flavorful low cal dinners?

Pariah

so my husband is home now, and he would like to start eating healthier foods like i've been doing while he was gone. the problem is though, he's a beef and potatoes type guy. and I'm not a good cook, so while i've been eating healthier, my meals have been very basic and flavorless, salad, plain chicken, plain fish,

i doubt i can get him to eat fish, but i can get him to eat chicken if and only if it is extremely flavorful. tonight i substitute morning star crumbles for ground beef. I thought it was delicious, because i hate ground beef. my husband didn't finish his =/

so i need recipes, preferably around 300-400 cals per serving. and keep in mind, i have no idea how to create food. I can cook, if i have a recipe. but i can just throw together a bunch of ingredients and have a tasty final product. i don't know what flavors go good with what, and so on. so recipes are a must. TIA

scotty_81

There are lots of recipes here that are 200-400 cals per serving - happy cooking! http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/special-diets/200-400-calories/

mrsyatesy

Ooh, I've just added that website to my favourites - it has some gorgeous stuff on it!! Thanks!

cbullock115

Cookinglight.com is a website that I visit frequently!! My favorite is BBQ potatoes which is a baked potatoe with BBQ and a little shredded cheese stuffed into it. The original recipe is 367 cals but I don't use the sour cream so it's even less than that for me :happy:

fietsdebbie

I second the comment of the cooking light web site which is also partnered with: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/ I have made lots of stuff from this web site and like how they have the nutritional information on all recipes. There is also "how to" notes on other portions of the web site that can help you with general cooking techniques. I'd suggest typing in an ingredient that you enjoy (ie: beef, potatoes) and see what pops up and try some new things out. Hope this helps.

mrsyatesy

I just made a chicken stir fry with tenderstem brocolli, peppers, courgettes, babycorn, chilli, garlic & blackbean sauce, stirred in some thai rice noodles etc. etc. and I am so happy - it tasted fantastic (modest as I am!) - even fussy husband liked it and asked for more, and it was really reasonable on calories! It still looked like a massive meaty meal, but was a good version!

tralalara

I just made the best chicken dinner. I took boneless skinless chicken breast and flattened them (use a meat mallet or even a can). Then I put one Light Laughing Cow garlic and herb cheese wedge and about a tablespoon of chopped hot pepper rings on each and rolled it up. A little seasoning of your choice (I use cajun shake) and a shake of parmesan cheese on top. Bake about 20 or 30 minutes. It's wonderful. I also made Baked sweet potato fries and steamed green beans in the micro. Very easy and awesome dinner.

bojkoj19

Hi there

I just made a great dinner last night. And it's super healthy!! I got a huge wok and put in tons of veggies (eggplant, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, chilli peppers, tomatos, and fresh parsley) then I cubed up chicken (boneless, skinless breasts) and added garlic and a mix of dried herbs. I put about a half a cup of water and then set it on medium to high heat with a lid on for about 15 mins then I took the lid off and continued cooking till the water was reduced. I mixed it with cooked brown rice and sprinkled grated parm. cheese on top.

For most one dish meals, you can leave out the oil and butter for water.

Enjoy!

Julia

oats4breakfast

Oh no ..... don't mess with a man's beef !!! If you're going to sub ground beef with something, sub it with ground turkey ... or at least mix it 50/50 with crumbles. - what is that anyway ? Soy/tofu ?

I find, to make "naked" chicken more tasty, just coat with black pepper and celery salt. Then just grill. It will taste like publix chicken but without all the fried fat around it. In my opinion, don't try to hide what the food is. My wife tries to add tomato this and something else that to it so that we can have it more than once a week .... but chicken is chicken to me and I see right through it. I just like it with some pepper heat and some celery salt taste. Grilled. When I want a change, I'll put it on a piece of bread I hate it when we have chicken 5 times a week. (and everyone out there, we share the cooking, it's just not always alternate days. Sometimes It'll be me cooking 5 times a week, sometimes it's her).

Fish is an interesting one. Make sure it's fresh for a start. If it smells like fish, or, even worse, if there's an over powering bleach smell around when you buy it. Don't bother. No frozen breaded stuff from a box either. I think fish is something you cannot scrimp on cost. But that's my opinion. Some great tasting ones are, to name but a few, grouper, halibat, red snapper, sea bass (which tastes like butter).
If the fish says "nothern area atlantic fish" or something... then that's not a good fish per se. It may have fins and swim in the sea, but its name is obscure on purpose. If you have any doubts about a fish, don't buy it. Your instincts are probably right.
Cooking fish ? I think simple is always best. Season lightly, with salt and pepper, then, don't overcook.

A baked potato, IMHO, can make and break a meal too. The best ones are fluffy in the middle, crsipy on outside. Here's how I do mine. Coat potato lightly in olive oil, salt and black pepper. Wrap in tine foil. Put in oven at 375F for at least an hour.

Chilli is always a winner, you can put beans in it which are important, but you can mix the meats involved (chicken, beef, turkey and dare I say it, crumbles) and it should still taste great. You control the cals by ingredients choosen and portions.
Alternatively, a beef stew with plenty of veg (celery, potatoes, carrots, onion, whatever else) will always win and again, ingredients and portioning.

I know I didn't give you any recipes, hopefully just some ideas. I'm a meat and potato guy too.
PS: if you restrict him to 3-400 cal meals, there may be a revolt or plenty of midnight snacks. You can probably get away with that ..... but we need twice that

KAskinny

I know my man LOVES hot wings (as do I!) so I tried a low fat hot wing recipe last night and it was a hit!
I'm a huge fan of my Crockpot (you should get into Crockpot cooking too since you say you are not a great chef-it's so easy), so I put boneless skinless chicken tenders in the crockpot and smothered them in hot sauce (be sure to check your hot sauce labels, most are fat free, but some aren't) I went with Frank's Hot Wing Sauce, great flavor! I cooked it on high for 4 hours. Then make a big yummy salad to go with it and/or bake some potato wedges.

Also, since he likes his meat and potatoes, what about a pot roast. Just get a lean meat and throw in a bunch of carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. Pour reduced sodium (and fat) chicken stock in there with some seasoning, and turn it on and forget it! It's yummy and i usually have a ton left over that I freeze or pot roast sandwiches are yummy too the next day.

I have lots more if interested. . .

Reign

I know my man LOVES hot wings (as do I!) so I tried a low fat hot wing recipe last night and it was a hit!
I'm a huge fan of my Crockpot (you should get into Crockpot cooking too since you say you are not a great chef-it's so easy), so I put boneless skinless chicken tenders in the crockpot and smothered them in hot sauce (be sure to check your hot sauce labels, most are fat free, but some aren't) I went with Frank's Hot Wing Sauce, great flavor! I cooked it on high for 4 hours. Then make a big yummy salad to go with it and/or bake some potato wedges.

Also, since he likes his meat and potatoes, what about a pot roast. Just get a lean meat and throw in a bunch of carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. Pour reduced sodium (and fat) chicken stock in there with some seasoning, and turn it on and forget it! It's yummy and i usually have a ton left over that I freeze or pot roast sandwiches are yummy too the next day.

I have lots more if interested. . .

My husband would love this...gotta try iy when he gets home!