When you're trying to lose weight, you may rely on frozen meals a little bit. They're certainly convenient -- just pop them in the microwave and you've got a pre-packaged, calorie-controlled meal. And the health value of some of these meals is improving; many are now available in whole grain (goodbye white rice!). However, the meals don't come without some caveats:

• Look at more than calories. If it's a diet meal, the calories are probably relatively low. However, be sure to watch for sodium. A lot of frozen meals are ridiculously high in sodium. Also, be sure to check the fat grams as well.
  
• Don't forget to form healthy habits. For weight loss to really stick, you've got to change your lifestyle habits. Almost any diet can help you lose weight -- but if you don't create healthy habits that will last a lifetime, how can you ever expect to keep the weight off? Little, frozen microwaveable meals might be all right for a while, but who would want to eat them for the rest of time?
  
• Watch for cost and taste. When it comes to groceries, you pay a price for convenience. Cost-wise, you're much better off cooking your own meals at home. If you just love having pre-portioned meals you can pop in the microwave, why not cook some light, nutritious dinners over the weekend and freeze individual portions? When you cook at home -- controlling the flavors and ingredients -- you're sure to end up with a more nutritious and tastier meal anyway.

There's nothing wrong with stocking your freezer with a few pre-packaged items for when you're in a rush, though. Just make sure you get the best nutrition and taste for your buck. "AOL Health" has taken the guesswork out of it -- check out this slideshow of diet-friendly frozen meals.

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Do you happen to have any Lean Cuisine meals in your freezer? If so, you better take stock of what you have -- nearly 900,000 pounds of Lean Cuisine frozen chicken meals are being recalled.

Nestlé Prepared Foods Company in Springville, Utah issued the recall after receiving customer complaints regarding bits of hard, blue plastic in certain meals. So far, one injury has been reported. The products being recalled include:

• Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken with Bow-Tie Pasta.
• Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean.
• Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan.

Only certain production codes of these meals are being recalled. If you have questions, you can contact Nestlé Consumer Services Center at (800) 227-6188.

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Though meals made from scratch are always better, sometimes the convenience of frozen meals is too difficult to pass up. And the pictures on the boxes of those frozen meals usually look quite tempting, don't they? The reality is often quite different, though. The portions are small and you can be left feeling hungry -- all that extra sodium and preservatives don't feel worth it when it's not even satisfying. But, with a few added ingredients, you can make those frozen meals more nutritious, tasty, and filling.

Women's Health shares lots of easy ideas -- such as adding basil, garlic, asparagus, or tomato to a Healthy Choice Chicken Alfredo dinner. Check out their other ideas as well. Then, the next time you're resorting to a heat-and-eat meal, look around your pantry or fridge and see what fresh and nutritious ingredients you can add.

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All fruits and vegetables are good for you, but grapes are getting some additional props for their heart-healthy benefits.

A recent study divided mice who were specially bred to be susceptible to high blood pressure into diet-defined groups -- one got a low-salt diet, another got a high-sodium diet, a third got a high-sodium diet with the addition of a grape mixture, and a fourth got a high-sodium diet with a small dose of hydrazine (a common blood pressure medication). At the end of the study, the mice who got the grape mixture came out on top with lower blood pressure, better heart function, reduced inflammation, and less heart muscle damage.

Grapes make a convenient and healthful snack as is, but there are lots of other ways you can enjoy grapes. Freeze them for an alternative to other frozen treats. Top your salad with some red or black grapes. Or sip on a few ounces of 100% grape juice.

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I rarely buy frozen chicken, but it wasn't too long ago that my son and I enjoyed Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner. It's a favorite of mine that I usually reserve for a treat at a restaurant. It looks like my son and I were a little lucky, though. As of now, 32 people in 12 states have contracted salmonella from frozen chicken dinners.

The frozen foods in question were breaded or pre-browned chicken breasts that needed to be cooked in the oven. Those who got ill neglected to follow the instructions and heated the food in the microwave. If the chicken is fully cooked before freezing, the microwave more than likely won't do the job.

When dealing with frozen foods, be sure to prepare the meal according to directions. And be sure that any meats -- frozen or fresh -- are cooked thoroughly.

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I love dried cranberries on my salads. They taste a bit like candy to me, which causes me to wonder: Can something that tastes like candy be good for me? Why, yes it can, I've just discovered. Get this: Cranberries, cranberry juice, and dried cranberries are excellent sources of antioxidants. OK, then. Good enough for me.

Here's the dirt, according to one new study: Frozen, juiced, and dried cranberries all have high levels of antioxidants. Frozen cranberries have the most, followed by dried cranberries, whole cranberry sauce (not jellied), and 100% cranberry juice. What's more, one serving of 100% cranberry juice is richer in antioxidants than a serving of Concord grape juice or red wine. Compared with other dried fruits, dried cranberries have the highest antioxidant content, followed by prunes and raisins. And dried and frozen cranberries have higher antioxidant capacities than green tea, vitamin C, and vitamin E. My salad topping is looking better and better. Read on.

One serving of cranberries provides more phenolic antioxidants than the average daily consumption of antioxidants from all fruits, says the lead study author, who reports this: "Cranberries have the highest antioxidant content among 20 commonly consumed fruits, yet they are underconsumed, ranking 16th in the US."

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Feel free to borrow these tips, ladies, but men -- these are mostly for you. Well, those of you who just can't part with goodies like cookies, beer, bacon, and chips. This list offers you options for satisfying your cravings but without the ill-effects. Don't delay -- click on the thumbnails to read on!

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Fruit overripe? Don't let it go bad -- there's an easy and healthy way to preserve those fruits for future eating.

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I've heard it before: Blueberries are tops. More confirmation: Real Age says the blue berry -- linked to healthy skin, hearts, and eyes and powerful enough to keep cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's a bay -- is so good we should be eating one to two cups per day. It's not always easy to score fresh blueberries, though. Never fear: The frozen variety is just as good for you. Here, a bunch of ideas for using frozen berries so you can satisfy your cup-a-day.

• Put a cup of frozen berries in the fridge in the evening to defrost; in the morning, sprinkle over cereal or stir into yogurt.
  
• Throw some berries in a blender and whip up a quick fruit smoothie.
• Use a few as edible ice cubes in your favorite drinks.
  
• Eat them plain, like tiny popsicles.
• Add to a fruit salad about 15 minutes before serving.
• Toss a handful into muffin or quick-bread batter. Add five to 15 minutes to the baking time to compensate for their chilling effect.
  
  

Real Age says you can eat berries for every occasion. With only 79 calories per cup, you're not likely to gain weight from this indulgence. Plus, the antioxidants will do you lots of good.

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We know that colorful foods are best; color provides a variety of nutrients our body needs. And let's face it -- it's much more fun for our taste buds that plain old potatoes and other white foods.

How about some refreshing summer cooler drinks that will give us a fair amount of nutrition, too? Whole Foods Market has some creative recipes that will enhance your seasonal fun.

Let's start with the green Minted Lime Freeze. If you love mojitos, this is a fabulous, frozen, non-alcoholic version of that fun drink. Fresh-squeezed lime juice provides vitamin C and the mint leaves are your leafy greens.

One of my favorite things to do as a kid was fill up the ice cube trays with dubious concoctions of fruit juice and soda and Kool-Aid. I always stuck in a toothpick as a handle, but it never worked. I'd end up digging the "popsicles" out of the tray, holding them, and making a mess all over the place.

But, if you get a freezer pop tray and use a healthier recipe than I did, making your own freezer treats can be a fun activity with your kids... with delicious results! Self Magazine shares some tasty options for freezer pops Ginger-Citrus pops, Mexican Chocolate Pops, Minty Grape Pops, Strawberry-Sunflower Pops, and Wildberry Pops. My son and I have already tried the Minty Grape Pops and they're delicious. I'm planning to try to Mexican Chocolate variety soon, too.

Also, be sure to check out Jacki's Tropical Fruit Pops recipe.

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Summer is the perfect time for hot dogs at the family BBQ, big pretzels at the county fair, and cold treats straight from the ice cream truck. Although these foods can be less-than-perfect options for our kids who love them so -- think lots of salt, sugar, and fat -- WedMD says they can be not so bad, really. Check them out.

• Nachos & Quesadillas
• Hamburgers & Hot Dogs
• Ice Cream
• Frozen Yogurt
• Waffles and pancakes
• Marshmallows
• Popcorn
• Watermelon
  
  

Hot dogs? Healthy? I never thought so. Try light and reduced-fat dogs and you'll be OK, says Sarah Krieger, an American Dietetic Association (ADA) spokeswoman.

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Summer may not have officially arrived but it sure feels like the season is in full force -- well, here in Florida it does, anyway -- which makes it the perfect time to chill out with some frozen treats.

Now, I'm sure if you're going to indulge in some icy goodness, you want to make some health-conscious choices -- right? You're in luck -- I've got seven special selections for you. They hall from this great site, and each one has no more than 75 calories. Check these out.

• Watermelon Chiller: 69 calories
• 3 Cold Stone Creamery ice cream sample spoons: 14 calories
• Cherry Snow Cone: 60 calories
• 1/4 cup Ciao Bella Mango Sorbet: 54 calories
• Half of a Skinny Cow Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich: 70 calories
• 1/4 cup Stonyfield Farm After Dark Chocolate Organic Nonfat Frozen Yogurt: 50 calories
• 10 frozen grapes sprinkled with 2 teaspoons sugar: 67 calories

Come on over here for more refreshing details.

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I am not a picky eater. But I'm picky about the quality of the food I eat. I try to stick with whole foods, avoiding pre-made or processed foods as much as possible. But I'm also time-pressed like everyone else, so I like the idea of having a frozen meal I can microwave in a pinch.

Sure, there's several such options that are supposedly healthy from such makers as Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, and Weight Watchers in the frozen section at grocery stores. But the sodium content, additives and preservatives don't appeal to me. And I consume as much organic meat, dairy and produce as much as possible.

I've found ways to adhere to my food foibles without making meal time more work than it should or needs to be at stressful times.

Every morning, I pack my son's lunch for school (or day camp during the summer). For a while, I bought him those coolers in fun shapes like soccer balls and so forth. But after he lost three or four of them, I gave up on the concept. I also tried using a strong plastic baggie and freezing a thin layer of water in it. I didn't care if those got lost, but my son certainly cared when the baggies got a hole and spilled thawed water all over the rest of his lunch.

The best solution I've found is using edible ice packs. Take a look at your child's lunch and see what could be frozen. The frozen foods will keep your child's lunch cold and, by lunchtime, they should be thawed and ready to eat. Some perfect items for freezing include:

• Yogurt tubes
• Cans of fruit (individual serving sizes)
• Pudding cups
• Grapes
  
• Juice box
• Homemade cookies or muffins.
  

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