Lean Cuisines Are Yucky!
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Every Lean Cuisine I have had has been terrible, with exception to their pizza which was adequate but I wouldn't call it "good.". It is basically poor quality frozen food chocked full of sodium to disguise the lack of flavor.
Make your own frozen meals by freezing dinner leftovers. When I have time I will make a big pot of soup and freeze it into portion sizes for quick lunches or dinners when I don't have time to cook.0 -
both of those you tried are yucky!!
The thai spring rolls, yum
beans and rice is good
Alfredo chicken w/ pasta and broccoli
Fiesta grilled chicken
Chicken parmesean - is okay
Chicken fettucini
Four cheese canneloni - i like too
Looks like I liked the chicken ones!!!0 -
If you have a microwave at work, apparently you do unless your eating it cold, I would batch cook 1 day a week. Then just take what you've made at home and mix it up during the work week:
Boneless Skinless Chicken:
Chicken and greens
chicken with mixed veggies
chicken salad
bbq chicken and rice
chicken stir fry
That would cover your work week lunches!
An save a lot of money 0 -
i just eat the cheap own brand frozen meals from each supermarket. there not low calorie , but they are small portions so they end up less caloires than the "low calorie" stuff.
not taste to bad either0 -
I know it can be hard to try to pack lunch while you are tired. But processed food really sucks. My suggestion is don't wait to too late (close to bed time) to pack. Try earlier so you still have some energy.
I always pack my husband (he's very busy at work too) a simple healthy sandwich:
- whole grain bread
- organic deli meat
- Romain letters
- tomato
Along with healthy snacks like:
- apple (or apple sauce sometimes)
- oranges
- cheese sticks
- carrots
- celery with PB
- whole grain chips
- nuts
- cheese crackers
- etc
You're a good wife 0 -
If you have a microwave at work, apparently you do unless your eating it cold, I would batch cook 1 day a week. Then just take what you've made at home and mix it up during the work week:
Boneless Skinless Chicken:
Chicken and greens
chicken with mixed veggies
chicken salad
bbq chicken and rice
chicken stir fry
That would cover your work week lunches! An save a lot of money
A friend of mine get those frozen meal recipes. and make some big batches during weekend and freeze them in portions. Then she'll just take a portion out, heat and eat.0 -
I have found the following meals have a decent taste to them:
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Pesto chicken with bow tie pasta
Other than that, the rest of them aren't too appetizing. I did lean heavily on "Lean Cuisines" when I started changing my eating habits. I now have moved on to packing my own lunch (healthy sandwiches) or picking up a salad from a local restaurant by my work. I also started bringing soups (Healthy Choice Tomato Basil, Butternut Squash (I am sorry but I can't remember who makes it) to work. I have them and add a healthy side (cut up carrots/cucumbers with hummus dip). They are really great in a pinch and you can keep a few at your desk for last minute meals.
Hope this info helps. :-)0 -
I know it can be hard to try to pack lunch while you are tired. But processed food really sucks. My suggestion is don't wait to too late (close to bed time) to pack. Try earlier so you still have some energy.
I always pack my husband (he's very busy at work too) a simple healthy sandwich:
- whole grain bread
- organic deli meat
- Romain letters
- tomato
Along with healthy snacks like:
- apple (or apple sauce sometimes)
- oranges
- cheese sticks
- carrots
- celery with PB
- whole grain chips
- nuts
- cheese crackers
- etc
You're a good wife
Seriously! My poor guy has to fend for himself. Or steal my Lean Cuisines.0 -
I should mention I have a lot of food allergy issues, so it makes it even more challenging to pack the snacks a lot of people suggest. I'm allergic to raw carrots, cucumbers, melons of all types, and more. Fun!0
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I cook from scratch probably 3 times a week, and make twice or 3 times as much as hubby and I will eat in one sitting, then the leftovers are usually packed for lunches or reworked into another dinner.
Ex: 4 nights ago we had corn, rice, chicken and broccoli (nom...) and last night it got mixed with a can of condensed soup and plopped into a pie dish, with a super quick home made crust and baked off.. Chicken and broccoli pot pie!0 -
I try to stay away from processed food when I can, but that's not always possible. There's a LC chicken with peanut sauce that I really like. It helps to look for the ones that specifically say "white meat chicken" on the package.0
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It depends on the meal and your palette. I don't make blanket judgement on things that I've never tried, so if I were you, I would try different varieties before I gave up. I know how difficult it can be coming up with workday lunches, which is why I've found what I like and eat the same thing on the same days each week. Eating a frozen meal a couple of times per week has yet to kill me.
I don't eat the little meals, even the ones that taste alright, because they are only a little over 200 calories and my body thinks they're a joke. Not filling at all.
I've tried many of them over the years and there are really only a couple that I like and bring to work for lunch each week. I like the big meals that are between 300-400 calories and have some fat so I'm not hungry 30 minutes later. So each week, I have the Grilled Chicken & Penne Pasta and the Chicken Fettucine with Broccoli. Whenever I'm cooking them, my coworkers will remark about how good they smell. The other one that I used to like was the Chicken Lasagna Florentine, but I can't find it in my area anymore.
My only complaint is that I wish they would use whole wheat pasta like Healthy Choice does in some of their meals, but since I only have them for lunch a couple of days out of the week, it's not a big deal. It's not like they are the foundation of my diet or anything.0 -
How about making extra at dinner and having that for your next day's lunch?
This is what I do also! I can't eat lean cuisine, soup, or sandwiches daily. I always make healthy, nutritious, food for dinner, and I make enough so that my husband and I will both have lunch the next day. Everyone in my office talks about how I am always eating such delicious smelling/looking food. Beats the take-out or the sodium filled boring diet food at the grocery store!0 -
they'll make you feel bloated and gross if you eat to many of them! I know I feel like that after I eat them.
I second this, last week I ate Eating Right frozen meals for lunch 3 days in a row. By Friday I thought my tummy was going to explode I was very BLOATED. I didnt feel good at all...0 -
I dont really eat them, but I definitely really like them....the pastas are my favorite, any of the big vegetable ones I can generally make a lot better at home, the pastas do the trick for me...0
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True, they aren't ideal, but I do like the Lean Cuisine Spa meals once in a while for a quick lunch, when I don't have the time to cook anything. (I will usually get them when they're on sale since they're pricey.)
My favourites: Thai Chicken with Brown Rice, and Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry. Both around 250 calories, with quite a few veggies and brown rice.0 -
most of them are typically FULL of sodium and not all that healthful. try Amy's if you are in a crunch. yes, still pretty high in sodium, but otherwise pretty healthy (well healthy enough) in a pinch. the Amy's burritos are really good.0
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Haven't had a Lean Cuisine ready-meal in donkey's years. I think they used to do a chicken and pasta bake that wasn't too bad, but then I wasn't a foodie when I was a teenager.
Generally avoid ready meals now (apart from some curries) as they're rarely as tasty or as satisfying as a home-cooked meal. Then again my hsuband's cooking is soooo good, I tend to overeat. Having said that, we always cook at least 2-meals worth at a time and freeze the leftovers
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Healthy choice potstickers are my crack.....they are insanely tasty for a frozen meal.
I find the pasta meals in classic flavors to be the tastiest - spinach raviolis, lasagna, and angel hair with veggies and fettuccine alfredo with chicken are my go-to's.0 -
Some of them are better than others. Mostly depends on what your taste is.0
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I eat the lean cuisine pizza. Really yummy! Try one of them.0
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I like them, but I guess its what you get used to. I love the Butternut squash ravioli.
Yes! This one is the best!0 -
Lean Cuisine ravioli isn't bad. It was a big help when I was sick for a few months.
You might poking around Trader Joe's frozen aisle.0 -
I don't care for any of the frozen meals out there. If I have a day where I don't have time to pack a lunch, I take soup. There are some OK canned soups that are low in calories and sodium, and they fill me up. I would much rather take the time to make a salad and take some fruit. Most prepared foods are JUNK!0
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You definitely have to find your favorites as a lot are pretty yuck!
I think the Healthy Choice meals are better... the steamer ones are yum-o and I think a bit better for you than the Lean Cuisines.
Frozen meals are not the healthiest choice as they are extremely high in sodium (super bad for me as I was lucky enough to have high blood pressure at 20!), but every now and then in a hurry they can be extremely convenient. Ask your friends which ones they like the best and pretty soon you'll find your own favorites.
I just moved to Australia and our selection is so tiny compared to the selection of frozen meals in the states! They are also a lot more expensive here, but in the end I think it's best for me because it has forced me to cook my own food and it's making the whole diet thing a lot more enjoyable. I'm starting to actually enjoy cooking! I'm also pretty busy with work and everything, so I like to cook a lot of food on the weekend when I have more time and freeze them for the following weeks. Some of the best things to cook and freeze are soups and stews. 0 -
I like them, but I guess its what you get used to. I love the Butternut squash ravioli.
Love this one0 -
I like smart choices by weight watchers, I also like Lean Cuisine. I buy whats on sale because I need quick easy food at work.0
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I used to eat them all the time, not for health reasons, but just because they were easy tasty hot meals. I grew up on them and would eat them as snacks after school! However, I don't eat them anymore just because they really aren't as healthy as they like to advertise. You can make much healthier foods at home.0
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Honestly, I'm sick of prepackaged foods. I end up eating fewer calories, because I end up not eating it at all, and that's probably worse than anything.
I am starting to cook more often and just bring leftovers in for lunch. I find that foods I season myself are much tastier than stuff from the store. If I make more than I can eat in a couple days, I'll just freeze the rest.0 -
I like the potstickers from lean cuisine and I love, love the pasta ones, especially the manicotti. I tried the ones that come in the bags too and I think there was a mushroom tortellini one that I enjoyed quite a bit.
The problem with them is they aren't filling enough for me and I think they are a bit overpriced, so I haven't bought them in forever. I mostly eat leftovers for lunch now because I'm not a sandwich or a salad fan.0
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