400/500 cal healthy meal suggestions needed

Ben2118

Sat back and looked at my last few days food logs and realised I am nearly always 1000 calories or more under my goal! Some days only netting 700 odd calories!

Daily Goal is 2160.

So I am after some tasty meal suggestions which are around 400/500 calories to help that also don't cost the earth and take hours to prepare. Not asking for much am I!! lol

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Ben.

amycal

check out eatingwell.com - they have a lot of meal suggestions in that calorie range.

melodyg

bump for ideas and also to reply more when I get a chance!

Tonight I am having taco salad... which ends up being about 700 calories (yes, I need to work on balancing out my calories between meals). It is only so high because I am eating more beans, chips, cheese and avocado than I normally would though. It is *such* a versatile meal that I LOVE it -- it packs in veggies and then you can add in other items (beans, avocado, cheese, chips, etc.) as you need to add calories... or leave them off if you don't need the extra calories. Normally I'd have about half of what I am planning to eat of each of those for a meal totaling around 450 calories.

chrisdavey

Heaps of protein, complex carbs & fibre. Low fat, add some extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil goes well also if you want to up the cals and fat a bit.

Also, check out the kangaroo chilli con carne recipe I posted. Just replace with lean mince and should be pretty much the same. It was 475cals with 52g protein and is a massive meal :P

Breakfast

60g oats
30g whey protein
1 tbspn natural peanut butter
500 cals, protein, complex carbs and healthy fats.

jadedone

I made some amazing veggie quesadillas:
corn tortillas
cooked winter squash (cubes)
cooked greens (spinach, kale, chard)
beans
a bit of shredded cheese: mexican shredded or sharp cheddar

Serve with salsa, avocado to get to the calorie goal

You can start all of these items cold BTW.

1. Add a bit of oil to the pan. Place a corn tortilla on the oil. (You can use a teaspoon total)
2. Add a bit of shredded cheese to the bottom
3. Top with beans, then greens, then squash
4. Add another layer of cheese
5. Add the top tortilla ( you might want to weight it down with a salad plate
6. Cook until the cheese looks a little melted and the bottom tortilla is crispy.
7. Add a bit more oil and flip the quesadilla and cook the second side till crispy
8. Sprinkle a bit of salt on top of the tortilla (now it tastes like chips!)

Serve with your condiments.

Each tortilla is about 60 calories, so you can add the toppings till you reach your goal. Or save some effort and make it a taco instead. I like the crisper tortilla

JennyJH

My absolute favourite meal of the moment and super healthy - had it for dinner tonight. I use Bulger instead of Cous Cous as it doesn't need cooking - just soak for half an hour.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7205/superhealthy-salmon-salad

Jam packed full of goodness. The Salmon isn't cheap but the cous cous is, pomegranates seem to be in season (£1 in ASDA IIRC) and substitute ordinary broccoli for the sprouting to keep costs down.

If you add a wholemeal Pita and finish with a fruit salad or banana it should tip over the 400 cals. Or a couple of Ferrero Rocher.

Healthy Egg and Chips on the BBC site is another good, cheap easy meal - have two eggs for extra cals and add baked beans for fiber and cals. Finish with a Ferrero Rocher and a banana.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5588/healthy-egg-and-chips

Huge selection in the healthy eating section

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/healthy/

Bon appetite!

kennedar

I am a big cheese omelette fan. We have it for dinner at least once a week. 3 eggs is about 210 calories, throw in some cheese, lots of veggies, a couple of peices of toast and a salad on the side and you are in the 400-500 calorie range. You could have it for breakfast if the idea of an omelette for dinner weirds you out! But this is my fall back meal for when I only have 10 minutes to get dinner on the table and need something healthy!

HollyMac20

Try upping your portion size to meet the calories. Instead of 4oz of grilled chicken, try 8oz instead. Add some whole grain bread for a sandwich. Lean and lowfat dairy is a great option too. Add a protein shake mid afternoon for a snack. Almonds and other nuts are a dense source of healthy calories as well.

jrlenig

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Ham-Mushroom-Fettuccine

This is what I am making for tomorrow night!