Low calorie dinners?

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umbersoul
umbersoul Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
I always find that dinners take up the majority of my calories, I end up eating easy to cook starchy things like pasta or rice with protein and salad, but I'm looking for a variety of alternatives to this...

I'm a student and so I need something quite quick and easy to conjure up, any help would be appreciated so much (:

I'm open to trying anything x
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Replies

  • katiethedetermined1
    katiethedetermined1 Posts: 68 Member
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    I am a single mom always on the go so things that I like are baked potatoes in the microwave with salsa (only take roughly 4 min), frozen shrimp is always really easy in a frying pan with nothing added but black pepper, if you have a slow cooker that could be done before you went to class and done when you got home. I do that a lot. I hope these help you a little bit. I am interested in what others have to say as well!!! New ideas are always great!
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    I typically have a big *kitten* salad. It can be anything, but plenty of volume to fill you up, lots of veggies of different colors for a variety of micronutrients, and a good macro nutrient breakdown. Personally I have spinach with yellow or orange bell pepper, grape tomatoes, half an avocado, red onion, and shredded chicken (I make a huge batch, and then freeze in individual servings). My dressing is a quick homemade vinaigrette made from balsamic vinegar, horse radish mustard, and olive oil. It's pretty quick and easy, and it's usually around 500 calories depending on how large the avocado is.
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
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    http://www.hdmb.net/

    I'm behind on adding recipes, but there are a lot of yummy ones there already.
  • smanning1982
    smanning1982 Posts: 210 Member
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    I find that if I can cook something that I can stick in the fridge and use for a couple days it makes it easier.

    I just made this chicken broccoli casserole and just over 300 calories a serving, makes 4 so it lasted me four days of dinners

    http://skinnymom.com/2012/04/13/skinny-chicken-broccoli-casserole/#.T_Dq1dTIZWA.pinterest


    Another favorite of mine is this crockpot potato soup. I put 1/4 C of 2% shredded cheese and a couple saltine crackers and it is amazingly good! I use light sour cream and leave out the ham so it end up being just 114 calories per cup and 1 cup fills me up! This will last me 8-10 days eating it everyday for dinner, and yes it's that good to eat every freakin' day! LOL

    http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=463246
  • sambam816
    sambam816 Posts: 4 Member
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    Im a busy college student that works two jobs so I know what you mean! I usually grill or bake a protein and steam some sort of veggie to go with it! I've been drizzling my veggies with olive oil and baking them lately...it gives me time to get some stuff done like homework while theyre cooking!

    Have you tried spagetti squash? Its a great alternative to actual spagetti noodles and VERY low in calories. It doesn't take long either. I usually just put mine in the microwave for 10 minutes : ) Hope this helps!
  • Emalilly13
    Emalilly13 Posts: 20 Member
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    Hey im a student too!

    I eat very healthy i have replaced rice and [pasta sometimes] with a thing called Bulgur Wheat.
    If you live in the UK its easy to get a hold of, its in the whole foods section in Tesco and Morrisons.

    Its like cous cous but more better for you. Its tasty to!

    Give it a go, it has worked wonders for me. Each gram is a cal so 80gs is 80 cals!

    Happy to help x :smile:
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    I typically stick to just meat and veggies for dinner. I eat 5-6 small meals through the day so I don't have a huge dinner. I find most of my recipes on skinnytaste.com. Tonight I am making Chicken Francese with steamed broccoli.

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/lighter-chicken-francese-83-pts.html#more
  • KirstenMarie18
    KirstenMarie18 Posts: 35 Member
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    English Muffin Pizza's!! I made them last night for the first time.. under 300 calories!!
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
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    Lean meats (chicken, 90/10 beef) and veggies are my go to for lower cal dinners. I struggle with snacking after dinner.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
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    I found these two sites, they might give you some ideas:
    they are 300-calorie dinners (so I think you could add to it if you are trying for 500)

    http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/300-calorie-dinners-00412000076815/page30.html
    and
    http://www.livebetteramerica.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections/articles/30-nights-of-300-calorie-meals?nicam1=CONTENT_PPC&nichn1=+OUTBRAIN&nipkw1={ad_Title}&niseg1=TDCORE_LBA&ersc=16670

    I have found soups to be a good, filling lower calorie meal, and also breakfast for dinner-I can have toast, bacon and egg for about 300 calories.
  • Roll_Tide_Meg
    Roll_Tide_Meg Posts: 255 Member
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    Hey! My husband and I have subscribed to emeals.com. They give us recipe ideas. :)

    http://emeals.com/account/go.php?r=430405&i=l0

    It is also good if you are trying a particular kind of eating such as clean, or paleo, or low carb, or low fat! Just a great site!
  • umbersoul
    umbersoul Posts: 4
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    This sounds like the perfect thing!! x
  • afugua0002
    afugua0002 Posts: 27
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    bump
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I always find that dinners take up the majority of my calories, I end up eating easy to cook starchy things like pasta or rice with protein and salad, but I'm looking for a variety of alternatives to this...

    I'm a student and so I need something quite quick and easy to conjure up, any help would be appreciated so much (:

    I'm open to trying anything x

    Canned water-packed tuna is probably your best friend in terms of delivering high-protein, low calorie nutrition. Throw it on a bed of vegetables and greens and add some kind of a delicious, no-sugar dressing (I always dilute my salad dressings with yogurt) and you have a nutrient-packed low-cal dinner of less than 500 calories. It is so satisfying that it will keep you from being hungry all evening, so that you can avoid the after-dinner snacking (that can destroy a whole day of being on track).
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If you have a crock pot you can make a big batch of soup, stew or chili to keep on hand all week.

    If you like pasta and rice but are eating too many pasta/rice calories just use a little more of whatever you eat with it and and less pasta/rice. You could get those microwave in the bag veggies and add to the pasta/rice, or to eat instead.
  • badtastebetty
    badtastebetty Posts: 326 Member
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    I usually have a big bowl of roasted veggies with some nuts, quinoa, or avocado.
  • fliedlice84
    fliedlice84 Posts: 9
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    I'm the same way, so I try to use my calories wisely. It's probably not the healthiest thing to do, but I try to keep all my meals and snacks under 600 before I dive into dinner. That way I don't feel so guilty, when I know I'm going to over-indulge. Dinner is what I live for.

    The day meals I go with are Lean Cuisines because they are fast and yummy. I really dig the Steak Tips and Portobello which are only 150 calories. Splurge days I'll do the lasagna and nosh on fruit and veggies throughout the day, unless I've scheduled to go to the gym, or go out to eat and really mess up my calories. In that case, I made a rule that it's either the gym, or no high calorie food. I don't stick to it all the time, but sometimes I do! -And it's working. Even a brisk 15 minute walk can burn 100 calories, allowing you to spoil yourself on something yummy.

    There's always go-to rotisserie chicken option too. Buy one to last you a few meals. You can eat straight up, with salt and pepper, sauces, toppings to a salad or quinoa even celery (semi-cooked for a carb-like texture).
  • umbersoul
    umbersoul Posts: 4
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    Im a busy college student that works two jobs so I know what you mean! I usually grill or bake a protein and steam some sort of veggie to go with it! I've been drizzling my veggies with olive oil and baking them lately...it gives me time to get some stuff done like homework while theyre cooking!

    Have you tried spagetti squash? Its a great alternative to actual spagetti noodles and VERY low in calories. It doesn't take long either. I usually just put mine in the microwave for 10 minutes : ) Hope this helps!

    I forgot how much I used to love doing that to my vegetables too - putting olive oil on them and then I grill them until they're crispy, you can also slice them into thin slices and make vegetable crisps - a filling yummy snack! I have to get back in the habit, and I'll definitely try the spaghetti squash, sounds delicious.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Oh--I forgot what I used to use for our (hubby and me) dinner when I was younger (until we discovered that hubby has an allergy to milk casein). Just take a baked potato (Russets are best as having the lowest amount of natural sugars) and smother it in cottage cheese and sprinkle a bit of dried or fresh chives on top. Sometimes I would chef them up with a bit of crumbled bacon and sauteed red pepper and onions on top of the cottage cheese.
  • TreEe5
    TreEe5 Posts: 41 Member
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    I find the best low cal dinners are soups that you make one day during the week and have the rest during the week. And, if you use some kind of protein or legumes/beans, they'll keep you fuller longer. Two great websites I can suggest for several recipes include:

    www.skinnytaste.com and I've signed up for shrinkingkitchen.com - they send you an email every Sunday with recipe ideas for the week and even include a shopping list.

    Good luck!

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