frozen dinners

[cynthia_waz]

my husband is out of town next week for a competition with school, so i'll be a single mom for the week.
i've been debating picking up some frozen dinners to make my meal prep a little faster and evenings a little easier.
do you think they could have a temporary place in a good diet? i would probably supplement the meals with additional veggies/salad.
i will try to prep some foods over the weekend while he is still home, but i think those could add a little variety to flavors and textures since i won't really have the time to make a fresh meal every evening.

[Rowyn]

I make and freeze my own meals, but I prep protein once or twice a week. If you marinate some salmon or chicken breasts and grill/roast, cook taco seasoned turkey to scramble with eggs & vegs, make turkey/lean beef meatballs to freeze....you should be good to go if you have some veggies to add in. I make a big batch of chili (eye of round steak is really lean, or I use chicken and turkey with white beans) and freeze for fast meals. Most pre-made frozen dinners seriously skimp on protein since they are trying to keep it cheap.

[Becca89]

I definitely agree with the above post. Frozen dinners also have a lot of additives and preservatives in them. It's easy to make your own frozen meals though. You can find recipes online or get books at the library.

[squeaks77]

I do the same as Rowyn. There's always something I can pull out for a quick dinner. One of my faves is turkey burgers. I cook them and then individually wrap and freeze them.

Still, I have a stockpile of one kind of Lean Cusine (steak tips and broccoli) that actually has decent macros and doesn't taste terrible. They're only 150 cals, but I add extra broccoli and a salad. I don't live on them by any means, but those are my "Crap, I'm in a hurry and have nothing prepared" meal. In fact, I think I've only eaten one in the last 4 weeks.

[kait123]

I make and freeze my own meals, but I prep protein once or twice a week. If you marinate some salmon or chicken breasts and grill/roast, cook taco seasoned turkey to scramble with eggs & vegs, make turkey/lean beef meatballs to freeze....you should be good to go if you have some veggies to add in. I make a big batch of chili (eye of round steak is really lean, or I use chicken and turkey with white beans) and freeze for fast meals. Most pre-made frozen dinners seriously skimp on protein since they are trying to keep it cheap.

Ditto. Frozen dinners are pure crap (to me anyway) the amount of sodium, and preservatives is kind of gross. Those things just don't seem natural to me.

I love using my slow-cooker and then freezing meals. Mostly stews, soups, chili. Rice dishes and meat are always good too. Or, you could always resort to the good 'ol can 'o tuna and veggies! Boring and bland, but damn quick!

[cynthia_waz]

Ditto. Frozen dinners are pure crap (to me anyway) the amount of sodium, and preservatives is kind of gross. Those things just don't seem natural to me.

I love using my slow-cooker and then freezing meals. Mostly stews, soups, chili. Rice dishes and meat are always good too. Or, you could always resort to the good 'ol can 'o tuna and veggies! Boring and bland, but damn quick!

alright, alright. i knew that the frozen dinners were really not the best option... i guess i just got over concerned about not having time all week. my husband and i always take turns making dinner / keeping baby happy. this will be my first time at it alone for this long! maybe i'll make a big pot of chili for the week...

[dreahere]

If you have a Trader Joe's they have some good frozen things that are easy and healthy. I like the chili lime chicken burgers especially. They're 150 calories and 19g protein each, and 8 minutes to cook from frozen.

[Freak4Fitness]

I make and freeze my own meals, but I prep protein once or twice a week. If you marinate some salmon or chicken breasts and grill/roast, cook taco seasoned turkey to scramble with eggs & vegs, make turkey/lean beef meatballs to freeze....you should be good to go if you have some veggies to add in. I make a big batch of chili (eye of round steak is really lean, or I use chicken and turkey with white beans) and freeze for fast meals. Most pre-made frozen dinners seriously skimp on protein since they are trying to keep it cheap.

^^^^^
This is what I do as well, every Sunday!

[Rowyn]

alright, alright. i knew that the frozen dinners were really not the best option... i guess i just got over concerned about not having time all week. my husband and i always take turns making dinner / keeping baby happy. this will be my first time at it alone for this long! maybe i'll make a big pot of chili for the week...

Cook when the baby is napping I have three kids and husband is usually not home before 8, I sympathize.

Oh, Amy's, Smart Chicken and Jennie O make turkey and chicken bratwursts, italian sausages, that sorta stuff. I prefer Amy's since its nitrate free, but most of them are perfect for fast meals. I open up the Italian sausages and make meatballs or toppings for pizza with them. I make salmon patties with canned (or fresh) salmon, those are great on a bed of cooked spinach or as a sandwich.

[Shantess]

I used to eat way too many of these things and since beginning eating clean, I look back in horror at my past nutritional habits. With a little bit of planning and prep before hubby leaves, you definitely get by without them. The tips above about crockpots, soups, chili, etc. are great. Also, never forget the option of just plain' ol cooking in bulk. We usually bake about a dozen boneless skinless chicken breasts in one shot at the start of the week then we just take 'em out of the fridge and reheat as needed with some different spices or healthy sauces on top. You can do this with a pork loin or fish fillets, too. I usually pair this with some frozen veggies nuked for a few minutes in the microwave...same amount of time as a frozen dinner and way better for you

[oregonchick76]

my husband is out of town next week for a competition with school, so i'll be a single mom for the week.
i've been debating picking up some frozen dinners to make my meal prep a little faster and evenings a little easier.
do you think they could have a temporary place in a good diet? i would probably supplement the meals with additional veggies/salad.
i will try to prep some foods over the weekend while he is still home, but i think those could add a little variety to flavors and textures since i won't really have the time to make a fresh meal every evening.

Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!
Of course you can make them fit into an otherwise healthy diet, but they suck!
It's up to you, but really, it's not hard at all to eat healthy, satisfying meals for one (or one and a half). My husband is frequently gone for a week at a time for business. Usually on Sunday, I'll plan my meals for the week, get my shopping done before he leaves, and make a big batch of something that will last me at least a couple days at a time.

Suggestions:
a big batch of turkey chili and blueberry bran muffins. Freeze the muffins, freeze the chili into individual servings, and you've got several easy servings of a hearty, healthy meal.

family pack of chicken breasts - cut into thin strips, marinate in italian dressing, broil. Use in cobb salad, on sandwiches, in chicken salad, etc.

taco salad - saute lean ground beef/buffalo/turkey, throw in can of nonfat refried beans. Dress with salsa, light sour cream, avocado, etc. Make tacos/nachos/taco salad. Enough for several meals.

Gourmet sandwiches and soup - get yourself the fixin's for some great sandwiches. Really good bread, good cheese, deli meats, assorted veggies, etc. and some good soup. Have a nice side salad or some fresh fruit.

I use the time that my husband is gone to eat simply and purely according to my own dietary needs and wants. It's a nice break :-)

[andrerox80]

i'm w/ rowyn and the others on frozen meals. my father really likes frozen meals, and he adds more veggies to them, so at the very least, do that. probably need more protein too. i'd say kashi and amy's are the "best" brands. but, really, this weekend just make stuff for the week and freeze it. and your idea for chili is a good one. and do you have a crockpot? that would be easy. also, drea mentioned t joe's - they have salmon patties that are nothing but salmon. they also have precooked chicken (the rosemary balsamic and lemon pepper are both yummy). they have other stuff too. and rowyn mentioned jennie-o - they have good turkey burgers. that's a good option too. but, really, if you plan ahead of time, you can totally make meals for the week.