I've been obsessed with TDP lately and I've lost 6 lbs! Not down to my ticker weight quite yet but soon.

So I've been trying to cook more meals (veggies) rather than boxed meals... I am having a hard time counting calories on things. I am working full time and going to school full time so it can be difficult!

I'd love to see what other people eat for meals... calories included!

1. 1/2 T. olive oil
3 Mrs. T's Pierogies
Green giant indivual serving veggies (broccoli, carrots)
1/4 c. Heinz turkey gravy
*Total Calories: 325
-I wanted chicken with it, but I ran out...

2. 1 serving Smart Start Cereal
1 serving Skim Milk
*Total Calories: 320


Suggestions would be great!

Thanks!

You can make really fun little treats for yourself with pitted fruit. I got the idea from Cooking Light magazine, which I love. Just halve a peach or plum or something and put a small amount of filling of some kind in the hole where the pit was.

Some ideas:
peach with some cottage cheese, sprinkle with ground flax seed, and drizzle with honey
plum with crumbled lite feta, three raw almonds, and the whole thing drizzled with a vinaigrette (lightly!)

You can come up with lots of really good ones, and they are light but look really fancy (and are thus a great solution if you're trying to show off but don't want to kill your diet!).

One of my new favorites I discovered at (of all places) 7-eleven. I was hungry and found a little tray with 2 hard boiled eggs, crackers, and cheese. I had my version for lunch today:

2 hard boiled eggs
1 wedge laughing cow light cheese
5 reduced fat keebler club crackers
1 orange (or whatever fruit)

250-300 cals depending on the size your eggs.

I also like homemade california burritos. No exact recipe but cut up some lean steak really small and cook it up. Cube and cook some potatoes. Add some cheese, vegetables and/or salsa on a tortilla. Yummy!

I am a die-hard fan of THIS cookbook, Cooking Light's SuperFast Suppers. It's full of easy, healthy recipes that are absolutely DELICIOUS. I've never had anything that I hated from that book.

I don't know how you feel about beans, but if you like them here's what I made last night:

Spicy Beans n Greens - a variation on a traditional Mexican dish.

16oz bag of turnip greens or collard greens
1c chopped onions
2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp hot chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2c chicken or veggie broth
2 cans pinto beans (I used black once, they're fine), drained and rinsed

1) put the greens in a large microwavable bowl, add 1/2c broth. cover with plastic wrap leaving a space to vent, microwave for 10 minutes or until wilted.
2) gently toast spices over medium heat in a pot until fragrant (2 mins). Add onions and garlic, cook 2 mins. Add broth, cook 5 mins. Add beans, cook until beans are heated through. Add wilted greens, mix well.

I serve with a piece of homemade low fat cornbread, the book suggests a couple of corn tortillas. It really is a fantastic dish, and talk about iron and fiber! It's 230ish cals I think, or 4 WW points. It takes about 15 mins to cook from start to finish (if you start the onions and spices while the greens are cooking).

I love to cook, but have so little time to do it while going to school full time and working...I usually make myself a large stir fry at least three times a week, easy, filling, and healthy. I mix and match what I use according to what I have. Just a list of some of the things I throw in with a little low sodium soy sauce:

Red Pepper
Green Pepper
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Asparagus

Sometimes I'll make some brown rice to go with it, and normally I'll use some kind of pre-cooked meat, because I'm in such a hurry.

frozen stir fry veggies are the best! You can buy the already cooked chopped chicken..or add no chicken at all.

micro some of that uncle bens 90 second rice...

and walllahhh!

I eat alot of wraps. Low calorie and yummy. My tortillas are about 80 c. with 8 g of fiber. But there is alot of other tortillas you can find for about 50 c. Then just some lunch meat, I used the prepackaged stuff so I know exactly how many calories Im getting, and that about 60 c. And some lettuce, and mustard, and whatever else you would like.

Thanks Judy!!!! I checked it out--- seems like a book I need in my kitchen! I'll be ebay'ing it later!

Yay! I've bought 3 copies myself, I probably ought to get on the Marketing team for that cookbook or something (the other 2 copies were gifts for others, I love it but i don't exactly need 3!)

Judy - How many servings does your recipe make? You said it is 230 calories right?

It looks like it's about 70 cals for the greens/onions, then add on for the amt and kind of beans you use. Using 2 cans of beans gives you about 3/4c beans per serving (it makes 4 1 1/2c servings btw), and that's 170 cals, so 240. Toasted pine nuts are supposed to go on top but I usually omit them as I don't find they add anything and I'd rather just eat some almonds instead

yum - these look good ladies!