My grocery store has started carrying South Beach meals, which are pretty close to core, if you watch out for added nuts and currants and such (or count a point). They are usually just a garnish, if they are there.
There are also more lower carb Smart Ones available that can be Core.
Do you have Trader Joe's in your area? They have some great veggie frozen meals that are Core or nearly so.
Otherwise I usually bring Core leftovers from the night before. If there aren't any veggies I add some salad.
Gypsydancer, I too was eating a lot of frozen meals for lunch, when I was doing Flex plan. They are so nice and easy. Unfortunately I don't think there are many (if any) of these that work with core. Core takes a lot more planning and prep than flex I think. But its been worth it to me. For lunch I usually eat salad, leftovers, canned soup, refried beans or black beans. These ladies all have great ideas. I just posed this question recently in Core Chat #18. Other suggestions I remember off of the top of my head were baked potatoes, making a big pot of soup for the whole weeks lunches, taking small portions of sf/ff pudding for desserts, etc. I'm sure others will be along with suggestions shortly. It just takes a plan (which I'm terrible at!)!
One of my very favorite frozen meals is the Lean Cuisine Steak Tips Portabello. It is just meat and a double serving of broccoli. I think it is as close to Core as any frozen meal can be ... I'm going to continue eating it and for the weeks when I am on Core, will just count 1 point for the thickener in the gravy.
With some investigation and research you should be able to find some frozen dinners that are more "core-like" than others. That being said you will need to check ingredients carefully and count points as required. Also you should remember that most frozen dinners, like many processed foods, are very high in sodium so they may not be a good idea in general.
We now have some President's Choice blue menu items which include a few frozen dinners (curry chicken) which are very close to core and there is one michelina's frozen salad bowl (I think the mediterranean one w/couscous) which is close as well. I keep a few on hand for "emergency purposes".
In my case I usually take dinner leftovers - usually make a bit extra and once we're done I pack up my lunch right away for the next day - very convenient and easy. Of course having a fridge and microwave at work does help!!!
I have never really enjoyed frozen dinners, even when I was on Flex. I only found a couple that I really thought tasted great and I never felt satisfied when I ate them. Having said that, I wouldn't mind having a Core one in the freezer for emergencies. I just haven't found a completely Core one yet or a nearly Core one that I was willing to spend a point or two on.
My Hubby found an article in the paper yesterday about a new line of frozen dinners. I have no idea who makes them nor have I seen them in the store yet. They are called Savvy Faire Lifestyle Cuisine with a Bistro Flair. They were developed by a sports medicine doctor and a nutritionist. The meals are supposed to be a balance of good carbs, a high content of protein, some fat and gourmet quality ingredients. The low glycemic meals come in four entrees; Roasted Chicken, Lasagna Florentine, Braised Beef, and Herb Crusted Chicken. The Roasted Chicken comes with risotto made with barley. The green beans have swiss cheese on them so these, too, will not be completely Core. They say they use real olive oil. These might be near Core frozen meals that I'd spend a point or two on. The have a website that I haven't looked at yet at www.savvy-faire.com.
We’re working hard to get Savvy Faire products available nationwide. This month you’ll be able to find our products at Harris Teeter, Ingles, Northern California Safeway, ACME and Meijer.
None of these stores are in this area, darn it! I guess I'll be waiting for a while.
Thanks for the suggestions! I am not much of a cook, so I think it's unrealistic for me to be relying on having leftovers to take to work. When following Flex, I was taking Lean Cuisine Spa Classics to work, because they included whole grains. I haven't checked them out to see if they're core (they were awfully good!). I'm thinking I'll buy some veggie burgers and soup and have those be my mainstays.
Soups sound like a safe bet. You can always buy a tossed salad somewhere (either choose ff dressing or keep your own at work?) and add tuna or salmon or something like that on top? I keep a couple of small tins of tuna w/the zip off tops for emergencies so if I ever get stuck I can go down to the cafe at work, get a salad, and just open and throw some tuna on top! Fast and easy.
I also keep a "fruit basket" on my desk: a couple of nutrigrain bars (been there for months now - just for show and make me feel better!), some bananas, red delicious apples and whatever other fruit I have! Keeps me away from the candy dishes all around!
I've never looked for frozen core meals, so I appreciate you bringing this up.
I'm a big fan of leftovers and I find that I'm doing lots of cooking, so that's usually my lunch. Sometimes I make a meal and freeze portions so I have my own frozen dinners for lunch.
If I'm stuck I grab a Wendy's baked potato and a grilled chicken sandwich, cut up the chicken, toss the bun and call it a stuffed potato. Subway has a grilled chicken spinach salad - you have to specify for them to use the fat free dressing, then it's pretty much all good.
Tuna with ff mayo, a bit of dijon mustard and some onions on a big tomato is a fairly quick lunch to throw together. Another idea is a can of black beans, a can of Mexicali corn, a can of Rotelle tomatoes and some ff shredded cheese -- throw it all together and enjoy. Have your favorite fresh fruit for dessert.
I hope you find the right plan for your lifestyle. Good luck!
Frozen dinners?
