Just wanted to tell everyone on here who are struggling with finances about an alternative to NS....and it tastes a heck of a lot better in my opinion!
I signed up on the Lean Cuisine website for their tools just to see what they had. You pick your meal "type" first. Here are the choices they give.
- Active Lifestyle: Low fat diet with increased carbs and protein for those individuals with higher energy needs
- Carb Conscious: Low Carb diet
- Convenience Lifestyle: Manage your calories with Lean Cuisine meals combined with fruits, vegetables and salads.
- Healthy Living Lifestyle: Low fat diet with fruits, vegetables and lean protein sources
- Vegetarian: Meatless but includes milk and egg products with a balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates
I chose Convenience Lifestyle. The next step is to choose your calorie needs. They recommend 1800 calories for my needs (based on weight and activity level) but you can choose from 1200 calories to 3400 calories. You also pick how long you want your menu, 1 week, 2 weeks or a month at a time.
I chose the 1500 calorie plan for 1 week. You then have preplanned meals, that you can check off when you have eaten a particular food item. You can also change the food listed if you do not like it. Here is a sample of the menu they gave me, for one day.
Breakfast:
1 fruit (2-7/8" dia) Oranges, raw, navels Edit
1 muffin English Muffins, toastedSubstituteEdit
1 slice Low Fat Muenster Cheese Edit
1 cup Low Fat Milk (1% fat), protein fortified and vitamin A Edit
Total = 59.5g Carbohydrate, 403.8 Calories,
9.1g Fat, 23.2g Protein, 4.5g Dietary Fiber
Snack:
Addtab_snack1 1 small (6" to 6-7/8" long) Bananas, rawSubstituteEdit
Total = 23.1g Carbohydrate, 89.9 Calories,
0.3g Fat, 1.1g Protein, 2.6g Dietary Fiber
Lunch:
Addtab_lunch 1 1/2 cup Tossed Salad, without dressing Edit
1 serving (8 1/8 oz.) LEAN CUISINE Chicken Marsala Edit
1 small (2-1/2" dia) (approx 4 per lb) Apples, raw, with skinSubstituteEdit
1 tablespoon Ranch Dressing, reduced fat Edit
Total = 35.7g Carbohydrate, 261.1 Calories,
6.9g Fat, 17g Protein, 5.7g Dietary Fiber
Snack:
Addtab_snack2 8 medium Carrots, baby, raw Edit
1/8 cup Peanuts, dry-roasted, without salt Edit
Total = 10.5g Carbohydrate, 134.8 Calories,
9.2g Fat, 4.8g Protein, 2.9g Dietary Fiber
Dinner:
Addtab_dinner 1 serving Spinach Salad Edit
1 serving (8 1/2 oz.) LEAN CUISINE Cheese Ravioli Edit
1 cup Low Fat Milk (1% fat), with added vitamin ASubstituteEdit
1 small (2-1/4" dia) Tangerines, (mandarin oranges), rawSubstituteEdit
Total = 64.7g Carbohydrate, 480.6 Calories,
15.5g Fat, 23.1g Protein, 6.9g Dietary Fiber
Snack:
Addtab_snack3 1/8 cup Soybeans, dry roasted Edit
Total = 7g Carbohydrate, 97 Calories,
4.6g Fat, 8.5g Protein, 1.7g Dietary Fiber