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There are a few Lean Cuisines I enjoy for a quickie lunch at work or din when no one is home and cooking seems beyond my ken: Lemon Chicken and Sesame Chicken are both decent; I also like the Kashi dinners, and Celentano's Eggplant Parm is doable. I add veg and fruit or sorbet and wine if it's an evening after a long day foray...

I love Amy's mac and cheese.

Frozen unagi kabayaki found at any large Asian grocery store. It's easy peasy and cheaper at $8-9 per filet. The grill work and sauce are done - just place it in a dish covered, set on low in the oven, cook some rice, and the meal is done, after a sprinkle of sansho (Japanese pepper) at the table.

I frequently pay $15-20 at restaurants for the same thing, but they also serve white rice and pickled vegetables in a lacquered wood box (unajyu = unagi + jyubako) at my regular Japanese restaurant for $20. When I go to my usual Korean restaurant that does their spin on this dish in a slightly different, sweeter sauce, it also comes with 14 dishes of banchan, miso soup, and a bowl of white rice for $15.

I love Bertoli's - I first had it visiting the U.S. and tried looking for it in Canada to no avail. Then I noticed Knorr's - it was packaged in the same type of bag, same directions and flavours and voila, it turned out to be the same thing exactly. Great meal for two when you are in a rush.

Up here, our big national supermarket, Loblaws, sells a "President's Choice" brand and many of their frozen entrees are palatable, especially the Indian choices.

@Maureen - yes, we are lucky to have PC here and, indeed, I agree that they are totally better than Lean Cuisin, Marie Callandar, etc. I think you are referring to Rogan Josh - it is good, but if you ever want to venture into the excitement of making your own from scratch. I have a "go to" recipe from Madhur Jaffrey that is just fabulous. I use the boned leg of lamb from Costco, pricey, but well worth the end result.

@GOM - I remember TV dinners! Yuk! Good food can be fast, yes, but you might want to try the Bertoli's if you haven't already. Just sayin', if you are in a rush running between appointments and the cupboard is bare - my OH is useless in the kitchen, great guy, but he would starve, so if I don't have time to cook for him if I am going out, the frozen entrees do solve a problem. As stated above, I will only use two brands.

I used to love pot pies. Last time I tried them, they were too salty and there wasn't enough inside -- mostly a goopy gravy and bits of stuff. Speaking of which, does anyone remember tuna pot pies? Wow, I loved those.

Otherwise, it's been a long time since I even tried a frozen meal, except when someone shipped us some frozen pizza from Chicago.

For a quick meal, if I'm absolutely brain dead I've usually got homemade ravioli and tamales. The ravioli is simple, particularly if I've got a sauce frozen as well, but I can make a fresh tomato sauce in the time it takes for the pasta to cook. The tamales just need to be heated. Right now I've also got frozen squash gnocchi, and I usually serve those with a browned butter and sage sauce, which takes no time at all.

Most of the time, though the frozen stuff doesn't save me time as much as it saves me from having to think too much. I mean, I always have some quick-cooking things in the freezer -- like shrimp or fish -- that I can stir-fry or poach or grill and have done in less time than the tamales would take to heat through. But if I'm really frazzled, it's a lot easier to have something stupid-proof to cook.

Trader Joe's has frozen Tart d'Alsace that I am actually rather fond of. It is essentially a delicate frozen pizza with good ham, Gruyere cheese and caramelized onions. The crust is a work of art for a frozen pizza tart - light and flaky, and more reminiscent of a saltine than a pizza crust. I'll often just toss together a quick baby green salad to go with it, add a glass of wine and I'm all set in a matter of minutes.

I haven't had it in a year or so, but if I am know I won't be able to cook for any period of time for whatever reason, I'll stock up on those and other Trader Joe's frozen items (Mexican and Italian entrees are usually the best bet - I avoid Asian and Indian items, as they are consistently horrific.)

Cheers,

~ Paula

frozen pizza, and pasta are good when in a hurry, or needing a pre-party meal (sorry, im in college , its what we base everything around - drinking) and yes, marie callendar's chicken pot pies. and i will admit to enjoying a few varieties of hot pockets.... pretty much only the ham and cheese one. and red baron's deep dish breakfast pizzas. i LOVE them.

Bertolli pasta and anything Amy's are awesome frozen foods.

Jumping on the Marie Callendar Pot Pie bandwagon. Watch me do it. I'm jumping...NOW.

Also, I can't believe while there have been frozen pizza mentions already, no one has busted out the Stouffer's French Bread pizzas! A toaster-oven cooking bachelor's DREAM food.

And on the breakfast tip, don't be a hot-pocket hater. Yes, we should all wake up early and make steel-cut oatmeal with local organic maple syrup (and that's not sarcasm, I really dig that s%$&). But I'm also a lazy person who is a 12-15 snooze button freak. So the breakfast lean pockets are occasionally life-sustaining.

Amy's black bean and veggie burritos are a staple of my diet.

@kitchengeeking- I used to be all about the Lean Pockets ham and cheese for breakfast, but due to a lack of funds, I've switched over to whole wheat bread, cheese, and a few minutes in the toaster oven. Still pretty darn good.

Stouffer's mac and cheese is a guilty pleasure if there ever was one.

We love the Deli-Mex rolled tacos. They are so quick and yummy for a snack or lunch. I also keep a frozen pizza in there because it's so much faster and cheaper than ordering out.

My hubs works at home and stays busy so I keep pizza pockets in there for him to toss in the oven if I'm not there to make him something.

none! I am so cheap that making my own everything, including bread and such, is far cheaper. Even if i have no time i can sizzle up some salmon in 5 minutes. even the microwave can cook salmon and eggs! Or i'll eat a can of Ranch Style Beans.. oh man, sooo good.

I don't have a favorite--but can I appeal to the frozen food makers here? PLEASE STOP putting skin on red peppers in your frozen entrees. I love love love red peppers--but frozen then nuked they taste like slime somehow adhered to a plastic backing. The worst offenders are always the dishes that are the 'healthiest' or claim to be 'asian inspired'. I refuse to buy any of them.

Also?

I will buy those entrees if you use actual pieces of chicken instead of chicken roll. Barf.

Oh man, I still have a soft spot for lean pockets. the meatballs ones were good. Yes, I really just typed that ...

We used to always have some Mrs. T's perogies in the freezer - they were super easy to throw together when we got home late and were starving. Nuke or get fancy and saute them for a few minutes in a little oil. Sprinkle a little parm and a little pepper and they are delish.

Last one, just remembered - TJ's marinated turbot. So good, but not precooked so don't know if that's what you're looking for.

Gotta agree w/ the lean pockets. Also, bagel bites. All things pizza are delicious, even frozen things.

I also love the Friday's brand "Anytizers" buffalo chicken wings. Man they are delicious. And Trader Joe's makes frozen beef burritos that, when covered in Frank's, are really good.

another one for the TJ's tarte d'alsace. it was originally recommended to me by my boyfriend's parisian mom, who is the sort of person that "whips up" two beautiful cakes for an impromptu tea. so if SHE liked it, i knew i would.

i am a big fan of TJs for frozen food -- the chicken sausage calzone is a good one, though the boyfriend prefers the turkey sausage stromboli.

i also like to make double portions of dinners and freeze the rest -- i'll make turkey burgers, tomato relish, and caramelized onions and then freeze half of them. that way when i'm pressed for time i can just heat the onions and relish and toss the burgers on the grill pan. ready in ten minutes. same with martha stewart's mac & cheese -- it freezes beautifully.

@gidgejane i just picked up a frozen chicken tikka masala from TJs last night -- we'll see how it is!

(can you tell i have a trader joe's addiction? it's verging on sick!!!)

As a child of Chicago, I must put in a positive mention for pizza puffs and pizza rolls.

I try to always have a Tombstone Extra Cheese pizza in the freezer. Perfect for those nights when you just don't want to think about what to fix for dinner, let alone figure out where to go for take-out.

President's Choice mac and cheese was a favorite, as the quality was surprising for a frozen food product, but the brand is no longer carried in the local grocery that used to stock it. I have to admit also that Bells & Evans coconut chicken tenders are a go to for me, when in a pinch. I cook them in advance and store in the fridge for use in wraps, or sliced on top of salads to take for lunches.

I like the TJ's Vegan Pad Thai bowls, though they aren't very good for you. I lived on Lean Cuisine's at my last job and there are some that are pretty good - the Ginger Chicken Stir-fry, and surprisingly the Butternut Squash Ravioli. But otherwise now that I have enough time to cook, I have tried to cut out as much frozen food as possible, since it is expensive and always full of sodium.

I love Marie Callender's pot pies, and since I'm the only one in my family who will eat pot pie, it's a perfect serving for me on my own. My entire family loves Stouffer's lasagna. We're also very fond of frozen pizza. Most of the time it's either Red Baron or Digiorno. We've recently tried Wal-Mart's Great Value brand with the foccacia style crust. It was good, but not great.

Marie Callender's Meat Lasagna. It takes almost 15 minutes to cook in the microwave but is gooey, cheesy, and is nicely spiced. I had a good squire of sriracha.

I can't lie. Marie Callendar's pot pies are really good, though it necessitates a partner-in-crime, since it doesn't keep for the next day and it's too big for one. My dad LOVES Red Baron and Jeno's pizza, which I have a hard time understanding...

anything Amy's brand, especially the Tamale Pie. Lean Cuisines are good too, especially the cheese stuffed ravioli bowl. I also like the Zone vegetable enchiladas but they are hard to find.

I don't buy a lot of frozen stuff...so much sodium in there and most tastes like crap. However, Stouffer's mac n cheese, lasagna, and stuffed bell peppers are pretty tasty. My hubby loves Totinos frozen pizzas. Also, there are some frozen italian meals I buy on occasion - Michaelos, maybe? Can't remember the name. They make a veggie lasagna that's not too bad.

Not a fan of frozen foods but I do like Stouffer's Stuffed Peppers and Jimmy Dean's D-Lights Breakfast Sandwiches.

Another vote for Trader Joe's Tart d'Alsace. Actually TJ's has a number of types of Instant Food that are not bad at all. Their stuffed red bell peppers and penne bolognese in the deli section are good, and they both freeze well.

Trader Joe's ready made seems to come in 2 kinds--really good or really awful. Stay far away from the Mexican stuff.

Morning Star basil mozzarella veggie burgers. And if I can't make my own bean burritos to freeze, el monterey bean and cheese burritos with lots of franks hot sauce!

I work weird/wacky night shifts, and a couple times a month I fall back on frozen dinners. If so, I'll choose a Lean Cuisine flatbread. My significant other likes the paninis.

Oh, Sugar! You'll end your life early eating all that CRAP!

OMG, I can't believe I forgot. Frozen Mystic Pizzas absolutely, positively, hands down take the cake. AMAZING.

Since we don't have one anywhere near our house, California Pizza Kitchen pizzas. But, they have gotten crazy expensive over the last year. I really like the barbecue chicken pizza, and it has about 1/3 of the fat of a regular frozen pizza.

Bertolli's Dinner for Two: Cook 3/4 - 1 lb pasta, toss in a bag of high quality frozen veg (Safeway Select Tuscan Blend is good) before draining; toss into pan with a mostly cooked Bertolli's. Finish cooking, add a crusty bread, and "Dinner for Two" now generously feeds 4 or 5. The frozen sauce is pretty abundant (enough to flavor all the additions; but if you like your pasta swimming in sauce, I'm sure you could find a matching or similar bottled Bertolli sauce to add). All the sauces I've tasted have been very well flavored.
btw, in my experience, the chicken is dry & tough, so I only go for the shrimp, sausage or vegetable versions, which have been excellent.