Frozen Meals?
saralynn9230
Posts: 11 Member
So the weightloss clinic told me today that I should look into getting frozen meals for my weekly meal prep but I've always kind of been under the impression that they aren't all the good for you. Are there any good frozen meals that aren't super processed and are high protein, low fat, low sodium, low carb? I would also appreciate it if they tasted good.
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I love many Lean Cuisines. Also Weight Watchers Smart Ones but I prefer Lean Cuisines. The only thing to watch is your sodium intake.
I'm sure someone will come in and say "Oh make your own it is cheaper and healthier"...sure it may be but it is also a pain. I like my LCs and have one almost every day.
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According to this: http://plenteousveg.com/vegan-processed-foods/ Morningstar is one of the better choices and their burgers are good. (I realize you haven't mentioned being vegan, but I'm vegetarian and kosher, so my recommendations are sort of filtered through those limitations.)3
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saralynn9230 wrote: »So the weightloss clinic told me today that I should look into getting frozen meals for my weekly meal prep but I've always kind of been under the impression that they aren't all the good for you. Are there any good frozen meals that aren't super processed and are high protein, low fat, low sodium, low carb? I would also appreciate it if they tasted good.
Oh my gosh. There are TONS that are both delicious and quite healthy!!2 -
sometimes I'll have a bag of steamfresh frozen veggies and canned chicken for lunch. Quick and more filling (to me) than a frozen meal.3
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Generally, look for a reasonable frozen meal and pair it with a piece of fruit and/or some fresh veggies on the side to round it out. I keep a few on hand for lunches when I'm out of leftovers. They're easy and can be pretty inexpensive. I buy whatever brand is on sale that fits my criteria.
-300 to 500 calories
-under 1000 mg sodium
-some fiber (5g+ is good)
-no trans fat
I'm in Canada, so I get PC Blue brand frozen meals quite often, and they're both really good and good for me. A list of brands that are good to consider: Amy’s Kitchen, CedarLane Natural Foods, Dr. Praeger’s, Earth’s Best, FreshDirect, Kashi, Kettle Cuisine, Kidfresh, Kids Organic, Lean Cuisine, Organic Bistro, Peas of Mind, Plum Organics, and Weight Watchers Smart Ones.3 -
I'm a veggie, so take it for what it's worth. I LOOOOV the Amy's Kitchen and Sweet Earth ones that you can find at Target.2
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Checkout Icon meals and Bite Meals. These are 2 companies I know of who cater to bodybuilders and the fitness industry. The meals they create are frozen and shipped to you, but you can either customize the macros or choose meals that fit into your plan. Both are pretty tasty! Hope this helps! - Christine Coen1
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I'm not low carb (no medical issues for me) - but I look for the meals that are highest protein. Because they are not the most filling, I add a serving of veggies & "dessert" is a piece of fruit. That gets me plenty of fiber.
Check the websites for info - Lean Cuisine is especially user friendly.....I can select different criteria to filter by
Protein: https://www.leancuisine.com/products/search?productFilters=Group_130
Healthy Choice Steamers are a favorite right now.
If you want to venture into making your own freezer meals, start with breakfast. I bake 9 eggs+9 egg whites in a 9" square pan. Then I freeze portions in a zip-lock baggie with a piece of Canadian bacon. I place a portion in the fridge (to thaw) the night before. In the a.m. I pop a high fiber English muffin in the toaster, warm the eggs in the microwave, slap on a piece of 2% cheese.....high fiber, (almost) double protein, lower fat, egg McMuffin.2 -
I cook, portion and freeze. Voila - freezer meals that I actually really like because I make what I want.2
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I frozen meals help you get to your weight loss goals, there is nothing wrong with them. They are not unhealthy. Now, certain ones *can* be unhealthy such as Hungry Man, Marie Callender's, etc, but Lean Cuisines, Smart Made, Smart Ones, etc. aren't bad at all. One of those meals, generally has less sodium than a serving of canned soup.
I have been buying the Luvo frozen meals (available at Wegman's, Safeway, and other places). Kind of pricey but the food tastes a bit more "real" to me than the Lean Cuisines I was eating. It comes in box, and within in a paper bag so somewhat environmentally friendly.0 -
saralynn9230 wrote: »So the weightloss clinic told me today that I should look into getting frozen meals for my weekly meal prep but I've always kind of been under the impression that they aren't all the good for you. Are there any good frozen meals that aren't super processed and are high protein, low fat, low sodium, low carb? I would also appreciate it if they tasted good.
These are not necessities for losing weight. But I realize a criteria or two may or may not be medical necessities for you. I try to eat "better" while losing weight. So my criteria is simple because I don't have medical issues - meet protein - get plenty of fiber.
If you don't have medical issues it's probably best to prioritize. Dietary fat doesn't make us fat - too many calories do. Most low carbers eat a pretty fair portion of fat calories. It's going to be very hard (impossible?) meeting calorie goals on a high protein, low carb, low fat diet....
Find some dietary changes that you can live with VERY long term. Losing weight is just the first step. Keeping the weight off requires lifestyle changes. If low carb isn't a medical necessity, or something you want to do forever, then it's likely not a good weight loss strategy.1 -
Take a look at the nutrition info and just try a few that match your goals calorie/protein/fat/etc-wise. You'll find some you like. There's nothing wrong with them, they are just prepared meals that are frozen for convenience.1
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Some great ones, some not so great ones, both in terms of nutrition and taste :-)
I am not a big frozen meal person, it just never feels like enough food for me, I end up wanting to knaw my own arm off halfway through the afternoon.1 -
Luvo has some lower sodium options, if that is a concern. Also I know Atkins makes frozen meals as well if you want/need low carb. I'm a Lean Cuisine fan as well.2
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saralynn9230 wrote: »So the weightloss clinic told me today that I should look into getting frozen meals for my weekly meal prep but I've always kind of been under the impression that they aren't all the good for you. Are there any good frozen meals that aren't super processed and are high protein, low fat, low sodium, low carb? I would also appreciate it if they tasted good.
By their nature, they're all heavily processed. They are all pretty much sodium bombs. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with that...I personally have to watch sodium though as I am hypertensive. I can't eat those things with any regularity...which is ok because I don't really like them.
They can be an easy and convenient way to eat while watching calories.0 -
I don't personally find them filling enough but the Lean Cuisine and Michelina's (they make a lighter version that escapes my mind rn) are decent. You could meal prep yourself once a week if you'd rather avoid the frozen meals. I find sweet potatoes and green beans keep well as a side. I've kept salmon with that for 5 days before.1
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I don't think that frozen dinners are necessarily always bad but you definitely have to check out the ingredient label. I feel like a lot of them have a ton of sodium and way too many weird ingredients, so that's my main issue with them.
My favorite frozen dinner is a mixed shrimp and vegetable stir fry from trader joe's. It has a good amount of protein, is low in sodium and doesn't have a ton of odd ingredients. I like to pair it with brown rice, although I know you mentioned that you were looking for low carb.0 -
I love many Lean Cuisines. Also Weight Watchers Smart Ones but I prefer Lean Cuisines. The only thing to watch is your sodium intake.
I'm sure someone will come in and say "Oh make your own it is cheaper and healthier"...sure it may be but it is also a pain. I like my LCs and have one almost every day.
Yep, I still eat Lean Cuisines every week, even though I'm in maintenance now, because I love the taste and convenience of them. They're also a good base -I add a bag of vegetables and a can of chicken to them for a filling meal 3 -
My favorite frozen meals right now:
I have breakfast sandwich every morning and my evening meal most days is a Lean Cuisine with a whole bag of steam-in-bag veggies.
The frozen meals are high in sodium but I cut sodium elsewhere, for example by using unsalted butter.1 -
I use Atkins frozen meals, lean cuisine and others as back-up.
It's best to just cook your own food and freeze it into plastic trays.2 -
Most of them are not that good for you. Personally I don't eat them at all.
But I see from the comments a lot of folks do... to each their own, I guess. I rather cook my own food.1 -
I frozen meals help you get to your weight loss goals, there is nothing wrong with them. They are not unhealthy. Now, certain ones *can* be unhealthy such as Hungry Man, Marie Callender's, etc, but Lean Cuisines, Smart Made, Smart Ones, etc. aren't bad at all. One of those meals, generally has less sodium than a serving of canned soup.
I have been buying the Luvo frozen meals (available at Wegman's, Safeway, and other places). Kind of pricey but the food tastes a bit more "real" to me than the Lean Cuisines I was eating. It comes in box, and within in a paper bag so somewhat environmentally friendly.
Other than being higher in calories, what makes those unhealthy? I prefer Marie Callenders over most of the "healthy" ones, as those are bland to me.
OP, they're fine in moderation, like everything else. Evol is also a good lower-calorie choice.2 -
Get your Crockpot out, make up some meals and freeze your own on the weekends. When I was working, I most often had two of them going on the weekends and had a variety of things to choose from for dinners and for lunches at work.1
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I like Morningstars spicy black bean burgers. I will buy Smart Ones pizza because of the low calories but keep it at a minimum as far as eating frozen foods simply because of the sodium. I prefer eating home cooked foods.0
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Healthy Choice is pretty good on sodium. Too few calories though IMHO - you have to add something along with it. I used to complain in the supermarket "If I was sedentary enough for 250 calories to constitute a meal, I'd have enough time to cook my own damn food". I batch cook my own food now.. much cheaper and I can tailor the calorie content and macro %'s how I want.1
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If you have some time to devote to large batch cooking (like on a weekend), many dishes freeze well and can be frozen in individual portions. I freeze vegetarian chili, soups, spaghetti sauce, among other things. That way, I get the convenience of pulling a frozen meal out of the fridge, but I also control what goes into it, and it's cheaper. You can find "freezer cooking" websites of recipes that freeze well.0
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As you can see, everyone's idea of healthy is different. I, personally, would never eat them. I batch cook and freeze so I always have a variety of choices available that fit my definition of healthy. You should look at the ingredients and decide for yourself.1
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@lucys1225 Your dog is adorable!!!!!0
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My favorite frozen meals right now:
I have breakfast sandwich every morning and my evening meal most days is a Lean Cuisine with a whole bag of steam-in-bag veggies.
The frozen meals are high in sodium but I cut sodium elsewhere, for example by using unsalted butter.
Have you tried the Jimmy Dean Delights Breakfast Bowls, or the Frittattas? Both super yummy, filling, good protein. I have either a breakfast sandwich, a bowl, or two of those egg fritattas a few times a week, other days I have Chobani yogurt and granola.
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