Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Rec Request: Frozen Dinners.

Hey friends!  I'm coming to you quickly today because I'm actually in the middle of writing my June Book Review (finally) but needed some suggestions on something.

I know frozen dinners are not crazy healthy.  Preservatives, sodium, chemicals, blah blah blah.  I get it.  And I do care.  But then sometimes I don't.  ;)  Sometimes I just want to eat light, eat quick and eat easy.


Summer in our house is very relaxed. We tend to just make sandwiches, salads, cereal, etc for lunches whenever we get hungry.  We don't have a set lunch time where we all eat the same thing and eat together.  I wish we did that but we don't.  And we never will. I have 8 and 10-year-old boys who are in and out all day. It's just not us.

My kids are always running the neighborhood with their buddies in the summer and I am typically working at lunchtime.  So we grab what we want when we're hungry.  This sometimes involves me grabbing a frozen dinner and popping it into the microwave because they are quick, easy and I can see all the nutrition info right on the package.  

Plus, we are headed to the beach in just a few short weeks and like most women, I'd love to drop a few pounds before I get there so seeing the calories/fat/carbs etc staring me in the face keeps me on track.

When it comes to frozen dinners, I have a few favorites but I feel like they are always discontinuing the good ones which is a HUGE bummer.

Like these.

These were SO GOOD!!  Especially dipped in some Taco Bell mild sauce. Yummmm.  Now they are always out of stock so I'm guessing they have been discontinued.  #butWHYYYYYYYY


Right now, I'm loving the Chicken Marsala from Atkins (low carb and only 220 calories).  It looks nothing like this picture when you are ready to eat it but it actually fills me up and the sauce is just rich enough to make me think it's bad for me.  ;)  Obviously, it's not as good for me as a completely organic, grass-fed, Keto-friendly, gluten-free, farm-fresh meal would be but that's just not practical.  And I just don't care that much.  I really really don't.


And these are also pretty darn amazing, as far as frozen dinners go.  The rice is creamy and that red sauce is delicious!



Yum.  My freezer is always stocked with the two above.

But I need recommendations on other frozen dinner type food that I can add to my collection because let's face it.  They are probably about a week away from discontinuing these two favorites as well.  Sigh.

So do you have any favorite frozen meals that are low carb and/or low calorie that taste great?  Or am I the only one who still pops frozen dinners into the microwave for lunch (and yes, sometimes dinner...)?  Should I not be admitting I do this to the blogosphere???  Should I also not admit that my kids eat Lunchables and that my oldest licks the salt off the chips at Chilis before he eats it?  #reallife

So please.  If you have a favorite, please share it in the comments or in my FB group.  There are too many choices!  And again, I know there are other healthier alternatives.  I use those healthier alternatives as well.  Just not for every single meal.  ;)

See you back here tomorrow for my June Book Review!!
(Check out May's review here and all other reviews can be found under the Bookworm tab in the menu at the top of the page.)


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32 comments

  1. If I’m eating lunch at home, my favorite meal is leftovers from dinner the night before. I’m no help!!

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    1. I do that sometimes BUT with my Craig we don’t end up with a lot of leftovers... 😂😂😂😂

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    2. Ha! That should say either “Craig” or “my husband”...not “my Craig”. 🤣

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  2. Have you tried Amy's frozen burritos? They are especially good with salsa or mashed avocado!

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    1. No! But that sounds amazing! Adding it to my list. Thanks, friend!!

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  3. I love the Amy's Organic burritos (in the freezer section of grocery store) they are amazing and a quick meal. I also get the low carb tortillas and put a thin slice of cheese on it, guac and salsa for an easy meal.

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    1. Second rec for Amy’s! Sounds so good! Thank you!!

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  4. The Lean cuisine sesame chicken is really good. Some of the healthy choices bowls are really good. Also I’ve heard the “evol”love spelled backwards is really good from a dietician friend. I will be following this post for when I go back to school for ease and portion control!

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    1. Frozen meals were all I ate for lunch when I was a PE coach. They’re just so easy! I will look into those! Thanks!!

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  5. Ice Age Meals are pretty much the only frozen meals I like. They are definitely more expensive but you can make them into 2 meals because they are quite large. You have to order them online or know somewhere to purchase them (my CrossFit Box sells them). Seriously so delicious and I don't feel guilty eating these meals.

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  6. I don't have any recs (sorry) but I just want to say I love your honesty!

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  7. I stock the freezer at work with frozen meals every week, and I especially love the Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli and the Spinach and Artichoke Raviloi. If it weren't for frozen meals, I would probably skip lunch-they're easy, and, I managed to lose thirty-five pounds while eating them, so, I'm totally willing to overlook the chemicals, sodium, etc., etc.

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    1. Wow!!! Good for you, girl!! I think I’ve had the spinach and artichoke ravioli before! So good!

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  8. Lean Cuisine Marketplace has another really good one that I like for lunch once a week...Tortilla Crusted Fish. I have no idea about carbs or calories because I just don't care that much, but I know it tastes good.

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  9. I don’t have any suggestions but they have those healthy meals you microwave that aren’t frozen and do not have the preservatives, I love those. I’ll find a pic of my favorite and text you.

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  10. marianne10:03 AM

    Finally someone that is honest about food! Lol I also recommend Amy's borritos. Really good!

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  11. Lean Cuisines ravioli is pretty good, and their sesame chicken! No lie though, I dont eat a lot of frozen meals ... so when I do, I beeline for Stouffers Mac n' Cheese. Go big or go home, right?

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  12. Again, thanks for keeping it real. I said "yes" many times as I was reading your blog. I tend to eat anything "pasta" like for my frozen food...pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, etc. I also like the sweet and sour chicken bowls from Healthy choice.
    Also, lunchables are in our rotation as well. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to make a sandwich, cut the crust..blah, blah, blah,

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  13. I love your honesty on this! We typically have the frozen Salisbury steaks (I think 6 come in a box so you could reheat leftovers) one night a wk and put it over riced cauliflower. We also love the bob Evans mashed potatoes. They arnt frozen but refrigerated and then we microwave them for something quick.

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  14. So appreciate your honesty! I’m a huge frozen meal fan and most of my faves have been named above. I also like getting the pre-chopped salad mixes (Walmart has a great southwest version) for something super quick and fresh!

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    1. Yes! Walmart used to have this Market Side Lemon Kale chopped salad that was my absolute FAVORITE. I would eat them several times a week and then they discontinued them. Of course! It was the dressing that was the greatest. Kind of a sweet buttery lemon flavor. Ahhhh...so good. I can't find a dressing anywhere that comes close. :(

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  15. Have you ever tried Snap Kitchen? They have at least one location in Frisco but they also have a delivery service! My teacher friends and I are big frozen meal lunch lovers like you and we started ordering lunches for the week from Snap Kitchen and they delivered to our school! I don’t really care about the sodium count stuff either but these meals you store in the fridge they are good, filling and supposed to have less of the preservatives etc! They also have an app to make ordering even easier. I promise I don’t work for them but I probably should haha!

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  16. I usually go for the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers. I'll usually make it and then steam some additional frozen veggies in another dish in the microwave (while the Cafe Steamer is cooling off) and then I'll dump those additional veggies into the Cafe Steamers bowl to mix with the sauce. I feel a little better about getting the extra veggies and it helps add some volume so I'm really full and don't go searching for something else afterward.

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  17. Love this post! I also like any of the Amy's frozen meals/burritos. There's an Amy's Light & Lean line too. But there's nothing like a good 'ole Lean Cuisine ;) Schwan's has really, really good quick food. It is my family's favorite--by far.

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  18. Bryana T.3:29 PM

    Have you tried birdseye veggie pasta?? It is super good and you would never know it wasn't pasta. They have a bunch of different flavors and are located next to the frozen veggies!

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    1. Heather9:39 AM

      I second the veggie pasta! These are a lunch staple at my house (as is the birds-eye mashed cauliflower). My toddler gobbles it up (and so do I)!

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  19. Love your honesty, I believe we could be the best of friends. I ditto tge Amys burritos , and they have an enchilada, rice and beans one, and Wal Mart has an excellent chicken burrito bowl, even includes guac.

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