Sweet Potato and Black beans ..makes 5 servings @ 215 calories each
3 cups cooked cubed sweet potatoes
3/4 cp orange juice
2 tsps cornstarch
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cumin
1 can rinsed black beans
1 cp cooked rice
mix everything except beans, potatoes,and rice
heat to boiling stirring constantly
boil 1 minute until thick, stirring constantly
add beans, rice potatoes
cook 2 mins
if you used canned sweet potatoes like I did, it comes out as a mashed potato consistency with the rice and beans mixed in, so is great as a burrito, I have it in the 90 calorie flat bread I buy,,,so calories are then 305/serving

Vegetarian Chili makes 4 servings @ 280 calories each
2 tsp oil
1 lg chopped onion
1 small chopped green pepper
1 med zucchini cut into 1" long roughly 1/4 thick strips..or just dice it up like I do..lol
2 cloves garlic
2 cans pinto beans drained
2 cans tomatoes with chilies undrained
2 tsps chili powder
1 tsp cumin
red pepper to taste..optional, I like mine HOT!
heat oil, cook veggies until onion is tender
add beans, tomatoes, spices, simmer 20 mins

Brown Rice Curry Salad...makes 4 servings @ 259 each
1 cp brown rice
1/4 cp chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 cp raisins
2 tbsps scallions minced
1 tbsp oil
14 oz chicken broth
1/2 cp water
1/2 cp diced green pepper

Saute rice, onion, curry, peppers until veggies are soft,
stir in chicken broth and water and bring to a boil
reduce heat. cover and simmer 25-30 mins or until rice is tender and liquid is gone (I add the raisins here too)
Add 1/4 cp Chutney dressing and cool, then add grapes, scallions, and black pepper to taste and more dressing to taste

Chutney dressing
1/2 cp seedless grapes
1/2 cp mango salsa
2 tbsps vinegar
1 tbsp oil
puree grapes and chutney in blender or processor until smooth, add vinegar and oil mix well..

Hula Pizza..makes 1 serving 217 calories
1 8", low fat, whole wheat tortilla
2 tbsps traditional BBQ sauce (or 7 grams carb or less p/2 tbsp type)
3/4 oz (about 3 tblsp goat cheese crumbles, I cheated a bit here and diced up a low fat mozzerella cheese stick since I couldn't find the crumbles
3 tbsps drained diced pineapple, or rings diced into bite size pieces
1 1/2 tsps finely chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400*
Place tortilla on baking sheet, bake 2-4 mins per side or until crisp, watch for air bubbles, if they appear stick a fork in them and press air out gently with a spatula
remove from oven and add toppings (sauce, then cheese, pineapple and cilantro)
Bake another 2-4 mins or until cheese is melted
Slice into wedges and enjoy!

I make up a batch of one of the 1st 3 on a Sunday, so I know my lunch for the week is ready, just scoop a serving and microwave. I do alternate occasionally with a hula pizza or a wrap..

for the wraps I use FLAT OUT whole wheat Light flat bread (90 calories for one) 6 slices of Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh oven roasted Turkey Breast (45 calories) lettuce (hardly worth counting that since it is so small, but I do, (4 calories for 1/2 cup shredded ) With it I'll have a low fat mozzarella cheese stick for 70 calories and 10 Spanish olives for 50 calories...total 259 calories

I usually have a 16 oz bottle of water with these meals..I divide a pack of the crystal lite (or other brand sugar free)on the go things, between 16 oz bottles instead of putting it all in one, so the water is slightly flavored for a 5 calorie per bottle drink

If you try any of these I hope you like them. I can tell you that they are all very good :-)

Cathy

Roasted Red Pepper Eggs Sandwich - 331 Cal

Dempster's BodyWise Whole Grain Bagel toasted - 140 cal
Black Diamond Light Sliced Cheese - 40 cal
Egg fried without oil on a non-stick pan - 70 cal
Heinz Ketchup 2 tbsp - 30 cal
Red Pepper - 51 cal
Salt & Cayenne Pepper to taste if you like spicy

**** To make very yummy "fire-roasted" taste pepper, just take red peppers, core them and slice in half and put in the oven on "broil" setting at 450 C for 30 min turning once in-between...SO GOOD!

Tuna Salad
2 cans tuna in water (200)
2 slices red onion (12)
2 tbsp sweet pickle relish (30)
1/2 c. kraft light mayo (360)
2 hard boiled eggs (136)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Start eggs. Mix rest of ingredients together, refrigerate until ready for eggs. Slice eggs and add to mixture. I will also add some lemon pepper and/or garlic salt to mine (depending on my mood that day).

Makes 8 - 1/4 cup servings. 92 calories/serving.

This of course varies depending on brand.

I add it to toasted wheat bread (2 slices - = 70 calories) for a 162 calorie sandwich. Pair it with cottage cheese or some fruit/vegetable for a meal.

Pita Bread Pizza
1 Pita loaf - (150)
2 tbsp Ragu Homemade Style Pizza Sauce (16)
1/4 cup Kraft fat free Mozzerella (45)
8 Hormel Turkey Pepperonis (30)
Total = 241

I put this in the oven and take it out when the cheese is toasted. I also change it up and use Shredded Chicken, Bacon Bits, and Onions which is about 300 cals. You can really use any of your favorite toppings.

Def. going to try this one, and it sounds so easy, thanks for sharing.

Wow. Made this tonight and it was AMAZING. My dad is a total hater and even he gave me a nod of approval. Thanks for the recipe!

Tex Mex Chicken Tacos
Filling:
1 can chunk chicken (shredded)
1/2 cup whole kernel corn
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup tomatos & green chiles
1-2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp ff sour cream

Mix all over hot skillet until warm (takes about 5 minutes).

1/3 cup of filling = 149

Serve on whole wheat flour tortilla (130 - I used Ortega)

Toppings:
Shredded lettuce, taco sauce (green = 0 calories), hot sauce, 1 tbsp sour cream.

All combined = 304/taco

You can obviously add/take away some things, but these were filing & VERY good!

This is a recipe from I found on epicurious (from Bon Appetit) that I've been making for several years. It's more substantial than tabbouleh, and is very flavorful and filling. It's nice enough to serve as part of a light meal for company, and great to take for a potluck when you want to make sure you have something healthy there to eat yourself! One serving (1/4 of the recipe) is really quite a lot, so when I make this at home I typically divide it into a few more servings and add a little grilled chicken with my meal.

Bulgur Salad with Garbanzo Beans, Feta and Tomatoes
1 cup bulgur
1 teaspoon salt
1 15 1/2-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained*
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Prepare bulgur with 1 tsp. salt according to package directions. Drain and cool, pressing to remove excess water from bulgur.

*Optional: Remove skins from garbanzo beans. I can't stand the skins!

Mix bulgur with all other ingredients.

That's it! Makes 4 large servings.

Calories and fat in your bulgur and light feta may vary, but with the brands I use each serving of the bulgur salad contains 340 calories and 9.5g fat.

Feta, Spinach and Potato Omelette

1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
1 very small potato, diced into little cubes
cup of baby spinach
around 25g of feta, crumbled
1 tsp olive oil (guess you could use 1 cal cooking spray to save around 40 cals here if you wanted)
seasoning (I find the feta salty enough, so just lots of black pepper for me)

Boil the diced potato in a pan of water until soft, then drain.
Put a non-stick pan on a medium heat with the olive oil (guess you could use cooking spray for even less cals/fat). Whisk the eggs, then add the cooked potato and the spinach. Mix quickly, then pour into the pan. When the mixture starts to become firm, crumble the feta on top and pop the pan under the grill to melt the cheese and cook the top layer of egg. Season well and eat hot or cold.

Comes out at around 330 calories in total and is incredibly filling! (I should know, I've just had it for dinner!)

Super simple, intuitive idea -- this is one of the most filling salad meals I've ever made at 400 calories.

Tex-Mex Chicken Salad - 320 calories
4 oz grilled chicken (150 cal)
1/3 avocado, sliced (80 cal)
1 tbsp diced green onions or cilantro (5 cal)
2 oz mild-to-medium low-sodium salsa (15 cal)
2 oz cooked black beans (50 cal)
1/2 cup cucumber slices (5 cal)
2 cups mesclun or raw spinach (15 cal)

How I make it: Cut up the chicken into small pieces. Mix the black beans, salsa, and fresh herbs together for a decadent "dressing" on the salad. Layer the salad with a mesclun base, followed by cucumber, avocado, chicken, and topping (does not "shake" well). To make a light version for 75 fewer calories, take out the avocado and double up on cucumber.

Optional: Serve with 6" whole wheat tortilla (80 cal) for exactly 400 calories.

Wow ladies! I am in over drive with all these great recipes and ideas! I am copying like crazy. I am hoping that if I write up a menu for myself it will help me stick to it. I have a favorite recipes I will post in a few minutes.. gotta print all these out lol

You have got the best recipes!! And they are ones even my husband will love! Thank you so much for sharing all of these!

TACO SALAD is a staple for me. I make it with lean hamburger meat (with a lil taco seasoning, lettuce, tons of tomato and low fat mexican cheese made with 2% milk. yUMMy!!!!!!

This was my dinner tonight, and it was fast, delicious and super filling. All of the items I used were Trader Joe's brands, and so calorie, fat and fiber counts may differ if you use different items. If you do have a Trader Joe's near you all the ingredients are available there pre-prepared (cooked salmon is in the meat case), and so it took about 5 minutes in the kitchen to assemble. You could also do this with cooked chicken or lamb; I think either would be really yummy.

3 oz. poached salmon
1 1/4 c. broccoli slaw (can purchase this bagged, undressed, in the produce section)
1/4 c. sliced green onions
6 T. tzatziki sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
6-inch whole wheat pita bread (I used "Pocketful of Fiber")

Mix salmon, broccoli slaw and green onions with tzatziki in a bowl until well-coated. Mix in salt and pepper to taste. Slice pita in half and stuff with salmon/slaw mixture.

321 calories, 9g fat, 11.8g fiber