Finding South Beach Meals

Hey Virginians!  I really enjoy the South Beach frozen dinners, wraps, etc. but notice that grocery stores tend to carry only a few of them.  Do you know of a store that carries a bigger, more varied selection?

Also, is there another brand of lower carb/higher protein frozen meals that you enjoy?

Thanks!
Dawn

Kroger and WalMart seem to have the larger variety of them to me, but I tend to stay away from them.  Although they say "South Beach Diet" and are marketed as "healthy" they really are not.  They tend to have a lot of sodium and carbs in them.  I try to have leftovers instead.  They work for me in a pinch.

Thanks for the store info.  :)  But I respectfully disagree on the carb counts.  Most of their meals have 'useable' carb counts of less than 25 grams (considering the high fiber count) and a good portion of them are in the 15 gram range.  Depending on one's preference for a daily carb range, this fits really well for me.  Granted, homemade meals are better, but I think they are the best out there.

Thanks  :)

We all make our decesions, whether good or bad.  I presonally did not go thru this surgery to continue to eat unhealthy.  I have them in a pinch...maybe twice a year.  They are way too high in all the bad nutrients and do not have enough of the good ones.  To each his own on what they like and chose to eat.

I don't believe they're unhealthy and contain bad nutrients, but we'll agree to disagree on that one  :))  To move forward, could you help me by telling me what you make for dinners?  They are my biggest challenge.  I also asked Kat, below, but where do you find recipes, ideas?  Maybe I'm simply not creative enough.  I'm focused on what I HAVE to do, but I can't continue with a bland piece of meat and side of veggies.

thanks!

Here you go......

Orange Pork (you can use chicken or beef in it's place)

About 1 pound of boneless pork, thin sliced.  Stirfry in about 1/2 tbls of oil until cooked through.  In a bowl, mix 2 tbsl of sugar free orange marmalade, 1/2 tbsp of tamari (chinese cooking isle) and 1/2 tsp of grated ginger.  Pour of meat.  Add about 1/4 cup (1 to 2) chopped green onions. Let simmer on low about 10 minutes.

Serve with brown rice and steamed asian veggies or steamed carrots.

BBQ Chicken Breast.

I use the Low calories BBQ sauce (10 cals) and of course chicken breast.  Grill.  Serve with corn on cob and a salad.

Turkey Chili

Here's one of our favs:  It's a Rachel Ray recipe, and I changed it from ground chicken to ground turkey.  I do not eat a roll.  Serve with Sweet potato fries and/or salad (which is how I use to do it, but will now have the fries).

Devilish Sloppy Chicken Mini Sammies Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

12 bake-off dinner rolls, any brand 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, divided 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan 2 tablespoons butter 2 pounds ground TURKEY 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 medium to large onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Seasoning blend by McCormick) 1 tablespoon hot sauce, eyeball it 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons brown sugar (I use brown sugar Splenda) 2 rounded tablespoonfuls spicy brown mustard 1/2 cup water   Heat the oven as directed on package of bake-off rolls. Arrange the rolls on a nonstick cookie sheet and sprinkle the rolls with about 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/3 palmfull. Bake rolls until golden and soft and remove. While rolls cook, heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil then melt butter into the oil and add chicken. Crumble and brown meat 3 to 4 minutes then add in the garlic and onions. Add 1 tablespoon smoked paprika and 2 tablespoons of grill seasoning to the chicken. Continue to cook over medium-high heat. Mix hot sauce, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, mustard in a small bowl then stir into the meat and reduce heat to low. Stir in about 1/2 cup of water to keep the mix loose as it simmers. Simmer gently 10 minutes. Split rolls and scoop chicken into them and serve.

Chicken Parmesean

Marinade chicken breast in FF Italian dressing for 20 minutes (or all day - that's what I do).  Grill.  Put in a casserole dish.  Top with spaghetti sauce and moz/parm cheese.  Bake until melty.  Serve with spaghetti squash (I steam, and then saute in garlic and I can't belive it's not butter), steamed zuchini and/or salad.

As you see....we eat good in the neighborhood - haha.  These are pretty much weeknight meals because they are fairly quick to prepare.

Tips:

I make a big pot of cooked oatmeal for the week.  Just keep in fridge and add whatever you want daily.  I add blueberries and sliced almonds most days.

I make a big pot of brown rice and keep in fridge for week night dinners and lunches.

I keep whole wheat wraps in the fridge for quick wraps.

I buy cut up veggies from the salad bar at the grocery store to have ready for qucik salads during the week.

I keep tuna salad in the fridge.

I keep grilled chicken in the fridge for qucik wraps and salads.

I do this because I have a military hubby, I work and a college kid.  We all need to eat healthy and this makes it easy for them to do just that.  We all leave at different times, some days, my son has to carry a lunch AND dinner to school, so this makes it easier for him to do that.  And, of course - MUCH cheaper than eating out or eating frozen entrees.

The avergae frozen entree is $2.50.  For that price, I can make 2 wraps and 2 pieces of fruit using what I already have.

OOOOH! If I haven't been hungry in the 4 months post op, I sure as heck am now! I am so loving the recipes. They read absolutely wonderful! I love reading your ideas and opinions and that is one reason why I heart you!!! Thanks!

For dinners I make pretty much the same things I did preop with an adjustment or two to the recipes.  Taco's are good.  I eat mine in a bowl without any wraps or shells.  Tuna salad with crackers is awesome.  I add some cheese and veggies.  I make a chicken casserole and taco soup a lot.  They both yeild a lot of leftovers.  If you want the recipes, PM me and i'll send them to ya.  I use the recipe board here a lot and make the changes I need.  I am allergic to splenda so I have to really watch what I use.  I add spices and just experiement.  I will think on my fav recipes and get back to ya.  I am at work right now.

Yep...what she said.

But, they are good in a pinch.  I usually go with the WW or the healthy choice over the South Beach, though.

I realize it's hard to argue with a personal trainer  :) , but WW meals are notoriously high in sodum (unless they've changed their recipes in recent years) and they are not carb-friendly whatsoever.  Of course, it depends on the type of eating plan one is following -- low-calorie, low-fat, low carb, whatever.  But for a lower-carb plan, my personal go-to would never be WW.  I'm curious as to why you would choose them.