mcdonalds hamburger 250
mcdonalds vanilla ice cream cone 150
total 400

wendy's lrg chili 280
1 pack wendy's saltine crackers 30
total 310

easy mac 230
green giant just for one broccoli & cheese sauce 50
yogart 80
total 360

chefs salad
2 cups mixed greens 20
turkey ham and roast beef cut into thin strips 1oz each 120
5 sliced olives 50
1 medium diced tomato 20
1/2 medium diced bell pepper 10
1tbsp sliced almonds 30
1tsp olive oil mixed with 1 tbsp balasamic vinegar 50
100 calorie snack pack cookies of your choice 100
total 400


michelina's lean gourmet beef pepper steak and rice 270
1/2 cup green giant broccoli and carrots 40
1/2 cup edy's chocolate vanilla swirl yogart 100
total 410

I think these are some great ideas. I eat whole foods whenever possible but I'm often on the road. My magic meal number is 350-400 calories as well - so it's great having some on the road "go to"s in mind. (It's pretty easy to make it work when I'm home cooking.)

Tonight's dinner - not a lot of cooking involved and all stuff on hand:

Chicken parmesan made with Schwan's Spicy Chicken Breast (190 calories), Barilla Sweet Peppers marinara (60) and a slice of light Swiss (50). Served over spinach sauteed with fresh herbs and more marinara (80).

This turned out really yummy.

Some of my favorites are:

Beef Stew - this makes 4 servings at about 345 calories per
1 lb lean stew meat
3 cups potato, 1 inch dice
2 cups carrot, 1 inch slices
2 cups celery, 1 inch slices
1 onion, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Bay leaf
6 cups low sodium chicken or beef stock
2 tbsp cornstarch
Salt and Pepper to taste

Soften onion and garlic in olive oil, then brown meat. Add carrots, celery, potato, bay leaf, pepper, and all but 1/4 cup of the stock. Bring to a simmer and cook 2-3 hours (this is also good in a crockpot on low for 8 hours), covered. Before serving, combine the last 1/4 cup stock with the cornstarch, bring stew to a rolling boil, and stir in cornstarch slurry. Simmer until thickened.

Spaghetti Squash Bake - 4 servings, 385 calories per serving, can be prepared, put in fridge, and baked when you get home.
1 large spaghetti squash, baked or microwaved and raked with a fork into strings
1 lb lean ground turkey, browned with 1 diced onion, 2 cloves garlic, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups plain marinara sauce
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown the meat with the onions, garlic, and seasoning, then add the marinara sauce and spaghetti squash strands. Toss to combine. Place in a baking dish, sprinkle cheese over top, and bake at 375 until cheese is golden and bubbly, 30-40 minutes. Serve with a side salad, if desired.

My dinner tonight was this:

Split pea soup - 250 calories
(here is a good recipe http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/12...-pea-soup.html)
A piece of sprouted barley toast - 70 calories
1/2 cup cut up pineapple - 40 calories
360 calories

I usually stick around 400 calories for lunch.

Some of the things I eat:

*Sandwich with low calorie bread, chicken & low fat cheese and lettuce, pickle, onion, tomato, spicy brown mustard, (200 calories)
yogurt (100 calories)
large apple or (any fruit for 100 calories)

*3 cups homemade vegetable (beef or chicken or turkey) soup (300 calories)
fruit or yogurt (100 calories)

*chef type salad with hard boil egg, chicken and low calorie dressing (400 calories worth)

For fast:
*Smart-Ones lasagna (300 calories)
fruit or yogurt (100 calories)

*Culver's classic Caesar salad (358 calories)
w/ lite raspberry vinaigrette dressing (45 calories)

That sounds really good. My kind of meal quick & easy.

I'm a fan of healthy choice meals or soups if I'm on the go - just look at the calories before buying! I've bought a few that were like 210 calories, and I looked at the box at work and thought, "Crap. I'm going to be starving in a couple hours."

The beef stew sounds yummy - I'm going to have to give that a try, soon.

Tonight I am having:
1 lb ground turkey breast, combined with 1 onion, grated, 1 clove garlic, finely minced, 1 carrot, grated, 1 zucchini, grated, 2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix to combine, then divide into 8 equal portions and place each portion in one cup of a spam-sprayed muffin tin. Brush the tops of each with remaining 2 tbsp of ketchup and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. (175 calories for 2 muffin-sized meatloaves).

1 cup red potato in wedges, tossed with 1 tsp olive oil and herbs and baked at 375 for 50 min or so, until browned (160 calories)

1 cup asparagus, tossed with 1 tsp of olive oil and roasted at 375 for 20 min, then tossed with a mix of one finely minced clove garlic, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, pepper, salt, and the zest of one lemon. (45 calories)

1 1lb.12 oz. cn crushed tomatoes, or whole Roma tomatoes, drained and crushed
1/2 cn whole black olives, or 1/2 cup marinated (deli) olives (omit salt), chopped and pitted
1 13 oz cn mushrooms, or 1/2lb. of fresh sliced mushrooms
1 shallot, thinly sliced, 1/3 reserved
1 med. onion, diced, 1/2 reserved
4-6 cloves garlic, depending on size, sliced or minced (I prefer sliced)
1-2 med. carrots, sliced or diced
1 celery heart, or two stalks plus a pinch of celery seed (reserved), sliced or diced
1 med. yellow squash
1 med. zucchini
1 Tb oregano or 5 fresh sprigs
1 t marjoram
1 Tb basil, or 5 fresh leaves
1 t crushed rosemary, or 1 fresh sprig
2 bay leaves
2 T high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup red wine (make sure wine is DRINKING quality, NOT cooking wine), 1/4 reserved (optional)
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tb balsamic vinegar
2 Tb Romano cheese (optional)
2 Tb Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 t MSG (optional)
grey sea salt, or plain sea salt, or kosher to taste
pepper melange or fresh ground pepper to taste

After preparing and reserving vegetables, heat olive oil in large pan or skillet.
Saute olives, 2/3 shallot, 1/2 onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until they begin to blacken around edges, or until minced garlic is golden brown.
Add 3/4 cup red wine and reduce until gone.
Add vinegars and reduce until gone.
Add remaining shallot and onion, mushrooms, zucchini and yellow squash and saute until onion is translucent.
Add crushed tomatoes, Romano cheese, MSG, and herbs, stir until combined, add remaining wine, salt and pepper and stir again.
Simmer on low for one hour, uncovered, adding water if necessary, and stirring occasionally.

Serve this over spaghetti squash, and it only comes out to 268 cal. a serving! (Edit: makes 4 servings)

2 celery stalks 20
1 Tb peanut butter 90
20 raisins 30
½ cup 1% milk 50
Total: 190

I also wanted to add this one as it is like a small meal or large snack.

Chipotle veggie salad (no dressing) - 350 calories
Lettuce, black beans, grilled veggies, tomato salsa, corn salsa, green or red salsa (I like red), guacamole on the side (swap out guacamole for rice for about 400 calories total)

1 grilled chicken breast-160
2/3 cup betty crocker instant mashed potatoes-80
1 cup green beans-44
284 total

This sounds VERY yummy! I plan on making it for dinner next week! Thanks!

This one sounds soooo good too! I am making it tomorrow! I planned on making squash spaghetti and turkey meatballs. This will be a nice change! Thanks again!

Your stew sounds awesome too, but I do not eat red meat (since my new lifestyle, I plan on adding it later).