Lean Cuisine??

brightpebbles89
brightpebbles89 Posts: 78 Member
in Food and Nutrition
hey guys anyone have any thoughts on the lean cuisine dinners?
I work night shift's and its hard to eat healthy late at night so many bad options.
so i was thinking of just keeping some of these dinners at work.. what do you reckon?
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Replies

  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    If it's possible I'd try to make batches of stuff at home, casseroles and salads and the like, and take portions into work with you. Ready meals are full of sodium. I had to use them for a while when my cooker broke, but I wasn't happy about it. The calories were often higher than my homemade versions and I didn't find them at all filling so I was permanently hungry!
  • sam2674
    sam2674 Posts: 55 Member
    I have a lean cuisine everday for lunch. I find they fill me up and the variety is awesome. A much better option then grabbing junk out of a vending maching. About the sodium, so far I've never gone over on my sodium intake.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    Lots of sodium, but I like them and frozen meals in general. My boyfriend and I eat completely different food so it's easy for me to make that quickly sometimes.
  • jmedavis1
    jmedavis1 Posts: 13
    If it's possible I'd try to make batches of stuff at home, casseroles and salads and the like, and take portions into work with you. Ready meals are full of sodium. I had to use them for a while when my cooker broke, but I wasn't happy about it. The calories were often higher than my homemade versions and I didn't find them at all filling so I was permanently hungry!

    Agreed. Not the worst option in a pinch but I wouldn't rely on them too much.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I have them every once in a while for lunch when I don't want the mess of cooking, but my biggest problem with them is that they're often very low in protein and sometimes high in sodium. Checking labels side by side, a frickin' Hot Pocket provides more nutrition for about the same amount of calories. :ohwell:
  • prismperfect
    prismperfect Posts: 24 Member
    I have a lean cuisine everday for lunch. I find they fill me up and the variety is awesome. A much better option then grabbing junk out of a vending maching. About the sodium, so far I've never gone over on my sodium intake.

    Same here, I just keep an eye on the sodium for the rest of the day and I'm fine. I find they're perfect within my calorie limitations usually being only 300 cals or so. I'm impressed with the brand lately, a few years ago they barely had any choices and they were pretty bland, lately everything I've had is pretty good!
    My only gripe is that sometimes they use pasta as a filler, and very little vegetables, I wish they'd bulk them up with more veggies instead!
  • SL22268
    SL22268 Posts: 59 Member
    I eat them from time to time - downside is that they are filled with sodium - but I also pair extra veggies with mine as well to help fill me up without a ton of extra calories. The steamable/microwavable veggies are great to use :)
  • Rjdj3530
    Rjdj3530 Posts: 154
    IMO even with the sodium if it's the difference between you eating a candy bar and a bag of chips and a lean cuisine I am voting for the lean cuisine. Rarely did they ever leave me filling full but they did help me at the beginning keep my calories in check and help me know what I was having instead of looking for something else that would crash my diet. Experiement with them and you'll find out which ones you like best and they can be your go to meal when in a bind.
  • rbn_held
    rbn_held Posts: 690 Member
    I have lean cuisines from time to time. The Spaghetti and the Garlic chicken spring rolls are my favorite
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    Gets a pretty good score. That's pretty surprising to me since most of those frozen dinners don't.

    http://www.fooducate.com/app#page=product-search&term=lean+cuisine
  • jwshmoe75
    jwshmoe75 Posts: 119
    I will eat one for lunch about 3 times a week. They fill me up. I also bring yogurt and a piece of fruit to go with it. It keeps me full. Just when you eat one of them watch the sodium the rest of the day.
  • Lynn_SD
    Lynn_SD Posts: 83 Member
    Lean Cuisine now makes frozen meals called "Market Collection", they are in bags that release steam when microwaved. They are the best frozen meals I have ever had, the two I recommend have lots of veggies, some pasta and chicken in them for an approx total of 300 cal, 7 gm fat, 5 gm fiber, 23 gm protein and under 700 gm sodium. The flavors are "Garlic Chicken" and "Chicken Alfredo". There is a shrimp one also and I think a few more. I now make sure I always have some of these in the freezer for an easy and healthy meal. Usual price is $3.99 apiece but I just bought some at Walgreen's for 2/$5.
  • bcampbell54
    bcampbell54 Posts: 932 Member
    I prefer the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers, but I've used the Lean Cuisine too. Fill you up and are better than a lot of the fast crap that's you might choose, especially on graveyard shift.
    Stand by for the nutri-nazis though, I'm sure they will tell you how "toxic" they are.
  • mrsfickle
    mrsfickle Posts: 34 Member
    I used to do the Lean Cuisine but now I make a little extra at dinner so I can take leftovers to work for lunch. Saves $ and sodium counts. I do love the peanut butter chicken pasta one though!
  • THEErikaR
    THEErikaR Posts: 160 Member
    I ate them for lunch everyday for my first 20lbs. They are easy to keep track of and def helpful when your hungry and in a pinch, and they have so many yummy ones!! Pair them with a side of frozen veggies and lunch/dinner is served!! :)
  • LNPurdie
    LNPurdie Posts: 84 Member
    Everytime you cook a meal you love, make double teh amount. Freeze 1/2 and youwill have a "Ready Meal" without any extra effort.

    My husband hates leftovers, so I have been doing it for years, they have just otten healthier!
  • Nailrep
    Nailrep Posts: 966 Member
    I eat them all the time. They have some good choices and it beats trying to figure out what healthy thing to try at McDonalds or some vending machine!
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
    I eat them for lunch sometimes, I just have to watch my sodium for the rest of the day since some of them have very high level of sodium
  • krisiepoo
    krisiepoo Posts: 710 Member
    Lean Cuisine now makes frozen meals called "Market Collection", they are in bags that release steam when microwaved. They are the best frozen meals I have ever had, the two I recommend have lots of veggies, some pasta and chicken in them for an approx total of 300 cal, 7 gm fat, 5 gm fiber, 23 gm protein and under 700 gm sodium. The flavors are "Garlic Chicken" and "Chicken Alfredo". There is a shrimp one also and I think a few more. I now make sure I always have some of these in the freezer for an easy and healthy meal. Usual price is $3.99 apiece but I just bought some at Walgreen's for 2/$5.

    I'll have to look into this! I've had frozen dinners in the past and wasn't impressed and it left me feeling empty but this sounds great!
  • surromom2010
    surromom2010 Posts: 457 Member
    I have one every couple days for dinner or lunch. Just drink extra water and do some more cardio too offset the sodium level. It's kinda high for a *healthy* alternative, but that's to be expected of a frozen meal.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I eat them and Healthy Choice. I always look for the lowest sodium and carb ( always one of the Chicken Dinners) . I also add extra frozen no sodium Veggies to make them more filling. For me they are great when I don't have anything else or don't feel like cooking.
  • jdsmom0104
    jdsmom0104 Posts: 236
    funny... since i saw an ecard that said.... wow, that LC really filled me up... said no 1 ever.. hahahaha.. idk the nutritional val on them but be careful with sodium... but if ur not very hungry, i guess i'd say go for it
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
    IMO they taste like school cafeteria food. Not very appealing at all.
  • brightpebbles89
    brightpebbles89 Posts: 78 Member
    thanks for all the great feed back guys :D
  • Erica27511
    Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
    I have lean cuisines from time to time. The Spaghetti and the Garlic chicken spring rolls are my favorite

    Those are my two favs too!
  • Steph13RN
    Steph13RN Posts: 92 Member
    I used them to help me get portion sizes under control. Also, they still serve for a quickie with a side of frozen steamed veggies. They're the perfect fit for my 3am dinner when working overnights! One of them and some fruits, nuts, and yogurt as snacks and I'm good to go. Just drink lots of water with the sodium.
  • irishcanadianwoman
    irishcanadianwoman Posts: 147
    I haven't had one for years because I think they are expensive for the amount of food you actually get.

    I make larger batches of good stuff, divide it into containers and freeze it myself.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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  • reaolliemama
    reaolliemama Posts: 483 Member
    I used to eat them all the time, and I lost weight! That said, I'm now more concerned with being healthy than I am in just being thin, so the nutrition in the foods I choose is more important to me. Now I eat REAL FOOD, food that grew from the the ground or swam in the water (I eat very little meat..I just don't really enjoy it, NOT saying that it's necessarily bad for you) most of the time and almost NO processed food. I just think it's healthier. I set aside time to prepare my own "clean cuisines" each weekend and take them to work same as I used to the lean cuisine! It takes more time, but it's a better option for me and I get sooooo much more food for the same amount of calories and way more nutrition!
  • megandme120
    megandme120 Posts: 95 Member
    funny... since i saw an ecard that said.... wow, that LC really filled me up... said no 1 ever.. hahahaha.. idk the nutritional val on them but be careful with sodium... but if ur not very hungry, i guess i'd say go for it


    hahaha I just saw that ecard as well! It's completely true. They never fill me up!

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