Is there a good diet plan similar to Lean Cuisines?

sshintaku

You guys talked me into setting time aside once a week or so to make my own freezer meals. I made about 2 weeks worth of breakfast sandwiches and I made these chicken wraps I like for work. I'm just worried that they have more calories than LC meals do. I calculated the calories with the recipe tracker on here and they seem high (around 300).

For dinner I'm going to start making zucchini pasta and alternating between sauces so I don't get bored. Would you suggest making a large amount of noodles in advance and freezing them or making them as I go (to keep them as fresh as I can for as long as possible)?

Noodles will keep for 5-6 days just in the fridge. You might run them through hot water again before eaten to freshen them up. The calorie trade off between high sodium for a little higher calories will probably help you in thhe long run as high sodium tends to cause bloat (at least for me).

TeaBea

You guys really don't seem to understand.

I explained exactly why I eat LC's. I already KNOW how to cook. Its not something I need to "learn". I just don't have the time or money. You say its cheaper, but I just made the list of everything I would need for making my own frozen meals and there's no way I can afford that. And like I said, I work at various times, so cooking really doesn't work for me. I just wanted to know if there was a healthier version of Lean Cuisines...

I personally need to LEARN....and most MFP users need to LEARN.

You hear people talk about LIFESTYLE changes......what are you going to change permanently that helps you keep the weight you've lost off? I can't go back to my regular eating habits (ever) because my regular eating habits made me fat.

There are no cheaper AND healthier alternatives. There are cheaper.....Michaelina has a line of lower cal. Healthy Choice is very similar. Even some regular dinners are low calorie....just check labels.....a few Marie Callendars fit.....again not healthier. There are healthier (at least some think so) .....Amy's, Kashi......lower sodium, etc....NOT cheaper though.

Temporary weight loss plans typically yield temporary results......:flowerforyou:

S_Murphree

I found one of the best things is when you decide to cook (chicken for example), make extras and freeze it. You have chicken wraps, chicken for salads, pasta. Or if I have leftovers, I put it in containers and freeze. You can take the chicken and change up seasoning for several different meals, mexican, bbq, italian.

Since your time is kind of varied, you might think about the crockpot.

As far as expense, pasta, rices, frozen veggies since fresh are somewhat costly, eggs if you like them. Good luck.

Totally understand the convenience of frozen meals.

fvtfan

I hate cooking - so I understand your issue, I agree the time sometimes gets in the way (especially the clean up time).

I would highly recommend a crockpot - I throw in a pound of chicken breast, black beans, corn and salsa in there and then I have lunch for the week (salads, tacos or over a potato or rice). I have discovered you can do baked potatoes in the crockpot too - so I throw in 3 and then I have them already made when I want them, rather than wait for them to cook. My favorite go-to recipes are in the crockpot - throw everything and walk away ... 6-8 hours later dinner is done.

jkal1979

If your main concern is produce going bad, try frozen veggies. Even if you still want to have your frozen meals you can add the veggies to those to bulk it up a bit.

schmanciepants

One alternative I like to pre-packaged frozen meals is making your own using frozen, pre-cooked ingredients.

For example, Target and Whole Foods sell frozen quinoa or brown rice - combine that with frozen broccoli/veg of choice, and frozen chicken/shrimp in a plastic container with a sauce of your choice.

Is minimal prep, cheaper than lean cuisines, and gives you a better meal