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[macfoshizzle]

I need recommendations on frozen dinners. I just got back from the market and holy shit, there are so many! I guess what I'm looking for is a good balance from healthy and taste. I know i know, frozen dinners are never healthy but sometimes when I come home from work, i'm dead tired and last thing i want to do is cook. So sometimes frozen dinners are efficiently cheap and convenient. I suppose that is why there are so many to choice from now days.

 

[SalvaPot]

Its been a while since I eaten one, but I really liked this one:

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

Don't do it.

Spend five minutes to make a couple of sandwiches with tomato, lettuce, ham and even some mayo, it's far healthier.

 

[Surface of Me]

Stouffer's is legit. I like their lasagna.


Stay the fuck away from Hungry Man.

 

[DJ_Lae]

I don't generally eat them but some of the Healthy Choice steamer meals were okay, if way too much packaging. They're not all that filling, though, but they are reasonably light on sodium (for a frozen meal) and decently healthy. Just expensive.

Its been a while since I eaten one, but I really liked this one:

Mmm.

 

[geomon]

I was addicted to this for like a year.

 

[Goo]

I like the Boston Market frozen dinners, taste better than Marie Calenders brand for a few pennies more at most grocery stores.

http://bostonmarketathome.com/

The Hungry Man brand I think is the same as Banquet just much larger portions. Not the best in taste, but usually very cheap for the portion size.

 

[Clydefrog]

the Amy's brand is the only thing I can recommend. Frozen meals are pretty shit though in general.

 

[Zoe]

Haven't been able to find it lately though

 

[CadetMahoney]

There's supermarket brand chilled meals (that can be frozen), but are far healthier, but have faster sell-by dates (like a handful of days at best) which are just as good as frozen meals but healthier since they use less preservatives.

I always prefer those over actual frozen foods. Cost more though, but not much more.

 

[NickNotch]

If you want healthy, Smart Ones are pretty healthy and most of them are pretty good.

 

[ohkay]

If you have a Trader Joes by you, they normally have some decent frozen foods

 

[tim.mbp]

None of them are particularly good. Soup and salad are my choice for lazy meals. There are some decent canned soups if you don't have any frozen homemade ones.

 

[MMarston]

If you want healthy, Smart Ones are pretty healthy and most of them are pretty good.

I second this.


The specific meal, I mean. I've never gone to check if the brand really is some semblance healthy.

 

[Johnny Cage In The Shower]

 

[big_z]

If you want healthy, Smart Ones are pretty healthy and most of them are pretty good.

most frozen dinners are trash but this one is pretty good. strong odor to it though.

 

[SanguineShark]

Don't do it.

Spend five minutes to make a couple of sandwiches with tomato, lettuce, ham and even some mayo, it's far healthier.

This.

Take care of yourself, it's cheaper down the road.

 

[JordanN]

I just had these:

 

[jb1234]

Some of the Amy's are good. Expensive though, at least in comparison to the rest. You get what you pay for though.

 

[Timedog]

salisbury steak is usually good from whatever brand. hungry man ones are usually the best. the expensive brands that pretend to be healthy are usually bland tasting and give very small portions (which is what makes them supposedly "healthy").

 

[Falcs]

I don't generally eat them but some of the Healthy Choice steamer meals were okay, if way too much packaging. They're not all that filling, though, but they are reasonably light on sodium (for a frozen meal) and decently healthy. Just expensive.

Mmm.

WOW!!! That looks AMAZINGly disgusting!

 

[ctfg23]

 

[Timedog]

WOW!!! That looks AMAZINGly disgusting!

tastes great.

 

[way more]

Its been a while since I eaten one, but I really liked this one:

I can literally make mashed potatoes, salsbury steak, and fresh corn on the cob in five minutes. Why would you buy that when it's easier and faster to just make it yourself.

 

[Jagsrock]

Amys frozen stuff is pretty good.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Lean Cuisine has some pretty good stuff, but it's kind of pricey.

 

[MrGreencastle]

I can literally make mashed potatoes, salsbury steak, and fresh corn on the cob in five minutes. Why would you buy that when it's easier and faster to just make it yourself.

Even better, make a bunch extra and freeze in advance. There's your microwave dinner. And way better.

 

[Monty Mole]

If you want healthy, Smart Ones are pretty healthy and most of them are pretty good.

Low calorie != healthy.

Anyway, I know the OP doesn't want a lecture and just wants recommendations. But I still find it baffling that anyone would want to eat this crap when it takes 15 minutes to cook a stir-fry. 5 minutes (at most) to chop up some veggies and chicken/meat, 10 minutes to stir fry the bitch and cook the rice. Yes, that's 15 minutes total. Same for making you own pasta sauce and cooking the pasta.

That's only 5-7 minutes longer than it takes to cook one of these shitty frozen meals in your microwave.

 

[Vaco6121]

I used to live off of Banquet Fried Chicken, back when you can buy them for 88 cents. If you can find them for under a $1, they are worth it.

 

[way more]

Mmm.

lol. Why would you eat that when you can make this in the same time?

 

[El Odio]

As someone who works in the frozen dept of a grocery store there's a reason some of my coworkers call frozen dinners pig food. That said I've never had a bad experience with Stouffers lasagna. If you're making a trip out somewhere to buy a frozen dinner though I'd say definitely head to the deli/kitchen area first for some better options.

 

[webkatt]

lol. Why would you eat that when you can make this in the same time?

Frozen corn and instant mashed potatoes?

 

[way more]

Frozen corn and instant mashed potatoes?

I'm sorry, you don't know what real, homemade potatoes look like. And maybe you should learn that you can cut corn off the cob instead of buying it in cans or stupid shit like you do.

 

[Necromanti]

I can literally make mashed potatoes, salsbury steak, and fresh corn on the cob in five minutes.

Five minutes? Did you fall asleep at the stove or something?

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Sodium sodium sodium. I know several grocery stores offer low cost prepared meals you can freeze that are healthier.

 

[DJ_Lae]

lol. Why would you eat that when you can make this in the same time?

Oh, I wouldn't, I just couldn't believe how disgusting it actually looks. Especially the sad little meat patty thing wallowing in whatever that gravy is.

No way you can make that in the same time, though. Don't get me wrong, I'd sooner spend the time to make it, but unless you have everything prepped and ready to go you're looking at least 20 minutes to get it onto the plate.

 

[Ominym]

I'm sorry, you don't know what real, homemade potatoes look like. And maybe you should learn that you can cut corn off the cob instead of buying it in cans or stupid shit like you do.

Didn't realize salisbury steak dinner is such serious fucking business.

 

[FyreWulff]

lol. Why would you eat that when you can make this in the same time?

The sauce flavor on the banquet salisbury steak is sublime

also that entire banquet tv dinner costs 50 cents

Spoiler

the sodium tho

 

[KiN0]

lol. Why would you eat that when you can make this in the same time?

I'm all for home cooking but there is absolutely no way you could make this in the amount of time it takes to heat up a frozen dinner. Boiling water for the potatoes alone takes at least 5-8 minutes.

 

[Zoned]

Make a sandwich or something. Way healthier and shouldn't take more than 3 minutes.

 

[webkatt]

I'm sorry, you don't know what real, homemade potatoes look like. And maybe you should learn that you can cut corn off the cob instead of buying it in cans or stupid shit like you do.

Jackass, way to be a douche.

No way you can boil potatoes and corn, mash and cut from the cob, cook a Salisbury steak and gravy in the time it takes to make a microwaveable dinner.

 

[ldymiriya]

I'm sorry, you don't know what real, homemade potatoes look like. And maybe you should learn that you can cut corn off the cob instead of buying it in cans or stupid shit like you do.

Maybe you should use a picture of actual fresh hand cut corn and not a picture of corn that obviously came from a can or a freezer bag before you get all high and mighty. Also no way you are frying up a fresh meat patty in 5 minutes or even make gravy in that time.

 

[Discotheque]

make steak and mashed potatoes in five minutes? what sorcery is this

 

[tim.mbp]

http://tinytyrantskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/not-tv-dinner-salisbury-steak.html

Salisbury Steak
Ingredients:
1.5 pounds ground beef
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
10 - 15 saltine crackers
2 - 3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 packet brown gravy

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray baking pan with nonstick spray
Make gravy as directed and set aside.
Crush saltines and mix with milk.
Add saltine mixture, garlic, onion salt, and pepper to ground beef.
Mix and shape into 6 patties.
Cover with mushrooms and gravy.
Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.
Serve with mashed potatoes and corn for the full T.V. dinner experience!

 

[way more]

Jackass, way to be a douche.

No way you can boil potatoes and corn, mash and cut from the cob, cook a Salisbury steak and gravy in the time it takes to make a microwaveable dinner.

Well not literally. ; ) But you can pre-prep the potatoes, have the water pre-boiled, have the corn cut, and the steak rounds ready to cook.

In that sense then yeah, I can make the same meal faster with REAL ingredients.

 

[pillowtalk]

Once in a while I get Marie Calenders. Often though I get something frozen from Trader Joe's instead.

 

[Permanently A]

Its been a while since I eaten one, but I really liked this one:

Banquet tasted like crap a couple years back, I dunno if they changed anything.

I liked Hungry Man though. Apparently this existed! I stuck with the regular chicken meals though.

 

[Spiritreaver]

Isn't mac that crazy watery pasta sauce guy?

I don't know what's worse, food/nutrition threads or comic threads.

 

[HTupolev]

Well not literally. ; ) But you can pre-prep the potatoes, have the water pre-boiled, have the corn cut, and the steak rounds ready to cook.

So in other words, in the circumstances that any remotely sane-esque person would actually consider nuking a TV dinner, there's no way in hell they'd be able to make said "real" meal in anything resembling the same timespan.

 

[CyclopsRock]

I think mac works for Big Meat - no, not that "Big Meat", I mean the infamous Salisbury Steak lobbyists.

Who can make mashed potatos in 5 minutes?