Are you  always on the look out for a delicious and easy meal your family can eat at home?  You might be surprised to know that one of the best places to find them is in the freezer aisle!

5 frozen food myths busted TidyMom

Many people view the food behind those glass doors as convenience food, but few people know that it can be some of the best food at your supermarket!

I’ve been working closely with  ConAgra Foods learning about how frozen meals give families access to real ingredients like crunchy, freshly cut vegetables, homemade pasta and ripe fruit year-round! From the time it’s prepared to the time it’s eaten, the chef inspired recipes lock-in the great, fresh taste.  Just like families keep leftovers fresh by freezing them, freezing helps preserve the freshly packed meals and great taste.

5 myths surrounding frozen food

Frozen Food Myth #1

  • Frozen foods are ultra-processed and not made with fresh ingredients

ConAgra Foods Delivers the Truth!

  • ConAgra Foods’ Culinary Advisory Board, an esteemed group of chefs, are always looking for ways to elevate the menu with the best ingredients you recognize!
  • For example, Healthy Choice meals use apples instead of sugar for tart sweetness, olive oil instead of butter, and a splash of red wine for a punch of flavor instead of added salt. The result: deliciously simple meals with unbelievably fresh taste

Frozen Food Myth #2

  • Frozen meals are not good for someone watching their weight or health conscience.

ConAgra Foods Delivers the Truth!

  • Not the case! You DO have more options than just bars and shakes.  Healthy Choice single serve frozen meals are portioned out for you, providing effective meal replacements.  And portion control is a strong evidence based strategy for weight management as recommended by DGA.

Frozen Food Myth #3

  • Frozen meals aren’t prepared at all like I cook food at home.

ConAgra Foods Delivers the Truth!

  • Not the case!  Single serving frozen meals are made of real food, by real people, and are not so different than what we make at home.
  • For example, just like most people would do, the veggies in frozen meals like Marie Callender’s are blanched before freezing them – to help preserve color, texture and keep them fresh.

Frozen Food Myth #4

  • Frozen foods taste like cardboard and are uninspired

ConAgra Foods Delivers the Truth!

  • Not the case! There are so many options with frozen meals – no matter what you are in the mood for or have been interested to try.
  • For example, curious to try a culinary creation from P.F. Chang’s?  Pick up one of the P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Meals like this Shanghai Style Beef with crisp vegetables.  Or, try a Healthy Choice Café Steamer  – these are culinary-inspired meals that are steamed to be perfectly crisp and tender and fresh – delicious!

Frozen Food Myth #5

  • Frozen meals are the lazy way to feed my family when I don’t have time to cook a full meal

ConAgra Foods Delivers the Truth!

  • Who has time to create a full meal every day with our hectic schedules?  ConAgra Foods frozen meals give families access to real ingredients like crunchy, freshly cut vegetables, homemade pasta and ripe fruit year-round.

For example, look at this Healthy Choice Roasted Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms I had the other day.   Chicken breast tenderloins with whole-grain penne, asparagus, and sautéed onions in a Marsala wine sauce. A Top Chef inspired dish that delivers nutrition and flavor, but no preservatives.  Few have the time to create meal like this, but it’s all done for you!

I fixed a salad and glass of wine and enjoyed a nice delicious meal, without the work.

Healthy Choice Roasted Chicken Marsala TidyMom

 

 

HEALTHY CHOICE www.healthychoice.com

Healthy Choice, one of the pioneers of delicious, health-minded food has been in the freezer aisle since 1988.  Real, simple food made from only the best ingredients that you can recognize – like crunchy apples, crisp vegetables, tender meats and perfectly al dente pasta.  An esteemed group of chefs, are always looking for ways to elevate The Healthy Choice menu, like using steaming to bring out the best of each ingredient and adding the natural goodness of apples instead of sugar for a tart sweetness in the pumpkin squash ravioli.  The result: deliciously simple meals with unbelievably fresh taste.   

Why I love Healthy Choice:

  • Contains healthy alternatives that taste delicious:  like olive oil instead of butter; slow simmered sauces instead of heavy cream; splash of red wine for a punch of flavor instead of added salt.
  • Greek Frozen yogurt is deliciously thick and creamy and made with real fruit, nonfat milk and yogurt cultures.

 

MARIE CALLENDER’S www.mariecallendersmeals.com

Marie Callender was a real woman who had a reputation for bringing people together around delicious, quality food. During WWII, while in her 40s, her need to financially support her family led her to establish a pie shop, which quickly grew into a warm and bustling restaurant.

Today, Marie Callender’s spirit and attention to homemade taste is alive and well, in the form of many wholesome meals, including hearty pot pies filled with tender meat, freshly cut vegetables and Marie’s authentic gold, flaky crust, as well as one-dish entrees that satisfy your appetite for comfort, convenience  and taste.

Why I love Marie Callender’s

  • comforting home-cooked meals made from real ingredients
  •  apple pies are made with fresh Fuji apples from California are picked at the peak of harvest, then peeled and sliced to order and baked to perfection
  • pies are baked using real eggs and sugar, real fruits picked in the United States and many are finished by hand to make sure each pie looks and tastes just like homemade

I love that frozen food has become a delicious alternative to fast food  for our busy life styles.

Disclaimer:  I have a working relationship with ConAgra Foods, though opinions expressed in this post are, as always, purely my own.