Lean Cuisines ?

There's a pretty good review at http://www.livestrong.com/article/398688-how-healthy-are-lean-cuisine-frozen-dinners/. I think the biggest problem is the sodium content, but that's an issue with just about any processed foods. They have some good options with lots of veggies, low calories, and plenty of variety. And, since they're prepackaged, you know exactly how many calories you're consuming. I think I lost my first 50 pounds basically relying on Lean Cuisine (and other brands) until I learned to start cooking more from scratch. You can eat quite a bit more if you make it yourself, but it also takes more prep time which it sounds like you're short on.

Not really. Not enough food (or vitamins and minerals) for the calories and way too much salt. You'd be much better off (and stay more full) if you made your own food.

If you like them and you're still getting used to normal portions, they're not a terrible way to begin, though.

An occasional frozen meal isn't going to hurt you. I always keep two or three in my freezer for those days where I absolutely feel like doing nothing in the kitchen and have no leftovers. I lost my first 55 pounds by eating frozen meals for lunch--mainly Amy's Organic meals, not because they are organic but because I don't eat meat and Amy's has a lot of veggie options. But, I was getting a lot of sodium, so I wouldn't recommend having them every day. Now I eat a fresh salad and fruit for lunch instead of the frozen meals.

I LOVE the Lean Cuisine cheese tortellini, btw, and the spinach ravioli is tasty too. Not every day, not every week, but every once in a while, usually supplement with fruit or a small salad.

I bought some this week. There's a lot going on this week and I didn't want to think about planning my lunch on the days I go into the office. Just going to pack some extra veggies and grab one out of the freezer in the morning. Much lower in calories than anything I would go out and buy during my lunch hour.

I usually keep a few in the freezer. My problem with them is they are typically very skimpy on the veg and protein. Rarely looks like the picture on the box, but then what product ever does? I usually wind up supplementing it with added veggies.

They're not necessarily healthy or unhealthy, really. They have a high-ish sodium content, and they may not be overly filling for some people, but that's about it. They're also more expensive than making stuff at home.

None of those things make them bad, though! If you like them, then go ahead and continue eating them

If you're typically home on the weekends for a bit, consider batch-cooking and portioning out food for your own freezer meals. I have a gnocchi soup, along with a pot roast with potatoes & carrots, portioned out in my freezer so I have food ready to go. The roast I did in my crockpot, so I didn't even need to do anything other than a few minutes of chopping up carrots. I can easily get 5-6 meals out of each of these, which is awesome.

Food for thought

~Lyssa

I eat a couple of frozen meals a week at work. Not a big deal. I try to get ones that have more protein.

Lean Cuisine tastes like cardboard, IMO, though.

I add tons of veggies to mine. Usually broccoli. Sometimes you're too hungry to cook and it's a great binge preventer. I'm just not myself when I'm hungry

I do eat frozen meals. I eat organic meat free ones. When there is 40 or more grams of carb, I chop it in half. Then I eat it with a fruit or veggie and some plain fat free yogurt. It's what's for lunch today!

Convenient, but high in sodium.
You can make your own when you do have extra time and control what is going into your food a little bit (ie: sodium and sugar)
Make your meals and freeze in individual portions. Quick meals at your fingertips.