Pasta cravings
sugarfreesquirrel
Posts: 268 Member
What should I have for/with pasta that is low calorie? I don't like those miracle noodles that are like 8 calories per serving and I tried pasta with the springlina (vegetables like carrots or zucchini) and I wasn't impressed. I think I eat two or three servings of pasta which is too much and the toppings aren't exactly healthy either. When I crave pasta, I have to have it! It's probably only once a month, but still, would be good to have some solutions :-) thank you
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Replies
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I live in Italy and make pasta everyday for the family. It's the portions and the sauce that you need to watch. I will fix myself 50 grams (dry weight) and add different vegetables, or shell fish, etc. Once you know what your portion will be you can settle in and enjoy.
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What's wrong with pasta? Chose a suitable amount of pasta, chose a sauce and other things and enjoy.5
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Before MFP, my husband and I would often make an entire pound of pasta for the two of us. We would start by trying to turn that into two servings each, and save the rest for another meal, but our vodka sauce is too good—we couldn’t resist turning the second servings into seconds! Now, we weigh out 2 ounce portions for each of us before cooking (an eighth of what we were eating before) and still have pasta regularly. (This week—we’ll have it twice.) We learned our lesson about “saving” portions for later—we won’t—so we don’t even give ourselves the option to go back for seconds any more. Others may be able to handle the temptation, but we cannot!
What helps for us is to bulk out the meal with a big salad, or bulk out the pasta with a lot of veggies (but honestly, we’re not going to do that when we make vodka sauce). With these changes to our routine, it’s easy to work pasta into the rotation, and it sometimes is one of our lower-calorie dinners (it will be tonight, since we’re planning on a simple marinara sauce).9 -
If I'm just eating pasta and butter, I will eat a ridiculous amount. So instead, I have a smaller amount of pasta (and butter) with a protein and vegetable.
Earlier in the week, we had spaghetti, meatballs, green beans, and butter. I had 112 grams (4 oz) pasta cooked and the meal was 396 calories. This filled me up nicely.
Tonight we are having raviolis, chicken, green beans, and butter and it looks like my meal will come in at 432 calories.4 -
Oh, and I'm with you on the "miracle" pasta noodles. Yuck. (Even with Asian seasonings rather than Italian.)2
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We each have 1.5 servings of pasta. 1 just isn’t enough and the extra half mentally makes us feel like we’re doing something naughty, even though we count it.
If you premeasure, it’s a PITA to heat water to make more. So consider it Limited By Laziness.
But it works. 🤷🏻♀️
Eventually you get used to smaller portions, supplemented as @kshama2001 says, with a big ole green salad.6 -
I agree with using regular pasta, but bulking it up with a lot of veggies and the protein of your choice. You'll end up eating less pasta, even if you still have a large serving.1
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Once a month, don't sweat it. If it was in your weekly rotation, then you might have to fight the temptation to overindulge, or you could just simply adjust your caloric intake for that day to allow for it.2
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I use red lentil noodles instead. It does have a different consistency that regular noodles, but once I got used to that I enjoy them a lot.3
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May be sacralige but I (finally) tried the hearts of palm noodle like stuff and it wasn't bad. Did it taste like pasta? Not really. Did it look and feel like pasta? Yup!
Low cal (3 servings are 60 cals) and I continued to keep it low cal by using tomato sauce and some garlic and parmesean spice as the topping. Could have used a meatball but what are you gonna do?
Also, WAY better and easier than the shirataki noodles.1 -
I guess eating pasta once a month isn't so bad. The recipes I come up with aren't so good, maybe I should get it when I eat out?0
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sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »I guess eating pasta once a month isn't so bad. The recipes I come up with aren't so good, maybe I should get it when I eat out?
Can you show us a typical recipe? There are usually ways to lighten them up, keep a lot of flavor.
Personally, I tend to eat pasta with muchMuch more vegetables in it than pasta, but I love veggies. (I also eat the red lentil pasta, which has more protein - almost twice as much - compared to regular white wheat pasta. (Not everyone will enjoy red lentil pasta as much as I do, but it may be worth a try.)3 -
I feel you. What I like about pasta is the warm feeling I get when I eat a healthy serving of it with butter and good parmesan. It hits all the reward centers of your body. We evolved to seek out such foods and over eat them whenever possible, turning any extra into fat that we could use later. It was a very good idea at one time in human evolutionary history and got us where we are today.
For those of us lucky enough to have access to practically unlimited food, the primal impulse to over-eat can only come from your rational mind. Best of luck!0 -
sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »I guess eating pasta once a month isn't so bad. The recipes I come up with aren't so good, maybe I should get it when I eat out?
Can you show us a typical recipe? There are usually ways to lighten them up, keep a lot of flavor.
Personally, I tend to eat pasta with muchMuch more vegetables in it than pasta, but I love veggies. (I also eat the red lentil pasta, which has more protein - almost twice as much - compared to regular white wheat pasta. (Not everyone will enjoy red lentil pasta as much as I do, but it may be worth a try.)
San Remo Pasta Spaghetti probably 200g, tinned tomatoes, salt and cheddar cheese. I also like tortellini with tinned tomatoes, spaghetti bolognaise and seafood carbonara.
I have red lentil pasta sometimes but I'm not that fond of it.0 -
sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »I guess eating pasta once a month isn't so bad. The recipes I come up with aren't so good, maybe I should get it when I eat out?
Can you show us a typical recipe? There are usually ways to lighten them up, keep a lot of flavor.
Personally, I tend to eat pasta with muchMuch more vegetables in it than pasta, but I love veggies. (I also eat the red lentil pasta, which has more protein - almost twice as much - compared to regular white wheat pasta. (Not everyone will enjoy red lentil pasta as much as I do, but it may be worth a try.)
San Remo Pasta Spaghetti probably 200g, tinned tomatoes, salt and cheddar cheese. I also like tortellini with tinned tomatoes, spaghetti bolognaise and seafood carbonara.
I have red lentil pasta sometimes but I'm not that fond of it.
What type of tinned tomatoes? People rave about San Marzano.
https://josieandnina.com/real-san-marzano-tomatoes/
I would minimally add Italian seasoning. Consider sautéing some onions as well.
To be more filling, add a protein and some veggies.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »I guess eating pasta once a month isn't so bad. The recipes I come up with aren't so good, maybe I should get it when I eat out?
Can you show us a typical recipe? There are usually ways to lighten them up, keep a lot of flavor.
Personally, I tend to eat pasta with muchMuch more vegetables in it than pasta, but I love veggies. (I also eat the red lentil pasta, which has more protein - almost twice as much - compared to regular white wheat pasta. (Not everyone will enjoy red lentil pasta as much as I do, but it may be worth a try.)
San Remo Pasta Spaghetti probably 200g, tinned tomatoes, salt and cheddar cheese. I also like tortellini with tinned tomatoes, spaghetti bolognaise and seafood carbonara.
I have red lentil pasta sometimes but I'm not that fond of it.
What type of tinned tomatoes? People rave about San Marzano.
https://josieandnina.com/real-san-marzano-tomatoes/
I would minimally add Italian seasoning. Consider sautéing some onions as well.
To be more filling, add a protein and some veggies.
Plain or italian herbs. It would be nice if I could double the amount by adding veges. I might miss the quantity of pasta though!
I think I'm used to eating bulk and heavy meals from my childhood.0 -
sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »I guess eating pasta once a month isn't so bad. The recipes I come up with aren't so good, maybe I should get it when I eat out?
Can you show us a typical recipe? There are usually ways to lighten them up, keep a lot of flavor.
Personally, I tend to eat pasta with muchMuch more vegetables in it than pasta, but I love veggies. (I also eat the red lentil pasta, which has more protein - almost twice as much - compared to regular white wheat pasta. (Not everyone will enjoy red lentil pasta as much as I do, but it may be worth a try.)
San Remo Pasta Spaghetti probably 200g, tinned tomatoes, salt and cheddar cheese. I also like tortellini with tinned tomatoes, spaghetti bolognaise and seafood carbonara.
I have red lentil pasta sometimes but I'm not that fond of it.
What type of tinned tomatoes? People rave about San Marzano.
https://josieandnina.com/real-san-marzano-tomatoes/
I would minimally add Italian seasoning. Consider sautéing some onions as well.
To be more filling, add a protein and some veggies.
Plain or italian herbs. It would be nice if I could double the amount by adding veges. I might miss the quantity of pasta though!
,
I think I'm used to eating bulk and heavy meals from my childhood.
It may not work for you, but when I eat pasta, I'm likely to add massive veggies. I'm for sure a volume eater, and veggies are a big chunk of volume for me. Normal would be around a pound, 450g or so, of veggies in a pasta combo. That's a big dish full'o'stuff. Consider your options.
My normal daily goal is 800g (around 1.8 pounds) of veggies and fruits. Very occasionally I don't hit that, but most days I exceed it. If you like volume, think about it.
Also, if you haven't considered this thread, you might want to:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
There's more than veggies/fruits in there. Not all the ideas will suit you, but some might.1 -
Recently I've been using pasta (dried weight 50 to 75 g) as the base for chicken & veggie stew (sometimes with a little spicy sausage as well, but mostly veg). My veggies of choice are eggplant, tomatoes (fresh recently but soon I'll likely switch to canned as the season is pretty much over here), bell peppers, onions, and garlic. A little broth of your choice. So the bulk tends to come from the veggies, with enough chicken to get a decent amount of protein, and enough pasta to enjoy.1
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Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?2 -
sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/k7 -
Curbing your appetite is everything in weight loss. I haven't paid much attention to the calorie count of the alernatives, but I'd like to encourage you to do portion control and make sure you have a healthy portion of low calorie salad with it. It might help to learn that I've gained a lot of weight ignoring how much pasta I was eating in one sitting, but I won't eliminate it from my diet.1
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neanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/kneanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/k
LOL :-D
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sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
This has been asked a million times. No--nothing takes the place of good pasta. So, take the advice given and use less pasta and more veggies. Instead of 150 grams dried, use 70 or 50. EVOO is your friend, in small amounts.5 -
Try changing the type of pasta? For whatever reason, spaghetti looks bulkier in the plate than angel hair, and is more filling.
Sometimes, weight loss is in your head as much as your belly.5 -
neanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/kneanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/k
LOL :-Dsnowflake954 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
This has been asked a million times.
Maybe it has been, but I don't think the search function works well for finding the information you want. I wanted the thread about low calorie foods to stretch your food budget and I couldn't find it. It should really be stickied! The calorie dense one is.
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sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/kneanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/k
LOL :-Dsnowflake954 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
This has been asked a million times.
Maybe it has been, but I don't think the search function works well for finding the information you want. I wanted the thread about low calorie foods to stretch your food budget and I couldn't find it. It should really be stickied! The calorie dense one is.
I'm talking about pasta substitutes. Everyone thinks there is a great substitute out there and they just don't know it. NOTHING beats the real durum pasta--nothing. Better to eat less than eat something crappy. The old timers, here in Italy, would make a plate of green beans, boiled and strained, leaving them long, and add tomato sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano. However, they never pretended that it was pasta. It was green beans and sauce.
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That sounds delicious!!!! And my husband adores green beans.snowflake954 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »neanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/kneanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/k
LOL :-Dsnowflake954 wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
This has been asked a million times.
Maybe it has been, but I don't think the search function works well for finding the information you want. I wanted the thread about low calorie foods to stretch your food budget and I couldn't find it. It should really be stickied! The calorie dense one is.
I'm talking about pasta substitutes. Everyone thinks there is a great substitute out there and they just don't know it. NOTHING beats the real durum pasta--nothing. Better to eat less than eat something crappy. The old timers, here in Italy, would make a plate of green beans, boiled and strained, leaving them long, and add tomato sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano. However, they never pretended that it was pasta. It was green beans and sauce.
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neanderthin wrote: »sugarfreesquirrel wrote: »Thanks everyone! definately some things to think about.
That being said, does anyone know of any types of pasta with less calories, that still tastes like pasta?
60g pasta have less calories than the 100g pasta and taste just the same, cheers. j/k
While you might be kidding, reducing portion sizes of proper wheat pasta is actually what I do.2 -
If you stick with a red sauce, the calories are much lower than with a cream based or pesto sauce.3
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I like pasta with tomato based sauces0
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