low cal lunch and dinner ideas anybody?

tammyd7
tammyd7 Posts: 1
in Recipes
i just started my diet yesterday and i am finding it hard to come up with ideas for dinners and lunch. If you would like to share your ideas it would be great

Replies

  • amyonkman
    amyonkman Posts: 25
    I'm in the same boat! I just found recipes for crockpot. Chicken breasts, with taco seasoning, salsa, black beans, corn if you want. then shred chicken once cooked. Im planning on eating this with lettuce and light sour cream :) I found this recipe too that Im going to try soon! :)http://nutmegnotebook.com/2011/06/chipotle-chicken-taco-salad-2/
  • amyonkman
    amyonkman Posts: 25
    Im also doing turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with an apple for lunch. seems to be pretty filling :)
  • ittybittybadonkadonk
    ittybittybadonkadonk Posts: 11,634 Member
    4 sites that I absolutely love is skinnytaste.com ....emilybites.com .....canyoustayfordinner.com and hungrygirl.com
  • BunkyBumBum
    BunkyBumBum Posts: 157 Member
    This week I had a sandwich made from an egg (scrambled up and cooked flat) with about 1/2c fresh spinach in the middle and put on a slice of whole wheat toast (cut in half to sandwich it) with 1/2 tbs yogurt spread like 3 times. Calories? 156. Add an apple in and you're at about 250 calories, you got fruit, fiber, protein, whole grains, a little fat, and iron rich leafy greens. You could even add some cheese and get a dairy exchange in there if you wanted. Diced red peppers and zucchini for some veggies. Of course I'm a vegetarian so I guess maybe you might get similar calories with some lunchmeat, but I have no idea where those rank in calories and aren't they high in sodium?

    Give it a try, at least it's good for one day of the week for some variety! (Says the girl who used to eat PB & J and an apple every single day for lunch. For years).
  • Rebane1
    Rebane1 Posts: 27 Member
    Frozen veggie mix + minced meat. Both exactly the kind you prefere, Fry the mince (no oil needed if you put it on previously heated pan!), add veggies (no melting needed) and bit of water. Pinch of salt, some pepper (and whatever spices you like) and just let to simmer until veggies are as crunchy or soft you like. Mix sometimes. Sometimes I cook potatoes or rice to go with it but most of the time it is nice meal also like that.

    _________________________________________

    I also like Keller's chicken. It is exactly as easy to make as it sounds! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Simple-Roast-Chicken-231348

    OK then you will have a whole roasted chicken. Legs, and wings go as they are with fresh salad or on sandwitch. 2-3 days later I have the breast.... Chicken breast is not something I run for - usually it is dry, tastless compared to other parts etc. So I dig into my freezer again and come out with a bag of frozen green beans. Then two cans (or just one.... depends on the size of chicken breasts and the day...) of diced tomatoes. Chop chicken to smaller pieces (half inch or so) and quickly fry in a pot. No fancy browning needed. Then add totatoes and beans, some salt and pepper and whatever else you think might suit there. Just leave it to simmer until beans are ok for you. The meat tends to go to shreds but it is the way I like it. Some toast if you like and can add to your calories list...
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    Mince, zuccini, bell pepper (paprika) and tomatoes pasta sauce.

    Fry minced meat, add zuccini and bell pepper pieces, fry few more minutes and add can of diced tomatoes. Let simmer until thickens a bit. Salt, pepper, basil and done. The more veggies, the less pasta you need.
  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
    I have two big go-to dinners, and I cook them for lunch leftovers.
    One is turkey chili made with 99/1 ground turkey, and a lot of bell peppers in addition to tomatoes and kidney beans. It's very filling without a lot of calories or carbs. It even comes in pretty well with some fat free cheddar and light sour cream.
    The second one is barbecue shrimp. I got this idea from our local cajun restaurant. The shrimp are really just steamed with a lot of spices and garlic, in a beer, with some sliced turkey andouille sausage. The one at the restaurant had a lot of butter too, but I backed that off in steps and discovered it didn't need it at all. We have that over mashed cauliflower.
  • dreinecke94
    dreinecke94 Posts: 33 Member
    the better homes and gardens cookbook "the ultimate low calorie cookbook" is a great one, so is the hungry girl on that is purple with like 650 recipes. That last one has great breakfasts. Also healthy choice is a good idea for microwaveable lunches.
  • xoTalim
    xoTalim Posts: 212 Member
    Lunch: Garden salad with turkey and a low calorie dressing.

    I usually use vinagrettes but I recently found a low fat buttermilk ranch dressing which has half the calories as regular ranch. Add on some turkey breast meat. I usually add some croutons just for extra flavour. Not too many cause they're pretty high in calories. I use President's Choice Zesty Garlic Croutons. 3 medium sized croutons are about 35 calories so that's usually all I add to mine.


    Dinner: Grilled chicken or fish with lemon and wine sauce.

    Just as the title says. Cook up some veggies to go with it. My favourites are broccoli, asparagas, and mushrooms. My mom loves making rice with her fish or chicken but I always pass now. It's all about will power. (:


    Good luck and enjoy! :D
  • janmoulder2
    janmoulder2 Posts: 36 Member
    I just posted a Spinach Salad recipe that is perfect for lunch. It's in this "Recipes" section of the boards.
  • purplecharm
    purplecharm Posts: 446 Member
    can of tuna + 2 tbs of bolthouse yogurt ranch dressing + 1/2 cup of raw spinach + red onions + craisins = delicious and light lunch
  • rozojc
    rozojc Posts: 35 Member
    Lately we've had what we call "mini pizzas" for dinner.

    1 (large) whole grain pita bread
    Add 1 Tbsp of ketchup and spread it over the pita bread.
    Sprinkle (not cover, just sprinkle) some low fat shredded mozarella cheese on top.
    Add some tomato slices, some chopped onions, mushrooms.

    Prehead the oven to 350 put it in for a couple of minutes and then broil for the cheese to melt.

    The ones we make are under 400 calories and they are yummy!
    We also tried today an under 500 cajun chicken pasta that I shared a few minutes ago in this forum.
    Yesterday we had some egg white omelletes with veggies (under 200 calories). Worked for us.

    :-)
  • rozojc
    rozojc Posts: 35 Member
    BTW, we (me and my wife) started our diet about 2 weeks ago (and so far so good). What we did was research recipes, and made a list of all the things we would like (and are able to) cook and their calories. All this on an Excel file.

    We then went and bought groceries. Now every time we need to cook we just look at our list and decide what we will have from that list based on how many calories we still have left.

    Sounds silly but it has worked for us!

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