Hey guys!!
I am gearing up to start calorie counting in the next few days (waiting for payday. lol) and I was wondering what are some of the typical staples of calorie counting? I have always done Atkins so this is all very new to me. I was thinking..lots of fresh fruits and veggies, frozen veggies, yogurt, whole wheat breads, tortilla wraps, some low cal snacks for when the mood strikes....but I'm struggling with the rest.

Thanks so much!!

Hey there.

Here's a thread with some great ideas in it - http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/100-...y-staples.html

For me...

Bags of baby spinach. I chop it fine and put it in EVERYTHING. My husband hates spinach but eats it almost every meal. It really isn't noticeable in sauces, soups, omelets or sauteed with lots of other veggies. It adds volume and nutrition and is actually fairly neutral flavour-wise with other things.

Frozen chicken breasts in two packs, so easy to always have good protein just a thaw away.

apples, peaches, berries, melon... great for a sweet snack.

laughing cow light cheese, watch the sodium but makes a great light snack on crackers.

brown rice, wholegrain pasta and bread are staples I always keep them on hand

greek yogurt, plain/nonfat I add some splenda and a packet of Starbucks instant coffee or some 0 calorie walden ranch chocolate syrup or some thawed berries... probably my favorite snack

Salad stuff. On hungry days I will go make a huge salad with some tuna and low cal. dressing and it really does the trick.

I'm with prinny on the brown rice - I buy the whole grain Uncle Bens and cook it in chicken or beef broth instead of water. It has a great flavor, fills you up for quite awhile, big good carbohydrates bang for your calorie buck.. goes with just about anything (and you can toss it with roasted veggies or whatever!). I keep a prepared batch in the fridge for when I need it. Just toss it in the microwave.

I'm a big believer in making food ahead and keeping it in the fridge - it helps when the schedule is out of whack and you have only a few minutes to cook lunch/dinner - there is always something in the fridge on your plan that you can eat and you don't just grab the first thing you see in the kitchen!

Lean proteins are also your friend. I buy *a lot* of frozen chicken breasts. I defrost them and cut them in half (to make 3-4 oz portions) & bake almost a whole bag at a time with different spices in the oven - I keep those in the fridge, too. They are good by themselves, but also cut up on lettuce salads, tossed in with roasted veggies, etc.

Oh - and I forgot those SteamFresh frozen veggies. I can make a meal in 5 minutes with what I have in the fridge and tossing a bag of that in the micro!

For Me:

Steamfresh frozen veggies...so easy to pop in the microwave and they come out perfectly steamed...there is also nutrition facts on the package so you know exactly what you're having

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: I buy them in bulk at Costco and they are packaged in groups of two for easy storage.

Laughing Cow light cheese: 35 calories a wedge and very filling. I have two and dip my whole grain cracker of choice (currently wheat thin crisps 100 calorie packs) in them as a snack

Egg Beaters: LOVE these for breakfast...with a bit of cheese you really feel like you're having a MEAL.

Progresso Light Hearty Vegetable and Barley soup: a great snack or addition to dinner...extremely filling and 60 calories for the whole darn can.

Lean Cuisines: I know they get a bad wrap...but I love the convience and easy calorie counting of these things. Every one tastes really good, too....and the pizzas help satisify my carb cravings

Berries: Raspberries and Blackberries are barely any calories...and if you eat them slowly they fill you up!

Sparkling water: I like Arrowhead's because it's unsweetened but has essences of lime or lemon or orange or berry and so it's a nice alternative to plain water but has all the benefits. Also...the carbonation makes your tummy feel fuller.

Beef Jerky: kind of high in salt (i don't know if you're watching that)...but also high in protein and low in carbs, fat, and calories...a filling and tasty snack. Costco sells them in prepackaged-one-person servings (for lunch boxes or whatever) and they make an easy snack for the go that will leave you satisfied.

Parmesean Cheese: One-Two tablespoons will give you a LOT of flavor and barely any fat or calories. I like to put it on my steamed veggies.

Hope that helps! That's been helping me so far!

OH! Hotwings reminded me of my go-to plan friendly comfort dish:

Cheese and rice made with 2 servings of brown rice and 2 slices of Jarlsberg lite torn up and mixed in. Drizzle on a little lite soy sauce and you get carby cheesy comforting goodness for only 400 calories and unlike diet frozen mac&cheese it tastes like real food because it is!

Tuna! Water packed pouches that come in at just about 100 calories or under. I eat with high fiber crackers. Cheap, yum, and good for you.

Current faves:

Apple dippers found in the produce section for a very low calorie and filling snack.

Light vanilla yogurt with fruit.

Zucchini and yellow squash.

I just started, and have found these things to be satisfying.

Plain lowfat greek yogurt sweetened with a half teaspoon of Splenda.

Fresh fruit, especially berries.

Ezekiel sprouted bread, I just keep it in the freezer and toast it as I go.

Earth Balance spread. It has the same calories as butter, but it has no trans fats or saturated fat.

Low-fat string cheese.

Walnuts.

Baby spinach, I add a handful to scrambled eggs and another handful to my other staple, mixed salad greens.

And for my quick meals, I like Trader Joes Chili Lime chicken burgers.