Best Diet Ammunition: Frozen Meals

I have gone through most of my adult life believing that "frozen dinners" were not much more than "Hungry Man" Salisbury Steak with a glob of mashed potatoes and a scoop of cafeteria corn next to it.  But at some point in the past however-many years, the frozen meal industry has transformed drastically. 

My new diet "pill" is the huge assortment of calorie-counted, carb-counted, low-fat, veggie-full, and protein-rich frozen meals out there.

My success relies very heavily on staying below a certain number of calories - 1200 per day.  This is really really REALLY difficult to do when you're a busy person, and by busy I mean someone who doesn't have all day to measure her almonds onto a food scale, weigh her chicken breast, or scoop a level 1/2-cup of oatmeal out of a pot.  Counting calories, religiously, is ridiculously time-consuming.  It's another part-time job, which you have to squeeze into your already-packed day if you want to stay under your calorie mark.  

Lots of days, I don't have time to count.  I find myself falling into the trap of, "eat only foods that have the calories printed on them, so you know what you're getting."  The problem with that is...most of those portable, pre-packaged foods are also crap foods.  Cereal bars, granola bars, calorie-measured "snack packs" containing 100 calories of whatever carb...all BAD calories.  Lots of white flour, which will promptly, let's face it - migrate directly onto my ass.

Frozen meals are the answer.  They have healthy ingredients, often whole grains, tons of veggies, fiber (which I get very little of otherwise), and they have as much or more protein than an average energy bar.  The calories are counted for me, so no food weighing or measuring!  I get to taste lots of flavors, lots of stuff I wouldn't take the time to cook for myself (sauteed plantains?  YUM!), and they're ready in 4 minutes.  And the VERY best part???  NO DISHES!!!

Here are my all-time Favorite Five:

OMG, scrumptious!  I eat this at least 5 times a week.  ADDICTED.  And so much healthier than Pop Tarts.

This keeps me full for 3-4 hours!  And you can't taste the eggplant.    LOL

Didn't think I'd like this much - but I LOVE it.  Sweet and VERY filling!

Tastes so much like Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff, I feel like I'm cheating!

Sweet, gooey, fishy deliciousness.