Which Frozen Dinner is your favorite?

[JamesWithers]

I love Marie Callender's Chicken Parmigiana. I wrote a review of it here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti...

Which Frozen dinner is your favorite?

-- James Withers

[Uncle Ira]

I picked up a couple of the Kashi dinners at the store yesterday just because of the praise they’ve gotten in this thread. I just had the first few bites of the Chicken Florentine and YUMMMMM..... This is great! ! ! I can’t wait to try all the others.

I’d say more about it, but I don’t want to let it get cold;-)

Uncle Ira

[stellamystar]

My husband lives, swears, and would die by Stouffer's Mac & Cheese. When he was in college, he would make a family sized one and eat it for three days.

I like all "tex mex" varieties of El Patio, Lean Cuisine, WW, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods brand.

[Shayna Madel]

Your husband is a very smart man.

[heatcrave]

What about the Bertoli Frozen Pasta Dinners?? You know, the ones in the bag? I was SHOCKED at how good they were. Normally I am not a frozen food type of girl, but they are a treat!

[madgreek]

I can't eat frozen dinners like i used to. I invariably like leftovers better. Used to love all things stouffers, though. That being said, kashi makes decent stuff.

[Shayna Madel]

If Stouffer's, has to be mac and cheese. A tin is more than one serving? Yeah, right.

[Veggietales]

Probably the most unhealthy is Swanson's Chicken Dinner, dark meat with Mash Potatoes, Buttered Corn, and a chocolate brownie. I ate them a lot as a kid. Now, I do 2 times a year.

I love love love Marie Calendar's Cheese Stuffed Trio Pasta.

[Shayna Madel]

Are the "healthy" frozen meals as full of sodium as the "regular" frozen meals?

[diablo]

Some are *slightly* lower, but still out of the realm of consideration for anyone following a low sodium diet. I've found better luck with single items, not whole meals (Alexis brand french fries, for example).

[xnumberoneson]

I work nights, so frozen dinners are a staple for me. I'm really digging the Wegmans line of Indian and Thai frozen dinners. I'm also partial to the Marie Callender's cheesy chicken and rice. Boston Market makes some good meals as well.

[hungry_pangolin]

President's Choice... sirloin beef pie, meat lasagne, duck a l'orange (too sweet, so I modify the sauce), chicken Kiev. Excellent quality and value.

Dr Oetker's pizzas are pretty good.

[PDeveaux]

Marie Callender's turkey pot pie and the meat loaf & mashed potatoes. Yum.

[Uncle Ira]

My current fav is one of the Boston Market frozen dinners-- Turkey Breast Medallions in a Cranberry Relish. Not to be confused with their regular turkey and gravy meals. The cranberry relish tastes bright and tangy, and not too sweet at all. It comes with a side of sweet potato casserole and the whole thing works together very well.

My other stand-by is the chicken pot pie from Marie Callender.

But they’re both a little pricey for me sometimes.... Would love to find something really nice from one of the more bargain brands.

Uncle Ira

[scuzzo]

I love Banquet Chicken Pot Pies. That's what the 'rents stocked in the freezer when they went away for the weekend. So for me, these cheap pot pies taste like freedom to me!!! How delicious is that?

[libgirl2]

Most of the Lean Cuisines, like their deep dish pizza, love their paninis and the spa cuisine line is pretty good too.

[im_nomad]

President's Choice does a couple of good things, i liked the chana masala. I enjoy Amy's frozen dinners, as well as LaCommensal. I think Michelina's used to or still does something called Salad Bowls?? My complaint about the run of the mill frozen dinner is that they are so small and lack substance in the way of veggies.

[linz_e_moore]

Sounds a little shady, but I once tried Michelina's Pepper Steak and Rice. It is about $1.00 (hey, I'm a college kid) and actually pretty delicious.

[piccola]

Hey, you found tasty food for $1 - you should be proud.

[sandramrma]

I really enjoy Moosewood's Moroccan stew.

[crt]

"Which Frozen Dinner is your favorite?"

No contest. Lean Cuisines. Their 'Spa Cuisine Classics' line is my very favorite. And like ciaobella, I think their pizzas are great too. The bottoms really do crisp up in the MW.

Edited to add: For you Southern California shoppers who like Lean Cuisines...With your Albertsons Preferred Savings Card Stouffer's Lean Cuisine Entrees, Paninis, and Pizzas...Sale price 10 for $20 is now $5 off instant rebate at checkout 10 for $15 final price! That's a pretty good deal! Prices effective beginning 8 am Jan 2 thru midnight Jan 8, 2008! As seen in their 'ad circular'.

[TampaAurora]

The only frozen stuff I can stomach is the Lean Cuisine line. I used to eat Banquet and Stouffers as a kid. Will eat Boston Market or Kashi in a pinch. Will not touch Marie Callendar's. I loveTbotchnick's. I've been putting off Amy's, but now will have to try "her."

[crt]

Same feeling on the Marie Callender's or Claim Jumper's. Your arteries can sieze up just reading the 'nurtrition facts' label on those products! Marie Callender's if you dare...

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calo...

[soypower]

in my lean college years, i practically lived on frozen dinners...budget gourmet beef stroganoff, banquet swedish meatballs, and stouffer's meat lasagna were my favorites..those really cheap $1 pizzas were actually kind of good when you put them in the oven. i rememer 'splurging' and getting the healthy choice bbq chicken when i wanted to treat myself to some good, healthy food. :o) i also ate had my fair share of totino's pizza rolls (then geno's) and hot pockets.

[juster]

I loooove the brownies in frozen dinners. I don't even remember if it's a specific brand... Swanson's?

Too, I'm nothing near vegan, but I really like Celentano's vegan eggplant parmesan. More than the regular, for some reason. In that vein, I'm embarrassed to say this, but we really like this cheaparific, sweet-sauced veal parmesan from On-Cor. Comforty and warm and easy. Nothing like what I'd make myself, but nummy in its way. We add extra grated parm.

[aurora50]

I love the Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef (SOS) on toast. I'm sure they are horrible for me, but I don't care ( and I don't have them that often, anyway).

[MIss G]

Love Healthy Choice's Sweet and Sour pork and the Lean Cuisine Paninis....

[Deepster]

It's been years since I bought anything frozen, but when I did Stouffer's SOS was definitely at the top of the heap for me!!! I'd even have a side of their apple dish....whatever it's called, and pretend I was eating healthy....LOL!

[Sharuf]

"...vegan eggplant parmesan..." -- isn't that an oxymoron?

[KevinB]

The brownies are from Swanson's, and they are the reason I stopped buying them. It's annoying to have go from 1-step to 2-step cooking, the brownies taste terrible, and they make a nutrition disaster even worse. I'd much rather see more vegetables and/or fruit rather than this silly addition.

[aurora50]

I agree. They're a pain in the a__. When you go to heat the dinners up in the microwave, there it is, a little brown thing in the middle of the tray, and you have to do SOMETHING with it - whether you dig it out and toss it, or dig it out, cook it separately, and then actually eat the thing - and it's not worth the whole mess.

[slacker]

Hungry Man turkey dinner, with the stuffing and fake gravy, fake mashed potatoes with fake butter, corn, and apple/cherry dessert. When I'm prepping a big dinner, like for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I usually will eat a frozen dinner because I can't deal with cooking/prepping anymore or washing any more dishes/pots/pans. And I like that Hungry Man turkey dinner, what can I say.

[katkoupai]

Swanson's Hungry Man dinners and pot pies hold a special place in my heart (from my childhood), but I haven't purchased one in years. They still get my vote, for nostalgia's sake. :)

[jword2001]

Marie Callender's spaghetti & meat sauce...pretty decent, and better than a lot of restaurant's!

[stellamystar]

Whole Foods Brand Enchiladas are pretty good (frozen section). I like the WW Chicken Parm over the Lean Cuisine.

[lisaf]

I love the line from Amy's Kitchen. They use organic products and many are vegan and gluten free. Great for those with food allergies.

http://www.amyskitchen.com/products/i...

[beachmouse]

Ethnic Gourmet Palak Paneer is my current fave

[amyzan]

Much of their food is good, but it irritates me that they fill 1/3rd of the dish with brown rice. By the time you get the palak paneer nice and hot, the rice is crunchy most of the time. I suppose it's convenient for people who want a TV dinner style frozen entree. I just want more of the palak paneer! I'll make my own rice, thank you.

[amyzan]

Deep makes some entirely decent Indian food available frozen. In natural foods groceries, it's marketed as "Tandoor Chef" and is a little more expensive than the same food at Indian markets. I like the saag paneer(spinach with cheese), chicken tikka with saag, dal (lentils) rajasthani, channa (chickpeas) masala, garlic naan, vada or iddli with sambhar (lentil soup), and baigan bharta (eggplant curry.)

[tracy_dc]

I second the Tandoor Chef meals. Best frozen food ever! Favorites are chicken or paneer tikka masala and the garlic naan.

[Panini Guy]

I'm wondering why it is that processors can get vegetarian Indian food down, whether in boil-in bags or frozen, to the point where many dishes are virtually restaurant-quality, but they miss the boat on pretty much every other regional cuisine in the world?

I do like Amy's organic pizzas as a separate taste that's probably more what I'd consider a dressed up flatbread than a pizza. But the ones I have are pretty tasty.

Happily, our freezer is stuffed with meats and dishes we've prepared and frozen ourselves. Except for a bag of Ore-Ida oven fries and some cheese ravioli.

[southerngal]

Marie Callender's frozen dinners are the only frozen dinners my family eats. I have never tasted one that I didn't like. Her pork chop dinner is one of my favorites. When I finish one of her dinners I feel satisfied.

[revsharkie]

I remember years ago getting one at Nature's in Portland (the late, lamented Johns Landing location). I forget the brand but it was Samosas, and they were really, really good. If it were to present itself again I would buy all of them.

[JeetJet]

Trader Joe's rice bowls. There is one vegetarian version with brown rice -- very good.

[cookiegirl]

TJ's rice bowls - specifically chicken vindaloo and spicy kung pao chicken - are the only frozen dinners I can eat. They are fairly healthy, very filling, and have good flavor. I have tried various others over the years and have always found them unsatisfying.

[potterybliss]

The Kashi frozen meals are quite tasty and fairly healthy. We like the Southwest Chicken one. I also like Amy's pesto tortellini bowl - I toss in some flaked tuna for extra protein and it seems to work well for lunch at work.

[lhb78]

I think Kashi are the BEST frozen meals. They have good texture, nice natural tasting flavors and I'm never hungry after eating one.
My favorite is the Chicken Florentine but the Chicken Pasta Pomodoro is good too. Lemongrass Chicken is a little too strong in flavor for me- it isn't the best one to try first.

[monalisawoman]

I second Kashi...
Black Bean Mango is really good, & also Lime Cilantro Shrimp.

[ArikaDawn]

I am not sure if this qualifies, but on occasion I buy the Contessa brand chicken stir-fry and it is good as well as low-fat and low-cal. This is obviously for a very very VERY lazy night.

[othervoice]

Costco brand "Kirkland" makes a great lasagna.
Trader Joe's frozen tamale's just add some cheese, salsa and sour cream..YUM

[shiromaguro]

I'll second those tamales, and TJ's frozen pizza imported from Italy. Can't understand why it's so good yet so cheap.

[Ruth Lafler]

Also at TJs: the Alsatian Tart is delicious. I hate the crust on almost all frozen pizza, but the crust on the tart is great.

[revsharkie]

We get a "sesame chicken meal kit" from the Schwan's man. It has a package of rice with a little bit of chopped red pepper mixed in, 4 egg rolls, sauce, and little chicken bites. You put the chicken and egg rolls in the oven and nuke the sauce and rice.

It's a little low on veggies, so I usually stir-fry some onions, peppers, whatever else I have on hand (did it once with a little bit of cabbage, which was actually really good) while the other stuff's cooking. There's more than enough sauce. And in our house the little packet of rice is insufficient, so I usually cook up a pot of plain white rice to supplement it.

Okay, it's not one of those you just nuke and eat, but it's nice to keep on hand for those nights when I'm out of ideas and unmotivated.

[Oh Robin]

Lean Cuisine Spaghetti

Banquet "chicken" pot pies---baked for twice the amount of time it says on the package until the crust is dark golden brown. My mom's specialty when I was a kid.

[chef chicklet]

Weight Watchers Smart Ones- Dragon Shrimp Lo Mein.
BUT, with my personal touches of Hunan chili paste and soy sauce and/or Lau Yu chili oil, which all probably defeats the whole purpose of WW!

[jazzlover]

Since I am always counting calories I tend to the low-cal brands. Of these, Lean Cuisine is consistently edible and sometimes even good. WW Smart Ones are sometimes tasty, but the portions (I know, I know) are teensy - its all packaging. Lean Cuisine has a lemon chicken one that I like, a pot roast one that is pretty fair and believe it or not, a microwaveable panini! The panini I've tried are the soutwest chicken (good) and the steak & mushroom (not particularly steak-y, but tasty). Also, LC seems to be lower in sodium than some others. But, you really have to read the small print!

[jujuthomas]

i like the ww thai style chicken with rice noodles and the lean cuisine teriyaki chicken stir fry.

[piccola]

President's Choice makes tasty frozen dinners. I have fond memories of the Nasi Goreng from my pre-veg days.

I actually really like the deep-dish Lean Cuisine pizzas - more than some of the non-diet frozen pizzas out there. The roasted veggies one is great, but the margherita is easier to find.

[JamesWithers]

Is President's Choice a Tom Thumb store-brand product?

[piccola]

It's a Canadian brand at Loblaws and Superstore. http://www.presidentschoice.ca/
They have a few different product lines, including healthier stuff, Asian dishes, and organic foods (really affordable).

[ciaobella]

I like LeanCusine's brick oven style gourmet mushroom pizza - it really gets crispy in the microwave!
http://www.leancuisine.com/Products/D...

[jujuthomas]

Oh! yeah! they have a great chicken and roasted garlic pizza... that's a favorite after weight watchers meetings. :)

[thenurse]

I like the PC Chana Masala

[piccola]

Good to know, I haven't tried it yet.

[mojoeater]

I like Marie's Chicken Pot Pie.

[adrouault]

maries pot pie

[JamesWithers]

Wow. I haven't even tried those. Maybe I ought to.

[mojoeater]

They are very tasty and have a rich, buttery crust. Very filling, too.

[jfood]

these are not exactly for the anti-fat crowd. if jfood remembers correctly there is a VERY high level of fat in these (hence why they taste soo good). heard how greatthey were, and when mrs jfood was not at home picked one up at the grocer's, read the package and unfortunately had to place backin the freezer section. Could not eat it in good conscience.

[mojoeater]

Hey, he didn't ask for healthy! I haven't had one in about a year. They are a guilty treat.

[jennyfur]

Stouffer's lasagna. But, I DO doctor it up.
-jennyfur