While I am a big fan of preparing meals fresh from scratch, sometimes I just don’t have the time to pack a lunch or the energy to cook dinner. Frozen meals can be an okay alternative – I limit them to once or twice (okay, maybe three times) a week.
Frozen prepared meals have been accused of secretly (and not so secretly) packing on calories, racking up the sodium, and employing the use of trans fats (e.g., hydrogenated oils), among other unsung evils. And rightly so. The LARGE majority are guilty of all these charges. Frozen meals are generally highly processed, meaning that they do not use “whole” ingredients in their natural form (for example, bleaching wheat and removing it of much of its fiber).
But sometimes we’re in a crunch, I get it.
I have trudged through endless rows of frozen meal fridges at supermarkets from California to Massachusetts. Hands down, my favorite picks are from Trader Joe’s (disclaimer: not EVERYTHING at Trader Joe’s is healthy by default. Most of their frozen meals would not make my list, actually). I always keep my freezer stocked with these:
Trader Joe’s (Giotto’s) Garden Vegetable Lasagna: Low-cal (290). Whole ingredients. And I could recognize and pronounce all of the ingredients listed (most of them veggies). Under $3. Click here for a full review.
Trader Joes’s Eggplant Parmesan: Low-cal (270). High protein. Eggplant packed with potent antioxidant, nasunin. Under $3. Click here for a full review.
Kashi Frozen Entrees: All of their meals include Kashi’s signiture “Seven Whole Grains,” making them pack a punch. All the entrees include natural, wholesome ingredients like whole grains, colorful vegetables, and natural chicken or shrimp. Typically low- to mid-cal. And delicious, though a bit on the pricier side. The downside: they have about a million ingredients, which I’m always weary of…
Lean Cuisine, Any Variety: These are so-so when it comes to flavor and nutritional value. I think they can also contain highly processed ingredients. But they are low-cal. I guess they’re okay in a crunch, when you’re low on lunch money and running out the door without a prepared lunch! Under $5.
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