What are your favorite frozen dinners?

[ten6mom]

I don't eat them often but every once in awhile I'll grab a few to have on hand so that I don't eat out at work. What are your favorites, and are there any that you avoid? I am concerned with taste more than nutritional content.

 

[Malibustyle23]

The only tray style frozen meal that I will continue to eat is Stouffer's. I enjoy their meat lasagna. The other lasagna varieties are gross. Some of their other choices when I'm in the mood for them.

I'm not a fan of Marie Callendars, Banquet, Lean Cuisine, etc, etc.

I Enjoy my veggies overcooked or mushy hence the reason I don't think I like most quickly made tray served frozen meals because most of them can only steam vegetables.

I do like more of the newer style frozen meals in a bag because I cook them on the stove top and will cook them to my liking.

 

[Disneylover99]

I like Stouffers fried chicken and mashed potatoes or turkey/stuffing and mashed potatoes.

 

[Christine]

I don't think I have a favorite. Let's just say that I'm "enduring" some better than the others:

Lean Cuisine:

Sweet BBQ Chicken and Potatoes
Sesame Chicken

Mostly they depress me though, when I have to eat them!!

My daughter is enjoying the Evol Macaroni and Cheese ones. There are a few varieties and she likes them. I haven't tried them though.

 

[MickeySP]

Only ones I do are Healthy Choice, like there Roasted Turkey or Smart Ones, there Spaghetti with meat sauce. I think I might have one at work in a bind, once every 6 moths or so.

I actually take a couple days every couple months & do batch cooking. We freeze our own, better than processed. I worry about all the sodium more than anything.

 

[lizabu]

Mac & cheese is the only one I like. I've had stouffers and michelinas and they're both ok.

 

[robinb]

Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? They have GREAT frozen meals. I especially like their pasta with chunks of frozen sauce that you can just throw into a skillet and warm up.

 

[havaneselover]

Lean cuisine glazed chicken and Lean cuisine spaghetti. Stouffera has a baked chicken and mashed potatoes that I like as well.

 

[wenrob]

Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? They have GREAT frozen meals. I especially like their pasta with chunks of frozen sauce that you can just throw into a skillet and warm up.

I was going to suggest TJ's as well. I like their Less Guilt Mac & Cheese, Giant Ravaoli and Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Shells. Eldest DD loves their Orange Chicken and DS loves their Chicken Strips.

Back when my oldest was little and I worked in the evenings I liked a lot of the Healthy Choice meals. Not so much anymore. I don't know if they changed or I just lost the taste for them.

As a PP mentioned, much better to make your own. I try to have enough from dinner for lunch the next day. I also cook up about 10lbs of chicken breast at a time, pull apart and divide up into 3oz servings to freeze. It's worth the effort and you can use it for a million things, a quick taco, chicken sandwich, toss on a salad or pasta, nachos etc. I also keep lots of frozen steamer bags of veggies around. Very easy to toss together a quick, healthy meal.

 

[Minnesota!]

TJ's is the only place I have found frozen meals that I can tolerate. The others...skeeve me out.

 

[RedAngie]

TJ's is the only place I have found frozen meals that I can tolerate. The others...skeeve me out.

This sums it up very well. Even high-end frozen meals are at best tolerable. Most are total crap, including frozen pizzas. OP, if your main objective is taste, don't buy frozen meals. Even a PB&J sandwich is superior.

Or do what a PP mentioned, find time once or twice a month, batch cook, and freeze in individual portions.

Sometimes in the supermarket I notice people, mostly men, with a dozen or more low-end frozen dinners in their carts. Like when Banquet is on sale for 88 cents. I'm guessing young clueless bachelors and older divorced dads.

Don't do this to yourself.

 

[gardenergirl]

The Stouffer's Fit Kitchen ones are my new faves, but they are hard to find. The cilantro lime chicken is good (little spicy) and everybody asks what I'm eating because it smells so good out of the microwave. They take a little longer to cook...5 minutes on high, stir then another 2-3 minutes more, so if you are on a tight schedule or a lot of people need the microwave at the same time they may not be ideal.

 

[Minnesota!]

Yes!!! Batch cook...make your own. No extra ingredients, much tastier, and much healthier. We always keep homemade meatballs (separate), home made sauce, home made stock, and plenty of frozen veggies on hand. Also, shred a rotisserie chicken and freeze in meal sized portions. Throwing that, some of the stock, and some veggies in a pot gives you a tasty soup in 15 minutes. (Just did it last night...stock, spinach, the last of the turkey, celery, onion, carrots. Threw in some mini cheese tortellini...voila!).

 

[smokeyblue]

Amy's frozen meals. Mostly the pad thai, red curry, Indian and the Mexican. I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but I think they still taste awesome. Now if they were only 88 cents like Banquet I would eat them morning noon and night.

 

[cijay]

Like you, I don't eat them often and when I do, it's not for nutritional content. That's kind of like a 'healthy cookie' isn't it? If you want healthy sweets, you pretty much have to make your own but there are some I stay away from.

I find any house brand ones are no good. Most of them very watery so I go with brand name. The other ones are 0 I think it's Superstore's 'Healthy' line - Blue Menu. I've grabbed a few of them by accident and they're awful. Not just their frozen dinners but anything Blue Menu - even granola bars (I gave the rest of them out for Hallowe'en LOL). Just nothing for taste.

If I go for any frozen food it's usually chicken wings. I can make a meal of them.

One other thing that is SOOOO good and a meal in itself is (edit to read) Reser's Main Street Bistro potatoes. They're not frozen, just in the cooler but they're various kinds of scalloped potatoes. Each will do about 3 meals and you can freeze in three portions (or however many). They're amazing.

 

[RedHatDisney]

Another vote for Amy's! Also love the soups from this brand.

 

[LinderInWonderland]

I mostly do batch cooking for my lunches as DH has his lunch provided by work. I work 4 10 hour days, but with the commute I am up at 3:15 and home by 7. Mondays and Tuesdays are the days both DH and I work, so they are frozen meal nights. Mondays are pizza night and I keep a rotation of Trader Joe's frozen meals for Tuesday nights.

As far as other frozen meals I've had, I go with Evol or Amy's when I am traveling.

 

[Ilivetogo]

I don't eat them often but every once in awhile I'll grab a few to have on hand so that I don't eat out at work. What are your favorites, and are there any that you avoid? I am concerned with taste more than nutritional content.

I like anything Stouffer's. They're pretty good. I also like Boston Market. But lately, I've been enjoying the slightly spicy flavors in Chili's options!

http://www.minaslater.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Chilis_AtHomt_Entrees.jpg?96d787

 

[sksjasams]

I tend to buy family size rather than individual ones. We eat Stouffers Meat Lasagna and Stouffers Grandma's Chicken and Rice probably once a month each. They are so fast and easy to plan when you know you will be getting home late.
I do like the bag dinners that you cook in a skillet and we eat those too, but they are not as easy as the Stouffers. They require some babysitting and more dishes to wash in the end.

 

[Jaya]

Any of the Amy's dinners are good, especially the Mattar Paneer and the Pad Thai.