Top Five Healthy & Best Frozen Dinners

I am a huge frozen dinner fan. Would I prefer to eat them opposed to normal, freshly cooked meals? No, way. However, they are wonderful if you are in a pinch and there are some pretty healthy options out there. Frozen dinners have come a long way since their arrival and this self-admitted picky eater would like to share her favorites with you.

The following dinners are great for when you are in a hurry and are these entrees are fairly healthy, considering everything else that is out there. They are great for aiding in weight loss, if combined with a balanced, healthy diet and excercise. I use frozen dinners to help maintain my weight loss.

I had given up on frozen Asian food a long time ago. It was either way too caloric or just plain nasty. Asian food is at its absolute best when it is eaten fresh, no doubt about it. However, coming in last place, is Healthy Choice's Sweet Asian Potstickers meal. It is a fairly new addition to their line-up and it is quite good. I love steamed potstickers and to be able to eat them at home is pretty cool. The entree is served on a bed of whole-grain rice and has a lot of sauce. The sauce is both sweet and sour and the meal has a great spicy kick to it. It smells wonderful and will make your kitchen (or office) smell like a Chinese restaurant.

Nutritional Info:

• Calories: 380
• Fat: 4.5g
• Trans Far: 0g
• Cholesterol: 5mg
• Sodium: 600mg
• Carbohydrates: 75g
• Dietary Fiber: 6g
• Sugar: 19g
• Protein: 8g

So, not the best contender when it comes to nutritional balance. I always try to have at least 8g of fiber per meal and a minimum of 15 grams of protein. This meal is also high on carbohydrates, although the rice is whole-grain, which is a positive thing. Lastly, the sodium is high (25% of the recommended daily value), but I have seen much worse when it comes to frozen dinners. All in all, not too terribly bad for you and it tastes fantastic. I would recommend to have this meal for lunch because of the high carbohydrate content. It'll give you a ton of energy for a mid-day/evening workout.

It is difficult for me to find frozen pasta dinners that I enjoy. This dinner right here reminds me of a favorite that I usually get at a local restaurant (instead of the chicken, I get calamari). This entree comes with chicken, a delicious sun dried tomato pesto sauce, big zucchini chunks and black olives. This is my kind of dish! As an added bonus, it is a really large portion and is very filling. I love it because I almost always cook a side of zucchini with any red sauce dishes that I eat at home and this already includes my veggie serving!

Nutritional Info:

• Calories: 290
  
• Fat: 9g
  
• Trans Fat: 0g
  
• Cholesterol: 30mg
  
• Sodium: 570mg
• Carbohydrates: 34g
  
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 10g
• Protein: 18g

So again we have another high sodium offender. Unfortunately, it's hard to get away from sodium content for any frozen entree. What do I like about this one? 18g of protein is perfect, the calories are right on and the carbohydrates aren't too high for a dinner serving. The pasta is not whole grain, which I do not like, but you can't win them all! This dish is wonderful and is reminiscent of a freshly cooked Italian meal. Try it and you won't be disappointed!

I have always heard rave reviews about White Castle. There are none available to eat at in person in New England, so I decided to try out their frozen hamburgers when I saw them at my local grocer. I have tried frozen hamburgers before and after past experiences, I had to be brave to try White Castle Hamburgers. I'm so glad I did!They taste unbelievably fresh. All you do is loosely wrap them in a paper towel and nuke 'em for one minute on high. The result: two steamed and savory mini-burgers.

Nutritional Info:

• Calories: 270
  
• Fat: 13g
  
• Cholesterol: 30mg
  
• Sodium: 370mg
• Carbohydrates: 25g
  
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 3g
• Protein: 12g

Each serving consists of two little cute mini-burgers that can fit in the palm of your hand. They would also make a great lunch for children. I eat mine paired with a tossed salad with balsamic vinegar for a very balanced lunch meal that is pretty fun to eat. The sodium in the burgers are low, which is also a plus! I've also tried these in their Cheeseburger version and cannot recommend those. (I'm picky when it comes to cheese on sandwiches). Definitely give their mini-hamburgers a try...they're absolutely wonderful!

Jimmy Dean's D-Lights turkey sausage, egg white and cheese sandwiches on a whole grain english muffin are pretty darn good. For someone who used to eat a lot of fast food breakfast sandwiches out of convenience, I am very happy with these breakfast sandwiches.

Nutritional Info:

• Calories: 300
  
• Fat: 12g
  
• Cholesterol: 35mg
  
• Sodium: 910mg
• Carbohydrates: 31g
  
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 4g
• Protein: 17g

The sodium is brutal...I make sure to drink an extra bottle of water to help counteract the effects. The fiber in each sandwich is also pretty low, especially for a breakfast food, so definitely pair it with a serving or two of fresh fruit. All in all, a very yummy sandwich that is easy to prepare and is a MUCH healthier alternative to fast food breakfast sandwiches.

Drum roll, please! My #1 favorite frozen meal is Kashi's Mayan Harvest Bake. It is so incredibly good. I hesitated to try it at first because it sounds like a really weird combination of food:

"Plantains, Black Beans, Sweet Potato Bake. Kashi Whole Grain Pilaf, Amaranth & Polenta. Spicy Ancho Sauce."

It is sweet, spicy, crunchy, super filling and absolutely the best frozen dinner in the history of them all (in my opinion!) I eat one of these at least once a week. I typically bake them in the oven if I have time so the plaintains get a little crispy on top.

Nutritional Info:

• Calories: 340
  
• Fat: 9g
  
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
  
• Sodium: 380mg
• Carbohydrates: 58g
  
• Dietary Fiber: 8g
• Sugar: 19g
• Protein: 9g

The nutrional information for this entree is good for a frozen dinner. No cholesterol is an added plus! The sodium is also fairly low. The dinner is made with whole grain pilaf and the carbohydrates are complex. You'll feel really energized and full after eating this dinner.

So there you have it, my Top 5 Favorite Healthy Frozen Dinners. Again, I'm not suggesting anyone eat these for every meal (mainly due to their high sodium content), but they are wonderful replacements for meals when you are absolutely unable to prepare something fresh and healthy.

I hope you enjoy trying these dinners!