Happy Thursday! This week is flying by! I’m thinking every week should only last 4 days…agree?
Today, so I hear, is #NationalTVDinnerDay. I’m not here to support the TV dinner, but rather give you some history on this craze and provide you with equally as easy, equally as convenient, but so, so, so much healthier of options!
According to Wikipedia, the term ‘TV dinner’ is a genericized trademark originally used for a brand of packaged meal developed in 1953 by C.A. Swanson (sound familiar?). In the United States, the term remains synonymous with any prepackaged dinner purchased frozen in a supermarket and heated at home.
I’ll admit, I have been guilty of these, as they are junkily delicious and so easy to pop in the microwave, but I couldn’t tell you the last time I had one, as luckily, in the past decade or so, I’ve become more health-conscious.
To give you a breakdown of health concerns with TV dinners, there are quite a few:
- The freezing process degrades the taste of food and the meals are thus heavily processed with extra salt and fat to compensate.
- Stabilizing the product for a long period generally means that companies will use partially hydrogenated vegetable oils for some items (usually dessert), which are high in trans fat.
- Generally, these meals contain preservatives such as BHT
I know that they’re very convenient, but guess what else is just as convenient? HOMEMADE FREEZER MEALS!
I’ve placed links to all of my compilations of freezer meals to date for your convenience below:
Take a look, put a little bit of extra effort in, and call it your very own version of a TV dinner. Enjoy!
Live Cheap, Feel Rich! 
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