Homemade Pre-cooked Meals? (Frozen Meals = Too Much Sodium)

kateistoned
kateistoned Posts: 116
edited September 27 in Recipes
Hi there!

I love frozen meals - from lean cuisine to weight watchers to tyson frozen chicken breasts, I love frozen meals because I don't have to cook. However, now that I have started actually caring about my health and keeping track of my nutrition, HOLY COW! I eat a TON of sodium.

I am a terrible cook, I am lazy - especially when it comes to preparing food at the end of the day. I am looking for recipe/meal ideas from people who cook in bulk (for the week, big batches for the month/year and freeze them) and then use the homemade stuff in lieu of the frozen store-bought option. I'm already thinking I need to make salsa and grill chicken breasts just to have on hand, probably homemade tortilla chips too. I would love recipes that re-heat well, are healthy, and delicious. I especially love spicy/Mexican food. I just don't have the time/energy to make a homemade meal from scratch every night. I'm not a very good cook in the first place...

Or, if you guys have a suggestion on how to cut back on sodium other than giving up my frozen meals, that'd be awesome.



Thanks!!!!

Replies

  • swest222
    swest222 Posts: 455 Member
    If you hate cooking one thing I do sometimes if Im strapped for time is buy a whole rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and cut it up for a few days worth of meals, salads, wraps, just chicken with some veggies.
  • SarahSway
    SarahSway Posts: 85 Member
    I basically am doing the same exact thing. I found Amy's Burritos have some that are light in sodium, and still pretty delicious!!
  • ruhimaach
    ruhimaach Posts: 171
    I buy some frozen meals every week because I don't have the time to cook. I try to cook, but most days, I cannot. I have switched to Kashi & Amy's Kitchen for frozen meals. Amy's Kitchen has a LOT of Mexican food. Also, Amy's is pretty low in sodium compared to other brands out there. Plus it's all organic, no preservatives, no GMO etc. A lot of their products are gluten free as well.

    When I do cook at home, I mostly do Indian cooking.
  • Losingitin2011
    Losingitin2011 Posts: 572 Member
    Slow cooker. You can make a lot of food in a day with that puppy. I make soups, chili, casseroles, etc. I love that thing SO much, and it doesn't heat up my apartment like the stove does!
  • TonyaCrego
    TonyaCrego Posts: 59 Member
    Id love some of this info as well! I am a big fan of weight watchers smart ones! :) Id also like to know a site that has good recipes with the calorie count on them. I have tons of good recipes but no idea on the calorie count! :(
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Just made a great mexican dish the other night from eatingwell.com, it was called Beef and Bean Chile Verde, I am sure it would freeze just fine, but we stretched it out by serving it over a half a cup of cooked rice. Just Google it!

    Also I make a lot of soups that freeze well. From what I understand things like potatoes and rice don't come out all that well in the freezer, but beans, meats, vegetables all do pretty well!
  • Fiedems
    Fiedems Posts: 52 Member
    I am exactly the same way.

    I get chicken breasts and veggies and just package them as separate. Chicken microwaves pretty good. Sometimes I get a bunch of chicken and bake it with green chilies, then again just package separate so that I pull out only one to eat.

    Steamfresh has a rice that is pretty healthy, complex carbs (brown and long grain) but it's in a frozen package.
  • VixFit2011
    VixFit2011 Posts: 663 Member
    I tend to do the Lean Cuisine too and shouldn't be having all the sodium. I've made things, soups mainly, roasts, chicken and kept a few containers of that for freezing. Then you can just have a salad and maybe some veggies to complete the meal and you didn't have to sweat over the stove.

    I'm also going to try to figure out some of the ingredients in the lean cuisines and make something close myself. It's only me to cook for but I do share with my housemates now and then. I just find that I end up wasting a lot of food when I buy a lot of things.
  • VixFit2011
    VixFit2011 Posts: 663 Member
    Id love some of this info as well! I am a big fan of weight watchers smart ones! :) Id also like to know a site that has good recipes with the calorie count on them. I have tons of good recipes but no idea on the calorie count! :(

    I did a search on google the other day and there are sites for "recipe calculating nutrients". Sorry didn't write any down or bookmark...senior moment.
  • Rebjones612
    Rebjones612 Posts: 408
    If you did decide to cook you could always make extra so you would have leftovers for the next day,
    thats what I do.
  • Jbauer41
    Jbauer41 Posts: 55
    cookinglight.com is a great site to go to. Recipies are not that way out there and they are easy to follow. They list all nutrient counts too.
  • kateanne27
    kateanne27 Posts: 275 Member
    I keep individually frozen chicken breasts, tilapia and salmon fillets and shrimp, those all take about 30 minutes to defrost in the bowl of water method or overnight in the fridge, then I pile them on top of some veggies, whatever I might have, and add some sauce I premade, mustard or salad dressing, sometimes lowfat garlic herb cream cheese, pile it all in the center of a big peice of parchment or foil, make a packet and bake (time and temps differ depending on what it is and how much, but for a 4 oz peice of fish, thin peice of chicken or handful of shrimp 350 for about 25 min) it takes less effort than making a sandwich and the possibilities are endless.
  • spackham
    spackham Posts: 252 Member
    BUMP, this is so me too!!!
  • chris0912
    chris0912 Posts: 242 Member
    Every summer (when tomatoes are in season locally and super cheap) I buy huge boxes of them and make vats of spaghetti sauce that I portion out and freeze. I also make chili and soups in huge quantities. Whenever I make lasagna or meatloaf, I make extras and freeze those as well. Unfortunately, when it comes to foods like this, I'm not a recipe gal, otherwise I'd share. I measure as stuff goes into the bowl or pot so I can calculate out nutritional info, but tend to do it by taste. I need to start writing stuff down so when something turns out really good, I can recreate it later!
  • Gary1977
    Gary1977 Posts: 804 Member
    This was me as well. While I still have days where my sodium is WAY too high, I've gotten better at it. I work 12 hour nights, 3 on and 3off. On my last day off, I prepare meals to take to work the following 3 days. I'm not a great ccok either, but experimenting is the best way to learn. Try adding different seasonings to chicken breasts, different fishes, and different cuts of beef (unless you're a vegan). I prepare them by using my oven's broiler, my griddle, grill, or baking the proteins. I also use del mote's no salt added vegetables or the fresh frozen varities to pair alongside the protein. Once prepared, I store in the freezer and microwave at meal times. Good luck and I know you'll figure it out.:drinker:
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
    I am a great cook, and I love cooking, but I've got two kids, a job, and no housekeeper. So, here's how we eat home-cooked meals and I'm not up until 11 pm every night.

    I make a lot of soup at a time. Like, a lot. I usually make a soup I affectionately call "Garbage Soup." The day before I go grocery shopping, I chop all the leftover veggies (green beans, red peppers, onions, garlic, carrots, celery), saute them, add pre-made low sodium broth, add some spices, and simmer for 20 minutes. Leftovers make a great lunch.

    When I cook any grain, I cook a lot. I keep it in a tupperware and I have a whole-grain side in minutes.

    I make 8 servings of oatmeal at a time. My kids eat it like candy. It's an easy, perfect breakfast. Pop it in the microwave and you've got yourself a great breakfast in about a minute.

    I double-batch pancakes and freeze leftovers. They're not just for breakfast anymore (anybody ever had an egg sandwich with pancakes as the bread?). YUM!

    That's all I've got. Good luck!
  • pinkgigi
    pinkgigi Posts: 693 Member
    I love to cook bulk in my pressure cooker, soups and cassaroles mainly. Doesn't take a lot of time, and heat up easily.

    Last night I just put some chicken breasts in a tray, a little olive oil, lemon juice and soy sauce, then chopped veggies (eggplant, zucchini, onions), bit of oil and italian herbs. I went to the gym and came back and it was ready (~40 mins in oven). Plenty of leftovers to freeze or have later.

    GG
  • yummy♥
    yummy♥ Posts: 612 Member
    Slow cooker. You can make a lot of food in a day with that puppy. I make soups, chili, casseroles, etc. I love that thing SO much, and it doesn't heat up my apartment like the stove does!

    ^^^^ slow cooker : <3

    and check www.skinnytaste.com for super simple healthy recipes. she has a section just for slow cookers, but all the rest are very user friendly as well, with very reasonable nutrition stats.
  • lunamare
    lunamare Posts: 569 Member
    You said you like mexican, this one tastes like the Santa Fe Rice and Beans from the Frozen Dinners

    Cajun Beans and Rice Casserole (4.5 pts)
    From Jenny Craig - No Diet Required

    Time: Prep 28 minutes; Cook 30 minutes

    1 (16-ounce) can red beans, drained
    1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, drained
    1 (14 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes,
    undrained
    vegetable cooking spray
    2 cups chopped onion
    Cup chopped celery
    1/2 Cup chopped green pepper
    1 teaspoon dried thyme
    teaspoon dried oregano
    1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon onion powder
    1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
    3 cups cooked long-grain rice (cooked without salt or fat)
    1 (8-ounce) carton low-fat sour cream
    1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese


    Mash beans slightly with a fork. Combine beans and tomatoes in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

    Meanwhile, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and green pepper; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add thyme and next 5 ingredients; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir half of onion mixture into bean mixture.

    Combine remaining onion mixture, rice, and sour cream. Spoon half of rice mixture into an 11- x 7- x 11/2-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with half of bean mixture. Repeat layers with remaining rice and bean mixtures.

    Cover and bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 additional minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

    Yield: 8 servings.


    MasterCook Nutritional Info
    Calories: 487
    Total Fat: 3g
    Fiber: 14g
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