It doesn’t matter what season it is—winter, spring, summer or fall—families are busy all year long. But just because we’re short on time, doesn’t mean we don’t want our kids to have delicious and nutritious meals. Luckily, frozen meals have evolved to include breakfast, lunch and dinner, consist of healthier ingredients and offer more kid-friendly options. Here are our picks for the best new frozen meals for busy families.
Cool Beans
Perfect for a quick dinner or wrapped in foil for a school lunch, Cool Beans plant-based frozen wrap are packed with globally-inspired flavors. Made with whole ingredients, gluten free and vegan, your kiddos will reap the benefits of this fiber-rich food with flavors like spicy chipotle and tikka masala.
Available at retailers nationwide.
Blue Circle's Happy Fish
Adorable little fish that are only made with four ingredients and can be cooked thawed or frozen? Yes, please! A great alternative to fish sticks, you can get these in salmon or cod, and there are no added hormones, dairy, egg or binders.
Available at bluecircle.com, $7 or 8 dollars.
Daiya Gluten-Free Pizza
When you want a convenient, ready-to-eat meal or snack after a long school day, pop a Daiya pizza in the oven. With a variety of options, including Meatless Pepperoni Style, Supreme, Cheeze Lover’s and Fire Roasted Vegetable, Daiya Pizzas are quick to prepare, so parents can spend their time helping with homework and hanging out with the kids.
Kidfresh Frozen Meals for Kids
Got a chicken nugget addict in your crew? You'll want to know about this! Kidfresh brings you kid favorites with a nutritious twist like chicken nuggets with added pureed cauliflower, mac n' cheese with pureed carrots and pizza strips with hidden cauliflower. Your little ones will be eating better without even knowing it!
Get them here.
Saffron Road's New Family Size Line
This clean-label world cuisine company is known for their popular dishes like Pad Thai and Chicken Biryani, and now you can get these, and new dish Pineapple Fried Rice, in a family size! Saffron Road uses ethically sourced ingredients and has other ready-made meals and frozen entrees for busy families.
Family-sized meals will initially be available at Whole Foods Market, Walmart and Harris Teeter.
Green Giant's New Frozen Veggie Lineup
Green Giant already has the market cornered when it comes to fast, easy veggies that complete your meal. Now, the company has even more options to sneak in the green! Now you can shop products like veggie hashbrowns, tots, rings, fries, spirals, cauliflower breadsticks and gnocchi.
You can shop the new products at retailers nationwide.
Pizza'nadas from Brazi Bites
If your kids are pizza addicts, this option is for you. Brazi Bites recently introduced their new line of Pizza'nadas, an extension of the brand’s popular Empanadas line. Pizza’nadas start with the same, iconic Brazilian cheese bread base made from clean ingredients like tapioca flour, eggs, cheese, and milk, stuffed with fresh mozzarella, uncured pepperoni, and tomato sauce for a delicious, nostalgic pizza flavor consumers love. Take the Pizza’nadas straight from the freezer to the oven or air fryer for a scrumptious snack that is ready in minutes.
Buy them here, with 15% off your first order using code YUM15.
Snow Days Grain-Free Pizza Bites
Whip up some guilt-free pizza bites with new Snow Days! They're made with grain-free and gluten-free Cassava dough and packed with organically farmed veggies. Snow Days pizza bites also contain no grains or preservatives and take just takes 10 minutes to make.
Buy them here, $31.49 for a two-pack subscription, or a one time price of $34.99. Use code REDTRI10 for $10 off your first purchase through the month of May.
Alex's Awesome Sourdough
For your next family pizza night, put Alex's Awesome Sourdough on your list. It combines two of our loves—sourdough and pizza—in a quick-baking option that will feed your crew in a flash. You have four flavors to choose from: mozzarella, sunflower pesto, mushroom, vegan margherita with two grain-free options coming soon. Each pizza is shaped by hand by artisan pizza makers and because it is made from sourdough, they are easier to digest.
Find them for sale near you.
SeaPak™ Sea Pals
Instead of serving up fish sticks for the kids, opt for the new Sea Pal Shrimp Nuggets from SeaPak™. These sea turtle and starfish-shaped shrimp bites offer a whopping 14 grams of protein per serving, are wrapped in a crispy whole-grain breading and have no artificial preservatives. Our editor’s kids give them two thumbs up!
Buy them here, $5.96.
Belcampo Meatballs
Known for its high-quality meat products, Belcampo recently launched a line of frozen meatballs made from the company’s organic, grass-fed beef; simply heat and eat! We think this is a great way to get protein on your kids’ plate without putting in a lot of time in the kitchen.
Buy them here, $8.99 per bag.
Cinnabon Frosted CinnaSweet Swirls
Made with spicy-sweet goodness and the signature cream cheese frosting, these new Cinnabon Frosted Cinnasweet Swirls are perfect for a cozy weekend morning with the kids.
Buy them here, $9.24.
MorningStar Farms Incogmeato Mickey Mouse Chik’n Nuggets
These new plant-based nuggets are Mickey Mouse shaped, made with non-GMO soy and offer 10 grams of protein per serving. Vegetarians and families hoping to have a meatless meal here or there rave about these, so be sure to give them a try.
Buy them here, $5.27.
Smucker's Uncrustables Frozen Turkey & Colby Jack Roll-Ups
Smucker’s new Uncrustables are perfect for lunch boxes or snack time. Made with real turkey and Colby jack cheese, just pull them out and let them thaw! Plus, each serving offers 10 grams of protein.
Buy a box here, $4.99.
Organic Ice Wands from DeeBee's Organics
Kids will flip over these Organic Ice Wands featuring Anna, Elsa and Olaf from Frozen 2 and the plant-based Organic SuperFruit Freezies that were released from DeeBee's just in time for the summer heat. DeeBee's Organics shelf-stable freezies are made from premium organic fruits with zero added artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives and are allergen-free of nuts, dairy, fish, wheat and soy. You can feel good serving them every afternoon this summer!
Scott & Jon's Shrimp Ramen Noodle
From Scott & Jon and their frozen shrimp and grain bowls, comes four new flavors—Shrimp Alfredo Pasta, Shrimp Ramen Noodle, Spicy Ramen Noodle, and Shrimp Scampi Pasta. All of their bowls cook in under four minutes and are under 300 calories. Each bowl is also packed with protein.
Buy it here, $3.99.
—Gabby Cullen with Karly Wood
All images courtesy of retailers.
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