7 Favorite Dinner Kits and Skillet Meals

I don't care what people say about frozen foods and boxed dinners. They can really be life savers, especially for busy people who don't feel like cooking dinner when they come home from work. The following are 7 of my favorite dinner kits and skillet meals that I've tried and liked. They may not be the healthiest foods out there, but in moderation, they really are lifesavers when I'm in one of my "I don't want to cook" moods.

1. Bird's Eye Voila - Alfredo Chicken

Price: $3 to $4, depending on where you buy it

Type: Frozen skillet bagged complete meal

Servings: package says it serves 4, but I found it to just be enough for 2 people

Ingredients Included: everything you need

Ingredients Needed: none

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Taste: Great - creamy sauce, fresh veggies, tender chicken

Difficulty: Easy

What I like about the Voila varieties is that everything you need for a meal is included in the bag, and you don't need to add anything. For the price, it's pretty good. The only work you really need to do is melt the sauce packet under some warm water, then add it to the kit. The Alfredo sauce tastes great along with the chicken, broccoli, carrots and penne pasta. I'm not sure if it's enough for a family of 4 though, since I thought it was only enough for me and my boyfriend.

2. Old El Paso - Hard and Soft Taco Dinner Kit

Price: $2 to $3

Type: Boxed, can be stored in the pantry

Servings: 6 - 2 tacos each

Ingredients Included: 6 soft tortillas, 6 hard taco shells, taco seasoning, chunky salsa

Ingredients Needed: 1 lb ground beef or shredded chicken, toppings of your choice, water

Prep Time: about 10-15 minutes

Taste: seasoned meat doesn't taste like Taco Bell's, but it's still good

Difficulty: Moderate - meat needs cooked, seasoning needs added, tacos need assembled

I love tacos, and these kits make it really easy to have tacos for dinner. Instead of buying the taco shells, seasoning and salsa separately, you can get everything you need in one kit, and you just have to add meat and toppings. Old El Paso has a great variety of dinner kits, but the Hard and Soft Taco Dinner Kit is my favorite, since it includes both hard and soft shells. I do intend on trying the Enchilada Bake and Gordita kits in the near future.

3. Hamburger Helper - Creamy Stroganoff

Price: $1 to $2

Type: Boxed skillet meal, can be stored in the pantry

Servings: 4

Ingredients Included: noodles, seasoning

Ingredients Needed: 1 lb of ground beef, milk and water

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Taste: creamy texture, overall good taste for the price

Difficulty: Moderate - ground beef needs cooked first, noodles need boiled

Not only is Hamburger Helper cheap, it's tasty too. My favorite is the Creamy Stroganoff, although I think that many of the other varieties are good too. All you need to do is brown the meat, drain it, boil the noodles and then mix it all together. It does take a little more time to cook, but it's well worth it.

4. Romano's Macaroni Grill Dinner Kit - Chicken Alfredo with Linguine

Price: $3 to $5

Type: Boxed skillet meal, can be stored in the pantry

Servings: 5 - 1 cup servings

Ingredients Included: linguine noodles, Alfredo sauce, seasoning, grated cheese

Ingredients Needed: 1 lb chicken strips, milk, water

Prep Time: about 20 minutes

Taste: excellent, I loved the Alfredo sauce

Difficulty: Moderate - similar to Chicken Helper prep

When I saw that my grocery store had this new dinner kit, I had to try it. I must admit, I was very pleased with this product. I knew that Macaroni Grill was a good restaurant, so I figured that the dinner kit would be good too. I love Alfredo sauce, and this was one of my favorite sauces in a dinner kit. It tasted authentic and fresh. There are also other varieties that I would like to try, including Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken and Pasta, Garlic and Herb Chicken Penne and Chicken Marsala with Linguine.

5. Chicken Helper - Chicken Fried Rice

Price: $1 to $2

Type: Boxed skillet meal, can be stored in the pantry

Servings: 4

Ingredients Included: rice, seasoning

Ingredients Needed: 1 lb chicken (cut up in cubes), 1 egg, vegetable oil

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Taste: Good, although it doesn't taste like authentic fried rice

Difficulty: Moderate

I'm not really a big fan of Asian foods, but I do like fried rice. When I tried the Chicken Fried Rice variety of Chicken Helper, I was impressed by the quality and simplicity. All you need to do is cook the chicken, cook the rice and seasoning, and in the end, you scramble an egg into the meal. I've also made this without chicken as a great side dish.

6. Campbell's Supper Bakes - Savory Pork Chops with Herb Stuffing

Price: $2 to $4

Type: Boxed baking ingredients, can be stored in the pantry

Servings: 4

Ingredients Included: stuffing, seasoning, baking sauce

Ingredients Needed: 4 pork chops, water

Prep Time: 5 minutes to prep, 30-40 minutes to bake

Taste: Great, tastes like a home cooked meal

Difficulty: Easy, all you need to do is mix the seasoning with rice, add pork and bake

I really fell in love with the Campbell's Supper Bakes products, since they are so easy to prepare. For this variety, all you need is 4 pork chops and some water, and the rest is done for you. You'll need a 9 x 13 baking dish as well. Simply add the stuffing, seasoning and water to the bottom of the dish, add pork chops and top with the baking sauce. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, and you have a complete "homestyle" baked meal for your family. My other favorite is the Herb Chicken and Rice variety.

7. Bertolli Complete Skillet Meal for Two - Italian Sausage and Rigatoni

Price: $7 to $9

Type: Frozen bagged complete meal

Servings: 2

Ingredients Included: everything you need

Ingredients Needed: none

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Taste: Excellent, one of my favorite frozen meals

Difficulty: Easy, just add the bagged ingredients to the skillet, stir once and serve

Despite the higher price of this product, I liked the quality. It's simple to cook, and everything you need is included in the bag. It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and it goes well with some garlic bread or salad. My boyfriend even asked if I made this from scratch - that's how good it tastes!