What are some of your favorite low-cal frozen meals? (veggies, Weight Watchers, run)
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We've all done a few of the Healthy Choice, Weight Watchers Smart Meals, Lean Cuisine, etc. Some taste terrible, some are pretty good.
Which ones do you recommend and which ones do you dislike?
Me, personally, I've not tried a lot of them. But I'm looking for a good list of them to have when I just can't cook. No harm in stocking up a few of them in the freezer to heat up in a pinch.
Michelina's Lean Cuisine - Chicken Alfredo Florentine
(Quite good, I didn't feel like I was eating a "light" microwave meal... when it was done heating up, I poured it into a small glass bowl and it seemed like I was having a little leftover homemade pasta or something. The quality of the chicken was very good, pasta really flavorful. Next time I might make a slice of whole wheat garlic bread, very little butter/light butter. Would still be a meal under 500 cal.)
DISLIKE:
Weight Watchers Smart Ones - Slow Roasted Turkey Breast meal (quality of meat was real blah... the thin runny "gravy" over it was pretty bland too... just not impressive or satisfying)
The only one I buy is the Smart Ones tiny pizzas, which come 4 in a pack, and there are 2 packs in a box. One tiny pizza is one big mouthful!
All frozen meals are loaded with salt and preservatives, so I don't buy them. The only reason I keep a box of these pizzas in the freezer is if I have an emergency craving for pizza. So, maybe, I eat 2 tiny pizzas a month, but only if I'm in a pinch and don't have the ingredients to make my own.
I have the same problem finding them with salt and preservatives so I just make extra and freeze. Vacuum bags do pretty good at helping with freezer burn. Mainly I keep some frozen veggies around in case I run out of fresh before going back to the store.
I like gardenburgers, all varieties - original, black bean, mushroom burgers, etc. I usually eat them without the bun and have a salad on the side. But they are also good on whole wheat pita with a little plain greek yogurt, lettuce and tomatoes. Hummus might also be good but I haven't tried that yet.
I also like Tabatchnek (spelling?) soup from the freezer section. Split pea, vegetarian chili, mushroom and barley, to name a few.
Of the frozen complete meals it's probably a toss up between Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine - I used to get the enchiladas a fair amount but I haven't in while.
I eat veggie burgers and veggie sausage, but that's about it.
One packaged and processed indulgence that I plan for on occasion is Stouffer's spinach souffle. Yeah, it's salty and full of fat and calories. I just eat it verrrrry rarely.
Other than a few veggie burger/soup brands, one would be amazed at the amount of salt they put on frozen meals.
It is not really the best decision to cut down on calories and load up on salt. In excess (and it is very easy to exceed the daily salt intake necessary for good health) salt is as bad as any kind of fat, preservatives and sugar.
I also hear the idea of "anything in moderation" but when you get used to NOT eating the salt, it is overwhelming and makes the processed food very unenjoyable.
So I guess I would say some of the Amy's products are pretty decent.........not great but decent
I also hear the idea of "anything in moderation" but when you get used to NOT eating the salt, it is overwhelming and makes the processed food very unenjoyable.
So I guess I would say some of the Amy's products are pretty decent.........not great but decent
Gotta tell ya one great thing about the plan I'm on - nobody asks me if I'm on a diet or notices I'm eating super-healthy and encourages me to eat more. I have my calorie allotment for the day and I stay within that. So in addition to the salads (had a good spinach salad today with tuna, low-cal cucumber dressing) and things like that, I enjoy my "junky" stuff, in moderation. Nobody even notices. They see chips on my plate next to my half whole-wheat turkey sandwich and fruit and think I'm overindulging, when in fact they don't realize that I counted out the proper portion from the bag and it's only 150 some cal. I eat 4 meals a day and keep each one to 450 calories or below. Sometimes I'll have a meal that's higher that that, but I make up for it with the next meal or two being light in calories. And I try to eat every 3 1/2-4 hours.
I like gardenburgers, all varieties - original, black bean, mushroom burgers, etc. I usually eat them without the bun and have a salad on the side. But they are also good on whole wheat pita with a little plain greek yogurt, lettuce and tomatoes. Hummus might also be good but I haven't tried that yet.
I also like Tabatchnek (spelling?) soup from the freezer section. Split pea, vegetarian chili, mushroom and barley, to name a few.
Of the frozen complete meals it's probably a toss up between Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine - I used to get the enchiladas a fair amount but I haven't in while.
That pita with gardenburger sounds good. I'll have to try that, thanks. The burger with the salad sounds good too.
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