The Dreaded Frozen "healthy meal"

I cannot plead innocent when talking about buying frozen meals (Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc) when I've begun a diet in the past. The simplicity of popping an entire meal in the microwave for 2 minutes is appealing to almost anyone, especially when they are campaigned as being "healthy". But what are you really getting from these frozen meals? 

- Portion control? Yes.
- Calorie control? Yes.
And that is where my list ends.

While these two things are very important when you are trying to lose weight, there is also a right and wrong way of doing it. I will say, that yes, a Lean Cuisine is definitely a healthier option compared to going to McDonald's and picking up a Big Mac meal for lunch, that one is a no brainer! BUT, If weight loss and eating healthy balanced meals are something that is important to you I would steer clean of the frozen food isle all together. 

So what's so bad about a frozen meal anyways? For starters, lets talk about preservatives. A preservative is something added to food to keep it "fresh" for longer. A longer shelf life is important especially in supermarkets, without it, they would be tossing food out left and right. The health concerns surrounding so many preservatives are too questionable to determine whether or not they are safe for consumption. A general rule of thumb is: if you can't pronounce it, DO NOT eat it! Also do your research on certain additives, just because they are added into food are considered "safe" doesn't mean they are healthy in the least. 
A few other things these frozen meals are notorious for are processed grains and sodium, two things you want to keep out of your diet whether you seek total health or not. These meals are also NOT gluten free which is just another check on my list of why I avoid them. 

What to do now? If I have said it once, I have said it a zillion times, MEAL PREP. As far as the convenience of microwaving your meals for quick consumption, DING! DING! DING! We have a winner. 
Balanced meals, that are portion controlled and actually healthy for you are all within arms reach if you take your health serious and are willing to put in a little extra time. 

Lets compare cost. Each meal is approximately $3.00. Now I know you can get them on sale sometimes, but that is not a guarantee. For argument sake lets say you plan to eat a Lean Cuisine for lunch Monday through Friday 
5 meals at $3.00 each comes out to be roughly $15.00 
Not bad considering you would spend that in two days at a fast food joint. 

Now, if you made a trip to your local supermarket and bought: chicken breasts, a fresh veggie, and a grain like brown rice or quinoa you would spend:
Fresh Chicken- $5.00-6.00 (3 breasts which is plenty for 5 meals) 
Quinoa- 6.99 (this can be used at least 3-4 times because you only need a cup for 5 meals) 
Fresh broccoli- $.99-1.50 (need 2 heads for 5 meals) 
Sticking to the high end of the prices you are looking at about $16.00 which includes the full price of a bag of quinoa which again you only need a cup at a time when prepping. 
$16.00 for fresh food at lunch, or $15.00 for processed limited nutrition junk. Again you will have to do a little cooking but if you have to choose between: 

A Lean Cuisine with processed mystery meat

Or a home cooked meal that you know all of the ingredients, that is properly balanced
and is 10 times more nutritious. 

Are you willing to put the time in? For me, well, that goes without saying!