My personal contribution to snack ideas, meal ideas, etc.
 

Hi all! I'm new and I am so excited for this board because I love to talk-think-cook-eat food!

Anyway, I'm not normally cheerleader-y like this. I came onto this specific board to get some ideas about what all foods I can work into my diet.

My diet is no specific plan but I count my calories and watch my fat. I try to stay away from fats as much as possible, with the exception of healthy fats like those from nuts. My calorie limit is between 1200 and 1500 daily because I float around so much. I usually tend to end up between 1300 and 1400. Today I happen to be at 1150 and its past 10 so I've already brushed my teeth. I'm full so I feel no need to eat.
And thats what I need from a diet plan-- to feel full.

For some reason, when I'm hungry I'm nauseous so my plan is to eat small things every hour or two when I can (if I'm not at work) and my plan does not work for everyone.
Just thought I'd share some small meals I love!

Also, I am very budget conscious, so I stray away from anything that's pricey.

-Green Giant microwave steamers. A medium size plateful (which is a whole bag that I just throw in the microwave). They are seriously delicious. They have broccoli with cheese sauce, roasted red potatoes with green beans and red peppers in a buttery sauce, cheesy rice and broccoli, buttery corn, etc. and they all fall between 150 and 300 calories if you eat the entire bag. My favorite is broccoli with macaroni and cheese.

-apples and peanut butter--a different take. This is an idea I got from my mom who ate it a lot while she was losing weight. She lost 130lb and has kept it off for 4 years now! Anyway, dice up an apple, measure out a tablespoon of peanut butter, and throw a little cinnamon, nutmeg and whatever other you like and microwave it for 2-3 minutes on high. Its a melty bowl of deliciousness for roughly 200 calories based on your apple size

-sautéed mushrooms and onions. chop up a dry pint of washed mushrooms. I like to cut them in about a half-inch dice but you could just slice them if you prefer. Also chop up a small onion. again I do about a half-inch dice because I think it tastes better. Spray a fry pan with PAM spray (or the generic, which I use) and throw in the mushrooms and onions together. Give them another quick spray of pam and then put on salt and pepper to taste. Turn up the heat to high and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring every so often. plate and enjoy a less than 100 calorie dish!!

-my favorite salad is composed this way: 1 cup of ice burg lettuce for crunch (and because its cheap), 1 cup spinach, 1 cup romaine all washed, dried, and mixed on a plate. Dice half a red pepper, half a yellow pepper, and half an orange pepper and throw those on. then dice a half a cucumber and slice 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes in half and throw all that in. Dress with about 4 table spoons of Fat-Free Italian dressing. I get my dressing from Walmart and 2 tablespoons for 15 calories. so this salad is just about 100-ish calories.
I have this salad every night.

-blueberry desert: low fat blueberry yogurt, 1 cup fresh blueberries, and 0 calorie sweetener if you want. less than 200 calories!

-strawberry power breakfast!: 2 cups sliced or diced strawberries, 1 chobani greek strawberry yogurt (you can use a different brand, this one is my favorite), and a handful of crumbled Special K Protein Plus cereal. Its 250-ish calories and has about 25 grams of protein. And its delicious.

-Waffle and fruit. I get these whole wheat waffles when they're on sale at my local co op. (they have them in the frozen natural foods section at some grocery stores). They're called Van's Waffles. One is 70 calories. I put that in the toaster and dice some cantaloupe and whatever other fruit I have on hand and sometimes toss a little yogurt on the waffle. Its delicious.

-A "diet" sandwich.
There's this great low calorie bread I get from Walmart called Healthy Lifestyles and its only 35 calories a slice. Its not the best tasting bread in the world but it gets the job done. They have it in white, wheat, whole grain, and italian. I buy the white--i know i SHOULD eat the wheat but I honestly just like the white better. Then I get this Oscar Meyer smoked turkey for 30 calories a slice and Borden Fat Free American Sliced Cheese for 30 calories a slice and i add on some cut up pickle. I love that sandwich. its only 130 calories so sometimes I have two and i feel like I'm eating off plan but I'm not ;-p

-Luna Bars are my lifesaver when I'm on the go. I love having them right before a workout. My favorite flavors are Peppermint Stick, Nutz Over Chocolate, and S'mores but they also have lemon zest, white chocolate macadamia, brownie, chocolate and peanut butter, etc. they're about a dollar at my grocery store and they're between 170 and 180 calories and usually have 10grams of protein. They don't taste like a protein bar, which is my favorite aspect of them. They legit taste like a candy bar TO ME.

-Sweet Potato Oven "Fries" Need I say more? Preheat your oven to about 400. Slice your sweet potato(es) into fry like shapes. Try to get them all about the same thickness. I leave on the skin--the flavor is nice and its packed with nutrients. spray a cookie sheet or simply a cake pan or a pizza tray if you have nothing else with PAM or similar. Then put in your "fries" in a single layer in the pan. Give them a spray of PAM or similar and salt and pepper. I always throw a little rosemary and dill on my but you don't have to. they'll taste good with just salt.
You don't have to cover them but I think they taste better if you do so wrap some tin foil a top and shove em in the oven. keep checking them with a fork until you're satisfied. This method will work with regular potatoes too, but regular potatoes are processed differently and sweet potatoes are much better for you and taste better anyway.

-acorn squash--This can get very caloric when cooked the traditional way with brown sugar, butter and maple syrup but I prefer to first slice my acorn squash in half, scoop out the membranes and seeds, salt and pepper the insides after spraying them with pam and then put them face down in a tray in the oven. half way through the cooking turn them over to face up so they get a nice crisp on top. They're delicious on their own. Also, with the membranes; separate the seeds and roast those too with salt and pepper. Yum!

-butternut squash: boil it, dice it, puree it and turn it into a soup! delicious!



Sorry if your eyes hurt now. Feel free to contribute!