Frozen entrees: yes or no?
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Yes, it's great because you don't have a lot to do for prep. But you continue eating that way for life, then consider if you have children, that will likely be the way they eat also. And vice versa if you actually cook from scratch. So really, you just have to decide what's more important to you..............not what's just convenient.amandastardust89 wrote: »In a busy world of kids, work, socializing...we could all use a little convenience; especially for those who are working extra hard to remain fit.
What are your views on microwavable meals?
I use them as a good base for my weight loss strategy since they are pre-packaged, single-serving, and provide all nutritional information right on the package. However, they are high in sodium and preservatives!
Fresh food is ideal. It's all of your basic needs that can be cooked, seasoned, and constructed to your specific taste. It tastes better, too; but, cooking all your own food can be time consuming. Also, it's hard to track every serving of every ingredient of said meal.
Thoughts?
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I don't have enough spoons to cook and/or do meal prep. When I was cooking for myself, I ended up wasting a lot of food - just couldn't eat it all before it would go bad. Now I mostly eat frozen stuff (SmartMade and Smart Ones) and make a point of getting the ones that are lower in calories. The Smart Ones that I get are under 200 calories each, while the SmartMade ones are between 220 and 270 each. I also eat the vegetarian Spicy Bean "burgers" which are only 110 calories each. Makes everything really easy. I mean, yeah, eating everything fresh would be great, but it's just more effort than I have to give.
As others have said, you need to do what works for you, and what is most sustainable for you. So if that is pre-packaged/frozen meals, and it fits within your calorie goals, then go for it.0 -
Frozen meals are perfectly ok.
Right now my crew are happy with Michelina's Beef and Pepper or Swanson's Meatloaf.
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Every now and then I get a hankering for the Stouffer's Meatloaf and the Salisbury Steak dinners. Both fill me up, especially if I add a serving of vegetables.0
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Healthy choice steamer bowls are amazing!! Perfect for my work schedule for lunch. Most of these entrées have less than 300 calories and are very filling.1
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I hate cooking. I like the convenience. After a long day at work, I want to relax. They work for me. I don’t eat them every day, but I eat them many times a week.0
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No problem I sometimes buy the evol brand.0
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I tried low calorie microwave dinners before (The smart ones" brand... although they say low sugar low calorie this and that the SODIUM is horrible and it will cause weight stall and water retention!! i done it and it doesn't make me feel good after eating eating it either... stick to home cooked and meal prep and plan ahead much much much better and healthier!!!6
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Omnimous69 wrote: »Simple answer for me is a hard no.
It is more time consuming and work to do it the right way, but you will need to learn that it is a part of your life now if you want to really adopt the lifestyle. Microwave meals to me say "Good enough, right?" I understand we all have kids and lives, but no one said life would be easy. Be cautious. Meal plan, batch cook on weekends and then portion that up into microwavable meals...THAT I can get behind. Our rule is if the "food" comes in a box, we mostly avoid it.
Good luck!
In a pinch I might eat a frozen entree. I would usually seek out a healthier one, such as healthy choice meals.
But I prefer just sticking to simple food items in the food groups. Meat, dairy, healthy oils and nuts, veggies, fruits and complex carbs.
I usually only cook for myself so doing this is easier for me to eat what I need for my swimming workouts.0 -
Have them for lunch most days. Along with fresh cut veg, sometimes fruit and sometimes string cheese. Depending on the calorie count of the meal.1
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I go on meal prepping spurts and then I get tired of it all. You will gain some time and will take some thinking out of your meal planning, so why not?
Tonight was home made. Frozen chicken cacciatore from a month ago, reheated in my new casserole dish with cheese on top. The meal was practically “free”.1 -
I don't think they are bad all the time? I personally don't eat them (many years of being very poor and having to rely on them has since turned me off!). But if they fit in to your calories, you like them and it's not an all the time thing (like I did) then go for it! For what it's worth, when we are in a time pinch with kids, work ect...i buy a whole cooked chicken at the grocery store, some pre cut veggies and a side and call it a day. Just another quick meal suggestion for you!0
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The vast majority of what I eat isn’t frozen or canned.. however I LOVE lots of frozen foods and see no harm eating them. Even if I ate them all the time I would still lose so I don’t see it as being “bad”. I love my Mac and cheese and frozen pizzas
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If we're talking about frozen entrees like Lean Cuisine and the like, then no, we don't buy them, but mostly because we're a family of 5, and it's not cost effective. If I was on my own, then sure, I'd just look for the ones with the least ingredients, sodium, etc. I do enjoy the occasional frozen burrito from Trader Joe's for lunch.
As a family, we do occasionally buy frozen pizzas, frozen fish nuggets, chicken nuggets, etc, for convenience. We make homemade pizza pretty often, but we're not above popping a quick couple of frozen pizzas in the oven when we just want to kick back, relax, and not worry about spending the time to cook. I'd say it's still better than eating out at a restaurant.
That all being said, I do enjoy cooking, and do so as often as possible. But our reality is such that with kids, homework, me working from home, and other responsibilities, I'm willing to short-cut it sometimes, and hubby doesn't care either way. Do what you need to do!0 -
I love frozen meals. Work gets hectic and being able to pop something into the microwave is ideal. There are usually a couple frozen trader joes meals in my house at all times (I love the chicken tikka masala). I don't worry about salt or preservatives because frozen food isn't the bulk of what I'm eating (mostly for money reasons and I do enjoy cooking when I have the time).
I buy frozen foods that I wouldn't want to go through the trouble of making from scratch. Burritos are easy enough for me to throw together- beans, rice, salsa, tortilla plus any leftover meat/veg in my fridge. Assemble and freeze and I've got easy homemade convenience food where the only real cooking I did was flip on the rice maker and locate the can opener for beans. I also have some freezable reusable meal prep containers that I will fill with leftovers because I dislike eating the same thing too many days in a row. I only cook for myself or my roommate though so it's much easier to plan and execute meals.
If I had to use recipes for every meal I made instead of cooking improv I would likely use more frozen and convenience food. As it is, weighing food is taking some getting used to from my old 'throw stuff in the pot until it tastes good' approach to the kitchen. Luckily spices have few calories so I think I can get away with tossing in unknown amounts...0 -
For frozen meals I usually cook for a few hours over the weekend and freeze meals--they can be divided into individual portions or into family sized meals. That way they don't have the massive sodium amount.0
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It's too much sodium in those meals for me. I no longer keep that stuff in my freezer. I meal prep on sundays for every meal for the next five days so I don't have to resort to tv dinners.0
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I have them on the rare occasion. Most of them I find unappealing.0
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Just since so many people have mentioned it, not all frozen meals are super high in sodium, and unless you have a medical condition or are eating nothing but frozen dinners, an occasionally higher sodium meal is not that big a deal. The Lean Cuisine I have in my freezer has 590mg of sodium. Sure, it's almost a third of the daily goal, but if I'm eating mostly whole foods for the rest of the day I'll come in under. And it's way less sodium than the take away Chinese I had last night
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Amy's TORTILLA CASSEROLE & BLACK BEANS BOWL! The black beans are heaven (780g sodium).0
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