So, what’s for dinner tonight? Lean Cuisine…or…maybe…uh…Lean Cuisine?
Such has been the view inside my freezer, more or less, for at least a year, since I started my big diet push last July. My supply has actually dwindled a bit since I went shopping last week.
You know, for frozen microwaved meals, they’re really not that bad. Calorie counting is such a pain, and keeping fresh ingredients in the fridge can be tough when you are cooking for one person and trying to keep portions small. It’s just so easy to open up a box and nuke a 300-calorie meal.
My mom always asks me how I can possibly feel sated with 300 calories. Actually, I usually bump that up to 500 or 600 calories with 1% milk and stone-ground whole wheat bread. Plus I keep 100-calorie snacks around to stave off the munchies. Those mini boxes of raisins or fat-free yogurt can be great for this. Fat-free yogurt is one of the few aspartame-sweetened products that don’t make me gag; I sometimes keep them in the freezer, then run the containers under hot water to pop out the yogurt like a popsicle.
I find that when I don’t keep the 100-calories snacks on hand, I often feel an overwhelming urge to jump in my car and grab something fat-laden and 1000 to 1500 calories from the local convenience store.
So back to the Lean Cuisines—the damn things are way too expensive, but with at least seven different supermarket chains less than fifteen minutes away, I can be sure that at least someone is having a half-price sale on the things at least once a month, so I stock up. This last time, Superfresh had 6 for $10. (BTW, I have nine of those silly supermarket “loyalty tags” on my keyring.)
So what’s my favorite one? Thai Style Chicken, with Sesame Chicken a close second. Although, I do have to say the LC pizzas are the perfect quick lunch—two and a half minutes to heat up, the sauce isn’t bland like other frozen pizzas, there are ten different varieties, and the crust isn’t too bad.
But wait, what are those red boxes? One of the chains recently had Weight Watchers meals for half price, so I thought I’d go crazy and try something different. Not bad. The pizzas aren’t as good, though; their crust sucks.
Your freezer looks just like mine - except I have way less products and it’s because I’m too lazy to do any real cooking. I prefer Lean cuisine to Weight Watchers frozen dinners - the new LCs are really pretty good.
I love the LC pizzas, that’s all I ever eat for lunch. And their Sesame Chicken is my second favorite. Your freezer looks just like my boyfriend’s, and would look like mine if I ever actually grocery shopped for more than one day at a time.
I am so tired of eating LCs. I decided to try Healthy Choice—yuck, yuck, yuck! So, back to LC it is for me, though I haven’t been doing well lately.
There are a couple boxes of Red Baron Deep Dish single pizzas in the freezer (my husband’s). I broke down and ate 2 of the pizzas for lunch. Oh, well.
Edy’s Whole Fruit bars are really good and only 80 calories. Good luck!
How many calories in a carrot? I have always found raw carrots much better at keeping hunger from the door. Store ready pealed carrots in a tub of water in the fridge… assuming your fridge isn’t as full as your freezer.
The WWs aren’t bad; I like their Thai Style Chicken, but the LCs are still my favorite.
I kind of feel lazy for the not cooking thing, but I figure that the frozen meals are such a huge time saver. I still cook, from time to time, but it is more of a special occasion thing.
I like that they are not afraid to make the LCs a little spicy if need be. I remember growing up that frozen meals were always sooooo bland, but these aren’t. I also will occasionally add a dash of Emeril’s Essence, esp. to the Sesame Chicken.
The stocking up when they’re half-priced thing is key. It’s always funny to see at the bottom of the register tape for a $250 grocery order—“Price Plus (or Club Fresh, etc.) card savings-$150” (or so).
I know what you mean, Barb, about getting tired of the LCs. Sure there are a lot of varieties, but most grocery stores carry a limited selection of those varieties. I’ll have to take a look at those Edy’s fruit bars.
…but raw carrots are yucky, Sparkling! :-) I’ve never really been much of a carrot stick or celery stick kind of person. Maybe its because I made fun of them being “rabbit food” for so long, I can’t bring myself to eat them. Cooked carrots, yum, though.
I love those Lean Cuisines.
If you have them available, Amy’s meals are really nice, particularly her Mexican style entrees. You do have to check out the nutritional info because they’re not ALWAYS low cal, but there are lots that are.
Love love LOVE lean cuisine and like you, getting them on sale is the BEST thing ever. The least I can get them for is 3 for $6 so if that happens the righ time of the month, I get two weeks worth and spluge on the pricey Spa versions,
Wow, its an LC lovefest. I guess this is the kind of grass-roots buzz that marketing execs have wet dreams about.
They do have the Amy’s meals in a few stores around here. Whole Foods and Wild Oats definitely, Wegman’s and McCaffrey’s, I think. I’ll have to try them out sometime (as long as they’re on sale; it sucks to be broke).
Oh, yes, the Spa ones. The Salmon with Basil and that pork one with the cherries—they are refreshingly different from the other flavors and quite tasty.
Oh then you need to come raid my fridge .. and take the LC I don’t like! :P
Okay, Mercy, as long as it’s not chicken with wine sauce; that’s the only one I don’t like.
…so I just bought a box of the Edy’s fruit bars (lemon). 24-hour supermarkets rule. Damn, those bars are good, and only 80 calories. Only 80 calories, that is, if I can resist eating the entire box. I think those will become my plan-allowed 100-calorie mid-afternoon snack—definitely, a much better (for me) snack than the Mini Milanos and Mini Brussels one of my coworkers always sets out.