Over worked, short on time? Americans need convenience and frozen dinners provide that to us. It is possible to eat healthy and “zap” a meal! It is almost impossible to choose a frozen dinner, while strolling down the frozen food isle. There are so many choices. You want to look for options that are tasty, healthy, low on calories, salt, and fats. Thankfully all the hard work is done for you. All you have to do is read and compare the labels. Following these easy steps will ensure that you get it right every time.

STEPS TO FINDING YUMMY FROZEN DINNERS:

Know the calorie, sodium, and fats range you would like to stay in per frozen dinner (usually around 300 calories/ 8 grams of fat for a light meal, up to 400 calories/25 grams of fat for a regular frozen dinner, and dinners with less than 800 milligrams of sodium)

Look at the portion size. This can be deceiving. Make sure that calories are for the whole frozen dinner not for half of the dinner, who eats half a frozen dinner anyway?

Look for the Frozen dinners with lots of veggies. You are getting a lot more bang for your buck and calories that way.

Do not be afraid to experiment — try something new and different.Stay away from frozen meals that are more than 400 calories, 25 grams of fat and have more than 800 milligrams of sodium. Some frozen meals like the “Big Meal” by Tyson and the “Hungry-Man” line by Swanson are really more like eating three servings per meal and chock-full of extra calories, fat and sodium.

FROZEN DINNERS TO TRY:

~ Amy’s Black Bean Vegetable Enchilada

*Amy’s has been making healthy organic frozen dinners for 20 years. There is a wide variety offered to meet everyone’s taste buds. Be careful — most packaging is for two servings, so double the numbers to get the real calories, fat, and sodium per dinner.

Lean Cuisine Chicken Portabello

Lean Cuisine’s portions counts are usually for the whole meal

Healthy Choice Meals – Salisbury Steak and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Healthy choice does a nice job at including lots of yummy veggies in their dinners. Watch serving sizes on their boxes.~ Healthy Choice Smokehouse Apple and Chicken Panini

*The Healthy Choice paninis are relatively new, they are just the right serving at lunch time. Follow up your panini with a piece of fruit and small glass of milk.

Eating a frozen dinner and eating healthy can go together, if you do it right. Balance out your frozen dinner with a piece of fresh fruit or small pre-made salad and do not forget a small glass of low-fat milk. Remember to read the labels and watch portion sizes closely. You’re sure to be successful if you stick to these easy tips when shopping for your favorite frozen dinners.