spaghetti sauce, pre made meals such as PF Chang’s and Bertoli, and such. If I had to cook my food from scratch, I wouldn’t eat enough to maintain my weight and active lifestyle.

    Frozen burritos. Totally forgot about those and now need to get some. So trashy delicious...yummmmm.
  • Zodikosis
    Zodikosis Posts: 149 Member
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    I absolutely love cooking and cook most of my meals at home from scratch, but I don't personally see anything wrong with frozen meals. I eat them sometimes when I'm having a particularly hectic week/month and I don't have even 30 minutes to put something together, or if I forgot my lunch at home. Buying a frozen meal from the convenience shop is cheaper than buying from the cafe at my workplace, and the shop has really good options (Amy's, Saffron Road, etc). You can shop around to see which frozen meals are healthiest.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I don't eat frozen entrees (other than my own leftovers) but there is nothing wrong with them. I know a lot of people that eat them regularly and are healthy.

    I'm sure I'd eat them if I didn't love cooking so much.
  • betty_veronica4
    betty_veronica4 Posts: 196 Member
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    I don't tend to like very many of them - they don't taste as good to me as what I cook, and they are often very high in sodium (and I am very sensitive to salt). I often keep a Newman's Own LoMein on hand because I do think they are tasty, but I bulk it up with added chopped broccoli or some extra roast chicken.
  • MsHarryWinston
    MsHarryWinston Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Sometimes. I love to cook, so I do most things from scratch. But there are some things I just can’t be bothered to do. Lasagna. If I want lasagna for the week I’ll just buy a large frozen one, cook it, portion it out and BAM meal prep for the work week is mostly done.
    Or sometimes I want macaroni as one of my sides. So I get the frozen single serving super cheesie pastas, then only cook my meat and veg from scratch, and the pasta is easy to log. BUT if pasta is the entire meal then I just make pasta.

    I never get the full frozen meals though. Like chicken and veg all frozen. I’d need to eat like... three of them lol. They always seem to look like all sodium no substance.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    Are they helping you meet your macro and calorie goals? If yes, then go for it.
  • kschildroth
    kschildroth Posts: 570 Member
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    I don't see anything wrong with them but I only eat frozen meals when I forget my lunch which is maybe twice a month. I typically meal prep on weekends so I have meals for throughout the week.
  • SabAteNine
    SabAteNine Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Nothing against them as a concept, and if they fit the goals then.. why not. However, I personally find them quite bland. I prefer my veggies mostly raw, and basically just cook meat (which takes little to no time). Second option is pre-packaged freshly cooked food from the supermarket (including meals and rotisserie chicken / sausages). And then on the third place in the preferences contest comes the frozen food.
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
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    In a pinch I buy them. I don't care for most of them and they generally do not fill me up. If they fit in your meal plan go for it. The sodium content usually makes me stay away.

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