I don't usually eat frozen meals but I want to get some to have around on busy days. Anyone know any that are good? I just tried a SBD Asian Orange beef and I didn't like it at first but about 4 bites in it started tasting pretty good, lol.
I like almost everything in the Ethnic Gourmet line. I usually take one to work once a week when I'm pressed for time. They have Indian/Thai/Cuban/Italian dishes but most are Indian. I recognize all the ingredients on the label and they taste great. You can get them at Whole Foods or Kroger (and elsewhere, I'm sure). Highly recommended!
I'm a pretty bland eater, so I usually stick to the basics... turkey with mashed and veg, or chicken fettuccini, or something not too out of the ordinary. So, basically, I'm probably not much help. LOL But as far as brands, I like Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine meals.
I really like the Lean Cuisine Spa ones - especially the Salmon with Basil. The individual pizzas are pretty good too... and the Michelina's Avantage meals are pretty tasty. Actually, the only low-cal frozen meals I've tried and not liked are those rice bowls - there is WAY to much sauce in them, and I find it pretty gross. Otherwise, I think frozen meals are great - especially since they're pre-portioned for you.
I love the SmartOnes. There hasn't been a single one that I have tried that I didn't like. I am not a fan of the SBD ones, but they could just be too "fancy" for me. My all time favorite one is the Lean Cuisine Chicken Carbonara, I could eat that every day for lunch. In fact, that is what I am having tonight for dinner.
OMG! I discovered these Lean Cuisine panini sandwiches in the frozen foods section, after trying the Stouffer's version, these are less calories and less fat. I rarely eat frozen meals, but these are to die for! Basically they are two pieces of bread with good stuff piled on, and you nuke 'em with the (included) 'grill' board (shiny cardboard). Then you are supposed to slap 'em together for a nice big panini sandwich. I prefer to eat them open-faced, and I haven't found one I didn't like yet! They have a bunch of them to choose from, like a southwest chicken (spicy!) and turkey club, etc. These are great for days when I don't have time to make a nice lunch for myself and my husband (I pack his too, otherwise he goes out for fast food! ). Anyway, try 'em! Probably the only bad thing is sodium, and I'm just guessing that cuz all frozen entrees seem to have too much sodium!
Don't you find them expensive for what you get?? I look at them in the store, and they are like almost $4 for a little tiny amount of food! It seems ridiculous to me! I feel like I end up just paying for the packaging... cause the food just doesn't fill me up at all, and I'm hungry again in 15 minutes or so. Anyone else find that???
I really like the Lean Cuisines also! My favorites are the Thai Chicken and the Chicken with almonds but I agree that they can get pricey so I usually only buy them when they're on sale for like 5/$10. Then I stock up for a while
I ate frozen dinners for lots of years, and I've burned out on having them too often, but I still have one occasionally. I found that for the most part Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones are the best. One of my favorites is the SO Beans and Rice. I like to cook it then dump it over a huge salad of romaine, and other added "stuff" (tomato, pepper, etc.) and a little salsa and ff sour cream. With any of them, added veggies or a salad helps fill you up.
I haven't tried many of Amy's but the ones I've had are good.
Oh, and the only way to buy them is when they're on sale!
I love the Lean Cuisine Panini sandwiches! I find them them to be very filling, more so than any of the other frozen entres I've tried. But they are expensive and my supermarket almost never has them on sale (even when the rest of the Lean Cuisines are on sale, the Panini sandwiches are still full price). I like the Lean Cuisine pizzas, too, which I can sometimes get on sale. I do think that, with all of these frozen entres, part of the way they make them low cal is by making the portions small, so a lot of them aren't very filling to me.
I also like the Ethnic Gourmet. I don't think they taste quite as good as the Panini sandwiches, but some of them are way low in calories (and they still taste good).
For some reason , the Amy's entre's that my grocery store carries are all high in calories. That's too bad because I see on their website that they do have some low calorie meals that sound pretty good.
I'll echo the mention of Amy's organic frozen foods, however be careful. Not ALL of them are low-calorie! They're not really marketed to be low calorie per se, but generally healthy and, of course, organic. I eat a variety of them, like the teriyaki tofu bowl (which is about 300 calories) to the Mexican casserole (which is somewhere in the 400-500 calorie range, can't remember exactly). They have Thai ones, Indian ones, Mexican ones, then non-ethnic ones like mac-and-cheese and such. Where I get them is pricey, I'm looking for a cheaper source.
Really, it's sort of hit or miss for me which ones I like. I like South Beach pizza, on their whole grain bread, but I don't like any other 'diet' pizzas. I like Healthy Choice's sweet and sour chicken, and Lean Cuisine's beans and rice. For me, it's really a matter of trying something out, there's no real brand that I universally like (though Amy's comes the closest) or dislike.
There's also some frozen food reviews somewhere on this site, I think. So you can see how others rate frozen foods. Tastes differ, of course, but if a number of people like something might be worth a try. And it can identify some real horrid choices too, I bet.
Frozen meals that are good?
frozen panini sandwiches!!!
). Anyway, try 'em! Probably the only bad thing is sodium, and I'm just guessing that cuz all frozen entrees seem to have too much sodium!
, the Amy's entre's that my grocery store carries are all high in calories. That's too bad because I see on their website that they do have some low calorie meals that sound pretty good. 
