Living La Carb-a Loca Part II (Low-Carb TV Dinners and Frozen Foods)

Forbes Magazine today ran an on-line article entitled "10 Diets that Work," in which author Susan Yara made the ephiphanic assertion that "There are two eternal truths about diets: One, if properly followed they will result in weight loss; and two, most people will cheat." It's tough to recover from that kind of startling relevation, isn't it? Undeterred, Yara goes on to list the ten diets that "work," although there is no information provided as to what criteria was used to determine that these particular diets do or do not work. One that she listed would certainly work for me: the raw food diet recently being hyped by former supermodel Carol Alt, author of (ahem) "Eating in the Raw." Thinking about eating raw veggies is one thing; thinking about merely "searing" and then consuming raw meats is another thing altogether. I actually adore very rare roast beef...but chicken and pork? This reminds me of a recent gag-worthy CSI: New York episode in which people were consuming live critters and bugs...thanks, but no thanks.

And did anyone else see CBS’ new drama last night, “The Unit?” Whoever wrote the plotline for the wives needs to be taken out by an elite anti-terrorist team. I’m expecting copyright infringement suits any second now from either Ira Levin (author of “The Stepford Wives”) or the creators of Dr. Who’s arch-enemies, the Daleks. I half-expected a robot arm to come shooting out of Regina King’s chest while she herded the “Rookie Wife” around, intoning “resistance is futile…resistance is futile….”

Back to work!...

Continuing last week's theme about Low-Carb frozen foods, TV dinners and prepared meals, here are the second 15 dishes, all with about 20 carbs per serving or less:

16. Marie Callender’s Honey Roasted Chicken Breast; 20.0 g of carbohydrates, 440 calories;
17. Weight Watchers’ Smart Ones Higher Protein Entrees Sirloin Beef with Asian Style Vegetables, 12.3 g. of carbohydrate, 230 calories;
18. Birds Eye Foods Voila! Reduced Carb Chicken & Sausage Tuscano, 10.0 g. of carbohydrates, 170 calories;
19. Schwan’s Roasted Turkey and Vegetable Dinner, 15.0 g of carbohydrates, 210 calories;
20. Banquet Family Size Salisbury Steak, 7.0 g. of carbohydrate and 240 calories per serving, gets 4-forks at the Diner, under $4.00 and feeds 6;
21. Schwan's Traditional Chicken Kiev, 12.0 g. of carbohydrate and 390 calories;
22. Stouffer's Family Size Meatloaf in Gravy, 7.0 g of carbohydrate and 220 calories (serves 6);
23. Gorton's Crispy Battered Fish Fillets, 17.8 g of carbohydrate, 260 calories per serving; this line is consistently rated 4-forks at the Diner;
24. Cedarlane Cheese Enchiladas, 19.0 g of carbohydrate and 270 calories;
25. On-Cor Classics Dinner Partners Gravy & Salisbury Steaks with Macaroni & Cheese, 22.0 grams of carbohydrate and 270 calories per serving;
26. Schwan’s Breaded Beef Steak Fingers, 12.0 g of carbohydrate and 190 calories per serving;
27. Birds Eye Foods Voila! Classic Chicken Fajita, 13.0 g. of carbohydrate and 150 calories per serving,
28. Schwan's Beef Shepherd's Pie, 22.0 g. of carbohydrates, 250 calories per serving, and 4½-star ranking at the Diner;
29. Cedarlane Eggplant Parmesan, 16.0 g. of carbohydrates, 160 calories per serving, and,
30. Contessa Chicken Stir-Fry, 18.0 grams of carbohydrates, and 160 calories per serving – this is a dish I serve at home, just because we like it.

This is just a small sampling of what's available for folks counting carbohydrates. Depending upon where you are in your program (whether Atkins, South Beach, or some combination thereof), there are plenty of good-tasting, portion-controlled ready-made meals to help you stay on your plan. If you don't cook, like the fellow I mentioned last week, or just don't want to cook every night, check out your grocer's Freezer section, and remember to read the labels to ensure that you're getting exactly what you want.

Photos of Schwan's Chicken Kiev and Shepherd's Pie from the Schwans.com website.