Frozen Dinners

[JRPAGV]

I'm a SAHM who is looking for some cheap, easy/quick lunch ideas. I've tried a frozen/TV dinner here and there, and was wondering if any of you eat them and which brands and specific dinners you like.

One thing I hate about most of the frozen dinners I've tried is that the meat is usually poor quality or is too tough after being cooked in the microwave.

The one frozen dinner I really like is Lean Cuisine's Pepperoni Pizza. It's low-fat and yummy. I haven't tried any of their other pizzas.

http://www.leancuisine.com/Products/ProductImage.ashx?ProductID=10254&width=230&height=230

So, which specific meals do you like from the freezer section? Are any of them low-fat? TIA!

[Kingdono]

I recently tried the new lean cusine paninni sandwiches. The ones that brown in the microwave. In my grocery store they are 2.00 each.
They are a little smaller then a texas toast garlic bread. They are good I'm not sure of the fat content. They average 7 WW points. I ususally have some baked chips with it.

[JRPAGV]

Thanks, kingdono! I was just looking at those on Lena Cuisine's website. :D Which flavor did you get? You didn't get any bad pieces of chicken? It seems like I always get pieces that have a bad texture when I eat TV dinners.

[Missy2U]

I usually get the Banquet Frozen Dinners for my lunch each day. They're always 10 for $10 at the store. My faves are:

BBQ Chicken
Fried Chicken
Chicken Fried Steak
Meatloaf
Swedish Meatballs
Turkey and Stuffing

It gives me two weeks of lunches for work for $10 - it doesn't get any better than that. :)

[andrew&shannah]

I love Lean Cuisine but don't any of the ones with meat. Some faves include: Cheese Ravioli, Cheese Pizza, veggie Egg Rolls, Lasagna, Fettucine Alfredo, and the Santa Fe Beans and Rice.
I used to be in love with the Stouffer's Meatloaf and Lasagna but haven't had them in forever! Plus, I think they have a ton of fat in them :)
They aren't meals but I like to get the boxes of premade mini-appetizers and have them for lunch sometimes as well.

[thedoorchick]

I buy whatever brand is on sale (b/c if I don't, I might as well go out for lunch), and I find that I generally prefer the pasta ones. Not a huge fan of the meat (though, Lean Cuisine Swedish meatballs is good).

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

I really like Michelina's frozen dinners. I've had the Lean Gourmet Santa Fe Rice and Beans, the Chicken Alfredo Florentine, the Five Cheese Lasagna, and the French Recipe Chicken. Liked all of 'em.
And I've also had the Authentico Lasagna Alfredo, Four Cheese Lasagna, Fettucine Alfredo, and Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli. Liked all those too.

(The best thing about them is that they often go on sale for $1 each.)

[Brady]

The only one I'll eat with chicken is the Lean Cuisine Sesame Chicken. It's truly GOOD. I never thought I'd say that about a frozen dinner!

I def. like the LC better than Weight Watchers. The LC santa fe rice and beans is also pretty good, and mac and cheese.

Good Luck. Let me know if you get a chance to try the sesame chicken and like it. I'm sort of curious if I am the only person that thinks it is so good!;)

[lil_geek]

I love Lean Cuisines and Michalinas lower fat ones.

As for meat, I tend to shy away from anything with 'whole' pieces of meat (like an entire chicken breast or a steak) but have no complaintes about anything like a stirfry with chicken or beef.

Love the lean cuisine pizzas (6pts - if you aren't really strickly watching your weight I would add a touch more cheese though).

Another thing I do often is make a large pot of soup/chili/stew and freeze them in glad containers to take to work for lunches. Homemade microwave dinners!

[PG-rated]

Have you tried any of the Lean Cuisine bowls? I really liked the Chicken Fried Rice Bowl. The Teriyaki Beef was just OK, though.
I also like their Thai-style meals; they have a better blend of spices and taste a little fresher.

[Bloomwood]

Trader Joe's has some great bowls and enchiladas for pretty cheap.

I also like Ehthnic Gourmet bowls or Annie's bowls.

[Tanya]

The Lean Cuisine ones with the 30% more food (some with dessert). They are really good, in fact DH eats them without complaining. They are pricey, though, but sometimes you can find them for $2.50 or less. I'm heating up one now!

Healthy Choice sucks, to be blunt.

The Stouffer's Corner Bistro are exceptionally good, but they are not always low-fat and are expensive ($4 regular price). Still cheaper than the cafeteria, though. They will definitely fill you up!

The Michelina's and others that are $1 each are good, but you'll be hungry 2 hours later. They are very tiny portions, which is sometimes why they can be "lean".

[ajlanden]

I do LC dinners for lunch. I don't do the meat ones either. I like the mac & cheese, sante fe rice & beans and pizza the best.

We just got turned onto thesehttp://www.packagingdigest.com/articles/200507/images/300.jpg for dinners. They are Bertolli's Frozen Dinner's for Two They are really easy if DH doesn't feel like cooking! My favs have been the shrimp ones.

[Camdynlyn]

The Michelina's dinners around here run 5 for $5 or somethign like that. They usually have things like Mac n cheese, lasagna and others.

[Tanya]

We just got turned onto thesehttp://www.packagingdigest.com/articles/200507/images/300.jpg for dinners. They are Bertolli's Frozen Dinner's for Two They are really easy if DH doesn't feel like cooking! My favs have been the shrimp ones.

We eat these and the LC/Stouffers ones practically every night. You can't beat a dinner for two for under $6, ready in 10 min. The Bertolli ones can be very high in fat/calories, so be sure to read the back. The chicken linguine one is good and one of the lower ones.

[lawyerlee]

All of the Amy's Kitchen frozen items are delicious. The burritos are a favorite of mine because they are so easy to grab from the freezer and throw in the microwave. They are extremely filling, too. I also love the Mexican Tamale Pie and the Bowls.

As for other meals, I love the Smart One Santa Fe Beans & Rice. It's so delicious. And when I try something new, I generally avoid ones with meat. I'm not a veggie, but I, too, am tired of getting sketchy meat in my meals. I'm really easily grossed out, so I just avoid taking that chance. ;) :)

I've read really good reviews of the Lean Cuisine Paninis, but I haven't had an opportunity to try them yet for myself.

Hungry Girl review of Lean Cuisine panini sandwiches (http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetails.php?isid=739)

[Pink_Converse]

LC spinach and cheese pizza is good.

LittleFred-I love your avatar.

[KK812]

DH loves Marie Callender(sp) frozen dinners. I don't eat them because they're not very healthy, but when I don't feel like cooking, he says they're the closest thing to homemade you can get out of the freezer.

[JRPAGV]

Thanks for the replies so far, ladies! :)

I tried Lean Cuisine's Meatloaf and Whipped Potatoes for lunch a little while ago. Not sure if I'll have it again. It tasted more like salisbury steak than meatloaf, and some of my mashed potatoes stuck to the side of the container. Oh well.

[looch]

After wandering around the company cafeteria for 20 minutes and leaving empty handed, only to burn a bag of popcorn, i am now going to the grocery store to get lunches for next week. You all have given me some great suggestions. I just don't know which ones to try first! I think I am going to get some of the Amy's burritos, and a stirfry or two! That, and a tossed salad and fruit, should be enough for lunch...now all I need is to figure out something for breakfast!

[am_81]

The only Lean Cuisine I can stomach is the Santa Fe Rice & Beans . . . usually end up eating that at least once a week. I also was a fan on teh Uncle Ben's Rice Bowls, but noticed those compeltely disappeared off the shelves a month or two back. Ooh, and I also like some of the Green Giant side dishes. I'll frequently heat up the Cheesy Rice & Broccoli or the Alfredo Pasta with some fruit or yogurt.

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

LittleFred-I love your avatar.
Thanks! :D That skit just cracks me up.

Ooh, and I also like some of the Green Giant side dishes. I'll frequently heat up the Cheesy Rice & Broccoli or the Alfredo Pasta with some fruit or yogurt.
I forgot about those... I love the Cheese & Broccoli and Cheese & Cauliflower. Add some more protein and you have a good meal, or alone they make terrific snacks.

[ruledbymercury]

DH and I have very different schedules, so I often eat dinner alone. Also, our likes and dislikes vary quite a bit and I like to watch what I eat (whereas he can eat a whole sleeve of oreos in one sitting without a second thought). So I have a lot of experience with the frozen dinners. :)

Lean Cuisine seems to be my favorite brand. I mostly go for meatless too. My favorites are the Cheese Ravioli, Angel Hair Pasta Marinara, Fettucini Alfredo, Penne Pasta w/ Tomato Basil Sauce, Cheesy Potatoes & Broccoli. And the one I like above all others would probably be the 3 Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni bowl. Yum! I also like the veggie pizza and the pizza margarita. And even though they have meat, the paninis are actually quite good! I've tried the southwest one and the chicken, spinach, and mushroom one and both have been good! There are a couple other chicken meals that I will eat: Grilled Chicken Caesar bowl and the Grilled Chicken w/ Penne. The Lean Cuisine skillet meals are good too (those are the ones that come 2 servings in the plastic bag that you heat up in a skillet). Even DH will happily eat the skillet meals with me!

Other frozen meals I'll eat are the Michelina's Lean Gourmet 5-Cheese Lasagna (which is always cheap, so I tend to stock up when it goes on sale), and the Weight Watchers brand pizza.

[jbenny75]

Wow- I thought I was the only one who was freaked out by the sketchy meat you sometimes get in frozen dinners! I'm glad to know I'm not the only picky eater around.

The LC 3 Cheese Ravioli bowl is awesome! And very filling. I haven't been able to find it lately, which bums me out. I also like the Sante Fe Rice and Beans, Mac and Cheese, Fettucine Alfredo, and Cheese Ravioli. I just started getting the Veggie Egg Roll and that's great, too. I'll have to try the Panini and Pizzas, they sound really good. I used to get Michaelina's a lot, they're really good and usually only about a $1. However, LC does not use preservatives and is healthier, so I've been trying to stick with them. Most of the meatless LC's are only around a $1.50, so they aren't too bad price wise. I have tried WW and Healthy Choice and thought they weren't very good.

[looch]

So, I got 2 amy's burritos and 3 smart ones..a beef stirfry, a lasagne and I can't recall the other one now. We'll see how lunch goes this week.

[JRPAGV]

I tried Lean Cuisine's Cheese Ravioli, and it was actually pretty good. It was a very small portion, but I liked the flavor.

I also had their Classic Five Cheese Lasagna the other day. The flavor was okay, but it was kind of a mess to eat without a knife.

[mgrace]

If any of you are trying to watch your sodium intake, be sure to check out the milligrams of sodium. Lots of these meals are low in fat, but chock full of sodium. :(

[j*east]

I love the Lean Cuisine spa meals, or whatever they're called, with whole grains. I'm addicted to Chicken Pecan. Rosemary Chicken is good too, but I burned out on Lemon Chicken. They have a few with salmon that are also good. I add extra veggies (like frozen peas or something). Trader Joe's is great too for enchiladas. Amy's Organic is okay but some of those are high in fat because of all the cheese. Mmm, cheese. :)

[c'est la vie]

BUMP! :D

We always have in the freezer for those days that we don't feel like cooking anything:
Marie Callender's chicken potpie,
Boston Market's meatloaf & mashed potatoes,
Lean Cuisine Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza and
Lean Cuisine Alfredo Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli.

...I'm starting to get hungry just thinking about them

[MLA]

Ethnic Gourmet has some really good ones.

And I just tried the new ones from Kashi -- really yummy!

[j*east]

And I just tried the new ones from Kashi -- really yummy!

Ditto, ditto....mmmmmm! And more whole grains! Love whole grains!

[Eric's Wife]

I usually rotate these favorites for my lunch:
LC veg. egg roll, macaroni and beef; cheese ravioli; lasagna w/ meat sauce; cannelloni.
Some other good ones are HC Manicotti Dinner; LC Margarita deep dish pizza; Lean Gourmet Pasta w/ shrimp and vegetables.

[Foley42]

I love Lean Pockets! :D You can buy them in bulk for cheap at Sam's. My favs are Philly Steak & Cheese, Ham & Cheese, Three Cheese & Chicken Quesadilla, and Pepperoni Pizza.

http://www.hotpockets.com/graphics/lean/products/db/philly_400.jpg

[c'est la vie]

I just tried a new frozen dinner last night. ( worked late, didn't want to cook)
It was the WW Smart One Creamy rigatoni w/ chicken & broccoli. It was delicious!
http://www.eatyourbest.com/products/images/products_lg/43.gif

[Kimberland30]

I eat a frozen meal at least 4 times a week. My favs are:

Weight Watchers Smart Ones
Three Cheese Ziti Marinara
Slow-Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Chicken Enchiladas Suiza (the rice is VERY spicy)
Fiesta Chicken (rice is also spicy)
Roast Beef with Gravy
Chicken Fettucini
Pepperoni Pizza

Lean Cuisine (their website offers Weight Watchers points for each meal)
Baked Chicken with stuffing
Glazed Turkey Tenderloins
Pepperoni French Bread Pizza

I generally buy quite a few of whatever is on sale. Our local market has WW Smart Ones for $1.50 - $1.79 each, but I also stock up on Lean Cuisine when they go on sale (5 for $10).

[jimmysgirl424]

I love Weight Watchers Smart Ones Santa Fe Rice & Beans and also South Beach Diet Pepperoni Pizza. The pizza is made with a whole grain crust that is very faintly sweet and lends a very nice flavor to the pizza.

Not of the diet variety, but my DH absolutely loves Stouffers frozen lasagne. He says it tastes just like homemade and it comes in a pretty big portion.

[AHammer]

The Michelina's and others that are $1 each are good, but you'll be hungry 2 hours later. They are very tiny portions, which is sometimes why they can be "lean".

This is true. I had a michelina's about 3 hours ago and I'm STARRRVING!!!

[jenjunum]

I eat the lean cuisines w/o meat. I rotate between the cheese ravioli, cheese canneloni and fettucine alfredo mainly. I also really like the WW mac and cheese. I had the LC chicken pizza and it was pretty good. Lots of garlic.

[katmg]

And I just tried the new ones from Kashi -- really yummy!

I was just coming to post about these - we got ours at Costco for 4 for $10.

[Aug2002Bride]

I like Smart Ones Fettucine Alfredo, Lean Cuisine Pizzas, paninis and some of the spa meals.

Ive loved every stouffer meal Ive ever tried but they arent that great for you in terms of fat so I dont get them often.