What do you guys think about Lean Cuisine or Michelina's

mikeylikesit1177

So I have tried the Michelina's from walmart and wondered what you guys thought about them. They are very low in calories but how good are they for you. Any thoughts

MobiusMan

watch the sodium

kioga86

watch the sodium

This. The calories are usually pretty good, and some of them are REALLY tasty, but make extra sure you've set aside enough sodium in the day to fit it in. Eating meals like that can put you over on your sodium in the blink of an eye.

angelarose12

the Lean Cuisines are yummy. Everyone I have tried so far are good.

soccermom004

I eat the lean cuisines and healthy choice a lot for lunch. They are quick, easy, portion controlled and I like to eat something warm when it is cold outside. Many of them are pretty good on sodium too and have no preservitives.

RaeannePemberton

good for a quick fix but overly processed and "unclean" food overall.... i had a healthy choice last night for the first time in probably a year. LOL. it was okay... nothing delicious... but was in a time crunch.

slimyfishy

"Diet" meals are great if you are in a pinch. However, they are ALL high in sodium. Have them as a last resort, but compensate by having fresh fruit/veg and lots of water as a side :-D

mschelle

Blech, IMHO. I like Healthy Choice meals much better.
Believe it or not Marie Callendar has a few meals < 400 calories! Those wouldn't be in the "diet meal" section. The Pot Roast one is really yummy.

edorice

Try to keep under 2,400 mg per day of total sodium and you should be fine. Lean Cuisine's are great for portion control.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/160841-lean-cuisine?hl=lean+cuisine#posts-2149309

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/156975-lean-cuisines-anyone?hl=lean+cuisine#posts-2105178

shelbyj72

Michelina's is good but it is too small. I like lean cusine and healty choice they have better protions.

westernjoy

I love the Lean Cuisine. When I'm working I use them. I watch the the sodium count,

amyj78

They serve their purpose, but I wouldn't eat them every day. I keep a small stash in my freezer for times I'm in a pinch. Like everyone said, they are very HIGH in sodium and not always that filling. Eat with a big side of veggies for a more complete meal. You can make your own 'frozen' meals to have on hand by freezing healthy leftovers from dinner. A lot cheaper and a lot better for you and you know what is in your dish.

Tarah1357

I buy the weight watchers smart ones but I try not to eat them too often because of the amount of sodium. I think it's that way with just about all the frozen prepared meals. They are great for when you don't have the time (or energy lol) to cook...but like anything else, once and a while isn't bad. At least not in my opinion and experience.

mikeylikesit1177

I'm thinking of only eating them for lunch Mon-Fri. I dont have a lot of time to prepare for lunch

helenamonks

watch the sodium

This. The calories are usually pretty good, and some of them are REALLY tasty, but make extra sure you've set aside enough sodium in the day to fit it in. Eating meals like that can put you over on your sodium in the blink of an eye.

I like the Michelina's they are normally waaaay tastier than the lean cuisines, and its normally a bigger portion. Healthy choice isn't bad either!

rcrea

I eat lean cuisine and weight watcher's meal fairly regularly. I track my sodium and these are both very well balanced. I have never gone over a day due to either of them. And they are pretty tasty.

allysonvb

The best ones, in my opinion, are the Healthy Choice Steamers. A lot of fiber, reduced sodium and great portions with lots of veggies. My favorite is the chicken red pepper alfredo. Delicious. 260 calories. Yum!

edorice

The Steamers are nice once in awhile, but they are heavy on the carb side.

wolfchild59

The Michelina's ones are too small for me. And only halfway decent in taste.
Smart Ones are all pretty gross to me.
Lean Cuisines have stepped up a bit and are very tasty. (avoid meats other than chicken or shrimp though, the beef stuff is still gross)
Healthy Choice Steamers - both the bowls and the flat steamer trays - are where it's at. I love those things. Tasty, doesn't really taste like a microwave meal and can be found on sale for less than two bucks if you stay on top of things. I think they're $1.98 at Walmart, $2.08 at Target and are currently on sale at Lucky for $1.88.

javamom

As a treat, I like the new Lean Cuisine thai chicken spring rolls. 3 for 200 calories. You'd never guess it wasn't an appetizer at a restaurant. De-licious!

cookingcriolla

I've tried Lean Cuisine, Health Choice and Smart Ones. I prefer the Lean Cusisne and Healthy Choice steamers. I've never tried Michelena's. I like to keep them on hand for lunch when I don't have time to prepare anything. They're a hot meal, no work involved and reasonably priced but like everyone's said, watch the sodium!

heyitsmekatie

i haven't really had many of the michelina's, but i'm a big fan of lean cuisine and healthy choice. yeah, i know they're high in sodium but they are so easy and convenient and most are really tasty.

LMPRF97

Eat healthy choice it has less sodium and bad stuff.

Mirabilis

They helped me figure out portion control, which is really helpful, but you can do better by cooking yourself.

I adore my crock pot. I eat better than any tray now, but I admit there are still 3 or 4 in the back of my freezer.

Edit: One other thing... I am very mold sensitive. I can smell and taste it where other people can't. On occasion, the veggies in the Lean Cuisines are not quite right up to par, although I doubt many would notice.

lakefunn

I used to eat all of those, but since my daughter and I have steered more toward whole food, these frozen dinners taste horrible, especially Michelinas Lean Gourmet. Yuk

ShannonMpls

If it were the zombie apocalypse and they were all I had, I'm sure I'd happily eat them.

QueenKristine7

Healthy Choice has a pumpkin squash ravioli that is soooo good, a bit high on the carbs but delicious none the less

TeaBea

slimyfishy wrote: »

"Diet" meals are great if you are in a pinch. However, they are ALL high in sodium. Have them as a last resort, but compensate by having fresh fruit/veg and lots of water as a side :-D

This^

I use them sometimes, but always add some extra veggies. If sodium is something you need to watch, then look up sodium counts on Lean Cuisine's website before going to the store. Compensate by having lower sodium snacks/meals the rest of the day.

https://www.leancuisine.com/Products/Search.aspx

You can plug values into the sodium section

AskTracyAnnK28

Try Amy's Organic...so much better than Healthy Choice & Lean Cuisine!
And I never have a problem fitting them into my macros

Anonycatgirl

They're fast, convenient, relatively cheap, and you know exactly what you're getting for calories and nutrition, so if you don't mind the taste and texture, go for it. I never found anything like that (even the Kashi ones, which I enjoyed, as opposed to just tolerating because I was having a lunch emergency) very satisfying, though.

erockem

I used to eat them everyday for a few years, sometimes twice a day.

They were CHEAP, usually $1-$2 on sale
Fast
The calories fit my plan.

I was typically hungry most of the time because 250 calories in a LC is a lot smaller than 250 calories in a large chicken breast and broccoli as an example.

But, I didn't enjoy them (they were fair) and my weight never changed. I tried making my own food which tasted better and fit my plan even more. With in 3 months I went from 220lbs to 185lbs and all I changed was replacing LC's with food I prepared.

I prepare food on Sundays. This past Sunday I cooked several chicken breasts various ways (shredded, diced, whole, seasoned, etc), made swiss steak, and cooked some cubed beef. Make some veggies and it's all ready for the week for lunch and dinners.

My wife will still occasionally eat them. I just cringe when she does because her face looks as bland as the food she is eating. The rest sit in the freezer since the fridge is full of prepared meals.