[MinnieM]

Are there any frozen dinners (Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Stouffers, Healthy Choice etc) in the US that are gluten free? I'm new to this way of living and sometimes need a quick lunch/dinner on the run. I know to look and see if it has pasta (can't eat it) and look for wheat, rye, barley, oats in the ingredients but what else do I look for on the ingredients of frozen dinners that I shouldn't eat. I tried calling Lean Cuisine and they won't committ. I saw 2006 postings on this topic and one from Canada. Thank you for your help!

[GlutenGalAZ]

There is the Amy's brand Frozen Meals. Just a warning though some people are fine with them and some aren't. Be carefull they have some that are not gluten free -- They will label the box Gluten Free if it is.
The enchilada ones are really good but I always reacted to them even their canned Chili.

You can look at the Lean Cuisine website they will show the ingredients there. I think it was the Glazed Chicken I tried in the beginning... not sure if ingredients have changed though.

There aren't really any gluten free regular brand frozen meals out there other then the Amy's and ones at the health food store.

There are Chili's (Hormel and Stagg label), Stews (Hormel), Soups (have to check ingredients) etc that are gluten free in a "regular grocery store".
I like making wraps with Mission White Corn Tortillas... quick and easy.

Good Luck!

[elonwy]

I was reacting to Amy's enchiladas (they are SO YUMMY!). Turns out I can't eat bell peppers. Since thats not something thats in my diet a lot except for mexican, took a while to figure out. Silly nightshades.
Another good one is the Thai kitchen rice bowls (again not all are gluten-free). Its like ramen but it's made with rice noodles and actually tastes good. Those are often available in the ethnic sections of normal grocery stores.

[Juliebove]

These are shelf stable meals. Some are gluten free. You'll probably have to order from them.

http://www.myownmeals.com/

For canned foods you can get Shelton's chicken and wild rice soup, or chicken chili.

Another thing we get are garlic chicken breasts in a pouch (on the tuna aisle). These can be served with pre-cooked brown rice in a pouch that I get from Trader Joe's.

[roxie]

Glutino makes 4 different gluten free meals now. I have found them at health food stores, and Native Sun. I like the chicken ranchero, even though it's not a great choice for me because I try to avoid nightshades.

[Sweetfudge]

i also reacted very badly to amy's frozen dinners. one thing i like to do on weekends is to make a lot of food, then dish it out into serving-sized tupperware and put it all in the freezer. that way i have easy meals on those nights i don't have time to cook. also make great lunches! just put in the fridge the night before, or take out of the freezer in the morning, and leave on your desk until lunch.
not sure if this was something you'd be interested in doing, but i thought i'd mention it because it's a lot safer than store-bought meals IMO. plus, i'm avoiding more than just gluten, so eating out is off the list.

[Green Eyes]

Weight Watchers Sante Fe Rice and Beans (I think that is the actual name on the box) is gluten free and will say so on the box.

Jennifer

[MinnieM]

MinnieM, on Oct 9 2008, 03:44 PM, said:

Are there any frozen dinners (Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Stouffers, Healthy Choice etc) in the US that are gluten free? I'm new to this way of living and sometimes need a quick lunch/dinner on the run. I know to look and see if it has pasta (can't eat it) and look for wheat, rye, barley, oats in the ingredients but what else do I look for on the ingredients of frozen dinners that I shouldn't eat. I tried calling Lean Cuisine and they won't committ. I saw 2006 postings on this topic and one from Canada. Thank you for your help!

thanks for the responses...I really didn't want to go to Whole Foods, Central Market, Trader Joes etc. and pay $$$ for a quick meal. I wanted dinners you could find in your sale ads in the "normal" stores frozen section. I would think there would be chicken and rice meals from Lean Cuisine, WW and Healthy Choice that are gluten free. Does anyone know the ingredient in those frozen dinners that we CAN NOT eat?

[Puddy]

Weight Watchers had wheat added to all the chicken and rice meals I checked. Like Green Eyes, the only safe one I found was the the Santa Fe Rice and Beans.

[Darn210]

Healthy Choice is a divisiona of ConAgra.
Stouffer's and Lean Cuisine are a part of Nestle.

ConAgra and Nestle have a "do not hide the gluten" policy. If wheat, rye, barley or oats are not specifically called out in the label, then they are not one of the ingredients . . . so just read the labels.

Also, the Thai Kitchen items mentioned by elonwy are found in regular grocery stores. They are tasty and NOT pricey.

[lpellegr]

You might look at some of the South Beach frozen entrees, since the starting phase leaves out most carbs - I checked out a few a while back that seemed to be gluten-free, but something that would have contained maybe 5 or 6 ingredients if I had made it myself had about 40 ingredients. It might be gluten-free, but it's highly processed. There are also a few of the Dinty Moore shelf-stable meals that are gluten free but also full of extra ingredients.

[AnneM]

I eat Amys frozen dinners with no problems at all. I also eat Jimmy Deans breakfast bowls and entrees, they are so yummy and safe, never got sick from eating them. Aunt Jemima makes a breakfast too, bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, or with sausage, they are safe to eat and very good. Jimmy Dean also makes a breakfast skillet you add eggs to if you want, it makes a quick breakfast or dinner.
Dinty Moore beef stew is also gluten free and a quick lunch or dinner, i pour the stew over mashed potatoes, makes a nice dinner.

[janetw]

Here's the FAQ from lean cuisine. I would assume none of the Lean Cuisine's are gluten-free. They may have some that don't contain gluten ingredients but they are likely cross contaminated.

Q. Looking for LEAN CUISINE® products which might be Gluten free. Is there a list of NESTLE® products which are Gluten free?A. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a list of NESTLE® products that are gluten free. Most of our products contain gluten or a derivative of gluten
Healthy Choice is a ConAgra company and they have a good labeling policy but I just cruised their products briefly and didn't see any frozen entrees that didn't contain wheat... But it would be worth calling them.

Some of the other options mentioned here are worth researching more.

Take care,

[tgrahek]

I received this list of gluten-free meals today from Heinz:

Smart Ones Broccoli & Cheddar Potatoes
Smart Ones Lemon Herb Chicken Piccata
Smart Ones Fiesta Chicken
Smart Ones Santa Fe Rice & Beans
Smart Ones Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Smart Ones Grilled Chicken in Garlic Herb Sauce
Smart Ones Home-Style Chicken
Smart Ones Chicken Santa Fe

I also love the Thai Kitchen noodles, I buy a rotisserie chicken on Sunday and cut it up. Then all week I add chicken to my noodles!

[zansu]

tgrahek, on Dec 22 2008, 04:16 PM, said:

I also love the Thai Kitchen noodles, I buy a rotisserie chicken on Sunday and cut it up. Then all week I add chicken to my noodles!

I buy the small tins of chicken (pop top) and take them with the noodles when I need a shelf stable option. I like the Thai noodles, but I need MEAT to feel like I ate a meal (call me a spoiled American) I traveled extensively for a while and the Thai noodles and My Own Meals were my safety net.