Favorite Frozen Meals: Lean Cuisine

Visit Pennies & Pounds for a revised and updated version of this Lean Cuisine article, along with more posts on weight loss and healthy eating on a budget!

Writing about food-provided diet plans the other day got me thinking about frozen meals in general. I have sampled dozens over the past two years, as they were my (and many others) go-to choice for a lunch entrée at school. Sometimes I could pack leftovers, on rare occasion I made the effort to pack something different the night before, and as a last resort I ate what the kids were having (which, at a low-income public school, was never pretty), but most of the time I kept my freezer stocked with heat-and-eat platters.

While I’m going to recommend several on the basis of flavor, I have to warn anyone interested in picking these up that they likely won’t keep you full and satisfied all the way until dinner. I always felt that I’d had enough to eat at the time, but I rarely made it home from school not feeling ravenous. Since that can lead to some serious junk food binges or poor dinner choices (all those drive-thrus!), it’s best to either supplement the meal or plan on packing a healthy, filling snack to consume a few hours later.

For midday, think a ready-to-go, high-fiber fruit such as an apple or banana, a good source of protein such as string cheese or nuts, or even a low-cal meal-replacement bar as an add-on or snack. If I decided to consume one of these meals for dinner, I would always have a big salad on the side.

Lean Cuisine

Probably the first brand that pops to mind when anyone thinks of diet frozen meals. Lean Cuisine meals often feature delicious and unusual flavors for the freezer case, and the brand innovates by introducing new lines such as panini sandwiches and flat-bread pizzas.

Lean Cuisine’s offerings are divided into a number of categories, each of which is bursting with choice. No wonder they take over such a large chunk of space at the supermarket. On the downside, most of the meals are paltry in size and lack a significant amount of vegetables. Don’t expect a huge emphasis on whole grains, either.

On to the best of the bunch!

Asian-Style Pot Stickers

How fun is it to get to eat something that looks like naughty Chinese take-out and yet know that it has minimal waist impact? The sauce gives the cute (and generously sized) dumplings a lip-smacking Asian-food flavor, all for only 260 calories a box. The rice accompaniment isn’t a showstopper, but stir-fry some frozen veggies to add on top and it’s like you’re getting an appetizer and an entrée, making it a full dinner. These pot stickers are part of the “One-Dish Favorites” line, as is the similar Vegetable Eggroll meal. That one, though, comes with only one eggroll and thus seems eminently less satisfying.

Sesame Chicken

Sesame Chicken is my all-time favorite Lean Cuisine frozen meal. I stocked up on it whenever it went on sale, and it was one of the few frozen meals I actually craved enough to eat for dinner. I always wished they would make a bigger-sized portion (like those skillet-meal bags) so I could have it for days. Mostly I liked this meal because of its resemblance to sweet and sour chicken, a takeout favorite of mine. Sure, Lean Cuisine offers another meal dubbed Sweet and Sour Chicken, but it features roasted meat rather than fried and is thus infinitely inferior. The noodles on the side are OK — nothing special — but don’t expect the big pile in the box picture. Sesame Chicken belongs to the “Café Classics” line and contains 33o calories.

Lemongrass Chicken

The “Spa Cuisine” line features the meals that taste the most like “real” food, as in something you might prepare yourself or get at a restaurant. This Lemongrass Chicken bowls you over not with assertive flavors or mouthwatering saltiness but with its subtle yet distinctive taste. How can I describe it? It’s if they actually cooked up this one to nourish and satisfy you rather than merely to addict you to their product. The sauce featured on the chicken is delectable, and there’s actually whole grains and vegetables involved (although everything does come in a tiny portion). The meal weighs in at a spa-worthy 250 calories.

Chicken Club

I would feel that I must be doing something wrong biting into a crispy sandwich stuffed with melty cheese, ranch dressing, and bacon. Yet this sandwich only sets you back 320 calories, which is a perfectly reasonable lunch, maybe with a piece of fruit to fill it out. It somehow feels extra satisfying as a lunch, too, being a sandwich. You might be able to save some calories by discarding the bread topper and eating this open-faced — the frozen and microwave-”grilled” bread isn’t much to write home about anyway. Those grill marks are painted on before the sandwich leaves the factory; the little silver tray you heat these on does not produce them.

This is already getting a bit lengthy, and I’ve only covered one brand! I’ll continue this series later with a look at meals offered by Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice, and other low-cal brands.