Low-Calorie Breakfast and Lunch ideas

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24

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  • SL22268
    SL22268 Posts: 59 Member
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    1/2 cup Special K Chocolately Delight
    1/2 cup Special K Protein Plus
    1 Cup Skim Milk
    3/4 tbsp French Vanilla Coffee Mate in my coffee

    Only 278 calories and it usually keeps me full till around 10:30 and then I have a banana :)
  • keps920
    keps920 Posts: 2
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    I like cereal or oatmeal. Both keep me full until lunch time.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
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    I usually eat oatmeal cause I like being a robot.

    Surprisingly, I saw some froot loops (a generic brand) today that were only 100 calories per CUP! Mind = blown, since usually the nutrition is 120cals per 1/2C or something tricky like that.

    Needless to say, I had 10 cups.
  • chancie72
    chancie72 Posts: 270 Member
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    I often make a fruit and yogurt parfait for breakfast. I use 1/2 cup berries with a 6 oz light and fit yogurt and 1/4 cup of lowfat granola. Has a little sweet and a little crunch with alot of favor! For less than 200 calories there are so many flavor/fruit options! My favorites are blackberries or blueberries- yum!!:)
  • LaurasClimb
    LaurasClimb Posts: 211 Member
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    My go-to breakfast:
    1 egg (70 cal), cooked
    lite english muffin (90 cal), toasted
    1 laughing cow cheese wedge (35 cal)
    2 cups coffee (5 cal)
    total 200 calories & keeps me full! You can jazz it up a little with spinach or mushrooms or onions or whatever in your egg for just a couple calories more!
  • deweyz
    deweyz Posts: 18
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    Breakfast - Like many here, I'm an oatmeal fan. Filling without many calories. Sometimes I'll have 2 pouches - but wait in between (at least 1/2 an hour) because sometimes it takes a while for your tummy to realize it's been fed.

    2nd choice is a banana. Quick & easy.

    Lunch -- today I had a burrito bowl - chicken, rice, black beans, lettuce, salsa. Seemed like a lot of food but ended up being around 350 calories. Just be sure to avoid cheese/sour cream/guacamole/chips as they have a lot of fat & the tortilla as it alone is 150-200 calories.
    Best part of that - that was fast food eating out...try that at McD's

    Another recipe that worked really well for me were these bbq chicken salads/wraps. I got some lettuce, some broccoli cole slaw mix (broccolli slivers, carrot slivers, and cabbage), chopped up some tomato, you can add black beans but I didn't last time, chicken breast, bbq sauce. Best to skip the tortilla / pita - but if you want it watch what kind you get, it matters. Also watch the bbq sauce amounts - a lot of calories there and it doesn't need to be swimming in it to add taste.
    For work I keep it in 2 tupperwares - the bbq sauce & chicken (and beans if you choose) to be heated (my preference), and the veggies. Easy to measure your servings that was too.
    With pita bread is ~300 calories

    Lest you think I'm all burrito...my 3rd favorite dish is chili on pasta. Chili has ground turkey (or meatless crumbles) ~1 lb, 1/2 bell pepper (or however many of whichever you choose), 1/4 an onion, cook all that. Then add kidney beans, black beans, and/or pinto beans, your preference - 2 normal sized cans or 1 big can, chili seasoning, small diced tomato 1 big can. It's pretty thick, like a stew more than a soup, but that's how I like it. Serve alone, with a small serving of pasta (my preference, watch serving size), or if you're extra healthy with a salad (to cool your chili spices).
    Chili alone, 1/12 of the pot (a big pot...that's what I usually eat is ~1/12 + a little pasta) is ~175 calories

    If I'm lazy, I like the chicken marinara cafe steamer meal. Hard to find a tastier, more filling meal for <350 calories. Especially one that easy to prepare.
  • texas4transplantmom
    texas4transplantmom Posts: 6
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    I've been doing a smoothie for breakfast like some of the others have said. i use the almond milk and my favorite is mixed berries. I also like to add a tiny bit of agave nectar to mine to sweeten it a little because the fruit I use is frozen and unsweetened. It takes me a while to finish it so it keeps me from snacking between breakfast and lunch which is a problem for me sometimes.

    My favorite lunch is spinach just barely wilted in olive oil with craisins, a sprinkle of feta, and sometimes I'll add a handful of slivered almonds and/or leftover chicken from dinner the night before. It's really yummy and spinach is very low cal and versatile.

    Fish is also fairly low calorie, depending on how you cook it, but I've been making tilapia for dinner and adding a tablespoon of butter(per 4 fillets) a drizzle of lemon juice and a garlic clove(minced) plus a dash of pepper to each fillet and then I bake that at 375 until it's tender/flaky(about 30 min). One on its own is not enough to carry me very long but 2 fillets will make me feel stuffed.
  • SouthernArt77
    SouthernArt77 Posts: 265 Member
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    I make egg muffins by filling a muffin tin half full with sauteed veggies (red pepper, onion, mushrooms, spinach etc). Then beat a dozen eggs and 1 tsp. baking powder and pour over top so each is about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Each is less than 100 calories. You can freeze them then thaw the night before and pop them in the microwave for a quick breakfast. I usually do two per meal with a piece of fruit...about 250-300 calories.
    I'm going to try this - thanks!
  • suzikay12
    suzikay12 Posts: 150 Member
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    Packet of instant oatmeal for breakfast, 160 calories. I saw a lot of others had this too.

    For lunch I alternate the following:

    Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger and Bun: 230 Calories
    Boca Grilled Vegetable Burger and Bun: 200 Calories
    Fish Fillet: 90-120 Calories

    With each of the above I have a boxed Green Giant vegetable and yes, I eat the whole box. Most are between 2-3 servings per box and are usually around 120 calories for the entire box. There are several mixes to choose from so that keeps me from getting bored. The green beans and almonds is my favorite.

    Total lunch calories usually comes in between 300-350. So with breakfast and lunch combined, you have around 500 calories. This leaves enough that I can be pretty flexible with my dinner menu.

    Let me just say that I am NOT a vegetarian. I love meat. I honestly enjoy the spicy black bean burger and the grilled vegetable burgers. Anyone who is skeptical to try these, I encourage you to do so. I did try the Morningstar Farm Grilled Fake Chicken burger and could barely force it down. Yuck! Not my cup of tea.
  • domsmoms
    domsmoms Posts: 174 Member
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    This morning I had a Greek yogurt with blueberries, which was about 150 calories and quite filling.

    This was a switch from my usual instant oatmeal packets, which are around 130-160 calories. I make them with almond milk instead of water - the unsweetened almond milk only adds about 30 more calories, and I think it tastes much better than making it with water. I also sometimes add strawberries or blueberries to the oatmeal.
  • domsmoms
    domsmoms Posts: 174 Member
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    Packet of instant oatmeal for breakfast, 160 calories. I saw a lot of others had this too.

    For lunch I alternate the following:

    Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger and Bun: 230 Calories
    Boca Grilled Vegetable Burger and Bun: 200 Calories
    Fish Fillet: 90-120 Calories

    With each of the above I have a boxed Green Giant vegetable and yes, I eat the whole box. Most are between 2-3 servings per box and are usually around 120 calories for the entire box. There are several mixes to choose from so that keeps me from getting bored. The green beans and almonds is my favorite.

    Total lunch calories usually comes in between 300-350. So with breakfast and lunch combined, you have around 500 calories. This leaves enough that I can be pretty flexible with my dinner menu.

    Let me just say that I am NOT a vegetarian. I love meat. I honestly enjoy the spicy black bean burger and the grilled vegetable burgers. Anyone who is skeptical to try these, I encourage you to do so. I did try the Morningstar Farm Grilled Fake Chicken burger and could barely force it down. Yuck! Not my cup of tea.

    I just ate one of the Morningstar fake grilled chicken patties for lunch... but I like them a lot, had one yesterday and today, in fact. They don't really taste anything like chicken, though. I do agree that veggie burgers are a great low cal option... and I am a meat eater/lover too.
  • ashleyacee
    ashleyacee Posts: 118
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    Egg whites with mixed veggies and salsa! on a dry piece of whole grain toast.

    whole grain toast with almond butter and cinnamon!

    A protein and fruit smoothie
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
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    I tend to eat a lot of these listed below. I like to keep breakfast between 200-300 calories tops.

    2 Fried eggs + sauteed spinach or kale = ~200 cal
    1/2 cup (dry) oatmeal + 1 tsp brown sugar + 1/2 banana = ~200 cal
    1 6 oz 0% Fage plain greek yogurt + 1/2 cup strawberries + wheat toast (dry) = ~200-220 cals (depends on bread)
    1 Hard boiled egg + wheat toast (dry) + 1/2 banana = ~200 cal
  • SalsaMamaT
    SalsaMamaT Posts: 3 Member
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    Orange Fluff
    8 oz Cool whip lite (I used Great Value Light Whipped Topping),
    16 oz. Cottage Cheese Lowfat (I used Simply Kraft small curd),
    Orange Gelatin Sugar free powder only ( I used Great Value Walmart brand, two small boxes),
    15 oz. Mandarin Oranges drain juice (I used Del Monte No Sugar Added sweetened with Splenda)

    Mix all ingredients together, keep refrigerated and serve cold.
    This is high protein, low calorie.
  • iam_thatdude
    iam_thatdude Posts: 1,279 Member
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    Try a Whey Protein Shake. Its about 140-180 cals (depending on which product you get) and take it with 0% fat milk. It's a very good breakfast replacement item and you get alot of protein (23-35g depending on product and scoops.)
  • iamfranniefierce
    iamfranniefierce Posts: 305 Member
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    Veggie egg white omelettes, instant oatmeal with apple slices, cottage cheese with fruit...I usually try to do protein rich meals to keep me satiated until lunchtime. Also, I do not mind having higher calorie meals for lunch and breakfast with a lower calorie meal for dinner since I need the fuel to power through my workday and workout...I am also on a 1200 calorie goal. Good luck!
  • iamfranniefierce
    iamfranniefierce Posts: 305 Member
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    I make egg muffins by filling a muffin tin half full with sauteed veggies (red pepper, onion, mushrooms, spinach etc). Then beat a dozen eggs and 1 tsp. baking powder and pour over top so each is about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Each is less than 100 calories. You can freeze them then thaw the night before and pop them in the microwave for a quick breakfast. I usually do two per meal with a piece of fruit...about 250-300 calories.
    I'm going to try this - thanks!

    Sounds yummy!
  • GroupXZ
    GroupXZ Posts: 196 Member
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    Love these recipes! Keep them coming!
  • k8lyn_235
    k8lyn_235 Posts: 507 Member
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    Frozen waffles (I prefer blueberry Eggo's) with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter spread over them. It comes to a total of 370 calories, has 11 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. I also like to add a sliced banana for added fiber if I need a little something extra to hold me over until lunch. :wink:

    never thought of pb on my waffles! i must try this.. :)
  • tyj247
    tyj247 Posts: 18
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    Just out of curiosity, is there another healthy hot cereal alternative to oatmeal? I only ask because I have a texture issue with oatmeal (not to be gross but the chunkiness of it reminds me of vomit) and I just can't bring myself to eat it. Is there something out there for someone like me?

    Loving the other suggestions too, btw :)

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