low calorie SIMPLE recipes?

ainokea8

Whenever I see diet plans on the internet it always sounds like it came out of some gourmet restaurant. You know things like "roasted cod with tomato, orange and capers with garlic-cashew broccoli and brown rice"

While I would love to have recipes like that for dinner every night, as a college student I don't have the time or the budget to be making fancy meals every night of the week.

What are some simple dinners I can make that are healthy and low diet-friendly?

bohojourney

Smiling at your post :happy: don't know which country you live in but do you have access to Batchelors low fat soup? 46 calories per 100g 1/3 of a tin undiluted. I cook pasta (Not in a lot of water) and 5 mins before the end add chopped leeks/carrots.

When the water has almost evaporated stir through the soup. Very filling, easy, cheap and low in calories. But don't dilute the soup, I love the mushroom one. It can also be used in place of sauces.

laurentoni28

The Only Recipes You'll Ever Need cookbook is great.

Not all are low calorie but very easy recipes and you can use alternatives to lower the calorie counts.

I'm addicted to spinach and ricotta savoury pancakes that come in at less than 400 calories but are really filling.

1two3four

As a college student, what kind of kitchen do you have to work with? It's important info. Is lack of time and funds your only limitation?

sharjo83

I agree - I hate fancy recipes. It's taking enough time and dedication to eat right, let alone become a cooking master! I am really happy with some of the recipes I've found in the 17 Day Diet plan. It's low carb, high protein. Some examples of my favourites are a simple stirfry (ground turkey breast, sauteed broccoli, onion, mushrooms, low sodium soy sauce), or just a chicken breast or turkey breast pan cooked in oil then covered in marinara sauce (marinara sauce is amazing - super low calorie compared to other sauces) served with steamed veggies. Of my two or three vegetable sides, one is usually raw (tomato slices, green salad, etc), one is steamed (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach, asparagus) and one is canned (green beans, corn). This makes prep easy!

nicola1141

Diced chicken cooked in sweet chili sauce (I cook it on a pan) with broccoli (only takes one pan, 3 ingredients)

Salmon wrapped in foil with whatever veggies you want thrown in the foil, throw in a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper, whatever other seasonings you want. Bake until done.

Throw some scallops in a pan with a bit of garlic, salt, pepper. I usually add some peas, or carrots (or whatever veggie) Serve over some pasta with lots of parmesan.

climbing_trees

Check out skinnytaste.com, ohsheglows.com, hungry-girl.com

jayjay12345654321

In my college days, the whole wheat or spinach tortilla was my best friend. If I could wrap it in a tortilla, that's what I ate. Most of the time, it was pretty healthy. Sometimes, when funds were really tight, I had a Ramen noodle wrap. Not recommended for healthy eating! But basically, the wrap served two functions - I could only roll what wouldn't fall out, and you can't put a mountain-high plate of food on it and still get it to wrap up. Plus, it was quick, easy, and no dirty dishes. Throw in some sliced turkey, cheese, rip off a chunk of lettuce, squirt a little mustard and head out the door.

love2lift_85

One of my favorite dinners has just four ingredients:

-boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-Newmans olive oil & vinegar dressing
-a bell pepper or two
-Ragu or Prego sauce

Get 2 skillets. Put some Newman's in one, and some Ragu in the other. No need to measure either of them out, just enough to cover the bottom and give the food something to cook in.
Put the chicken in the Newmans and cover. Turn it over every so often, until it's done. Probably 15-ish mins depending on size of chicken.
Cut up the pepper and put the pieces in the heated Ragu. Just keep 'em in there long enough until everything is warm. It's tasty :-)

^ I do that probably at least 3x a week. 4 ingredients, 2 pans to wash.

My_Own_Worst_Enemy

Spinach - Remove any e coli, then put it in a large bowl and eat it.

Skystrider

Hi s2ladolcevita,

I was fooling around in the kitchen a couple of nights ago and came up with this healthy recipe, which may look a little long but is extremely easy to make from scratch. It was inspired by a Moroccan tagine I had in Tangiers back in my college days and never quite forgot. It's good for sharing with friends, and it stores well in the fridge for those all-important leftovers. It does require a little garam masala spice for flavor -- a mixture of cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and cardamom -- but that keeps on the shelf pretty much forever. You can skip the green cardamom pods. Other than that, the ingredients are quite ordinary. It uses chicken thighs, which are cheaper on a student's budget than chicken breasts, or leave them out entirely for a vegetarian meal. Want more protein? Add more chicken. No swiss chard on hand? Use spinach, kale, or any other leafy green and add a few more raisins for sweetness. It's simple to make because as you cook one ingredient, you get the next one ready to go in the pot, and it only takes a few minutes to cook, with plenty of liquid so you don't have to watch it closely or stir it a lot as it cooks. If you try it, let me know how you like it!

Chicken Garbanzo Stew
Serves 4

1 sweet onion, sliced
8 crimini or white mushrooms, sliced
Water
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup blanched or raw almonds
2 tsp garam masala spice
1 ½ tsp chili powder
4 green cardamom pods (optional)
2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced into ¾” chunks
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 12 ounces)
1 bunch red swiss chard, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
Salt
Pepper

Couscous (optional)

If you plan to serve with couscous, get that started.

In a large skillet, cook the onion and mushrooms with about a cup of water over high heat until the onions are translucent. Add the raisins, almonds and spices. Add the carrots and garbanzo beans and more water. Keep adding water as needed to maintain a juicy sauce. Trim fat from the chicken thighs and cut them into quarters. Add to the pot and stir the chicken into the vegetables, submerging the chicken pieces in the broth. Turn the heat to medium and simmer about 5 minutes while you wash, trim and chop the chard, including the stems. Add the chard on top, add water if necessary, cover and simmer/steam another five minutes. Uncover, stir in the chard, and simmer until the broth is concentrated to a nice consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls or over couscous.

Recipe by Skystrider

Each serving (not including couscous) contains: 335 calories, 38 g. carbohydrate including 10 g. fiber and 14 g. sugars, 11 g. fat, and 17 g. protein.

Nessiechickie

Some stuff that I lived off in Uni was Oatmeal packets... just need a kettle (plug-in) ... add some peanut butter into it for some protein and taste... fruits...
As well the packaged salads... Pre-made and come with the dressing but they can be expensive over time.

1two3four

The following is assuming you have access to a kitchen. Nothing fancy but minimum: freezer, knives, cutting board, utensils, pots and pans, freezer containers (bags or containers with lids), and some pantry basics and hopefully a little storage and time to shop for groceries and transportation that is easier and faster than a bus.

If you have access to a slow-cooker (and even if you don't assuming you are in the US you can get one for around $15) and a freezer, meals can be prepared while you are away and you can stretch them to make different things freezing leftovers so you aren't eating the same things over and over in a short span.

For example use chicken or pork with a can of low sodium tomatoes w/ chiles add herbs and seasonings used in Mexican cooking and you can have tacos, add beans and you can top nachos, add frozen corn and you can make brown rice bowls (top with jalapeño ranch dip and it's a takeout-fakeout--which to me is more about cost and quality that less fat or calories--though the sodium difference is a plus).

Making your own soups is also cheaper than canned (and cheaper then a lot of other meals period) and you can control the sodium. And don't be intimidated, it's easier than you think. All you really need are knife skills or a food processor and you have neither (like me) you can use fresh or frozen prepped veggies. Just dump frozen stuff in a pot with stock, add beans or meat, seasonings, or tomato products.

Eggs are a great source of protein and nutrients and a pretty cheap and super fast. Sauté some veggies (spinach and onion, onions and peppers, mushrooms and onions) and crack a few eggs in and cook to your liking. Or cook your eggs however you like them wrap in whole grain flat bread (whatever kind you like).

Vegetable salads, bean salads, pasta salads.

Make a pot of rice (or some other grain you are willing to eat as you would rice) keep it in the fridge and eat it different ways, top with vegetable stir fry, reheat it with milk and cinnamon and eat it for breakfast. Put it in soup from the freezer.

Make hummus with a jar of tahini, a can of chickpeas/garbanzos, lemon juice, and garlic. Add a tiny bit of water to get the desired consistency. Eat with cut veggies, bread, crackers, or as a sandwich spread.

Buy foods that are discounted because they're going out of date or the store just bought too much for the weekly ad (my Kroger is famous for this!) as long as you're going to use them quickly for things that are going out of date or have room to store the overstocked bargains. I have no problems buy fruit and veg that's ripe, meat that can be frozen, yogurt/milk that has a few days left on the date or pantry things that I use often. I won't buy out of date bread products, unless it's fresh baked day-old stuff and will only buy old eggs for immediate boiling.

Buying frozen out of season fruit and veg are cheap, and stocking up on them on sale are even better.

Drained and rinsed canned beans will give you a lot of bang for your buck but you'll need more time than you probably have to used dried beans (which are a fraction of the cost of canned).

These are just a few tips off the top of my head that I use. I don't have a fancy kitchen, I don't have a lot of time on a daily basis but I can clock a few hours once a month. I don't have to juggle a college schedule and I don't know your likes and dislikes or dietary needs so your milage may vary.

As for recipes I've gotten ideas from Rachael Ray, Jamie Oliver, and ABC's The Chew. Oh and Best Recipes Ever (I think they can be found online at CBC.ca) Not all of the recipes will be fast but many will be and some will come together in 20 minutes or less. It all depends on you.

ETA: I don't think of this as any kind of diet or a need for diet food, I just eat what tastes good an fits my nutrition goals. And I really only watch my calories, fiber and sodium like a hawk and I balance out the carbohydrates, fats and protein.

sbro32

Bump! These look great!

Skystrider

One of my favorite healthy cookbooks doesn't really have any recipes in it. With lots of pictures, it shows how to incorporate tasty, healthy ingredients into everyday foods. It gives suggestions for healthy salads, pancakes, pasta, soup/chili/stew, pizza, sandwiches/wraps, smoothies, stir fries and fruit salads but leaves you free to combine things as you wish. If you start eating this way as a student, you'll have the basis for a very healthy life. The book is called The Full Plate Diet by Drs. Seale, Sherard and Fleming.

Skystrider

I forgot to mention the best thing for a student. You can download the whole beautiful cookbook for free by registering at https://fullplateliving.org/diet/full-plate-diet-book.

This is not a gimmick to get you to buy something. After spending many years treating people who had developed diabetes, the authors decided to turn it around and wrote the book as a public service to keep people healthy in the first place.

margarethumphreys58

Chicken and black bean burritos, very yummy very filling
I usually cook about a dozen and freeze some for later but each burrito is around 250 calories depending on what kinds of foods you use.

20 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, boiled and shredded
1/2 cup lime juice
Chili powder, garlic powder salt pepper to taste
1/2-1 cup of salsa (I like pace)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (more if you like 1 cup will bump it up to about 270 each burrito)
2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
12 medium tortillas
Limes

Mix your chicken with lime juice and spices let it simmer together until the liquid is absorbed.
Mix in salsa beans and cheese,cook until heated through.
About 1/2 cup in each tortilla.

You can stop here but if you want to give them an extra something than good them so they're completely closed.
Spray a pan heated to about medium with some no stick stuff, and place burritos seam side down in the pan and set like a cast iron on it and flip when it starts to brown.
This adds a nice crunch and a nice nutty flavor, also if you freeze them dont do this until you're ready to eat.


Nutrition
Cal 262
Fat 5g
Carbs 36.5g
Fibre 5.1g
Protein 19.1g

Really hope this helps, it seems like a lot but they are really very simple and fast to make.

ainokea8

Oh wow, thanks for all the suggestions everybody I'm definitely gonna try them out this week

As a college student, what kind of kitchen do you have to work with? It's important info. Is lack of time and funds your only limitation?

I only have access to a stove, a fridge, and a rice cooker. So it'd be great if people can give me some recipes that don't involve using an oven

yoga_mel

Chicken and black bean burritos, very yummy very filling
I usually cook about a dozen and freeze some for later but each burrito is around 250 calories depending on what kinds of foods you use.

20 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, boiled and shredded
1/2 cup lime juice
Chili powder, garlic powder salt pepper to taste
1/2-1 cup of salsa (I like pace)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (more if you like 1 cup will bump it up to about 270 each burrito)
2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
12 medium tortillas
Limes

Mix your chicken with lime juice and spices let it simmer together until the liquid is absorbed.
Mix in salsa beans and cheese,cook until heated through.
About 1/2 cup in each tortilla.

You can stop here but if you want to give them an extra something than good them so they're completely closed.
Spray a pan heated to about medium with some no stick stuff, and place burritos seam side down in the pan and set like a cast iron on it and flip when it starts to brown.
This adds a nice crunch and a nice nutty flavor, also if you freeze them dont do this until you're ready to eat.


Nutrition
Cal 262
Fat 5g
Carbs 36.5g
Fibre 5.1g
Protein 19.1g

Really hope this helps, it seems like a lot but they are really very simple and fast to make.

mmm burritoes yummmmm also make pizzas on a pita bread or flatbread...you can control what goes on it