Frozen Meal Options To Save Your Time
Frozen meals are a budget friendly, easy to prepare meal. Find out the benefits of frozen meals and how to have a healthy diet with frozen meals.
Frozen foods often have a negative reputation because they are seen as unhealthy. This is largely because most individuals only have experience with select types of frozen meals, namely TV style dinner alternatives. Not all frozen foods are unhealthy. The easiest way to tell whether a frozen meal is unhealthy is looking at the ingredients.
You do not need to be a nutritionist to tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods. The biggest factors to check are calories, sodium and saturated fat. A good rule of thumb is to avoid frozen meals over 500 calories, with more than 600 mg of sodium and over 3 grams of saturated fat. You also want to avoid empty calories, which means any meal lacking in protein, vitamins and minerals. Whenever possible, look for frozen meals with sides of either whole grains or vegetables.
Benefits of Frozen Meals
For most, the biggest benefit of using frozen meals is convenience. Frozen meals are commonly used in busy households, where nobody has the time to cook a meal. Frozen meals require minimal effort to prepare, and the food itself is built to last. This allows you to stock up on frozen meal options without having to worry about the food expiring before it is used. In recent years, many former critics of frozen meals are now praising the meals for greatly reducing food waste.
Frozen meals also have several advantages over ordering in, which is typically the other alternative for busy families. When you order in, you are limited by what restaurants are nearby. Ordering healthy food is much harder. Even if you live near restaurants offering healthy alternatives, delivery is much more expensive than buying frozen meals. Ordering from a restaurant also leaves the chance of ending up with leftovers. It is not uncommon for leftovers to take up space in the fridge until the food spoils and gets thrown away.
Teton Waters Ranch 100% Grass-fed Beef Burger Blend
Burgers are one of the staples of frozen foods. However, many frozen burgers are criticized for their overall bland flavor. Teton Waters gets around this by seasoning all of the patties. There are several variants of the burgers to choose from, but the grass-fed beef is considered the healthiest because it is high in omega-3 fats. Each burger is only 190 calories, with under 300 mg of sodium. They are great whether you prepare them on a grill or oven, only taking a few minutes to fully prepare. For a healthier, more filling meal, consider pairing the burgers with leafy greens or potatoes.
Caulipower All-Natural Chicken Tenders
Caulipower offers a number of frozen meals, with cauliflower serving as the main ingredient. The company was first started by a mother whose children had celiac and required a special diet. All of their products are gluten-free, with a greater emphasis placed on creating nutritional meals. The chicken tenders are a popular choice because of how filling they are. The tenders are coated with rice flour and cauliflower, giving them a delicious taste without relying on unhealthy ingredients. The entire bag of tenders is under 500 calories and pair well with other Caulipower frozen meals.
Eggland's Best Three Cheese Frozen Omelets
Most frozen meals are intended for dinner, but there are also frozen breakfasts as well. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but many individuals and families are too busy in the morning to cook a proper meal. Eggland offers a delicious, easy to prepare omelet. The omelets only take two minutes to prepare. They are only 210 calories and an excellent source of vitamins. It is on the heavier side for sodium, with 610 mg, but this is offset by the amount of protein in the omelets. It is an excellent way to get a burst of energy to carry you through the morning.
Amy’s Kitchen Pesto Tortellini Bowl
Amy’s kitchen is a staple among frozen meals, producing some of the best and healthiest foods. One of the issues some households have with frozen meals is the meals aren’t filling enough. Amy’s pesto tortellini bowl is one of the best choices if you want a healthy, filling meal. As one of the larger meals it is higher in calories, with each serving having 530 calories. The tortellini are made with organic wheat flour, stuffed with ricotta cheese. Like the other meals from Amy’s kitchen, the tortellini bowls are kosher and vegetarian friendly.
Dole Frozen Strawberries
Not all frozen meals have to be a full breakfast or dinner. Another one of the benefits of frozen food is the frozen food retains all of its nutritional value, making frozen fruits and vegetables a healthy meal. It is strongly recommended to carry frozen fruits and vegetables if you find yourself constantly throwing out food because it spoils before you get to it. Dole’s frozen strawberries are an excellent choice because they are rich in vitamin C. They have a sweet taste, which appeals to both adults and children. One serving is 50 calories, and strawberries have much less sugar than other fruits, such as apples. Strawberries are also versatile and go well with a number of other foods.
