606668 Wed Mar 25 09:49:34 -0700 2009 41 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4536891 Here's a challenge for everyone: have you found any really good, packaged frozen meals? Sometimes even a foodie needs something super convenient. I just tried the Kashi lemongrass chicken and was surprised at how good it was. Perhaps there have been improvements in frozen dinners since I last attempted them. Wed Mar 25 09:49:34 -0700 2009 128251 Ima Foodie 1 4537014 positive reviews of some of the offerings from Organic Bistro from a fellow CHer: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/529123 and you could check some of the reviews on the websites discussed in this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/597531 one more: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/571201 Wed Mar 25 10:20:17 -0700 2009 4536891 103920 goodhealthgourmet 1 4537023 Stouffers stuffed peppers are good. Wed Mar 25 10:21:29 -0700 2009 4536891 140140 mrbigshotno.1 2 4543960 I have to agree. I usually keep one in the freezer. It's the perfect 11pm meal :) Fri Mar 27 11:19:01 -0700 2009 4537023 232829 kchurchill5 3 4547341 I third stouffers stuffed pepper. Sat Mar 28 18:11:19 -0700 2009 4543960 11854 LaLa 2 4558898 Good! I have some in the freezer right now, and have yet to try them! Wed Apr 01 15:41:30 -0700 2009 4537023 212582 schrutefarms 1 4537872 The mail-order site Home Bistro has many meals that I would rate as very good to excellent, among them salmon scallop tagine, tarragon chicken, jambalaya, baby back ribs, bacon-wrapped scallops, chicken with biscuits, short ribs, crab cakes and pub sausage. http://www.homebistro.com/ Wed Mar 25 13:58:13 -0700 2009 4536891 55316 mpalmer6c 2 4552270 My experience with Home Bistro meals is that they are convenient, edible and reasonably nutritious. "Very good to excellent" didn't show up for me, but maybe I just had the wrong stuff. Mon Mar 30 15:45:30 -0700 2009 4537872 24468 chicgail 1 4537987 If you follow the microwave instructions, a frozen package of White Castle burgers tastes exactly like White Castle burgers. Wed Mar 25 14:26:49 -0700 2009 4536891 71350 lergnom 1 4539330 Do Eskimo Pies or Klondike Bars count as "meals"? What if you ate like 3 of them at one time? Meal? Wed Mar 25 23:21:47 -0700 2009 4536891 11583 ipsedixit 2 4539658 Works for me once in a while. Thu Mar 26 06:13:14 -0700 2009 4539330 140140 mrbigshotno.1 3 4547347 Lol sometimes I have a chocolate frozen banana for breakfast...he its fruit! Sat Mar 28 18:12:24 -0700 2009 4539658 11854 LaLa 1 4539934 I like the Amy's frozen meals. Some are a bit high in sodium, but I rarely eat them. Thu Mar 26 07:44:03 -0700 2009 4536891 217807 cheesecake17 2 4542008 They're my fall back because you get a decent amount of vegetables in the indian meals. I don't have them often either but they're nice to have around when you have nothing around. Thu Mar 26 17:05:55 -0700 2009 4539934 39874 chowser 3 4542050 you can also make frozen meals more filling/satisfying (and increase their nutritional value) by adding extra frozen veggies if you have some on hand. Thu Mar 26 17:20:32 -0700 2009 4542008 103920 goodhealthgourmet 4 4543124 I usually keep a few bags of Steamfresh veggies in the freezer for times like that. Fri Mar 27 06:10:47 -0700 2009 4542050 217807 cheesecake17 5 4543484 a frozen meal hasn't made its way into my freezer in at least ten years, but i always have frozen broccoli, chopped spinach, peas & green beans on hand in case i have absolutely no fresh veggies in the house (which is rare, but it does happen). i used to pretty much exclusively buy Whole Foods organic frozen vegetables...until i found out they were from China. now it's either TJ's or any sale-priced organic. Fri Mar 27 08:22:02 -0700 2009 4543124 103920 goodhealthgourmet 6 4543509 I keep one of the Amy's meals on hand for an emergency- every once in a while I get home from work after my husband. If he's hungry, he knows there's an Amy's meal and frozen veggies in the freezer. I'm surprised WF frozen veggies are from China.. never noticed it before.. but I don't usually buy frozen stuff from there. The TJ's veggies always get great reviews on the site, but unfortunately, I've never had them since they're not kosher. Most of the time I buy fresh veggies that cook quickly, since my freezer space is insanely limited. Fav place- Chinese grocery. Everything is always very fresh and so cheap. Fri Mar 27 08:27:46 -0700 2009 4543484 217807 cheesecake17 7 4543660 i hope you don't think i was passing judgment or being snooty with my comment. i just don't like frozen meals, and i live alone so i don't have to worry about feeding anyone else unless i'm having guests! Fri Mar 27 09:08:26 -0700 2009 4543509 103920 goodhealthgourmet 8 4543817 Not at all! We typically don't eat frozen meals, but in a rare circumstance, my husband would rather eat an Amy's bowl than go pick up takeout. Usually I freeze leftovers in a disposable aluminum container, but it takes 45min+ to heat. Fri Mar 27 10:17:19 -0700 2009 4543660 217807 cheesecake17 7 4554032 some of the tjs veggies do have hashgachot on them, and as for the rest of them most people hold that if its a straight veggie, no additives, which is the case with a lot of the great tjs veggies, youre fine with frozen veggies Tue Mar 31 08:32:02 -0700 2009 4543509 18598 shoelace 8 4554065 Thanks! I've only looked at a few of the packages, but it seems that everything I look at doesn't have a hashgacha. I'll check again after Pesach. Tue Mar 31 08:40:15 -0700 2009 4554032 217807 cheesecake17 6 4543926 You really have to read the labels on food these days. And, it can be hard to find in all the packaging. On the rare occasion that I do have a premade frozen meal, I'm normally too busy or tired to add anything, even frozen vegetables. Or lazy. :-) No excuses, I use them when I choose to for the convenience. Fri Mar 27 11:10:09 -0700 2009 4543484 39874 chowser 6 4546937 I can't believe whole Foods frozen veggies are from China! Do you know if their frozen fruits are from china also? I suppose I will have to keep buying them anyway because Trader Joe's doesn't exist where I live and if WF is buying from China, I don't even want to know where my Kroger store is buying veggies from :( Sat Mar 28 14:37:26 -0700 2009 4543484 278035 jay27 7 4547361 i couldn't believe it either, until i pulled some of the bags from my freezer and saw "Product of China" printed right there on the packages. i honestly don't know how i never noticed. not quite *all* their organic vegetables are from China, but these are the ones that ARE: asparagus, broccoli florets, bell peppers, edamame, spinach, sugar snap peas, okra, Asian stir fry, Asparagus Stir Fry, California Blend, California Stir Fry, Chinese Stir Fry, Thai Stir Fry, Vegetable Stir Fry, and Green Beans with Phad Prik Khing Sauce. interestingly, the only conventional ones they get from China are broccoli, edamame & fava beans. oh, and don't worry about the fruit - NONE of it, conventional or organic, is from China. FYI, the country of origin may be listed on the packages at Kroger, so take a look the next time you're there. Sat Mar 28 18:18:05 -0700 2009 4546937 103920 goodhealthgourmet 8 4553669 Huh. Like most others I eat fresh produce almost exclusively, but I always have a bag or two (or three) of frozen vegetables in the freezer "just in case." Whole Foods frozen vegetable mixes are my go-to. I love love love the asparagus mix. Had no idea the stuff was from China. Lots of people seem bummed about this, so I ask in all sincerity -- how come? Is it the "eat local"/support American farmers thing? Or is there some reason to think the labor standards aren't good or they use harmful pesticides? I'm really not trying to be snarky. It's just that my first reaction was kind of "eh, I'll still buy it" but when so many people chimed in with their dismay it made me start wondering if there was a piece I wasn't seeing. Tue Mar 31 06:24:46 -0700 2009 4547361 23389 charmedgirl 6 4553770 I didn't know that Whole Food's frozen veggies are from China. That's almost as depressing as finding out Haagen Daz started using HFCS. Tue Mar 31 07:05:00 -0700 2009 4543484 222865 FoodChic 2 4547386 If I don't have the time to make a from scratch lunch, this is what I eat. Sat Mar 28 18:29:45 -0700 2009 4539934 11995 pikawicca 2 4552386 I like Amy's burrittos Mon Mar 30 16:29:21 -0700 2009 4539934 242801 CoryKatherine 1 4542061 And to take this to its perhaps inevitable Trader Joe's direction, I love their Mac & Cheese and their Butter Chicken, although the latter seems variable. (But still a good enough batting average that I get it every time I'm there.) Thu Mar 26 17:24:54 -0700 2009 4536891 10948 annagranfors 2 4550461 second the butter chicken for me and the mac/crack and cheese for my son. Mon Mar 30 07:06:47 -0700 2009 4542061 109573 coney with everything 2 4552388 it is of course inebitable. my bf really REALLY likes TJ's frozen mandarin chicken. i think it's a little bready but the flavor is good Mon Mar 30 16:30:22 -0700 2009 4542061 242801 CoryKatherine 1 4542521 I love the Kashi ones too. The only one I have tried that I thought was barfy was the pasta pomodoro. Blech! My favorite is the Sweet and sour chicken with pilaf and edamame. It is so good! I buy them at Costco - unless they are mixed with the pomodoro ones. Have you tried the honey chicken at Costco (freezer section)? The pieces of chicken are breaded. The chicken is real white meat - not smooshed together whatsthismeat. Really good quality. The sauce is very good. I cook the chicken in the oven and it comes out very crunchy, yet moist. It is a total bargain. Rice and broccoli and there is a meal without the fuss. Thu Mar 26 20:16:28 -0700 2009 4536891 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 4543156 In general, no, with few exceptions, most of which seem to be in Trader Joe's frozen food counters. Not in a box but in see-through plastic, for quick and pretty good, try TJ's crabmeat-stuffed filet of flounder. Also TJ's gorgonzola gnocchi; gyozi; risotto; many good others. I would have to say that 95% of the frozen stuff I buy from mainstream grocery stores turns out to be awful, but what a person happens to find tasty is an individual matter, ie if he happens to like Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese or Marie Callender's Chicken Pie. Or even a Banquet Mexican Dinner. It's a free country. Fri Mar 27 06:26:59 -0700 2009 4536891 15521 Querencia 1 4546984 http://www.heateatreview.com has a five star rating system for microwaveable meals. They've reviewed tons of different products, and you can sort the reviews by rating, brand, reviewer . . . perhaps that'll help! Sat Mar 28 15:00:30 -0700 2009 4536891 57371 operagirl 2 4547650 Thanks for posting this link. Even though I just composed a post saying how bored I am with frozen meals and how I want to get away from them, sometimes I can't help it. It helps having a frozen meal (or 5) handy for the office. This seems like a great site. Sat Mar 28 20:39:04 -0700 2009 4546984 61135 Boudleaux 3 4548223 You're welcome! In addition to being useful, the reviews are often pretty humorous . . . Abi's review of Kid Cuisine's fish sticks meal begins with, "This meal wasn’t so much a lunch as an act of vengeance." She also videotaped herself [trying to] eat that one. Sun Mar 29 07:59:46 -0700 2009 4547650 57371 operagirl 1 4547520 I just had Huxtable's New American Kitchen Beef Enchilada Casserole and it was surprisingly very tasty. Not a meal for one (4-5 serv.), but the leftovers were good too the next day. Sat Mar 28 19:26:05 -0700 2009 4536891 69330 byeCalihelloBahamas 1 4550097 In Canada, we have a generic product line called "No Name". The sliced turkey dinner has turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, peas, and cranberry jelly. I think it's pretty tasty, and it only costs $1.99! The roast beef isn't bad either, but the chicken nuggets are horrid and the Salisbury steak is awful. I always have a couple on hand for those nights when I just don't feel like cooking. I don't know if they're any healthier than a Whopper, but at half the price, they're a very good value. Sun Mar 29 23:28:00 -0700 2009 4536891 48210 KevinB 1 4552312 I'm a fan of the Tandoor Chef brand. Some of their main courses don't include rice though, so that may mean preparing a little extra something to go with your meal. Mon Mar 30 16:00:29 -0700 2009 4536891 40587 rdnnyc 1 4552375 Mrs. O and I share an abject weakness for Kid-Food Grade Mexican, and have been known to take home any kind of frozen enchilada platter, along with a few assorted individual burritos or whatever. Now that we're surrounded by Trader Joes - something like eight within easy driving distance! - Banquet "Mexican" is just an embarrassing memory. We'll get two each of two kinds of tamales, a platter each of two sorts of enchiladas, then whatever else strikes the fancy (like canned refried beans) plus green salad fixin's. Nuke everything and chow down. Not so much anymore, of course, as we seek to shed a bunch of excess avoirdupois, but those moments of weakness still occur... One thing we COULD get in Nashville for a very short while was frozen chicken enchiladas Suizas from Van de Kamp. They were damn near as good as my own (of which I'm quite proud) and not expensive, but our Kroger stores carried them just long enough to get us addicted. And apparently VdK doesn't do this kind of thing anymore at all. Mon Mar 30 16:23:30 -0700 2009 4536891 11478 Will Owen 1 4558908 I really really like Mrs T.'s frozen perogies. I boil them, fry them with butter and onions, and top them with sour cream. Wed Apr 01 15:45:54 -0700 2009 4536891 212582 schrutefarms