Lean Cuisine/TV dinners

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Drew99GT

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Does anyone else like these, specifically Lean Cuisine? I know, it's microwave garbage food (by some people's standards). However, by the numbers, most of them are quite healthy and I can routinely get them for $1.50 on sale at one of our supermarkets. With a small salad or a roll, it's enough to satisfy me. I'm always looking for ways to save as much money as possible and this seems like a no brainer. There's no way I can cook a similar healthy meal that cheap, especially being single.
 
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For the money, they cannot be beat. I bought 10 Weight Watcher dinners yesterday(very similar to Lean Cuisine) on sale 5 for $9. The store gave a $5 discount if one bought ten and I used a coupon for a $3 discount for 10. So, out the door for a buck a piece. If you are especially hungry, eat two at that price.
 
I rely on them sometimes if I get home from the airport really late and don't have the energy or time to actually cook something. The smaller ones work well as "snacks", too (like the small pizzas).

Watch the sodium intake -- many of those dishes are like 800-1000mg.
 
I take 4-5 to the office since I don't know if I can make it out during lunch. Saves me time and money, not to mention the calories. I'm not loyal to any one brand so I just get whatever is on sale (like a true BITOGer).
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Can't do 'em ... wayyyy too much sodium


Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice don't; they're usually in the 500 mg range. If any of them have much more, I look for others.
 
Originally Posted By: RamFan
Good from a macro perspective but, they do contain trans fat!


No they don't. At least Lean Cuisine. They're actually quite healthy. It's obviously not a home cooked meal with fresh ingredients, but it's way better then any fast food.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: RamFan
Good from a macro perspective but, they do contain trans fat!


No they don't. At least Lean Cuisine. They're actually quite healthy. It's obviously not a home cooked meal with fresh ingredients, but it's way better then any fast food.


My mistake, I confused lean cuisine for lean pockets.
 
Originally Posted By: RamFan
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: RamFan
Good from a macro perspective but, they do contain trans fat!


No they don't. At least Lean Cuisine. They're actually quite healthy. It's obviously not a home cooked meal with fresh ingredients, but it's way better then any fast food.


My mistake, I confused lean cuisine for lean pockets.


I avoid any frozen food item with "pocket" in the name at all costs!
 
You are right, some of them do have pretty good numbers. The snack bar (not for profit) at work stocks these and sells them at wholesale prices. So they are good in a pinch.

Semi-OT. We had gotten some beautiful eggplant from the farmer's market this weekend. We decided we wanted an eggplant parm. So I made it. With all the battering and frying, fried foods, besides being unhealthy, are really time consuming. I was surprised. But I rarely eat fried foods and have never prepared them, so didnt know.

But where I was going is that lean cuisine is faster and probably healthier than the fried food diet that I bet many eat.
 
Lean Cuisine/TV dinners are hideous.

I'm not opposed to heating and eating frozen. I get the popcorn shrimp from Aldi (Southeast US Atlantic caught) and make tacos. I also get the big bag of frozen Buffalo Wings from Sam's. About a dozen at a time in the toaster oven. It's not as good as WingStop or Buffalo Wild Wings, but to me, it's better than Pizza Hut or Papa John's wings. (probably the same product....I just take more time to cook mine)

Occasionally me and the kiddo will bake a frozen pizza, but not as much since they opened a Papa Murphy's Take and Bake nearby. Besides, we end up dressing up the frozen pizza so much that we might as well have bought the Papa Murphy's.

I forgot the brand name of eggrolls and wontons my wife gets but they are fairly good ...out of the toaster oven again

My wife will occasionally eat the Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef
21.gif
....yeah, that's some Ohio/Yankee thing and my redneck [self] just doesn't get it. She probably feels the same way about me putting sausage gravy on buttermilk biscuits
lol.gif
But I'm not getting my sausage gravy out of a plastic bag microwaved for 7+ minutes until it is 6000°Kelvin.

But I tried to eat those Michelinas, steam itself bowls, Lean Cuisine, etc....and I just don't like 'em
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
It's obviously not a home cooked meal with fresh ingredients, but it's way better then any fast food.


That's like calling chewing tobacco better than cigarettes because there's no smoke.

Start looking at the ingredients list and you'll see a host of things you can't pronounce. For example, I spent about a minute looking up the ingredients for Lean Cuisine meals and found the following for their baja style chicken quesadilla:

CALCIUM PROPIONATE
According to the Pesticide Action Network North America, calcium propionate is a fungus inhibitor and somewhat toxic.

FUMARIC ACID
Fumaric acid is used in the manufacture of polyester resins and polyhydric alcohols and as a mordant for dyes.

MALTODEXTRIN
Part of the artificial sweetener products that have been linked to obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

While I can't match your $1.50/meal price, for double that ($3.00 per meal) you can easily have a meal of fresh fish, home made pizza (without the chemically laced ingredients), and loads of creative chicken recipes.

How about making a pan full of fedelini with tuna and chickpeas on a Sunday afternoon, and having it for lunches the entire week? Or a grilled tuna and bean salad-make up enough to last 3-4 days and it's easily around $3.00/meal.

Or keep on eating your frozen, cardboard box meal laden with chemicals and preservatives.

If I had no choice but to eat the Lean Cuisine cardboard box or the meal that comes in it, I'd have to sit down and seriously think it over, and I'm not sure I'd be able to tell the difference.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
It's obviously not a home cooked meal with fresh ingredients, but it's way better then any fast food.


That's like calling chewing tobacco better than cigarettes because there's no smoke.



Comparing food items, especially arguably healthy ones, to any kind of tobacco, is ludicrous and pompous , given your previous posts. I won't go any further because it would be pushing string.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit

If I had no choice but to eat the Lean Cuisine cardboard box or the meal that comes in it, I'd have to sit down and seriously think it over


Ever had to think those decisions over? Especially when you were young and trying to save as much money as possible?

I feel like I just caught a trout!
 
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