Decadent recipes on 1200 cal a day

Ellaskat

Hi everyone- I've seen a lot of threads lately struggling to make the cals work for whatever you are allowed. Thought I could through a few things out there.

1. Prior to starting MFP, I did not cook for our family. My husband did. He's a caterer, so it made sense. I now cook all our meals. I'm telling you this because you don't have to be a cooking dynamo to be able to do this.
2. I work long hours- I leave the house at about 7:30 am and get home about 6-6:30. I still cook 99% of our meals.
3. No, I do not have kids, but I do have a farm with lots of chores and 3 dogs. I cook all the food for the dogs (I've done this for over 11 years, I owned a pet food company many years ago).

So with that out of the way....

Dinners this week are going to be:
Leek and potato soup with bacon and sour cream
Chicken pot pie soup with cheddar parsley biscuits
The best beef stew of your life with sweet potatoes and ginger
Spicy corn chowder
Spaghetti squash casserole

I eat all these foods on 1200 cals a day, I eat 3 solid meals a day plus at least 1 snack. Tonight I'm even having 8 mini cupcakes with buttercream frosting.

You CAN do this if you want to.

Start by:
1. Find blogs you like with calorie counts and use the MFP recipe import tool- it's your new best friend. My current favorites are cooking light, skinnytaste, and feasting at home.
2. Grocery shop once a week. Make a list of all the ingredients you need in the order you will find them in the store. It will keep yo focused and get you in and out fast.
3. Make enough to have leftovers. It will save you if you just come home and can't face cooking that night- usually happens 1 night a week for me.
4. Have healthy protein+fat balanced snacks around in case you feel hunger is about to whoop your butt. I find it's easier to stay on track if I stop it before it starts...
5. Drink a ton of water. It will help keep you feeling full.
6. Focus on mainly 1 pot dishes- it will be faster and easier to manage.
7. If you are completely new to cooking, watch some videos on technique like Jacque Pepin. Knowing how to cut an onion the right way really will save you time!

Hope this is helpful.

Bon Appetit!