Low cal meals with bigger portion sizes?

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  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
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    Don't know if you could put this over on a Big Eater but you might enjoy it.

    Chinese Celery Stir Fry

    Many ribs of celery, sliced on the diagonal
    Mass quantities of slivered onions
    Frozen peas, to taste
    soy sauce
    sesame oil
    cooked chicken, shredded or chopped up

    Saute the onion in sesame oil. Get some carmelization. Add your celery. Add peas and chicken. drizzle with soy sauce. Eat with hot Chinese mustard.

    I'm having this tonight! I might throw some slivered almonds in at the end.
  • kathicooks
    kathicooks Posts: 81 Member
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    One of my favorite ways to increases the bulk of certain foods with practically no calories is slaw mix. Toss half a bag into a pot of chili, taco meat, meatloaf, soup, etc. It makes me feel full and I can eat a larger portion. I even add it to fried rice. I'm diabetic, so I typically use 1 cup of cooked rice, 1 shredded zucchini, half a bag of slaw mix, and then everything else (chicken, low sodium soy sauce, ginger, and eggs) as usual.

    The added fiber is a big help when you are cutting down on fats, if you catch my drift. :smile:
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
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    Spinach salad with spinach, light feta cheese, rotisserie chicken (or any chicken really) and a balsamic-vinaigrette dressing. You can have a HUGE plate/bowl and add lots of chicken. It takes time to eat and you feel quite full afterwards

    This but instead of feta, i use goat cheese and instead of chicken, I do fish. I also add tons of fruit!
  • leannems
    leannems Posts: 516 Member
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    If he'll eat raw cauliflower, you might be able to transition him to cooked cauliflower.

    One of my favorite meals is to boil cauliflower and mash it with salt/pepper (just use a masher to mash it like mashed potatoes). I then make vegetarian gravy with tons of mushrooms (sneak them in, he won't notice) and marinate some lean, thin sliced sirloin, and cook it fast in the cast-iron pan.

    I fill a bowl with the mashed cauliflower, top with the vegetarian mushroom gravy, and top with 4 ounces of steak. That giant bowl is under 500 calories.
  • glwerth
    glwerth Posts: 335 Member
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    As of right now, the only vegetables this man will eat is raw cauliflower, radishes, corn on the cob, and okra (if it's fried). He will eat potatoes baked in the oven too. I have to slowly introduce new veggies in with his meats lol

    My kids are super fussy, but when I am browning ground beef, I grind up mushrooms and brown them with the beef. It changes the texture slightly, but the mushrooms take on the flavor of the beef and my kids don't even know the difference. It's a way to sneak the veggies in and lower the calories, you get less meat, but never notice the difference.

    Does he do tomatoes? You can hide lots of veggies in tomato based foods (chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.) if you cut them small and use chunky tomatoes!
  • jrue1985
    jrue1985 Posts: 191 Member
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    Great thread :-)
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    Most white seafood is super low in calories. I like baked cod.

    Also, I buy the California blend of vegetables and pretty much eat an entire bag with my meal if my husband is not there to share. Last night I heated up some boxed butternut squash soup (90 cal/cup) and ended up adding my veggies into the soup. It was so delicious. I had that with a chicken sausage link for under 500 calories. I had budgeted for dessert, but was too full to eat anything else.
  • Lightbulb1088
    Lightbulb1088 Posts: 189 Member
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    my hubby like Roast beef so I put a roast in crock pot and add sliced carrotts, celery, onion, lots of spices, You could put in the potatos in big pcs so you can pick them out. You could try something like this and let him eat as much as he wants it will all be good and healthy for him.

    I try to make 1 new dish every week or 2 I tell him it is knew and we are trying it. some he likes and some he does not.
    These are just some idea's. I've just slowly made his meal healthy and let him eat what he wants. His weight is staying the same.
    Mine is slowly going down. :)
    Good Luck!
  • misstflowers
    misstflowers Posts: 5 Member
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    I have had that same issue with my family- they are definitely meat and potatoes kind of people. I will usually make my own spaghetti/lasagna sauce, and add in a lot of veggies either chopped fine, or blended after its cooked.
    I will also make a lasagna, using a thick layer of sliced veggies (squash works well here) and make a bechamel sauce using non fat milk mixed with the tomato sauce to mimic cheese. sometimes i will add just a sprinkle of parmesan because the flavor stretches so well, without having to use a lot of calories.
    I have also made soups using TVP or tofu, and no one can tell the difference. When i'm baking, i use non fat sour cream in place of oils so i can have my brownies/cupcakes every so often. i also bulk up on whole grains when baking so that i can have more fiber in my diet, rather than empty calories.
    i will generally make sauces using cornstarch, or boil down the liquids after cooking if the cooking liquids aren't too salty.
    one of my favorite meals is to take boneless skinless chicken, and place in a 8x8 baking pan. chop up lots of fresh garlic (limited only by your love of it), and sprinkle over the chicken. Mix up lipton's onion soup mix with 2 cups of water (rather than the 4 it calls for) and pour over the chicken. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. The garlic mellows out and the sauce thickens up a slight bit so you can put it over steamed veggies or whole grain rice.
    hope that helps
  • TheDarlingOne
    TheDarlingOne Posts: 255 Member
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    Yes!!! I have a very large appetite.... and I know most serving sizes are typically 1-2 cups in size, honestly, I prefer eating twice that amount... 2-4 cup servings... So I have been giving myself this little "Challenge" to see just how little calories I can cram into a 1 cup serving, so if I want seconds, I can have at it.... and I am a picky eater and a meat n' potatoes person as well!!! =p I guess I have a man's appetite lol...

    Here is what is on the menu for the next few days, it tastes great to me...

    Creamed Chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes... It's 185 calories per 1 cup serving.... You can totally load up your plate and pile it pretty well for 550 calories... but it's quite filling, and really 2 cups can fill one up very well for 370 cals.... if you add more broccoli you can stretch it even farther...

    I poured 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, over one package of boneless skinless chicken thighs.... (about 6 pieces) Now ^_^;; I can't cook very well.... and take shortcuts lol.... I took two bags of "Steam n' mash" mashed potatoes, and a bag of steamed broccoli florets and mixed those together..... when the chicken was done, I chopped it up tiny, and poured that with the remaining cream of chicken soup on top...... It made 15 1 cup servings, each one having enough protein, fiber and veggies to be a regular meal should I have one, however at only 185 calories, I can have seconds if I wish...

    I've made something else recently, using steam n' mash potatoes, broccoli, and a small amount of velveeta cheese, and that came in at 147 per cup....

    The trick is, if you like big portions, learn to fill it with as much healthy stuff as possible (like broccoli or bell peppers) and if possible find ways to flavor the dishes without the use of butter or cheeses.... And if you use some form of measurement to compare, you can challenge yourself to see just how far you can "Stretch" those calories.... see if anything can be replaced....

    I really like storing my foods in 1 cup containers, because if I just want a quick low calorie snack, I can grab something with a bit more nutrition than a bag of chips.... (that 180 meat, potato and broccoli dish will go further than a 200 calorie bag of chips!) and for meals, if the calories are low enough, 100-200 calories, then you can totally help yourself to large portions and have seconds or thirds pretty easily .......


    ^^this 100% is my way of doing it so far! - I found quickly I am a fan of quantity - and i can eat what seems like just as much and not feel deprived, if I"m filling it with better food - rather than - wendys, mcdonalds, and the like lol.

    My go to sandwich recently is:
    nature's own double fiber wheat bread (2 pices = 100 cals)
    dukes mayo (1 tbsp 100 cal)
    frenches mustard (ZERO CAL)
    3 slices of oscar meyer turkey (60 cals)
    1 cup spinach salad mix (5 cals)
    total of 265 cals - and the size i'm at now - i can have 2 sandwiches at 1 time if i want and stay in my calorie # easy!
    and the crunch is outta this world!
    and when i pull the sandwich away from my mouth and like look at it you know - it kinda tricks my brain because it's kind of like i'm eating a thick meaty hearty sandwich - but it's just filled with good veggies at a fraction milifraction even of the calories lol.

    4.5 cups of spinach = 20 cals = THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT LOL - spinach is my new bff haha
  • Corjogo
    Corjogo Posts: 201 Member
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    Try roasted veggies - potato, squash, turnip, parsnip, rutabaga, cauliflower, broccoli, onion, garlic, - just make a medley sprinkle with Olive oil. They taste really good and different from steamed or fried, my guys love them and is the ONLY way they eat most veggies.

    Also try spicy roasted sweet potato - (chili powder and red pepper flakes, salt, garlic powder and 2 tbsp of olive oil) - dice potatoes and put everything in zip-lock bag - let marinate (like steak). Then spread on a cookie sheet (line mine with foil, for easy clean-up) and bake @ 350 for about 45 minutes (depends on how fine a dice you do).
  • Kaalyn85
    Kaalyn85 Posts: 1
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    This tastes amazing and is really filling.


    SUPER SIMPLE SALSBURY STEAK

    3/4 pound ground turkey breast (I used all 93/7 lean ground beef)
    3/4 pound ground round
    1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
    2 large egg whites
    Cooking spray
    3/4 cup water
    3 tablespoons tomato paste (I didn’t use any at all)
    2 tablespoons Madeira wine or dry sherry (I used some leftover barefoot moscato)
    1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 (10 1/2-ounce) can condensed French onion soup (such as Campbell's) (I used a packet of Lipton onion soup/dip mix and water)

    Preparation

    Combine first 4 ingredients. Divide meat mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add patties; cook 6 minutes or until browned, turning after 3 minutes. Remove patties from pan; keep warm. Stir in water and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; add patties. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). (I added some cornstarch to thicken up the sauce)

    Calories: 210
    Calories from fat: 25%
    Fat: 5.9g
    Saturated fat: 2g
    Monounsaturated fat: 1.9g
    Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g
    Protein: 27.4g
    Carbohydrate: 10g
    Fiber: 0.9g
    Cholesterol: 64mg
    Iron: 2.4mg
    Sodium: 621mg
    Calcium: 38mg
  • kilham
    kilham Posts: 12 Member
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    I made turkey Burgers last night, so yummy! Jenny-o turkey is 220-4oz. Take that 4 oz. and load it with shredded veggies (zucchini, carrot, spinach whatever veg.) along with fresh or dries herbs and could even do some feta, parm, or laughing cow cheese in there. Turns that 4 oz burger into a huge burger and low on the cals. Last night I added fresh chopped spinach, a little feta, and basil......they were so good. Can do the same with meatballs. throw the vegs in the food processor and then add to the meat mixture.
    Hope this gives some good ideas.
  • mrsburchfield
    mrsburchfield Posts: 7 Member
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    Thank you for this... I too have a very very picky eater and I think he will like this. Sure sounds super yummy :-)
  • grayisokay
    grayisokay Posts: 16
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    Save. Thanks

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