I’m trying to stock a few of these for days when I’m in a hurry. The ones I’ve tried so far are okay, but I’ve stuck with chicken/pasta combos so can’t speak for any others.
If you have feedback I’d love to hear it!
Thanks,
karol
The red beans and rice are awesome 
I like both the chicken fettuccine and the macaroni and cheese. But the desserts are even better 
Ooh, I love red beans and rice…gotta look for that one.
and desserts…well, you can’t go wrong there. I haven’t even looked at those yet!
Any reason you can’t get Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine instead? I’ve never had a Smart Ones I really liked, but I eat HC and LC regularly. I can recommend some of those …
Three Cheese Ziti is a huge hit at my house. It’s my favorite and I think my teenager would live on it (except we also keep her stocked with burritos and pizza bites <G>). I am with you that the pasta with or without chicken are the best, but I’ve thought they all range from OK to good. Desserts are definitely the best!
Oh, yeah, I can do the other types as well. Don’t know why I usually look at the WW type, except that I’m doing WW and the points values are right there on the front of the box. Any info is great, Claire. Thanks!
I came here to specifically mention the 3 Cheese Ziti; I don’t eat meat, so this is one frozen entree that I try to keep in the freezer for a quick bite to eat.
I always try to zip it up with some garlic powder, Italian spice mix and a little extra marinara sauce (sometimes I will also add provolone cheese) but even as prepared straight out of the box, it is one of the tastier frozen entrees that I have come across.
The Lasagna Florentine is also quite good, and it is more substantial and filling than the ziti, so when you are really hungry…
My preference is Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice. Generally, they have more veggies in them. The LC pumpkin squash ravioli are wonderful. The Szuechuan shrimp with angel hair pasta, Thai peanut chicken and spaghetti and meatballs are good too. For full meals or entrees, HC has a good selection with veggies, whole grain pasta, etc and usually fairly tasty.
WWSO tend to be the ones that I buy when nothing else is on sale, although I do like their southwest chicken.
missred (who packs this stuff in her lunch most days)
Honestly, Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice–it’s all pretty much the same to me. I do agree that, overall, LC is the best of the bunch, but not enough for me to go out of my way for it. Some items I like one brand’s version of, other I like another’s version of. I just go to Target and buy whatever is on sale at under $2 a serving. Usually, one of the three is selling for like $1.89 or something.
Anyhow, as for WW Smart Ones, I second the Santa Fe red beans & rice. Also, the enchiladas are good. Those are the two I generally stock up on. Honestly, the only one I dislike is the Shrimp Marinara. Everything else is fine for what it is.
I stick to the Santa Fe Chicken and the Ground Beef thingie w/ asparagus because I’m on a low-carbs diet and those have none to speak of, no rice, potatoes, etc.
The others usually have the WW points value listed on the back or side, you just have to hunt around. I know Lean Cuisine and Michelina Light do, and IIRC, so do the Healthy Choice meals. (Not sure if they are correct according to the new Points Plus system, though. You’d have to check with the calculator.)
For Lean Cuisine, any of the Spa line (the ones that have light blue color-coding on the package) are generally very good, and they use some whole grains, etc. The Butternut Squash Ravioli, Chicken in Peanut Sauce, Grilled Chicken Primavera, and all of the stir-frys are favorites. Of the other lines, the pizzas are pretty good. Others I get often are Grilled Chicken Caesar, Three Cheese Rigatoni, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken, Santa Fe Beans and Rice (I think it’s called). The cheese lasagne is good, too. (So is the regular, but I seem to always get the meatless version.)
In Healthy Choice, I find a lot of dishes that should maybe have a touch of sweetness about them (usually Asian and some of the Italian entrees) are TOO sweet. Still, I really like Creamy Basil Pesto, Tortellini Primavera Parmesan, and ALL of the steamer bowls in the GREEN boxes. I could eat Chicken Pesto Classico several times a week and not get tired of it.
As far as WW points go, if you can’t find it on the package, I believe both LC and HC have them online.
The Spinach & Ricotta is my favorite right now. Works even better if you have a bit of leftover cooked chicken to add in.
I am a Lean Cuisine fan myself. Healthy Choice tends to be too flavorless and Smart Ones are just okay. But most of the Lean Cuisine flavors are good with the exception of most of the beef type dinners - I don’t think beef makes for good frozen dinners in general.
I often have the LC Thai egg rolls for breakfast. They are 200 calories, come in packs of two. I also like the Cafe Steamers, especially the chicken potstickers (tons of veggies :)!!) The chicken tuscan and shrimp scampi are also very good and decent portion sizes.
I’m doing WW (lost 75 pounds, have been Lifetime sine last July), and I prefer the pasta ones because “regular” pasta is very pointy and easy to overeat, but the frozen meals are pre-portioned, so they’re like a treat. Another thumbs-up for Three Cheese Ziti Marinara, my favorite. I like the Shrimp Marinara too, and it’s half the points.
Haven’t eaten enough of the other brands to come up with favorites (oh, except the Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli is awesome). We get Smart Ones coupons at WW meetings all the time, so if you pair those with a store sale, you can get a bunch for less than $2 apiece.
My favorite Smart Ones, back when I ate them, were the Radiatore Romano (needs extra salt, though) and the Schezhuan Chicken and Vegetables.
I love the Thai Style Chicken & Rice Noodles. But not all stores carry this one.