Meals – Simple and Quick

For those of you who don’t have the time or desire to cook dinner every night, there are options other than the drive-through. If you want to go with the frozen dinner option, there are more and more choices at the grocery store. Typical frozen dinners are generally high in fat, calories and salt. There are now just as many low fat “healthier” alternatives. Here are some guidelines to follow when you are shopping for that quick meal:

1.   Use the same rules for convenient dinners that you would use when cooking: a main dish should have 10 grams of fat or less, and side dishes should have about 5 grams of fat or less.

2.   Sodium content should be less than 600 mg as a general rule. (The goal for sodium intake is 2400 mg/day, so 25% at dinner is pretty reasonable). Many of these dinners have more sodium, if you choose a dinner with over 1000 mg of sodium, really try to keep the salt lower in the rest of your foods to balance this out.  (Don’t salt your other foods!)

3.   The low fat, “healthy” meals are usually low in calories as well, less than 400. That is how these meals get such a low fat content, they are just small servings! For many, this will not be enough to eat and you will need to “beef” up the meal. Add a salad with low fat dressing, add extra servings of vegetables, and add a fruit salad or piece of fruit, some skim milk or yogurt for added nutrition and calories.

4.       Some of the dinners will have the diet exchanges listed on the box, such as Healthy Choice entrees. Use the exchanges describes as “Exchange Lists for Meal Planning”, based upon the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association. They are basically the same ones you were given in your plan.

Here are some of the choices available that can fit into your diet plan. Some of them are a little high in sodium, so have them less often.

Michelina’s Stuffed Cheese Rigatoni – 300 Calories, 8 grams fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat (from cheese)

And 760 mg sodium (a little high, but still better than a fast food meal)

Michelina’s Four Cheese Layered Lasagna – 260 Calories, 10 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat (from cheese), and 740 mg sodium

Don Miguel Lean Ole’ Chicken Enchilada Dinner – 370 Calories, 5 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, and (ugh) 1170 mg sodium

Healthy Choice Stuffed Pasta Shells – 370 Calories, 6 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 570 mg sodium.

Healthy Choice Chicken Broccoli Alfredo – 300 Calories, 7 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 530 mg sodium.

Lean Cuisine Beef Pot Roast – 210 Calories, 6 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 570 mg sodium

Lean Cuisine – Beef Portabello –220 Calories, 7 grams fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 590 mg sodium

Marie Callender’s Chicken Teriyaki – 270 Calories, 5 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 1100 mg sodium

Cedarlane Garden Vegetable Enchiladas (vegetarian and organic) – 135 Calories, 1 gram fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 300 mg sodium.

Cedarlane Veggie Chicken Teriyaki (vegetarian and organic) – 230 Calories, 3 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 580 mg sodium

Weight Watcher’s Cheese Ravioli in Chunky Tomato Sauce – 260 Calories, 7 grams fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat (from cheese), 590 mg sodium.

And there are lots of choices for macaroni and cheese:

Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Cheese – 290 Calories, 7 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 630 mg sodium.

Budget Gourmet Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese – 280 Calories, 9 grams fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 879 mg sodium.

Weight Watcher’s Smart Ones Traditional Macaroni and Cheese – 240 Calories, 2.5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 800 mg sodium.