I have tons of recipes for dinners that are under 300 calories. Cooking Light is a great source for low cal dinner recipes. So much so that I actually have recipe file saved on CL.com with the name "Chicken Recipes-Under 300 Calories."
Here are a few ideas:
- Chicken with Fruit Sauce. Broil the chicken or pound it flat with a meat mallet and sauce it with a small amount of cooking spray (it will cook in about 5 min, if you use this method). You can season the chicken with poultry seasoning, lemon pepper, or another spice mixture if you want. You can serve the whole thing over polenta or a half cup of rice. With 4 oz chicken, one serving of the sauce, and 1/2 cup rice, it is about 300 calories.
- Fish recipes
- Tuna and Pasta Salad
- Chicken with Lime Sauce
- Spicy Chicken Cakes with Horseradish Aioli (if spicy is a problem for you, use poultry seasoning instead of the Cajun seasoning)
- Chicken with Potatoes and Rosemary (I used all breast meat chicken)
- Ground Turkey and Tofu (I subbed carrots for the peas and added diced red pepper, leave out the crushed red pepper is spicy foods are problematic)
- Roasted Tomato-Beef Goulash with Caraway (I used lean beef stew meat, added roasted red pepper to it and served it with polenta and it was still under 300 calories).
- Provencal Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives
- Balsamic Rosemary Pork (super quick and easy, serve with a side of veggies)
- Orange Pork with Scallions
- Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Pork
Beef and Rice Casserole
1 lb 95% lean ground beef
2 cups diced celery (7 oz)
1 cup diced red pepper (6 oz)
1 cup diced onion (6 oz)
1 cup brown rice
14 oz tomatoes
4 oz can diced green chiles, drained
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 beef bullion cube
1 1/4 cups water
4 oz shredded reduced fat cheese
Brown meat in a large, oven-proof skillet with celery, pepper, and onions. Drain fat if necessary. Add remaining ingredients, except cheese. Bring to a boil. Cover and place in 350 degree oven and bake for 45 min or so, until rice is tender. Top with cheese and bake for 5 min more, just until cheese melts. If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you can dump it into a casserole dish and bake it that way. Makes 6 servings at about 300 calories each.
Chicken with Rice
12 oz chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
6 oz diced red pepper (1 cup)
6 oz diced onions (1 cup)
5 oz diced carrots (1 cup)
7 oz diced celery (2 cups)
4 cups cooked rice
12 cup bottled stir-fry sauce or salsa
Spray large non-stick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over med-high. Saute chicken with vegetables until everything is cooked. Add rice and stir-fry sauce and cook until heated through.
Coq Au Vin
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup onion, diced (6 oz)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups carrots, diced (10 oz)
10 oz mushrooms, sliced (sub 1 cup of diced celery if you don't like mushrooms)
8 oz turkey kielbasa
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup red wine
14 oz diced tomatoes
10 oz pearl onions, blanched and peeled
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
In a dutch oven or large saucepan, saute chicken in 1 tbsp olive oil until browned.
Add remaining tbsp olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, and turkey kielbasa. Saute, stirring frequently, until onion is just tender.
Add remaining ingredients through pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.
Combine flour and water, then stir into the stew. Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Discard bay leaf and serve.
Note: To peal the pearl onions, place them in boiling water for 3 min, drain and then rinse with cold water. Then you can cut the end of each onion and easily pop it out of its skin.
Makes 6 servings, 350 calories per serving, 12g fat, 22g carbs (3g fiber), 39g protein.
Wonder where I got that idea!