Favorite Dinners to make

nablackb

I find that dinner is my hardest meal of the day to keep track of in terms of logging, what are some of your favorite meals to make? (I'll take lunch and breakfast ideas too!!)

Thanks in advance for the feedback!!

cross2bear

I really appreciate the versatility of chicken - I tend to use breasts and thighs for most of the recipes I use. You can change chicken by adding different spices, rubs or sauces, or even just cooking techniques such as grilling versus baking. They can be chopped up and stirfried, or left whole and cooked in a sauce or soup. Its a great lean protein that pairs well with virtually all veg. Last night I had a recipe called "Kickin' Chicken" which was chicken breast (or thighs) baked in a sauce of peanut sauce, basil and salsa. I paired it with mashed cauliflower mixed with a little onion flavoured dip, and some raw tomato wedges to pick up the salsa flavours. It was a great meal! And it was less than 400 calories! And there are leftovers for lunch! And I can still use the leftover chicken for something else if I want to be even more creative, like chop it up and make spicy chicken salad on lettuce leaves.

For me, lunch is always fruit and yogurt, and some protein, usually left over from the night before.

I dont eat breakfast - I have two cups of coffee, and that has sustained me for almost my entire adult life, except when I was pregnant and couldnt stand the smell (weird).

And ground beef - what cant be done with it?! Burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, chili, pasta sauce, taco mix - it just goes on and on.

I hope this is helpful for you and inspires you to create your own recipes, which you can then easily track through the recipe feature of MFP. That way you know exactly what and how much you are eating.

skinnyforhi

A great standby is protein, vegetable, and potato. In the summer, we will grill chicken or pork. We will also grill the vegetables and potatoes (do you have a grill basket or cast-iron skillet?) Asparagus, carrot, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, corn, fingerling potatoes or regular potatoes that have been halved all taste amazing on the grill. I'll toss the vegetables with different things- lately it's a mixture of EVOO, garlic powder, Dijon mustard, and a splash of red wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar. The potatoes do well with just a touch of olive oil and S&P. The corn is so sweet right now it can be grilled plain in its husk.

I like to keep ingredients on hand for a fast pasta- I'll toast roasted or sautéed veggies with either whole wheat or red lentil pasta and top with a simple tomato basil sauce or something similar.

In a pinch, turkey tacos are great. Ground turkey, sautéed veggies, some refried beans or pinto beans, salsa, guacamole, and baby spinach or lettuce in a corn shell (or soft shell, if you prefer) is delicious. Plain greek yogurt can stand in for sour cream.

djspacecaptain

Some of my favorite dinner ideas are

Chicken breast with a little seasoning salt, sauteed asparagus with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese with sauteed zucchini. This is only like 450-500 calories and so good!

4-5oz chicken breast shredded into a salad with a serving of shredded cheddar cheese and crunchy onion toppings. The dressing of my choice is Bernsteins light cheese fantastico. This is about 350-400 calories and i look forward to making this.

A big big pot of homemade soup. 3-4 chicken breasts shredded. No sodium can of corn, green beans and sweet peas. Add an onion, 2 potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes, a jalapeno, bell pepper and an Anaheim pepper. Pop in some sliced carrots and sliced asparagus. Top off with the lowest sodium chicken broth and oregano. So goooood and very healthy! This also makes me extras for like 3-4 days.

As you can see i like chicken

djspacecaptain

Snap forgot to add 2 cans of diced tomatoes with garlic and oregano flavoring to my soup recipe just dump both cans in for so much extra flavoring.

suruda

We have been into stuffed peppers lately. I do a lasagna stuffed pepper (ricotta on the bottom, chunky tomato sauce on top and then mozzarella...cover with marinara and bake). yummy! I've also done a meatloaf type stuffed pepper, and a Mexican stuffed pepper...it's been a thing, easy to make low cal and with lots of veggies!

some sort of lean meat (chicken or fish) with roasted veggies is always a big hit...cut all of the veggies the same size (I go for 1 inch cubes) toss with a tiny bit of olive oil and salt and pepper...dump on a sheet tray and bake at 400 degrees until browned.

Taco salads....make taco meat with lean ground turkey and a can of black beans (mix with taco seasoning)...so good on lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions, avocado

Tonight is going to be a chunky tomato sauce (I say chunky because I load it up with onions, peppers, mushrooms and ground turkey) over polenta.

I like to cook...and eat....which is why I need mfp!

NaturalNancy

Tonight we're having gluten free waffles, potato wedges and fried eggs.
(It's one of my favorite dinners #BreakfastForDinner ;-)

Brithicks

we are having burritos. I'll make mine a bowl with cauliflower rice, taco meat (ground whatever with taco seasoning), grilled bell peppers and onions, avocado, lettuce, salsa, and a dollop of greek yogurt. My family will have theirs rolled in tortillas with black beans and all of the above.