Smart ones, lean cuisine.... A good idea?

I think the lazy comment above is a bit harsh.

I got wrapped up in all or nothing thinking. That I had to prepare all meals, all the time with all natural, all whole ingredients. And it started to get over whelming. Sometimes, in life when you are trying to balance a lot of things, you have to prioritize. And for me, sometime reading a second bedtime story to my son IS more important the cooking chicken for lunch the next day. When I do cook, I do enough to have left overs, but sometimes leftovers run out and it is just best to cut myself some slack and grab a frozen meal.

I have noticed that Healthy Choice seems to have stepped up their meals a notch. They seem to have decent ingredients. I ALWAYS add extra veggies. I buy those Zip 'n' Steam bags that Ziplock makes and toss veggies in that to steam in the microwave. (sometimes I buy pre cut/pre washed veggies to save on time, too, even though they are a bit more $!)

Healthy choice makes some that seem to be a bit lower in sodium and use "real" ingredients - I can't remember what line they are, but they're under the Healthy Choice brand.

I like Amy's burritos in a pinch too. They're basically a whole wheat tortilla, beans, veggies and cheese. Less than 300 and more filling than the LC's. They're in the frozen section and you just microwave them for 3 min I think.

Lean Cuisine is a really good option if you don't worry about sodium. I was relying on them for a while when I couldn't cook because of my depression.
Any frozen low-cal meals are great as long as you find stuff you like. ^.^
Don't listen to people saying you're 'lazy' -_- There's no shame in not cooking. Everyone has different time constraints in their lives, and different levels of ability to do things.

I think they are fine once and awhile, but they are convenience foods .. AKA .. processed city!!!!!!!! Loads of sodium. Once and awhile I have them, but they really don't fill me up and are not worth the bloat!

There is really a diffrence between wanting to be healthy and thin. I always focused on thin in the past and these types of meals may be helpful, but long term (from tons of experience), they are not healthy by any means. Focus on whole foods. I have no time either, and I work 50 hours a week, as well as have a child. However, it is really easy to plan and I do it on Sundays. It is also way cheaper as well.

I eat them frequently for lunch because I like the variety. When I started MFP, I counted all of my sodium to make sure that I wasn't going overboard, especially by eating the frozen meals. I found that I was under my suggested sodium almost every day (usually by a considerable amount) even while consuming the Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meals.
Perhaps you could log your sodium for a week to see if the frozen meals are pushing you over the edge.
I also like to mix my lunches up with Healthy Choice Steamers (those have a lot of protein and are lower in sodium) with homemade lunches- that way I don't get stuck in a rut.

It depends on which ones you're choosing and what choices you're making for the rest of your day. I found this Smart Ones Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce (looks very appetizing, though I haven't tried it yet) for 290 calories and only 490 sodium.
But then again, I'm in college and these are my "I really don't have time to make a meal, so here I go" dinners.

I prefer making my own. Have you heard of American Beauty pasta portions? 320 calories for a VERY good amount of pasta, you can add your own sauce (so you can adjust your sodium there), and then I add a basil leaf on top (for flavor....but it also adds potassium I've found). These pasta portions only take 5 minutes in the microwave and are extremely simple to make! (I just had one today--I control the sodium, and they are ALWAYS filling! )
There are so many fast meals that are relatively healthy and lower in salt content. But Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones aren't bad. I just wouldn't have them super often. (I did look at Healthy Choice, and though I haven't had one yet from what I've glanced they seem to be slightly lower in sodium? I'm not sure, though. You could look!)
Tortilla pizza - find a tortilla lower in sodium, (I don't add sauce, but just a little goes a long way!), a little mozzarella cheese, cut up a roma tomato, a basil leaf, some mushrooms (not from the can), maybe some spinach....yep. Simple, but yummy and lower in sodium! And never forget salad!
I think I rambled a little, but there you go! Not bad, but just in moderation

Generally, frozen processed dinners aren't really that good of an idea, but you have to make your own decisions.

Here are some options:

What about making soups in the crockpot then freezing it in single serving sizes? You could grab that before you leave for work and it would probably be thawed before lunch so you don't have to warm it for long.

It doesn't take too long to throw salads together on your way out the door.

What about making extras of your dinner and throwing single sized servings in the freezer? You could quickly grab those like the soup and take them for lunch.

Someone else also suggested the nitrate free lunch meats so you could make a quick sandwich. Maybe grab an apple and a handful of nuts or some veggies and hummus and you have yourself a quick lunch.

A personal trainer I met with said they are fine to eat as long as you drink lots of water as the sodium will be washed out of your body - I eat them sometimes and do not worry about it since I drink 15-20 glasses of water a day.

I use a lower calorie, moderate sodium Healthy Choice meal as the base of my dinner on weeknights. I usually add a 150 calorie baked chicken filet to bump up the protein. My daily sodium intake is always 1/3 under my daily goal. So if you can make it fit in your food planning, I don't see the issue.