The Lean Cuisine Frozen Meal That Just Isn't Worth Buying

Lean Cuisine has been a go-to for quick, calorie-conscious meals since the early '80s, offering a balance of convenience and nutrition. The brand has always provided a variety of options, but not every meal is worth stocking in your freezer. After ranking 16 Lean Cuisine meals, one stood out — for all the wrong reasons.

The Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry Balance Bowl seems promising on paper. At just 210 calories with 13 grams of protein and a full cup of vegetables, it checks the right nutritional boxes. The mix of brown rice, red peppers, broccoli, and carrots sounds healthy, and with no added sugar, it should be a solid choice. But in execution, it falls short. Our reviewer found the texture watery and inconsistent, and the ingredients didn't complement each other, making for an underwhelming bite.

At around $5, it's an easy grab — but not necessarily a satisfying one. Fortunately, this isn't the only option in the Balance Bowl series. If you're looking for a better frozen meal, our reviewer found the Marinara Chicken & Broccoli to be a stronger choice. While this shrimp stir-fry isn't worth buying, the Balance Bowl lineup isn't a total loss.

The start of the year brings a fresh wave of health goals, and for many, that means reaching for easy, portion-controlled meals. In 2024, Lean Cuisine leaned further into that image with a new positivity campaign that promotes mindful eating and enjoying food rather than just strict dieting.

While frozen meals like the Balance Bowl series and others offer a quick, structured approach to nutrition, they also work as a blueprint for home cooking. Their formula — lean protein, whole grains, and vegetables — mirrors the basics of meal prep.  So if the Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry sounds appealing, there's nothing stopping you from making a better version yourself.

Instead of microwaving a frozen bowl, you saute fresh shrimp in garlic and olive oil, add a squeeze of lime, and serve it over fluffy brown rice with crisp-tender vegetables of your choice. Or swap the shrimp for grilled chicken marinated in tahini sauce and fresh herbs over a bed of romaine or rice. Same concept, better taste, and no funny textures. So, whether you're grabbing a frozen meal for convenience or using it as inspiration, a little extra effort can turn a forgettable dish into something worth looking forward to.