You’ve heard me talking lately about life being busier than usual (then again, what is usual?). I prefer to cook homemade meals because I trust what goes into those meals and I feel my best when eating wholesome ingredients. However, there isn’t always time. In those situations I am grateful to have access to frozen items that can help bridge the busy gap in a healthy way.
Frozen items often get a bad rap for being full of chemicals and high in sodium. While both of these are often true, I have found a few items that are tasty, relatively healthy and that I feel good about eating on days I need a little culinary assistance.
1. These EVOL snack-sized burritos are great! I pair them with a veggie or fruit for a balanced quick meal for myself or for Hailey. The ingredient list is short and simple enough that I feel good about using these for a snack or quick meal. These can be found at Target, among other stores.
2. Amy’s is a name I feel I can trust and I really love their meal bowls. They are balanced with whole grain, vegetables and protein (all high-quality, organic ingredients) and the teriyaki bowl is a great way to get my Japanese flavor fix without resulting to takeout. These can be found at Target, among other stores.
3. Lean Cuisines are usually picked on it the healthy eating world by people like me who used to down them daily, then learned they weren’t exactly made with wholesome ingredients. Well, now things have changed and I must say I’m impressed with the ingredient list and the delicious flavors in their Honestly Good line. The Honestly Good Lemon Grass Salmon features wild-caught salmon and a burst of fresh flavor. These can be found at Target, among other stores.
4. Fresh Market’s Roasted Veggie Thin Crust Pizza made my list not only because of it’s clean ingredients with lots of veggies, but also because it is only $4.99. You’ll need more than one to feed a family, unless you really bulk it up with sides, but I love this healthy, easy dinner for days when David works late. Then I still have leftovers for breakfast
5. These new-to-me LYFE Kitchen products are a new favorite of mine. They contain KALE for goodness sake. This LYFE Kitchen Whole Grain Pilaf mimics the type of meals I like to make for myself (grain and veggie bowls), so I really love that I have it as an option for days I don’t have the time to put one together myself. I especially love that this meal goes beyond the ‘typical’ vegetables and grains to include eggplant, kale, artichokes. quinoa and wheat berries.
Do you have a favorite frozen item that you rely on when time is tight?
Karen says
I would say my go-to freezer item is my Morningstar Black Bean Burgers. When Bob is working super late and it’s just K & I, it’s usually a black bean burger with veggies.
Brittany Dixon says
Oh I used to love those spicy black bean burgers!! I can’t remember the last time I bought them though. Not sure why. They are so good!
Kate says
Frozen veggies. Like almost every night. I have two little girls and work full time outside the house and my 2 year-old is pretty picky about her veggies. However, I can usually get her to eat a plateful of frozen veggies at the start of a meal and that makes me feel better knowing that she is at least getting some vegetables each day.
Brittany Dixon says
How do you prep your frozen veggies? I usually have to stir fry, but sometimes they still turn out soggy. Any tips?
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I LOVE Amy’s!! My favorite frozen healthy product in my freezer right now is definitely Ezekiel bread :).
christina says
that same lean cuisine is in my freezer right now, but i have yet to try it!! ha!
Brittany Dixon says
I really like it! I haven’t tried the other flavors, but I’m impressed with the salmon. Let me know what you think!
Tiff @ Love, Sweat, & Beers says
The Lyfe Kitchen one is new to me. I’m a big fan of Amy’s brown rice and tofu bowl, though I’m generally too cheap for it. (I mean come on, it’s friggin tofu.) But I also like to keep soups on-hand during colder months. I know it’s not a “freezer” meal, but sometimes they really hit the spot.
Brittany Dixon says
I know, they certainly are expensive, so I try not to buy them often. It adds up!!
What are your favorite soups?
Tiff @ Love, Sweat, & Beers says
Progresso’s minestrone is tasty, but it packs quite a bit of sodium, and I like a lot of Trader Joe’s boxed soups, like butternut squash. Mmmmmm squassshhhhhh
Niki says
I actually love and trust Amy’s organics but I’m just curious. Does this concern you?
http://foodbabe.com/2013/09/19/100-all-natural-products-can-be-chock-full-of-gmos/
Brittany Dixon says
Yes and no. I really enjoy Food Babe’s research and dedication to finding out what is in all foods. However, as a busy work-at-home mom, I unfortunately am forced to rely on some help from pre-packaged foods every once in a while. I feel I do my best to prepare and eat whole foods as often as possible, but no one is perfect, so when I need some help I’m ok with picking up quality products, knowing that they might (and probably do) fall short and contain GMOs and possibly substances I’m not wild about. It’s the same as when I eat out. I know it isn’t all organic and GMO-free. My motto is to do the best I can!
I appreciate the comment and link though! I think it’s always best to be as educated as possible so we can make the best choices we can. Thanks!!
Kate @ Indulgent Wellness says
I like the Kashi frozen meals. Most of them have a very readable and natural ingredient list and they are super tasty too!
Casey @ Salted Plates says
Just stocked up on a few of these as well as my schedule is changing and I want to make sure I can still eat well and in budget. My favorite Amy’s are the Mattar Paneer and the Green Sauce Enchiladas. I have a coupon for the lean cuisine but since I don’t eat meat I haven’t tried them but thanks to your review I feel ok passing it along to a friend now. Thanks!
Parita @ myinnershakti says
I spent the first 30 minutes of my lunch break at Publix. I happened to walk by the freezer section where all the healthy foods are and saw an EVOL bean and cheese enchilada bowl. Guess what I had for lunch? It was delicious! Thanks for the rec.
Sarah says
I love the EVOL burritos too. I’ll even do them with a side of sauteed veggies and canned beans for an easy last-minute dinner.
FYI the LYFE meal contains Yeast Extract, which is a milder form of MSG. I’m sensitive to it so that’s why I mentioned this, not to be critical. Most people probably won’t notice any difference.
Brenda says
EVOL burritos are amazing! I loved taking them to work. They were a filling, portable lunch.
These days, I buy frozen meals from Trader Joe’s. The ingredients are usually alright, but the sodium can get high, so I try to watch out for that.
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
All great ideas! I really try to stay away from freezer foods, mostly because they’re more pricey. But there is the occasional time that they’re nice to have in a pinch! Love Amy’s products!
Danica @ It's Progression says
Trader Joe’s has a few frozen meals that I keep in the freezer for those rare times like this when I just don’t get to cook a meal – the dairy-free vegetarian spiced burritos are my favorite.
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
I rarely do frozen meals but I love Amy’s mac and cheese!
Erin @ The Grass Skirt says
Pretty sure that we could swap freezers and no one would notice. I keep so many of the same things in the house! My husband is gluten intolerant, so we also have some Udi’s frozen pizzas in there.
Lee says
I buy a lot of Amy’s meals too…and sometimes regular Lean Cuisine pizzas. What can I say? I like them!
Ashley says
Thank you for this list! i am constantly on the search for things to keep on hand when life gets busy. Can’t wait to try some of these products out! 🙂
April says
Thank you for this post!!! I have been in a frozen-food rut lately. I love that you’re tweeting your “archives” since I am a fairly new reader. 🙂 One thing I love to have in my freezer is soup that I have frozen after making a double-batch.