Alternatives to Frozen Dinners?

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lisau6
lisau6 Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I can't get myself to stomach frozen dinners. About half of them have the same smell when they come out of the microwave indicating the same veggie composite sauce that tasts tangy in the worst way. Living on my own, frozen dinners are often the most economical and healthy way to go, but I usually end up still hungry after or completely avoiding the frozen dinner and picking up something else on my way home from work or school.

Do you guys have any suggestions for alternatives for easy smaller meals that I can make for myself without taking up a ton of fridge space or going to the grocery all the time?
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Replies

  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Every Sunday, I cook and package my lunches for the entire week. Roast off a bunch of chicken. Portion it out. Figure out a side, or something else to go with it that's easy to pop in the microwave.
    Much less sodium, I know exactly what goes into it, and it's just as easy.

    It doesn't take very long to do, and doesn't really take up any more space than those frozen meals.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    Look up Mason Jar salads, it's a new-ish thing going around that sounds great to me. I just saw a thread on here last week with some great links.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Oh anything but frozen dinners, they're so blah tasting. Once a week, I take chicken breast or tenderloins and bake it with seasonings, then chop it up and put it in a quart size baggie. I can use it during the week for salads, with rice (I also make a big batch same concept), sandwiches, or great for an omelet. Also turkey is pretty lean and quick to broil, add some rice n veggies and you're golden. Plus getting away from pre packaged cuts down on sodium (I tend to retain water if I don't watch sodium).
  • arendiva
    arendiva Posts: 177 Member
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    Have you ever tried baked sweet potato? You literally rinse it off and throw it in the microwave for 6-8 minutes (depending on size) and bam there's half your dinner. Pair it with some boneless skinless chicken breast meat that you can easily and quickly season or bread in a myriad of different ways (use shake and bake if you are feeling especially unambitious) and you can have a quality meal with virtually no effort. Having a veggie on the side is an obvious bonus but I know not everyone likes veggies with every meal.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    um, cook your meals for the week in a crock pot and move on. mason jar salads are also a great idea..... anything other than frozen meals because they are AWFUL for you!
  • bramble345
    bramble345 Posts: 50 Member
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    I make a big curry or stew, loads of lean meat and veg, especially onions, and lots of spices for flavour. Measure all that goes in so i know how many calories per portion. Keeps for half a week in the fridge and i freeze the rest in single portion ziplock bags. Microwave up on top of mashed cauli/turnip/cabbage, again these keep well in fridge or can freeze in small portions, and you know exactly what your eating.
  • VryIrishGirl76
    VryIrishGirl76 Posts: 1,167 Member
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    Every Sunday, I cook and package my lunches for the entire week. Roast off a bunch of chicken. Portion it out. Figure out a side, or something else to go with it that's easy to pop in the microwave.
    Much less sodium, I know exactly what goes into it, and it's just as easy.

    It doesn't take very long to do, and doesn't really take up any more space than those frozen meals.

    This!
  • PudgyPanda91
    PudgyPanda91 Posts: 72 Member
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    I found these Green Giant Simply Steam things that are frozen but they're just veggies and a sauce... They're pretty yummy and only take a couple minutes. So far as I can tell there's nothing really bad in them, although I'm definitely not an expert. They're only really a side though, not a full meal.

    Usually on one of my days off, I just make a huge batch of something... Pasta, veggies, soup, etc. And freeze/refrigerate it into portions so that you don't have to worry about it for the rest of the week. Requires a bit of planning though.
  • SuperVixen2B
    SuperVixen2B Posts: 218 Member
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    I had a microwaved potato with a small can of beenie weenies on top of it and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese for dinner just about every night for months. Lived on my own and just didn't care. It was food, it was filling, it was cheap, and didn't create a lot of dishes. I'm not sure it was *healthy*, but my weight did go steadily down during that period of time.

    If I were to give you a "do as I say, not as I do" suggestion, it would be crockpot cooking. Just toss a hunk of any kind of meat in a crockpot (ground beef, roast, pork loin, chicken) and just about any kind of liquid (diced tomatoes, marinades, BBQ sauce, Frank's Red Hot), put it on low and when you get home in 8-9 hours, dinner is done. Pair that with a bag of microwaveable steam-in-the-bag veggies and/or instant rice and you're set. Also keeps you from stopping anywhere on the way home because you know you have dinner waiting for you and you need to turn the crockpot off.

    *Bonus: Leftovers
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I always thought it wasn't safe to cook one week ahead, to be honest.

    I don't work so I have time, but I cook a lot for myself. I just make more so there is leftovers. My George Foreman grill is my best friend though, it can grill anything in 5 minutes, throw in some frozen veggies and you have a meal.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    I don't see how buying frozen meals is actually "more economic" considering the portion is pretty small and the food is disgusting. Buy things in bulk as it's usually cheaper, freeze what you don't use up, cook meals in bulk and freeze what won't be eaten within a few days, buy frozen veggies/fruit if fresh tends to go bad on you too quickly.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    I can't get myself to stomach frozen dinners. About half of them have the same smell when they come out of the microwave indicating the same veggie composite sauce that tasts tangy in the worst way. Living on my own, frozen dinners are often the most economical and healthy way to go, but I usually end up still hungry after or completely avoiding the frozen dinner and picking up something else on my way home from work or school.

    Do you guys have any suggestions for alternatives for easy smaller meals that I can make for myself without taking up a ton of fridge space or going to the grocery all the time?
    Buying frozen/processed/prepared meals is more expensive than cooking from fresh. I live by myself (if you don't include my two dogs) work a full time and a part time, go to the gym 6 days/week, walk the dogs daily AND cook!!! It saves me money, and tastes a LOT better too. Those frozen meals you are paying for convenience. I don't shop more than once a month. I really plan out my meals and some of the stuff I buy (dried beans, rice, potatoes, tofu) can keep for quite a while. As far as produce is concerned, evaluate what you will use quickly and what you wont. Lettuce i dont use quickly, for example,so i have found that buying the "living lettuce" root still attached, it lasts much longer. When I buy pineapple I only do so if I know I'll use it within a week or two, because otherwise it will go bad. You get the picture. I also make my own bread...mmmm. I think you'll find that you prefer to cook, control what's in your meals, it'll taste better, and so much better for you. :)
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
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    The others are right cook and freeze your own meals. It really doesn't take all that much work and most foods will freeze well for up to 3 months. Invest in some decent containers and a crock pot, both will come in handy.

    Crock pot meal ideas
    Chili
    Stuffed Peppers
    Spaghetti sauce
    Mexican spiced chicken breast - frozen chicken breast with mexican spices (or taco seasoning packet) and 1/2 cup water 6 hr
    Pulled pork - pork roast or I use boneless ribs with Mrs Dash southwest seasoning enough water to almost cover the meat and cook 6 hr

    A microwaved sweet potato cut in half and topped with pulled pork is fabulous.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Take a look at Mark Bittman's 101 simple summer meals:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

    I cook for 2, but my wife doesn't like eating the same thing over and over, so I'll cook enough for leftovers and then freeze them for use a few weeks later. If fridge/freezer space is a problem, buy plastic storage containers that stack; I use some that have the same footprint and lid, and vary only in height, which makes it easy to pack a lot into a small space.
  • kylawelsh
    kylawelsh Posts: 10 Member
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    shop daily, cook fresh and healthy. I do it with a family of 4 and it become routine, and so yummy! Plus, it has helped me save money, I don't wast any food.
  • Rlavigne93
    Rlavigne93 Posts: 119 Member
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    Maybe try a different brand? I've been eating the Healthy Choice steamers a lot and they have some good variety.

    Short of actually cooking, or eating out, I can't really find a way to get good tasting, healthy food for dinner. I usually end up eating a quest bar and some veggies.
  • Roseygirl1
    Roseygirl1 Posts: 196 Member
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    1. Stock up on all the kinds of frozen veggies you like. Broccoli, cauliflower, peas and carrots, on and on. I love baby brussel sprouts.

    2. Buy the highest quality chicken you can each week, a big one. Pastured organic is best. Roast said chicken. Eat some on night 1 along with your frozen veggies and a sweet potato that you've baked along with the chicken. Then pull all the meat off the bones and set aside in refrigerator.

    3. Make a chicken stir fry from your frozen veggies, the chicken meat, and a sauce (either jarred or homemade---curry sauce, pesto sauce, red pepper sauce, white sauce, whatever!). Make a double batch of rice or pasta.

    4. Make chicken stock from the bones and make a pot of soup: to your chicken stock, add veggies, chopped onion, dill weed, chicken meat and anything else you like in soup----noodles, beans, whatever. Yummy hearty soup. Now you have had 3 meals from one chicken. If you make chicken salad with whatever is left, you have 4.

    You can basically do this with any cut of meat that has bones and likes long, slow cooking, like short ribs of beef, or oxtail. Except you would braise those instead of roasting.

    Also, you can check out "once a month cooking" websites for more ideas for make-ahead meals.

    Rosey
  • KrazyFluffy
    KrazyFluffy Posts: 12 Member
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    Home made frozen meals are awesome!

    Living alone i usually cook more then what i can eat in one sitting.. So i started making the meals that i like then freezing portions to re-heat while at work or when in lazy mode and I dont want to cook something fresh..

    I usually have a cooking day where i will cook meat for the week or half the week. that way i can use the chicken to toss into meals quickly.. i do the same with beef.

    Veggies i have a bunch of good fresh veggies i use often, but i also have a giant bag of frozen veggies i use too.

    that's my 2 cents... hope it helped!
  • GMStb10
    GMStb10 Posts: 158 Member
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    My freezer is my best friend but ditch the ready meals, make your own healthy family meals and freeze the extra portions. It works well for stews, macaroni cheese and bolognese. I always keep ready cooked sliced chicken in the freezer as it is really quick to reheat and goes with a huge variety of quick and easy meals for one. I buy weight watchers bacon put it into individual freezer bags, so I can just have one and the rest does not go off. Cheese I grate and put in the freezer too, aswell with berries and most veg. I make my own treats too and put them in the freezer. The only thing I buy fresh that cannot be individual bagged and frozen is salad. And yes it is a pain spending every meal for two days having the same green so I dont throw out but need to eat greens, I haven't found a way around it.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    When I'm being lazypants, I DIY a frozen dinner. I love steamed vegetable bags. They're usually about 120-350 calories for the entire bag. I usually get the bird's eye "Steamers." Favorite flavors are couscous & spinach with lemon butter sauce, "Asian medley," Tuscan vegetables, etc. They usually have a light sauce and never taste mushy and sad.

    Then I microwave a vegetarian protein, usually a Morningstar fake-chicken patty. If I have calories left, an ice cream sandwich for dessert. Everything is stored in the freezer and takes 4 minutes to cook everything. If you eat meat, pre-cooking (roasting/baking/grilling) a lot of chicken can also do you well.

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