Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Conagra Foods. All opinions are our own.

Trying to stick to a healthy meal plan with a busy routine is often hard to do.  When I’m on the go, I try to stick with sensible meals that are light and quick.  Sometimes, It’s extremely difficult to find a balanced meal that has both of those elements.  Our intense schedules limit us and this often leads to very bad nutritional choices.  Bad choices result in higher blood pressure, higher cholesterol and yes, weight gain.

To keep my life a little bit more balanced and to keep my schedule somewhat in order, I started to replace a restaurant meal with a frozen meal.  I save time, money, calories and just a bit of sanity.  I started doing this because a recent study shows that by replacing a restaurant or cafeteria meal with a single serving frozen meal, you can lower your blood pressure and lower your cholesterol in just 30 short days.   Surprised?  I certainly was.   Now I don’t know about you, but eating good food and improving your health is okay in my book.  As much as I love cooking and preparing my own meals, there are those days when having the convenience of a frozen meal ready in five minutes is perfectly ok.

My frozen meals of choice are the Healthy Choice Top Chef Cafe Steamers.  These recipes were developed by Bravo TV’s Top Chef Cheftestants and are less than 500 calories each.  Packaged in a special tray, they are placed in the microwave to steam, thaw and cook evenly.    I never get bored because their selection offers a wide variety; from Sesame Chicken to Meatballs and Sausage Marinara, there’s always something new and different to try.

Having these convenient options when life has you running is a great alternative for a busy and healthy lifestyle.   Give them a try and add a little bit of ease to your hectic schedule.

On my weekly visits to the grocery store, I always make sure to throw in a bag or two of frozen fruits and vegetables in my shopping cart.  No matter what curve balls our busy schedules throw at us during the week, I always end up incorporating frozen fruits or veggies in our weeknight meals.

Whether I throw in a handful of frozen peas and carrots to my Spanish rice or broccoli florets to my boiling fideo, it’s always a good idea to pump up your food with more nutritional ingredients, frozen or not.

One of the reasons why I like to always have frozen fruits and vegetables in my freezer is because I use the exact amount of what my family and I are going to eat.  There is no waste and no guilt of wasting food or “green guilt.”  Most vegetables’ journey from farm to freezer occurs within 24 hours, so their color, texture and freshness is preserved.

Frozen fruit is great for quick post-workout smoothies or as a simple snack for kids.  My son loves eating blueberries straight out of the freezer when we are out of raisins or fresh fruit. Personally, one of my favorite flavor combinations is strawberry, blueberry and vanilla yogurt.  I love throwing my frozen strawberries and blueberries in the blender, adding fat free vanilla yogurt and creating a healthy drink to enjoy at any time of the day.

Not only is it delicious, it’s quick, easy and can double up as a refreshing berry pop on hot days.  And of course, kids love them.  Add bananas, honey and your favorite nut for your own special twist on flavor.  Enjoy!

Vanilla Berry Smoothie (Makes 3 cups)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 2/3 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions:

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

For frozen pops:

Add 2 more tablespoons of honey to the smoothie mixture and pour into popsicle molds.  Freeze overnight.

Disclosure: We have been compensated for sharing this post as part of a campaign with ConAgra Foods. All opinions are our own.

Our time is precious as busy working moms.  We have reports to submit, emails to return, homes to tidy up and mouths to feed.  By nature, we want to do it all in a day’s time but we need to slow down.

I absolutely love preparing home cooked meals for my family when I have the time.  When I don’t, I rather spend the time that I have during the day bonding, helping my son do his homework or go on a short walk around our neighborhood park.  Family comes first.

Since we cannot add more hours to our days, I have learned to make some adjustments when it comes to saving time in cooking family meals.

One of the easiest and most delicious foods to prepare can be found in the freezer isle of your grocery store.   Frozen meals.  Are you surprised?  Writing about food for these past few years, I’ve learned so much about where our food comes from and how food products are prepped for consumers.  It pleases me to see the different steps brands are taking in order to achieve excellence in their products.  Frozen food brands do not fall short.

One brand in particular, ConAgra Foods has a culinary advisory board made up of esteemed chefs.  Their mission is to continue to improve and elevate their frozen meals with the best ingredients and highest quality preparation, debunking many frozen meal myths that we’ve all come to believe.

Here are just a few of the most commonly held myths regarding frozen meals:

Myth:  Frozen meals don’t compare to a home cooked meal when it comes to preparation.

I have come to find out that they do!  The vegetables in Meals like Marie Callender’s for example, are blanched before freezing.  It’s a great way to preserve them fresh, keep their beautiful color and texture for you to enjoy.

I was also surprised to find out that Healthy Choice meals use apples instead of sugar for that tart-sweetness some of us love. They also use olive oil instead of butter and a splash of red wine for seasoning.  These are some substitutions I have made when preparing a home cooked meal!

Myth: Frozen foods are a no-no when it comes to watching your weight or health conscience.

Weight management doesn’t have to come down to bars and shakes.  Now, there are so many options for you!  Healthy Choice meals for example, are portioned out for you and provide the ideal meal that satisfies you until it’s time for your next meal.

Myth:  Frozen meals are bland and boring.

Not true.  I’m a big fan of Chinese food.  To add variety to my meals, P. F. Chang’s Home Menu Meals has exceptional meals that add zest to your menu plan.   Their Shanghai Style Beef with crisp vegetables is one of my favorites. Healthy Choice also has their Café Steamers.  These are culinary-inspired meals that contain perfectly steamed, tender veggies.

Next time you visit your grocery store, don’t skip the frozen food section. Stroll the freezers and get creative in your weekly menu planning.  The variety of meals you can serve when incorporating a frozen meal will ease that time in your kitchen that you can use to spend with your family.

Disclosure: We have been compensated for sharing this post as part of a campaign with ConAgra Foods. All opinions are our own.