Favorite Healthy Frozen Meals?

[sgood]

I like to keep a few Newman's own cheese pizza's in the freezer, then forage for herbs and veg from the garden for toppings which is fun. Also might add olives or sun dried tomatoes from the pantry. I guess not healthy but no preservatives or meat and feels like a slightly decadent treat, assuming portion control .

 

[bltkmt]

If you're near a Trader Joe's, their frozen meals are excellent, and there is plenty of variety. My current favorites are their pork soup dumplings, japchae, pepperoni mac & cheese, char siu bao (really, they're close to the good ones in NYC, which is saying a lot), chiles rellenos, and kung pao chicken. There are plenty of other great ones, too, just listing my faves.

Their frozen turkey burgers are great too.

 

[Koolau]

Their frozen turkey burgers are great too.

I've never found a turkey substitute for beef to my liking. I wish we had a TJs so I could give these a try. They must surely be healthier than beef burgers.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I've never found a turkey substitute for beef to my liking. I wish we had a TJs so I could give these a try. They must surely be healthier than beef burgers.

So far every frozen turkey pre-formed burgers I've tried are over seasoned with stuff that I'm not wild about. But I will give Trader Joe's a try next time I get to one.

Fresh ground turkey seasoned with Lawry's seasoning and grilled are fantastic. And yes, much better for you than ground beef. I always get 85% ground turkey because I find the 93% is too dry.

 

[euro]

Frozen mixed vegetables from Costco.

I'll second that - I buy it often. Steam or oven roast.

Separately and as a special splurge, I like Jimmy Dean's Delight egg'witches

 

[MichaelB]

I like frozen fruits mixed with some fermented and distilled essence of sugar cane. Nice healthful ingredients.

 

[UpQuark]

The Healthy Choice Zero Sugar and their Power Bowls look healthy to me (tho I only buy the lowest sugar ones of the power bowls). Some of their Steamers seem healthy, tho I try to pour out most of the sauce to avoid a lot of sugar.

I wish I knew of any healthy breakfast pre-made options. I see egg patties for sale in the freezer section, but when I looked at their ingredients they didn't look healthy.

 

[UpQuark]

some fermented and distilled essence of sugar cane.

Is this brandy?

 

[audreyh1]

Is this brandy?

Rum?

 

[MichaelB]

Is this brandy?

Rum?

Frozen daiquiri, so rum, some citrus and any good qualify frozen fruit, such as strawberry or mango.

 

[tmm99]

So far every frozen turkey pre-formed burgers I've tried are over seasoned with stuff that I'm not wild about. But I will give Trader Joe's a try next time I get to one.

Fresh ground turkey seasoned with Lawry's seasoning and grilled are fantastic. And yes, much better for you than ground beef. I always get 85% ground turkey because I find the 93% is too dry.

I like turkey burgers too. They are so tasty! I buy fresh turkey patties from a local farm (they have a very small amount of bread crumbs and are lightly seasoned.) and freeze them. I've never looked at turkey burgers as a substitute for beef burgers, however. Just like I would never look at frozen salmon burgers as a substitute for beef burgers (My fave is Salmon Burgers by True North Seafood from Costco. Fabulous with some mayo and dill weed!) If someone is trying to eat less saturated fats and considering eating turkey instead of beef, then, maybe it is a substitute for that particular person. I read that turkey has a much better ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 than chicken, so I imagine turkey is a good choice for better health than chicken as well.

I haven't eaten pre-packaged frozen meals in a long time, but DH is a semi-vegetarian and keeps some frozen dosas (with potatoes) in the freezer.

 

[rembrandt]

I love frozen White Castles.

 

[Koolau]

I love frozen White Castles.

My buddies at Megacorp always begged me to pick up bags of WC sliders when I went to the "Big City" for the company. I'd usually do it, but put them in the trunk. Just the smell turned my stomach. I think people either lover or hate WC.

Back in the late 70s, our local McDs offered their regular burgers at the introduction price of 15 cents. I bought 200 and froze them.

 

[CaptTom]

I love frozen White Castles.

Count me in the "love 'em" camp.

Two problems with the frozen ones though. First, one box has eight burgers. That's one serving. It's hard to justify what they're charging for those lately. But more important, I rarely see WC hamburgers. Only "cheese" burgers. I don't know what that stuff they put on them really is, but I find it disgusting. It ruins the nice blend of meat and onion flavors.

Admittedly, I don't consider any "American" to be real cheese, be it WC brand or any other.

 

[MarieIG]

We don't do pre packed frozen meals... ingredients lists are a long as your arm and someone else sets the portions. But a frozen turkey breast, throw it in the big crock pot on low, sprinkle a packet of Lipton Onion soup mix and come back in 6 hours. Eat it hot with nuked frozen veggies. No preservatives, no nitrites, and good, plentiful protein for a reasonable cost. And tons of turkey sandwiches for leftovers.

I like the idea of the turkey breast. I will have to put that on the list to try (although I will do my own spices).

 

[Teacher Terry]

For quick meals I eat a sandwich. I rarely buy frozen meals because they are loaded with sodium.

 

[Surewhitey]

The main things in our freezer are berries, shrimp and pre-cooked chicken breast.

The last one is great in the air fryer and then sliced thin on a salad or topped with mozzarella and parm with a good red sauce and fresh basil finished with the broiler.

 

[latexman]

My favorite frozen meal is to thaw out several rib eye steaks and grill them!

 

[aja8888]

A little off topic, but when I was in the hospital two weeks ago, I was put on a "heart healthy" diet. The first breakfast was pancakes with sugary syrup, orange juice and a muffin with two pads of butter. From then on, I ordered my own meals.

Once home, my supplemental policy insurer (Humana), sent me a big box of 14 frozen meals (Mom's Meals - heart healthy) which were cheap TV dinners loaded with preservatives. I gave them away.

 

[Jerry1]

A little off topic, but when I was in the hospital two weeks ago, I was put on a "heart healthy" diet. The first breakfast was pancakes with sugary syrup, orange juice and a muffin with two pads of butter. From then on, I ordered my own meals.

Once home, my supplemental policy insurer (Humana), sent me a big box of 14 frozen meals (Mom's Meals - heart healthy) which were cheap TV dinners loaded with preservatives. I gave them away.

When I was in the hospital, I was appalled at the food they were providing. It's understood that it will be industrial, but how unhealthy it was was shocking. I'm not sure how they expect people to get better eating that slop. As mentioned, the amount of sugary items was way too much. Basically, way too many carbs in general. How about some protein and some good vegetables and some leafy greens.

 

[braumeister]

When I was in the hospital, I was appalled at the food they were providing.

That's really sad, and I feel for you guys. My only experience with hospital food was in 2020 when I had to spend a night there. They gave me a menu and told me to just call the kitchen and order what I wanted. I chose the simplest, an omelette with ham and cheese. Had one for supper and another one for breakfast. No complaints from me.

My wife had to spend two nights in a different hospital after back surgery recently, and her experience was similar. She's not as much of a low carb person as I am, but she did very well with her choices.

So at least some hospitals are OK about food.

 

[audreyh1]

Yeah, hospital food can be crazy. They serve this highly processed stuff full of sugar. Then are ready with insulin if someone’s blood sugar goes out of whack. Insane!

 

[MichaelB]

Yeah, hospital food can be crazy. They serve this highly processed stuff full of sugar. Then are ready with insulin if someone’s blood sugar goes out of whack. Insane!

Great business model for the hospital.

 

[old medic]

We don't buy frozen meals, We may grab bulk frozen stuff we find at a deal... We have a resale restaurant place we drop into on occasion. Wings, sausage, brautt,s kielbasa, dogs and such.
We do have a collection of soups, chilies and stuff, homemade, froze in containers then vac-u-sealed.
We also can a bunch of stuff... limited salt and other chemicals.

 

[Koolau]

Yeah, hospital food can be crazy. They serve this highly processed stuff full of sugar. Then are ready with insulin if someone’s blood sugar goes out of whack. Insane!

Ah, yes, the medical, industrial complex doing its thing.

My last hospital stay, I got a menu and could have ordered as much as I wanted and as unhealthy (or healthy) as I wanted - and I was there for stents (after the procedure, of course.) Go figure.