Prepared frozen meals

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I was wondering if you guys could give me you opinions on pre packaged frozen meals. I used to buy them all the time but the sodium was awful. I have recently seen a spike in organic and healthier brands and was wondering if there is anyone who eats these and had good luck with them. I can see that they would be good for portion control and a good source for a quick meal. I am only talkiing about the brands like healthy choice , weight watchers etc... not the typical TV dinner.

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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I think the Amy's are the best tasting. I consume a lot of sodium so I'm not so worried about that, what bothers me about them is they are not high volume enough for the calories. If you like them and they keep you full, go for it. I'm not sure what you mean by had "good luck" with them.
  • tayragd
    tayragd Posts: 8 Member
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    I guess what I should have clarified by good luck is does it keep you full or do want more later and has it helped keep you on track with calories and macros. I have only 30 min scheduled for lunch ( which is more like 20). I teach. so those would be quick on those weeks I could not eat one more salad. However I would never make it a habit because I am really trying to get to a clean diet and not so much processed. I dos look at the Amy's ones and those are the ones I'm leaning toward.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    tayragd wrote: »
    I guess what I should have clarified by good luck is does it keep you full or do want more later and has it helped keep you on track with calories and macros. I have only 30 min scheduled for lunch ( which is more like 20). I teach. so those would be quick on those weeks I could not eat one more salad. However I would never make it a habit because I am really trying to get to a clean diet and not so much processed. I dos look at the Amy's ones and those are the ones I'm leaning toward.

    Oh okay, then I stand by my response lop-personally, they are not enough food for me. I'm a high volume eater. I'd rather take 10 minutes out of my night before to weigh out a huge salad (or something else, as it seems you're sick of salad!) But they are nice if you really are in a pickle. Better than going out to lunch and guesstimating if you forgot yours.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
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    Did you know that you could also buy frozen grilled chicken breasts? And also frozen veggies? You could save a serious amount of money. Even frozen fish tastes really good with a side of a 7 minute Knorrs wild rice side with some peas added. It's not that hard to cook. Give it a college try.
  • ineedachange185
    ineedachange185 Posts: 30 Member
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    You can try any but i like the new luvo all natursl dinners or the kashi. The regular dinners are fine for you according to my husbands doctor as long as it has 300 cals or less, under 700mg of sodium and over 10g of protein.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    Could you make a week's worth of lunches on Sunday that you just popped in the microwave like a frozen dinner? I am suggesting this because I think most frozen meals taste like crap. I usually batch cook a protein (usually a BBQ chicken or taco meat) and weigh it out.
  • karahm78
    karahm78 Posts: 505 Member
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    Amy's, evol, Healthy Choice Steamers, and Kasha (love the Mayan Harvest Bake!) are my favorites. I'll pair with a small salad, a side of steamed broccoli, or a piece of fruit to make it more satisfying as a meal.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
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    I don't eat a lot of frozen meals, but I do keep a few on hand for those desperation days. When I pack one in my lunch, I also throw a serving or two of frozen mixed veggies in a container, as well. I microwave those separately and add them to the meal after I've cooked it. It makes it much more filling and nutritious without adding a lot of calories.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    yayamom3 wrote: »
    I don't eat a lot of frozen meals, but I do keep a few on hand for those desperation days. When I pack one in my lunch, I also throw a serving or two of frozen mixed veggies in a container, as well. I microwave those separately and add them to the meal after I've cooked it. It makes it much more filling and nutritious without adding a lot of calories.

    I do the veggie side dish too. Sometimes I mix it in. I like zip-lock steam bags for fresh green beans.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Mostly Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine. I eat them every day for lunch. They usually have 23-25% of my daily sodium. A quarter of my daily sodium in one of my three meals of the day doesn't worry me to much.
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
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    I eat Smart Ones, Health Choice, and the Our Compliments Balance brands for lunches during the week. It's cheaper than buying lunch at work, and is portion controlled. As long as it's less than 300 calories, it fits for me. I don't feel overly hungry with them, but I drink a fair amount of water, too.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    yayamom3 wrote: »
    I don't eat a lot of frozen meals, but I do keep a few on hand for those desperation days. When I pack one in my lunch, I also throw a serving or two of frozen mixed veggies in a container, as well. I microwave those separately and add them to the meal after I've cooked it. It makes it much more filling and nutritious without adding a lot of calories.

    I do the veggie side dish too. Sometimes I mix it in. I like zip-lock steam bags for fresh green beans.

    That's what I meant. I mix mine in, too. Makes it seem like a lot more food for only a few more calories:)
  • healthy_hermione
    healthy_hermione Posts: 64 Member
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    I avoid them. Too much sodium and just knowing that they're frozen meals makes them nasty to me. I just try and make fresh meals, like cooking boneless skinless chicken breasts and frozen vegetables
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
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    I used to eat frozen meals all the time, but have started cooking my own and freezing them. Haven't had a frozen meal in over 3 months. They didn't fill me up anyway.
  • Merrysix
    Merrysix Posts: 336 Member
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    Generally, I try to stay away from frozen meals because not enough and not really tasty enough -- but on really high stress days I have found Good egg white breakfast bowls helpful -- about 19 grams protein, and 20 grams carb or so and depending on whether southwest or turkey sausage 200 or 225 calories -- I defrost in microwave and throw over prepackaged salads. Good also makes frozen egg white patties, and if I need more protein I may throw a couple in the microwave too and put over my greens with the breakfast bowl. So I'm getting a lot of protein, lower carb, lower sodium really quickly which sometimes is what I need. The good breakfast bowls are in the health food freezer section of my local grocery store. Be sure and read the label. Some are whole eggs vs. egg whites, which have too many calories for my daily weight loss macros.
  • eliza8897
    eliza8897 Posts: 35 Member
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    Try Birdseye Steamers. They are inexpensive and come in a variety of veggies, pasta with veggies, rice with veggies, etc. You can add protein or just eat as is
  • Merrysix
    Merrysix Posts: 336 Member
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    Birdseye steamers are great -- I often just through one in the microwave, and top with 1/2 to 1 cup of cottage cheese. Or birdseye steamer spinach with egg white patties. Yum. (I make sure I'm getting the all vegie (without sauce) steamers, cause it gives me more calories for other foods I like to eat.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Oh yeah those Birdseye bags are great. I can eat just whole bag of the veggies with some cheese. I think I'll do that tomorrow actually as I did not meal prep.