What's your favorite figure friendly tv dinner?

what's your favorite diet tv dinner? how many cal? what's in it for side items if any? rice, noodles, veggies?

my guess is that you will probably get a lot of people saying not to eat "tv dinners" bc they are high in sodium.. and its more benefical to make your own food, blah blah blah

But I honestly don't always have time to make dinner or lunch. My favorites are lean cusine panini's (steak and cheddar) and the healthy choice steam bowls.

Smart Ones (Weightwatchers dinners) make a Turkey and Stuffing dinner that is only 210 calories and it is deliccccciiiiooous! It's not entirely filling, but a nice big tossed salad will fix it up.

I agree with what was said above about a lot of people discouraging it here... and while it is beneficial to make your own food, some times it's just not practical. I cook supper for myself when I get home and take left overs when I can, but I don't have time to do it every single day. This makes it easier, especially when I don't feel like cooking.

So far, I find myself preferring Lean Cuisine over the other brands. Because I am picky, I don't really like too many of the ones with peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc, so I end up eating the Pizzas, the chicken and broccoli alfredo, and the cheese ravioli. They all taste great, not like diet food, and not crappy because it's a frozen dinner.

Smart Ones (Weight Watchers) Orange Sesame Chicken is awesome.  As a matter of fact I just finished one.  I never eat these at home on the weekends but sometimes during the week it is just my best(easiest) option for lunch at work.  Not to mention affordable compared to my other choices here.  I do agree that the sodium content is high but I never eat much sodium so it is fine for me.

They're not really 'diet food'.  The food in there is just as fatty as normal food, it's just very portion controlled.  If you ate anything else out of that little tray it would be low cal. 

That being said, I do like the pasta ones better as I don't find the rice microwaves very well.

Last time I lost 15 lbs by taking a Lean Cuisine and an apple, pear, or side salad to work for lunch every day. I usually bought the ones with the lowest calories and sodium, and highest protein-- average was about 300-350 cals for the Lean Cuisine, though I think there are some 250 cal ones as well. Sides are things like rice or veggies-- I really do like them, and if you watch the sales you can sometimes find them for like $2 each, then just store them in the freezer.

I like the Lean Cuisine panini sandwiches.  They range from about 280 - 350 cals.  I usually eat them as open-faced sandwiches with a fork.

More and more, though, I make my own frozen dinners.  I cook on the weekends, usually marinated and roasted skinless chicken breasts or roasted or broiled fish fillets, and pair them with frozen mixed vegetables without sauces.  I have a set of reusable sectioned plastic containers that I refill every Saturday and keep in the freezer for lunches at work.  It's cheaper, and there's no trash to throw away.

Patricia

hee hee  - I made the post but, didn't even say what my favorite low cal. tv dinner was?! 

Well, I really like the smart ones- Santa Fe chicken. It's chicken , pepper, onion and zucchini in a sauce. 140 calories. and at that low of cal. I can fallow it up with some fruit, rice or a dessert.

 

The lasagna ones are good too but, I would really like to make own veggies and cheese lasagna so, I get more than just two noodles and a thin layer of cheese.

The Lean Cuisine paninis and flatbread wraps are delicious, and I typically have a southbeach diet individual pizza in the freezer for a quick dinner when I'm in a hurry.  Oh, and I recently discovered a Lean Cuisine that is becoming a favorite:  butternut squash ravioli.

If you want something a little less processed, try Kashi entrees - the cilantro lime shrimp and the black bean mango selections are wonderful.

In love with the flat bread sandwiches.  But Ive given them up for a while!

SB Savory Beef, Caprese chicken and Savory pork.

Ive recently fell hard for Smart Ones Beef with Asian Veg 160 calories.  It didnt sound good but the pick looked good and it tastes great.  Ive had them for breakfast and know I can add to it calorie wise or have more of a morning snack but they are quite filling for the 160 calories.  Shoot - there are snack bars with that many calories and this has a full veg serving plus a great sauce. 

It's not EXACTLY a TV dinner, but I LOVE Fit 'n' Free pizzas (one of the few redeeming things I've gotten from Hungry Girl!!!).  They are low in calories, fat free, and also has a decent amount of fiber and protein.  They come with nothing on them, so it's easy to throw on whatever you're in the mood for prior to tossing it in the oven.  Some of my favorites include:

• Garlic, grilled chicken and spinach
• Artichokes, black olives and mushrooms
• Turkey pepperoni, mushrooms, and fennel seed
• Boca crumble, green peppers and onions

I think they taste A LOT better than any of the so-called diet pizzas made by the TV dinner people (Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, etc.), and they are lower in calories too!

http://www.pizzafree.com/

I really love anything by Amy's (vegetarian here!). Some dishes can be more high-cal. compared to lean cusines/etc. But I like buying into foods than are not plaster with the term diet all over them.

My all time favorite is the teryaki bowl, 290 cal; 4g fat and really sweet, also the veggie loaf meal is really filling, but my most recent and favorite find is the burritos or pocket sandwich (mmmn the feta spinach one is TO DIE FOR!) then with a side salad.

I also enjoy Cedarlane and Seeds of Change. Oooh and Kashi.

I agree with the above. I try and make meals when I have time (weekends) but when your a full-time college student, its so hard! You have to result to frozen dinners. I try and mentally balance out the whole "too much salt" deal with not adding salt to existing meals... I'm still alive!

Last night was all from Trader Joe - tuna in yellow curry packets (300 calories a packet), and rice biryani packet (210 calories a serving).  I actually took the packaging upstairs and logged it proper - it was a lot of sodium :)  But I don't eat like that every day, and sometimes eating healthy has to make sacrifices to a) being easy and b) being cheap (dinner for two cost $6 that way).

Fit and Active, which is at Walmart and Aldi's are great!  I love their Southwestern pockets for 280 calories...A bag of Lipton soup 45 Calories...or salad and your good to go.

Original Post by sroscoe:

They're not really 'diet food'. The food in there is just as fatty as normal food, it's just very portion controlled. If you ate anything else out of that little tray it would be low cal.

 

Is that true? What a good comment . . .I never really thought about it that way. I'm always reading the "ounce" size on the package to get the biggest meal for a specific calorie allotment because I never think the frozen meals (with the exception of the flatbread sandwiches) fill me up. So . . .maybe I'll just save one of those little plastic trays and put my own good quality food in it and realize that I could just eat less of something delicious for the same calories as lean cuisine, WW, etc. frozen meal.

My favorites are the Weight Watchers Smart Ones.  I love the Fettucine Alfredo w/ Broccoli and the Asian Style Pot Stickers.  There's also a Roasted Turkey with Green Beans one that's pretty tasy and filling too.  I also really like the Lean Cuisine Spa Collections ones...the Butternut Squash ravioli is delicious.

I know they aren't the greatest of choices but I get burnt out on sandwiches and salads for lunch everyday and want something hot and filling.  Plus, with only a half hour lunch break I need something quick.