one of those 3 oz. fat free tuna salad snack packs with 6 crackers, bumble bee brand - 130 calories
good size apple or medium banana - 100 calories
couple of kosher dill pickles - scant calories
a sandwich baggie of raw fresh veggies and 2 tbsp kraft reduced fat ranch dressing - 160 calories
I like finding a sensible sized piece of meat (chicken, beef, pork chops) and steaming veggies...
my favorite veggies are artichokes, asparagus, yellow onion, red and orange and yellow bell peppers, broccoli...
I have also tried incorporating sweet potatoes into my diet, which I've never enjoyed before in my entire life, but cutting them into french fry shaped pieces, brushing with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling salt, then I bake them for about 15-20 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, they taste a lot better than just baking them like a russett potato and it feels like a tasty treat because they are fries!
1 pre cooked/frozen chicken breast-130
2 cups frozen veggies-30
160 total
I usually try to eat this for lunch. Sometimes I"ll add another chicken breast for the protien.
1 cup stir fry veggies (frozen)
10 shrimp
stir fry, serve with 1/2 tsp of teriyaki, 1/2 tsp. hoisin.
I just went back and read all these great recipes... I want to go eat dinner at mandalynn's place!
Here's my goto 400 calorie meal. It makes a very large serving. If I eat this for breakfast I can happliy go all day without another meal because this leaves me so satisfied.
Carbonara
~ boil 2 oz of Bella Terra 8 whole grain pasta with milled flaxseed (or your wholegrain pasta of choice)
~ while the pasta is boiling - cook up 2 slices of bacon cut into pieces
~ mix up an egg with 2 tablespoons parmesian cheese
~ when pasta is nearly cooked, add 1 cup brocoli (aspargas and snow peas also work very well) to pasta and a bit of minced garlic to the bacon.
~ drain the pasta and the bacon
~ Pour pasta & veggies into bacon pan. Mix well. (do not have heat under the pan - the residual heat in the pan and the pasta, veggies, and bacon is enough. If the burner is still on the egg mixture gets weird.)
I usually hate the frozen dinners I am so picky but I just tried the Lean Cuisine Chicken Parm it had 320 calories and it was soooo good! I picked it up because I was in a rush and had no time to cook. I trick my mind by putting everything on a smaller plate and I have been *trying* to eat really slow. It helps!
2 Rice Cakes - 70
1 wedge Laughing Cow - 35
4 slices of cucumber - 4
1 small mushroom, raw - 4
total 108Cals
I used the Mozarella, Sundried Tomato and Basil Laughing Cow, but any flavor will do. I split the wedge between the 2 rice cakes, spread it on then topped it with cucumber and mushroom slices. Was very surprised at how good it was. I had 2 servings and an apple for a total of 288Cals and just under 6g of fat.
I know this might sound gross, but stick with me. It's awesome. I found it on my Spark Recipe app for my iphone.
1.5 cups of dry whole wheat penne
1 cup marinara
2 eggs
four large handfulls of fresh spinach
You start your pasta water boiling, and put your marinara in another small pot to start simmering. Throw your pasta in the water to cook it, and crack your eggs carefully on top of the marinara, cover it and let them poach. When your pasta is about done, throw your spinach in and mix it up and let it wilt, then drain it.
Divide the pasta and spinach into two bowls, top each with an egg and divide the marinara between the two.
Each serving has 340 calories, so you can still add a sprinkle of shakey cheese! Really filling and DELISH especially if you leave the egg yolk a little runny. I know it sounds really weird, but it's cheap and worth a try. I LOVE it.
I just had a baked potato w/o skin with 1/2 C of Hormel Turkey Chili (more cals than vegetarian chili) and 2 TBSP chredded colby jack cheese (didn't have any ff cheese at home!) and it was soooooo good! I also had a Jello Mousse cup.
I have found making up a base of brown rice and chicken breasts (cooking up enough for a few days all at once) really helps me make fast, filling meals when I have very little time (or inclination) to cook.
I just scoop 1c of brown rice (about 200 cal), one small chicken breast (130 cal) then add in some steamed veggies such as broccoli (40 cal a cup or so).
The thing that keeps me interested is sauces, sauces, sauces! I enjoy sweet balsamic glaze (30 cal a tbsp), lime and chili hot sauces (almost no calories!) and the occasional Trader Joe's yellow curry sauce (100 cal per 1/4 cup)
kangaroo whole wheat pita pockets (100 calories a piece)
either leftover chicken or turkey inside, chopped up tomatoes, a little onion and some hopped p bell peppers. Than a few squirts on spray ranch dressing.
Super low in calories but very filling. This is one of my "go to" meals.
1 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 can cranberry sauce
1 cup dried stuffing mix (I use the cornbread style)
Mix the turkey, egg, stuffing mix, and *half* the can of cranberry sauce together. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes (165 degrees internal temp). Microwave remaining cranberry sauce and drizzle over sliced meatloaf.
One fourth of the whole loaf is about 300 calories. I usually eat baked sweet potatoes with it, but mashed cauliflower or other veggies will work as well if you want to save calories.
My new favorite dinner. Filling, delicious, and quite low-calorie. I live alone, so I make all 4 servings and then have leftovers for the rest of the week!
Turkey and Black Bean Chili (Weight Watchers)
(serves 4)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound ground skinless turkey
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded fat-free sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup sliced scallions
Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, tomaties, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Serve with the cheese, sour cream and scallions.
Serving size: 1 cup chili, with 2 tablespoons chees, 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 tablespoon scallions.
Serves 4
242 Calories, 4g Fat, 25g Carb, 8 g Fiber, 27 g protein
4 Points per serving
I made these tonight and they were awesome!! It is a WW recipe:
Veggie Burgers
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1/4 cup each minced onion, green pepper, carrot, celery
2/3 cup drained canned white kidney (cannellini) beans
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
In 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add onion, pepper, carrot, celery; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft and moisture has evaporated. Set aside to cool.
Using a fork, in medium mixing bowl mash beans; stir in egg. Add bread crumbs and veggies. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Shape mixture into 4 equal patties. Set patties on plate and refrigerate covered, 20 minutes.
In same skillet, heat 1tsp of the remaining oil. Add 2 patties; cook over medium heat, turning once, until browned on both sides. Repeat with remaining oil and patties.
Serves 4 - 2 WW points per patty
Per patty: 129 calories; 5g fat; 5g fiber
I used chick peas instead of white beans since that was what I had. I left out the celery and added cilantro. I also used no-fat cooking spray instead of oil. I put this on one of those 100 calorie multi-grain Sandwich Thins and added a little no fat, no cal mayo and salsa. Add any of your usual burger toppings like lettuce, tomato, onion or low fat cheese.
I was thinking how awesome and easy it would be to add lump crab to this - maybe when you have a few more calories to spare or want a more special dinner. These would make awesome low maintenance crab cakes.
I also like this recipe because you can use any bean. Thinking black bean with some corn and other southwestern ingredients would be delicious too!
Hope someone else tries and enjoys - truly delicious and easy to make. Even the meat loving, big appetite boyfriend loved them.
