side dishes?

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thisisjl
thisisjl Posts: 1,074 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I am having a difficult time with side dishes for dinners. We are very much a family of meat, carb dish (potato's, rice, etc) and veggie. I'm trying to find some new ideas for side dishes that are healthier but not just a lettuce salad. I have made sides like summer squash, zuccini, red pepper and onion sauteed in FF veggie broth but I can only make that so often before I'm going to get sick of it. Any suggestions?

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  • denisebme
    denisebme Posts: 103 Member
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    Sweet potatoes are always great, and black beans. How many calories are you looking to stay under with your sides?
  • zhanaolivia
    zhanaolivia Posts: 65
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    Steamed vegetables; brocolli, cauliflower, peas and corn, carrot, etc.. are very easy and taste good. You can make them all like 400x tastier by adding a little low fat salad dressing, but personally I like them how they are.
    Just buy them frozen at the supermarket and steam them in the microwave. YOu can also just tip them in your food while cooking it to bulk it up with a healthier alternative to meat/staples.
  • thisisjl
    thisisjl Posts: 1,074 Member
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    really I don't have a set calorie limit I'm trying to go for 400-550 for my complete meal. I work nights so my meal for supper at home with the family also becomes my supper at work at night most of the time so basically for most people it would be lunch and supper. I have dinner 1 and dinner 2 ;-) Sweet potatoes are awesome and so is Acorn squash but thats a seasonal thing they are tiny in the summer.

    Has anyone ever had spaghetti squash? What does it taste like? How would you prepare it? I see that in the store all the time and I'm always wondering about it. Also Eggplant I've never eatten either wouldn't know what to do with it....
  • thisisjl
    thisisjl Posts: 1,074 Member
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    I always have veggies weather steamed or raw, but I need more than just veggies and meat I need another side dish.
  • giggles7706
    giggles7706 Posts: 1,491 Member
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    I do green beans, asparagas, and mushrooms when I want to mix it up a little. I've heard alot of talk about cauliflower mashed potatoes. Been wanting to try it but haven't yet
  • janemem
    janemem Posts: 575 Member
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    How about bulgur wheat? You can use it more or less the same as couscous but it is much more versatile.
    I very rarely eat pasta/potatoes/rice because bulgur wheat goes with just about everything and it's really nutritious.

    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5686/2
  • thisisjl
    thisisjl Posts: 1,074 Member
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    hmmm that would probably taste pretty good, The cauliflower mashed hmmm might have to try that next week. Ohhhh I might have to learn how to make home made sweet tater fries ........ Don't ask me why that just popped into my head since nobody suggested it lol suddenly my brain just screamed it out to me.
  • foxyforce
    foxyforce Posts: 3,078 Member
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    i am big on beans

    bean salad

    fried beans

    sauted beans

    you can have raw veggies (cucumber slices)

    grate some carrot and put some raisins in it

    nomnomnom
  • BR3ANDA
    BR3ANDA Posts: 622 Member
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    One of my faves is prosciutto wrapped asparagus (yes, I said prosciutto), but it only adds like 30 cals a serving, and makes such a HUGE difference. Just make sure you drink plenty of water, because it isnt exactly low in sodium. Get a 1oz slice of prosciutto (usually a very thin slice fresh from the deli is about an ounce), cut it into ribbons, I can usually get about 20 ribbons from one slice, wrap it around the asparagus like a candy cane stripe, toast in the oven for a few minutes, until its juuuust crispy enough, I throw the rest of the asparagus on the sheet pan with it so the flavors get all over the other pieces that didnt get wrapped. Mmmmmmm. The hubby and me usually split a bunch, half a bunch plus a 1/2 oz of prosciutto is around 50-60 cals.
  • thisisjl
    thisisjl Posts: 1,074 Member
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    One of my faves is prosciutto wrapped asparagus (yes, I said prosciutto), but it only adds like 30 cals a serving, and makes such a HUGE difference. Just make sure you drink plenty of water, because it isnt exactly low in sodium. Get a 1oz slice of prosciutto (usually a very thin slice fresh from the deli is about an ounce), cut it into ribbons, I can usually get about 20 ribbons from one slice, wrap it around the asparagus like a candy cane stripe, toast in the oven for a few minutes, until its juuuust crispy enough, I throw the rest of the asparagus on the sheet pan with it so the flavors get all over the other pieces that didnt get wrapped. Mmmmmmm. The hubby and me usually split a bunch, half a bunch plus a 1/2 oz of prosciutto is around 50-60 cals.

    I'd never have thought of wrapping asparagus like that. I'll be adding that to the list of things to try! Thanks!

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