What are some healthy frozen meals?

Many people opt for a quick meal and choose a ready to eat frozen meal.  The good news is many of these frozen meals are a healthier choice than they used to be.  Consumer Reports has a great review of frozen meals.  They reviewed 30 different frozen meals and rated them for price, packaging, nutrition, and flavor.  In their article, they noted the sales of frozen meals have soared, up a whopping 48% compared to last year. 

Choices – so many healthier options are now available.  Frozen meals used to be focused on meat and potatoes or low-calorie dinners for the dieting crowd.  Now there are many options to choose from.

Processed Foods – frozen meals are processed but the good news is, manufacturers are now offering options less processed ingredients which usually means a healthier choice.  And, manufacturers haven’t given up on taste in their less-processed frozen meal offerings.

What are some healthy ingredients to look for?

• Whole grains – look for brown rice, quinoa, red rice, farro, and some have wheatberries. 
• Additives - look for real, whole food in the ingredient list, such as vegetables, beans, lean chicken, lean beef, seafood and not a list of chemicals that are hard to pronounce.
• Spices – any spice in the ingredients is a good thing as spices as Johns Hopkins notes “Spices are concentrated sources of antioxidants.” And as I written about before, (Antioxidants and good health) antioxidants have many positive health benefits.  Some super healthy spices include turmeric, ginger, garlic, and cayenne but all spices have some health benefit.
• Sodium – many frozen meals can be high in sodium.  Americans are almost always “over the limit” when it comes to the amount of sodium in our diets.  Look for frozen dinners that have 600 mg of sodium or less.
• Added Sugars – one wouldn’t think that frozen dinners would have added sugar, but many do.  Luckily, new food labels are better at informing consumers how much added sugar in now in a packaged food.

What are some frozen dinners recommended by Consumer Reports?  Vegetarians will like some of the top recommendations.  Meat lovers, not so much.  So, I have broken out the recommendations for vegetarians and for those who like their meat and poultry.

·         Vegetarians may like:

o   Amy’s Light and Lean Quinoa and Black Beans – my daughters and others have often said Amy’s makes a good frozen dinner.  Consumer Reports says this dinner has “hints of garlic and ginger”.  Not only does it have whole grains (quinoa), but also some healthy vegetables and 2 spices full of antioxidants- ginger and garlic.

o   Performance Kitchen So Cal Kale and Bean – some say Kale is a power food as it is full of good nutrients.  Personally, I am not a fan, but if you are, this is a good choice.  Interesting, this dinner contains mushrooms and raisins.  And it provides some whole grain as it has red rice. 

o   Kashi – Bowl – Sweet Potato and Quinoa – I noted in a blog that sweet potatoes are an anti-inflammatory food. They also provide so many vitamins and minerals like the all-important beta-carotene (vitamin A), so important for healthy skin.   Red Quinoa, is the first ingredient and brown rice is an ingredient so this dinner provides a serving of whole grains.

o   Healthy Choice Power Bowls – Falafel & Tahini – This is not only for vegetarians but also vegans. Whole grains include red rice and black barley.

·         Meat Lovers – some of the frozen dinners rated by Consumer Reports have meat (actually poultry) but many are so low in calories, the entrée would not fill up many people. 

o   Frontera Chicken Fajita Bowl  - Does have chicken along with some vegetables: tomatoes, black beans, onions, red peppers, yellow peppers, etc. Has a blend of some white rice and the whole grains, brown rice and red rice.  Pretty low in calories at 260 calories a bowl.  Many people will need to supplement this entrée with other courses to add some calories to their meal.  

o   Healthy Choice Power Bowls Chicken Feta and Farro - This dinner offers a few more calories at 310 per serving.  It provides a good amount of protein at 23 grams.  Ingredients include chicken cooked in olive oil which is healthy.  Another ingredient is Farro, an ancient grain,  that not only is a whole grain but is more like quinoa in that it is higher in protein than white rice or brown rice.

o   Saffron Road Chicken Pad Thai with Rice Noodles – ingredients include roasted which chicken meat and sauteed vegetables including carrots, celery, onions.  It does have garlic – so a good antioxidant spice is included.  And this dinner provides more calories than other frozen dinners at 430 calories per serving. 

Consumer Reports did note that portion sizes in many frozen dinners are small. I told my husband how few calories some of the frozen dinners had but they were healthy.  He said he would still be hungry after eating some of these frozen dinners and would head to the pantry to polish off a box of Cheez-Its and then maybe a sizeable dessert like chocolate cake.  My daughter says she has been eating a lot of home delivered vegetarian meals.  She noted there is a lot of chewing in vegetarian meals and although there seems to be enough food, afterwards she is still hungry.  It is good that manufacturers are cutting back on additives and sodium and offering more frozen dinner options.  However, be prepared to supplement the frozen dinners with an appetizer, a side of bread and butter, and a dessert so you take in enough calories that you aren’t hungry after the meal.

Sources:  frozen meals , Johns Hopkins , Antioxidants and good health , spices , Amy’s Light and Lean Quinoa and Black Beans, Performance Kitchen So Cal Kale and Bean, Kashi – Bowl – Sweet Potato and Quinoa, sweet potatoes, Healthy Choice Power Bowls – Falafel & Tahini , Frontera Chicken Fajita Bowl, Healthy Choice Power Bowls Chicken Feta and Farro , Saffron Road Chicken Pad Thai with Rice Noodles  Image sources:  Amys   , Frontera Chicken Fajita , So cal