Top Healthy Frozen Foods for Quick, Nutritious Meals
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Convenience is of great importance to me, especially when it comes to meal preparation. I’ve never aspired to be a chef de cuisine, but rather someone adept at preparing quick, easy, healthy, and most of all, delicious food.
Whenever I have had a particularly hectic day or I’m not in the mood for a lot of cooking, I rely on healthy frozen foods to make quick meals. I have several go-to frozen food brands because they have the perfect balance of taste, nutrition, and price point.
I categorize my healthy frozen foods depending on need – a quick meal, vegetables, proteins, or bread. In this article, I’ll discuss a few of my favorite frozen food selections that you can use to prepare quick, easy, and healthy meals. First up!
Frozen Vegetables
Some people are leery of eating frozen vegetables because they genuinely believe that fresh vegetables are better than frozen vegetables. These people couldn’t be more wrong! Look, I’m not knocking fresh vegetables, I think they’re great, but let’s be honest, do you consume all your fresh produce before it starts to rot? I’ll bet not, in fact, I’ll bet you throw away a lot of those “fresh vegetables” before you even get to eat any, am I right?
The fact is vegetables, when flash-frozen at the peak of ripeness, retain all their vitamins and nutrients, all without the need for preservatives. Conversely, fresh vegetables begin to deteriorate and lose their vitamins the longer they’re stored. You see where I’m going here right? Frozen vegetables are far superior to fresh vegetables. Some of my favorites to get include:
- Broccoli & Broccoli Rabe – make quick steamed broccoli with garlic butter
- Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry Blend – great for a quick saute or Asian-inspired meals
- Cauliflower & Cauliflower Rice – the possibilities are endless!
- Asparagus
- Okra
- Sugar Snap Peas
Of course, there are plenty of other frozen vegetables available for any cuisine, I just happen to use the listed ones the most. Feel free to explore or find your favorite frozen vegetables at your local supermarket. Next up, fish!
Frozen Fish
I am a bit more discerning about fish when it comes to frozen foods. Some seafood just doesn’t freeze well, in my opinion. Moreover, I don’t eat just any fish, I try to eat sustainable, wild-caught fish whenever I can. To be sure, these types of fish may cost a bit more than their farmed counterparts, but I put a premium on my health and will happily pay the extra cost whenever I can.
My top picks for frozen fish include:
- Wild-caught Salmon
- Kingfish
- Monkfish
- Halibut
- Red Snapper
- Mixed Seafood (mix of octopus, scallops, calamari, clams, oysters, etc.)
I’ve tried some frozen seafood that I didn’t enjoy once I defrosted and cooked it. These include:
- Scallops
- Codfish
- Shrimp
I find that when defrosted, these fish turn out soggy and mealy-textured, not at all appetizing. Your experience may be different, but I avoid frozen shrimp, cod, and scallops and opt for the fresh version if I’ll be using them in a meal.
Except for the salmon, I buy most of the above-mentioned top-pick list of fish fresh then package them for storage in the freezer. It’s a system that works pretty well and I can prepare delicious fish dishes whenever I have a craving for seafood.
Frozen Bread
If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time, you’d know that I’m not much of a bread eater because I follow a keto-ish lifestyle. This means no high-carb bread for me! Since I have to prepare meals for others in my household who are not so finicky about carbs and who insist on having “real bread”, I had to find options that I could prepare on the fly.
Enter frozen bread, frozen flatbread to be specific. Of course, I do include regular loaf bread in my roster of frozen bread but I by far prefer the frozen flatbread options. My top picks for frozen bread include:
- Trader Joe’s Tandoori Naan
- Trader Joe’s Scallion Pancake
- Trader Joe’s Wild Mushroom and Black Truffle Flatbread
Frozen Meals
There are times in life when frozen meals are a lifesaver for busy people trying to provide a hot meal for their family. However, the one caveat I have to this practice is to choose healthy frozen meals. By this, I mean that frozen meals should be primarily made with healthy and wholesome ingredients very few preservatives, and moderate levels of sodium and sugar.
It takes a lot of label-reading, but it’s necessary to take the extra time to ensure that you’re not delivering a dose of poison along with your frozen chicken pot pie. If you’re not into reading labels but do want the convenience of quality, chef-prepared frozen meals, you can always try Bistromd – they have some great flash-frozen meals prepared according to your diet and ready to heat and eat.
Some of Bistromd’s doctor-designed and chef-prepared frozen meals include:
- Salmon with Dill Mustard Sauce
- Beef and Red Wine Sauce and Barley
- Green Chile Pork with Southwest Salsa
- Fisherman’s Seafood Stew
These are just a few of the meals available on their menu but they have hundreds more including breakfast! If you want true convenience, try Bistromd and you’ll no longer have to think about what’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Final Thoughts On Healthy Frozen Foods
You don’t need to sacrifice taste and nutrition by using frozen foods you can receive a boost in nutrition by just cooking and eating flash-frozen vegetables!
The fact is, healthy frozen foods can save you a lot of time and convenience for meal preparation when you’re short on time. By going to a freezer well stocked with select frozen foods, you can quickly make breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Make sure your stores include a variety of green and colorful vegetables, lean proteins, and fish that freeze well like the ones mentioned above.
You can round out your frozen food supply with tasty frozen flatbread and if you’re following a meal plan like the ones available at bistromd, you can have doctor-reviewed and chef-prepared frozen meals delivered to your door weekly. Talk about convenience!
Do you use frozen foods? What are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments. Until next time: Happy Eating!
HI, Down great post!
I usually buy frozen food because they tend to be cheaper, especially some vegetables and meet.
I prefer to buy quality fresh food when I have some money, but if I only buy everything of the best quality, I would not send any money into my savings account, and that is a big problem LOL.
You’ve opened my eyes to alternatives that can be very healthy even if the food is frozen. I am going to check out Bistromd and see what they have to offer, it looks very interesting. Thanks for that!
Hi Stefan,
Yes, do check out bistromd. I really do recommend them because they make tailormade food depending on individual needs. Let me know if you try them out.
Cheers,
Dawn
Hi there this is a good post. I like frozen vegetables and being from the Caribbean it allows us to have access to vegetables we wouldn’t typically have so that’s a great bonus! I have also bought fresh fish and frozen to be used at a later date. It definitely comes in handy. I’ve occasionally frozen bread to stop it from going bad if it’s more than I can use so that one is not as common for me. I do enjoy desserts in moderation of course as I try to stick to my health and fitness goals but occasional ice cream or frozen fruit lollies can be good additions as well every now and then.
Hi Tamika,
Yes indeed! I forgot to include frozen fruit in the mix. They have definitely come in handy for whenever I need a quick smoothie. Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Dawn
Hi, I have a question. When you cook the fish. How long does it usually takes to defrost? I also would like to ask after defrost how long do you wait to start cooking it? I wondering because my wife and i was talking about this the other day because some weeks we throw lots of food away.
Now when you cook the shrimp how do you cook it? have you try grilling the shrimp?
Also what are your thoughts on frozen fruit?
Thank you for your time, i really enjoy your article.
Hi Wilmer,
Thanks for the questions! Regarding cooking of frozen fish: Make sure you take the fish from the freezer the night before you intend to eat it and store it in the fridge to defrost overnight. It will be ready and fully defrosted by dinner time. When you’re ready to cook it, pat it dry with paper towels before adding any spices or oil. As for shrimp, I just do a simple stir fry in a nonstick pan with a bit of oil. They cook rather quickly so keep an eye to not overcook them.
Frozen fruits are great for smoothies and they are a convenient way to get your daily requirements of fruit. I hope these answers are helpful. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Cheers,
Dawn
Interesting. I really like to eat frozen meals. Especially frozen fish and vegetables. I mostly use vegetables for creating soups and as a side dish. I also enjoy frozen pizza meals. To be honest with you, first time I hear about frozen bread. I never saw it in the supermarkets in my country, so that could be the reason.
It would be great to taste on of these frozen breads. This looks and sound tasty.
I will bookmark your website for future posts.
Strahinja
Hi Strahinja,
The majority of my recommendations are easily available in the USA, but I’m not so sure about other countries. Of course, we have the great internet that connects us to all sorts of products that were formerly out of reach! Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Dawn
I almost always have to go with frozen, mainly in interest of time. Something I went through when my life got real hectic was how I was still going to eat as healthy as I do, sometimes fresh just wasn’t an option except on weekends and select weekdays. The good news, though, is that frozen doesn’t sacrifice nutrients the way they may be sacrificed in being canned or packaged. You can definitely still eat in just as nutritious of a manner with frozen foods.
Hi Todd,
Exactly! Frozen foods are nutritious and convenient, a win-win in my book. Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Dawn
Being single, I really do have difficulty getting through my breads and veggies before they go bad. I need to get better about freezing some of it. I do tend to buy both frozen blueberries and frozen spinach or kale for my green smoothies and, not as often as I should, I have frozen my bananas for my smoothies when they start to get too ripe.
I haven’t cooked with shrimp before but I’ve been considering it. Thanks for letting me know that I should probably stick with fresh shrimp.
I’ve also considered delivered meals like from Hello Fresh or Plated, but I’d never heard of bistromd before, so I’ll add that to the list to consider. Thanks!
Hi Joey,
We really do waste a lot of food and it’s a pity because so many are without food. Try to continue your habit of freezing and using as much of your food as you can. Bistromd provide meal plans for people who are trying to lose weight and customized to their dietary preferences. It’s a very convenient way to get the food you like delivered directly to you whenever you need.
Cheers,
Dawn
I usually freeze seasonal vegetables and fruits. Thanks to this I can eat them throughout the year and not overpay for imported food. I often also freeze ready meals, but only those that I prepare myself. Those from the store are usually of low quality and expensive.
Hi Kamil,
You are 100% correct! It’s always better to make and freeze your own food because you know exactly what is in it and how you like it. Some people, however, don’t know how to, don’t have the time or just don’t want to cook. This is where store-bought frozen foods can become a lifesaver for such people. As long as we take the time to select healthy versions of frozen foods, it should be alright for anyone to consume.
Cheers,
Dawn