I eat these too. They are a great way to get a 'taste' of something I want, but just KNOW I can't have. Example, the mexican burritos and pizza are great. The chinese is alright. It's better than going out and eating the real thing, even though it might not taste EXACTLY the same!
I actually really reall really like some of the LC's and don't even think of eating them as eating diet food. I don't eat many of the beef dishes because a lot of the ones that come with "chunks" of beef I find usually have fat or gristle on them and I am VERY paticular about no spot of fat being on my beef. The Salisbury steak and the Meatloaf are the exceptions. THey are sooo good. I don't eat the seafood dishes because I'm weird about frozen seafood (I know, food neuroses). I really like most of the pizzas especially the pepperoni and the spinach and mushroom. Most of the pasta dishes are good, especially the chicken fettucini's and the swedish meatballs. I also like the Roasted Turkey ones, the Chicken Enchilada, the Roasted cheese potatoes and definitely the Chicken Lasagna Florentine. I just had it for the first time a couple months ago and couldn't believe it was diet.
I've tried the Smart Ones and the Healthy Choices as well and I like Lean Cuisines MUCH better. Also, I don't know how people feel about these, being new to this site, but I also like Lean Pockets (especially the Pepperoni Pizza and Meatball and Mozarella).
I eat them for lunch and sometimes for dinner when my fiance doesn't feel like cooking (yes, my fiance cooks dinner, not me! LOL)
They really have helped when I'm craving something that I know I shouldn't eat (like macaroni and cheese!)
I tried a couple of the "chinese food" ones and they're awful!!
But, the ones that I really like are:
Margherita Pizza
3 Cheese Pizza
Macaroni and Cheese
Meditteranean Chicken (with pasta)
Alfredo Pasta with Broccoli or Chicken and Broccoli
Stuffed Cabbage
Beef Rib Tips (soooo good!)
Chicken Caesar Bowl (haven't seen it lately)
and there's probably others that I'm forgetting!!
I live alone, don't like to cook and have real problems with portion control. Lean Cuisines are convenient and I know how many calories they contain so it works for me. Sodium is a problem, but it's a tradeoff. Their best dishes are the past based one. I normally don't eat a lot of pasta but I enjoy the LC dishes wihout guilt. Some of the Spa Cusines are okay, such as Chicken in Peanut Sauce with the whole wheat noodles which seem more substantial than the white. I don't like the salmon. It's fishy and an odd texture. Besides, I have access to lots of fresh salmon so I'd rather bake a filet now and then. Healthy Choice used to be good but my local stores don't carry much varieties and I don't like the beef dishes which seem to be ubiquitous. I wash my LC down with a small glass of red wine so I don't seem too deprived. If I want dessert, I have a piece of fruit. Sometimes I will have a couple of Kavli crackers for fiber.
They fit into my lifestyle, too. I don't eat any of the ones with chicken, beef, or pork, because of the serious lack of quality. But I love the newer pizzas, the shrimp with angel hair pasta, the 3 bean chili, and several other varieties. I actually have a freezer full right now because Krogers recently had a half price sale, so they were all between $1.19 and $1.64 each. Nice bargain
I am living alone for the summer until my roomates return to school in the fall so I am eating Lean Cuisine everyday! I have only been eating them for about 2 weeks so I haven't learned all the best flavors yet. But I do like most of what I have tried. The Salmon & Basil was my favorite so far. I try to get the ones that have 290 calories or less (preferably 200 to 250) so that I can also have something little for dessert like fruit or a piece of toast with jam.
I tried Smart Ones and didn't like them as much. I definitely think tv dinners help with portion control.
I disagree The average Lean Cuisine dinner has around 600mg or less of sodium. Our daily limit should be no more than 2400 mg. I think they USED to have a much higher sodium content, particularly in the 80s (if I remember correctly) so they gained a bad reputation, and it's been hard to shake off. But 500 or 600 mg of sodium for a frozen dinner isn't really bad compared to other healthy foods. Even a simple grilled chicken sandwich from Wendy's contains over 1000 mg of sodium.
Though I do agree that cooking from scratch is always the best idea, when we have the time for it. Cooking is fun
TTURedRaider, I agree with you on the Smart Ones. I really don't like them. I think many of them have a strong, artificial flavor, and the quality isn't good at all. Talk about Frankenfoods! If they went by any other name, other than Weight Watchers, they probably wouldn't be able to sell them.
Personally, I love the lean cuisine meals. I'm a big fan of the Salmon with Basil and the Margherita (sp?) pizza. However, they do tend to have a lot of sodium even though they are low in fat and calories. If you hate cooking (cause I KNOW I do) follow Kimberlee's advice with the George Foreman grill. When my G.F.grill "died" one time, I was sooooooo upset. Had to go and buy another.
Well, everything in moderation as they say- I think eating them once in a while is okay but making them a staple probably isn't the best thing.
I personally don't like the taste of frozen dinners but they do come in handy if you are in a rush or for work if you want a hot meal. Not everyone has the time, energy or inclination to make up their own meals especially if you have multiple jobs or are going to school and working.
I would add some extra veggies or finish off your meal with some fruit to make the meal more filling.
I eat a diet tv dinner everyday for lunch when I am at work. Quick, preportioned, and easy easy easy. Some are better than others. But I've lost 40 pounds so far, and they have been a tool to help me do that. They're certainly better than the Hungry Man TV dinners I used to eat everyday!
I'd much rather take the time to cook my meals from scratch. This way I
know what's really in it,and I can leave out the salt and sugar. Much healther
this way.
sexyacura
Must be nice to have that kind of time...I have a full-time job, 1.5 hours of commuting, and a 15 month old son. Not much time to cook at all, much less from scratch!
Unless you are on a SEVERE sodium restricted diet, the amount you get in a frozen dinner, especially the light ones, is WAY less than you'd think. Do you eat cottage cheese? salsa? Diet soda? Flavored waters? Have you looked at the sodium content on these things?
Example: a half a cup of cottage cheese or 5 Tablespoons of salsa has close to the amount of sodium my lean cuisine lunch did today. (According to fitday)
I've been watching my sodium as well as calcium and fiber recently and I try to stay under the daily recommended amount of sodium by the FDA and I've had to severely change my eating patterns. The days when I'm high on my sodium are actually the days I DONT have a lean cuisine for lunch.
Like I mentioned with cottage cheese and salsa...Breads, cereals, chicken products, any kinds of sauce - soy, ketchup, etc.. Deli meats - anything cured. Here's an example.. 2oz of low-fat turkey-ham (the one with the lowest sodium i could find) came in at about the same amount of sodium as the Lean Cuisine frozen dinner I ate for lunch. (around 500mg sodium) Now, add that ham to some bread.. ugh. Depending on if you have crackers or something else with it or even some type of dressing... you can easily eat half your recommended sodium intake in one sitting.
Anything fast food.. chicken sandwiches (as Suzanne pointed out).. pizza.. even a subway sandwich. I LOVE Subway, but one of their ham or turkey sandwiches is around 1000mg sodium. Obviously the best you can do is to cook your own meals, but I find especially when cooking for other people who are NOT on a diet and might occasionally want something that I cant have... having those lean cuisine dinners standing by is a savior. It's quick and prevents me from picking up something even worse. It's also a great thing for people with portion problems.
They've come REALLY far in the amount of vegetables you get and the quality of said veggies. I used to hate frozen dinners but more and more I'm liking them now. I use them for lunches at work and "emergency" meals at home so I dont have to order pizza with everyone else (I will say that normally if its going to be my dinner, I pair it with a salad or additional vegetable)
I'd much rather take the time to cook my meals from scratch. This way I
