Pre-Packaged Meals like Lean Cuisine etc

Hi, I'm relatively new to the site and new to the calorie counting techniquein general. So, I have a question: What's the deal with pre-packaged meals like Lean Cuisine or Lean Pockets, etc? Are they okay or terrible or what?

They're obviously not great, but they're cheap, easy and work pretty well as work lunches, which is generally all I use them for. I realize that the prepackaged meals are loaded with preservatives and other fake ingedients, but they're just so convienent for a limited budget, limited time lunch-type thing that's still within my caloric budget.

Does anyone know anything more about them? Or which are better/worse, etc?

Thanks!

The big drawback to most frozen meals is the processed ingredients and sodium.  Some brands, like Healthy Choice, do have reduced sodium, but because of processing and microwave preparation, it's been my experience that the veggies get overcooked and mushy, and the meat is too dry.  However, if you're looking for a quick convenient hot lunch that low in cals, you could do a lot worse.  Fresh food is better, but the occasional frozen meal isn't all that bad.

One of the better lines for ingredients and quality are the Kashi meals - low cal, low processing, and they use ingredients like whole grain pasta and brown rice, and I have developed a liking for South Beach Diet frozen dinners because, remarkably enough, the veggies they include come out pretty good.

I used to love Lean Pockets, but I don't touch them anymore unless there's nothing else, or I'm extremely limited on time.  I've discovered too many other tastier alternatives to really want them anymore.

i eat these meals once or twice a week for lunch at work. i always pair mine with something filling like an apple. i find if i eat a lean cuisine alone, i am starving very soon after, so the purpose ends up being defeated!

They are convenient, but I would hardly call them cheap, for the amount of food you get for your money.  I have one on occasion (maybe a couple of times a month) but the sodium is a big concern for me.  I hate that puffy feeling the next day.

I have yet to see one that has the proper balance of vegetables to protein and starch.  Most of the calories seem to be in the additive laden sauces.  Frozen meals can serve a purpose, but I'd add at least a small salad or some carrot sticks, and a piece of fresh fruit.

Pros: preportioned, convenient, cheap when on sale, the good ones at least try to add some vegetables and whole grains.

Cons: high sodium, may be too small of portions for some, is almost always lacking in vegetables and protein.

It's up to you.  I buy some only when they're on sale and then they have to fit into my "3g fat or less per 100 calories rule."  (I'm one of those who has to add some carrots and an apple.) 

More often I'll cook extra portions of chicken and rice, pasta with sauce, whatever and freeze some for convenient lunches.

I pretty much stopped eating low calorie frozen meals (Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice, etc.) when I started my healthy eating lifestyle back in August. Why? Because they don't give me a very good "bang for my calorie buck" and who needs all that extra sodium? (Not me!)

My daily lunch "calorie budget" is 400 calories.  For 400 calories I can have a HUGE spinach-tomato-radish-cucumber salad AND a turkey and cheese sandwich AND an apple (or cup of raspberries with light whipped topping!)  I'd rather get my 5-6 servings of fruits and veggies and whole grain bread/fiber in ... and be FULL and satisfied ... than face one microwaved, soggy little sauce-covered meal.

Leftovers are another great way to have lunch, too!

=^..^= MOLLY

 

I usually do prefer to make a nice meal in the evening and have a couple of little tupperware containers of nicely portioned lunches, but I don't cook as often as I'd like/should and end up having little time to put together lunch in the morning. Hence the opting for the frozen meals.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

If I do have them I generally toss in some frozen veggies that would go with the sauce- since about a cup is added, it does reduce the total amount sodium,etc make for a satisfactory helping and is still low in calories. depending on what it is maybe extra rice or noodles is also used. I do not fid it as that much of a stretching since I find the highly salted sauces have a "rich" flavour. In fact for some it's a necessity since I do not salt my food, and the odd meal is too salty for my taste.  I must say though that the main reason I'm against them is the packaging- they are rarely recyclable.  I prefer to get the larger packages and cut and store it as individual porpotions if time and frezer space permits. Often works out to be cheaper with stuff like lasagna even considering over time the cost of a good quality microwavable containers that will not leak while commuting.

OK, so these things are not the best choice in the long term, but I say, if it works for you, do it!

Personally, I find it a lot more helpful to eat a frozen entree than to be heading to the hi-fat fast food drive thru lane for lunch!! And despite what most folks think, I like the tastes of a variety of entrees. Portion control is done for me, no need to weigh and measure stuff!I've found the individual pizza entrees halp me get past the pizza cravings without blowing my diet.

I won't recommend using these meals as replacements for a well balanced, well planned, healthy menu long term, but they do have their place in my plan some days.

When the lean cuisine and healthy choice meals go on sale I always grab a bunch of them.

 I don't eat them on a daily basis, but there are definitely days when I just don't have the energy or motivation to make and portion out meals.

Before I started calorie counting one of those meals was like a snack, there was no way it was going to fill me up, but I find now that one Lean Cuisine with a cup of veggies is a very filling and satisfying meal!

 Some of the varieties are horrendously bad tasting, but some are really really good!!

I don't do lean pockets as it has too much carbs for me (i'm hypoglycemic as well has having fibromyalgia).

I do have about two lean cuisines a week and I always add one cup of frozen veggies to my meal and I include fruit.  For example - today I had the roasted turkey and vegetables, the vegetables being green beans.  So I open the meal before cooking, throw the extra cup of green beans on top and cook just til it's all warmed up.  It's true the microwave can really over do things.  Then I had fresh cut pineapple afterward.

If it was a meal with broccoli like the three cheese chicken meal, then I would add one cup of frozen broccoli. 

I have about six to eight frozen veggies on hand at all times so that I can add to my lean cuisines - or make homemade veggi soup in minutes.

Hope that makes sense!

Try Kashi - less sodium than many other frozen meals, and they come with whole grains, not white rice or white pasta, which for some reason is the norm with most brands.

I tried a Lean Cuisine (Chicken w/ Peanut Sauce) the other day, that I chose b/c it came with whole wheat pasta, and the sodium wasn't too high. It was horrid - the sauce tasted like watered down Jiff peanut butter (not even yummy Smuckers, and definitely not Thai peanut sauce), the pasta was mushy, and the veggies were non existant.

When I get Kashi (I love the Lemon Rosemary Chicken), I get delicious brown rice with lots of snap peas, and a tasty sauce.

Regardless, I try not to have frozen meals more than twice a week for lunch, but it's a great backup, especially if you have a freezer at work where you can leave things.

I used to eat them years ago, and although they were tasty, they were somewhat unsatisfying.  They don't sell them here in Japan, so I make healthy sandwiches at lunch and my wife and I take turnes making healthful dinners from scratch, and I have to say, the food we make with all the fresh veggies, is just as low-calorie and delicious as the dinners, but it also is a LOT more filling and has none of the salt or chemicals.  I would say use them when you're really pressed for time or there's nothing else to eat, but otherwise, you're better off pre-preparing your own homemade stuff and keeping it in the fridge or freezer until you need it.

I have never tried them because of the sodium and price. I was recently at a Avon party and found in the book some insulated containers from Curves that a person can put hot soup in the top and a compartment on the bottom for crackers. Of course you could use any hot meal in it. They also have a salad bowl from Curves in the book. There is usually healthier choices available other than high sodium and over priced frozen dinners. Hope this helps.

As you mention, cheap, easy and convenient are some serious postives plus flavor especially if you balance them and dont strictly depend on them.

Being on South Beach, glad to say there dinners have some focus on health.  Checked online to find the following summary, "All the products are made from whole grains, vegetables and fruits approved by South Beach diet. Only olive and canola oil are used in preparation. In case of nonvegetarian products, only lean meat is used.

Personally I think if TV dinners are part of a fuller well balanced food plan as you mentioned with lunches at work, its a definite solution for many!

I eat a frozen meal several times a week.  I find the portion just about perfect without adding anything (although I do snack on fresh fruits and veggies in between meals when I get hungry).  I make mostly "good" food for dinner, but it is impossible for me to know just how much of any given meal will get eaten (I have five children).  It depends from day to day, so I don't always have leftovers, and I don't eat salad in the winter (has to be hot, I am always cold, especially since losing weight!).  The frozen meals are a good option for me.  But to each their own!  Keep up the good work everybody!

I agree.  The staple of my weightloss, now at 70 pounds has been and is Michelinas Lean Gourmet...for $1.00 each...and about 300 calories on average, you cannot beat it.

 

I just started on Lean Cuisine meals for dinner.  I work long shifts and find that they are wonderful so I don't get tempted to go out with the rest of my crew and eat fast food!!!  They are cheap in comparison to how much you spend out to eat.  They are great portions & they actually taste really good compared to other packaged meals!!!  The panini's are great!!  I find that if I'm not fully satisfied, I get vegetables to go with it.  Green Giant has great new single serving steam in a bag veggies that you can pop into the microwave (and they're seasoned)!!!  If this helps, check out Women's Health online.  Lean Cuisine meals are on their top 100 foods!!  They can't be too bad! 

I really like the panini's too. Michelinas lean gourmet makes a pretty good lasagna that is only 500 mg or so of sodium, low cal and so cheap.

The salmon lean cuisine meal is not at all good. Lean Cuisine sesame chicken is tasty and makes me feel like I'm eating comfort food. I like the three cheese chicken quesadilla lean pockets also.

Smart Ones makes a chicken marsala meal that has only 180 cals, 530 g sodium and 7g of fat. It is about half veggie and no starch sides so I get to add a 100 cal pack of popcorn and still have cals left for an apple or whatever. This one is not very filling of course but it's really good and I feel good that I got in some veggies.

Hey if you need a good pre packaged meal try Amy's frozen meals and bowls! They're natural and organic so you don't have to feel about eating them. Plus they're tasty too! I'm having the spinach lasagna right now and it is fabulous. =)