meals under 400 cal.

spoiledpuppies

bump

mtfr810

Sounds good!

joyce0624

Bump!

Hollywoodm55

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cc11395

Chicken "Chili"

2 Chicken Breasts
1 c. Salsa
1 pkt. Taco Seasoning
1 can Fat Free Cream of Mushroom
1 can Black Beans
1 can Ranch Beans
1/2 c. Water

Put it all in a slow crooker; cook on low all day (6 - 8 hours). Shred chicken (it will fall apart). Viola! You can eat plain in a bowl, with tortillas, in a pita, on polenta, over rice...possibilities are endless. Less than 200 calories per serving!

officialtripler

Do you watch the cooking shows like food network? The easiest way to eat low cal meals is to learn how to cook...simple cooking that is. I steam a lot of vegies. Even when i stir fry it's low fat. A little cheese on top of vegies doesn't add many calories, and siracha adds even less. Start with the majority of your plate as vegies and add on from there. For example 1.5 oz of wheat pasta mixed with 2 cups of vegies is still a lot of pasta and will fill you up. Soup (in general) is low cal and filling. Even better if you make your own. Soba noodles (2oz or less) are great with asian vegies, hot sauce and sesame oil. Try it with bok choy, celery, pea pods and onions, etc. even a small piece of protein (4oz or less) will be filling if you have a ton of vegies on your plate. I really think that's key.

Almost all meals I serve at home are around 400-500 calories. They always have at least two courses. I start with either salad or vegetable based soup. Salad always has home mixed dressing (olive oil, balsamic, and garlic or shallots as base then add in what I feel like...dijon mustard, honey, yogurt, whatever). The first course slows you down and always fills you up with vegies. Second course always has more vegies and usually a little protein of either fish or dairy. Sometimes bread or noodles. Again, key is always filling up with mostly vegies and however they taste good for you. For me it's either cheese on top (a little goes a long way) or hot sauce.

If I add a third course of desert, it's more calories of course. But sometimes you need to. :-). Even then, you can limit desert to fresh fruit maybe with a little balsamic.

^this

RockinTerri

One more tip, half of cooking (simple dishes anyways) is the prep work. In order to break up the monotony, I do a little prep work in the morning and a little in the evening. Also, I take my ipad in the kitchen and play pandora. Listening to music while chopping vegies makes it more fun.

This is a great tip! I usually spend about 3 hours prepping veggies and fruits for the upcoming week after I've gone grocery shopping, and playing music makes the time fly!

erikmsp72

I will note that if you get the egg-beaters stuff Costco sells, it is (a) high in protein, so you feel full; and (b) good and (c) low-cal.

A cup and a quarter of that, scrambled, makes a LOT of scrambled eggs and is only 150 calories. You could add cheese to that, or low-cal salsa, and have a very satisfying, fast, easy meal.

Camera_BagintheUK

Use quorn!

Last night my hubby cooked for me, I had a chicken style quorn fillet, with a tomato sauce on it (with onion, mushrooms, garlic in it) It was 187 cals!

You could have two fillets, or add some rice or something and still be well under 400

littlebuddy84

Bump!

beckaanne52

1/2 cup rice cooked makes 1 cup 100 cals
using a nonstick cooking pan take 4oz of chicken (deck of cards or about 1/2 costco frozen chicken breast 110 cals
cook on medium/high till cooked through, (if you heat the pan before putting chicken in it will kind of sear for a yummy taste)
Add 1 tabls of teriaky marinade (depending on marinade about 25 cals)
heat through
serve with steamed veggies in a bowl.

Add some hot chili sauce (5 cals per tsp) to make spicier if you want

This is easily under 300 cals and very filling

nyrina4life

http://www.food.com/recipe/caramel-apple-pork-chops-71733

I have made this three times in my crock-pot and it is super easy to make, and tastes delicious. It is under 400 calories a serving and you have more for later.

Oh! That spinach artichoke pasta dish sounds YUMMY!

kelseyhere

One of my easy go-tos is a veggie omelet. Three eggs is only about 190-200 calories, then you can add as many veggies as you want. I like mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, green chile, olives, spinach, etc. You can even buy the frozen mixed veggies. Just throw the veggies in the pan with some olive or coconut oil, sautee for a few minutes until no longer frozen, pour the eggs on top, wait to cook and BAM in 7 minutes or less a very filling, cheap and easy to make meal. I top it with salsa and I don't even miss the cheese.

m_wilh

Bump

tx_mom72

bump

MsAnn07

Bump for later

cblue07310

bump. definitely trying these recipes asap!

Heavybetty

Bump for later!

Karissa_Clohan

Thanks guys

_Extraordinaryy

Bump

bunny1006

bump

thatonegirlwiththestuff

Super easy and very low cal: turkey burger by Jennie-O, grilled wrapped
in lettuce topped with white onion and tomatoe. Paired with a side of steamed broccoli. Around 250 calories!

Timeforme714

Tastefully Simple - Rustic Herb Seasoning, 0.5 tsp- or other Italian seasoning you like (this one contains some salt)
Spaghetti - Whole-wheat, cooked, 1 cup
Muir Glen Organic - Tomato Paste, 2 TBS
Gardein - Meatless Meatballs, 2 meatballs
Saute in olive oil spray:
White - Mushrooms Sliced, 1 cup
Generic White Onion - Raw, 0.25 cup

397 Calories - you could also add parmesan or shredded mozzarella for a few more calories.

judychicken

Walmart Wild Salmon Filets Skinless 4 oz 100 cal.
Olive oil .5 tsp 20 cal.
1 tsp key lime juice 0 cal.

Costco Santa Barbara Salsa Mango with Peach Salsa 2 tbs 25 cal,

1.5 cup Broccoli 60 cal.

1 Campari Tomato 13 cal.
Total calories 218

tjphelps73

So I am not a big cook, but lots of my meals are under 400 calories. Are you cooking for a family or yourself?
I cook for myself and a family at times.

Family Meal - Grilled boneless skinless chicken thighs (put in a bag with 1Tblspn of EVOO and Hot Sauce, and some lime juice.
Green beans - Canned - cut, drain, rinse, and throw them in skillet with a little EVOO and seasonings.
Cottage Cheese & Roma tomatoes...YUMMY

Single meal - I have lots but my favorite is a protein pancakes and turkey sausage.
2-4 oz Ground Turkey Sausage
Protein pancake - 6Tblspns of Egg Whites, One Scoop of Chocolate or Vanilla Protein Powder, 3/4 tsp baking powder, dash cinnamon, dash of vanilla, 1/4cp of unsweetened almond milk. (this will yield three pancakes)

Then I love eating peanut butter and honey on my pancakes or if I need sweet I take peanut butter and a few choc chips rolled up into a pancake..Yummy.

ajrich1

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monisiaczeq

have a look on my diary! i usually try to balance my meals- up to 400/500 kcal max!
but simple ideas are:
soups- i use stock and then add any veg i have left- personally i like spicy food so i mix beans, corn, carrots, onion and about 60 grams of potatos. then just wait untill all is soft- not much work but tasty.
another idea is to have oats. i love oats- full of good nutrients and so simple to make.
small baked potato with tuna/protein is always yummy too!

TArnold2012

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kristensaav

Yummy looks good. Thanks for the recipe!

MrsGilligan12

Wow, looks good!