Need dinner ideas Under 500 cal

sometimes I just take some ground turkey and brown it up with some rotel tomatoes and whatever veggies I have on hand...broccoli is good and so are brussels sprouts. And if I have the calories I'll have half an avocado with it. Very good, super easy and cheap, and filling.

I make a bean soup that is fast and easy and has about 200 calories per serving so you could easily add a protein and salad or other side and some bread and still be under 500 calories:

Diced onion, bell peppers, carrrots, celery - 1/2c -1 c of each. Add a jalapeno if you like a little heat
1 - 15 oz can each, drained and rinsed - black beans, white beans, kidney beans and pinto beans
1 can shoepeg (white) corn, drained and rinsed (or 1 c frozen white corn)
1 can petite diced tomatoes (could substitute a jar of salsa to add a kick as well)
32 oz vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Add chili powder or other seasonings if you like

This makes 8 servings and is great left over for lunches. If you don't like using canned beans you could buy dry beans (I like the 15 bean soup mix) and make this in the crock pot, using more liquid.

Check out Skinnytaste.com tons of healthy recipes. There are numerous websites to get healthy recipes.

white chicken chili
tilapia puttanesca
6 ounce sirloin, side of broccoli and small salad with one of the boathouse farms yogurt dressings
any bean soup
grilled pork loin with grilled asparagus
cappellini pomodoro
any primavera sauce over a 2 ounce serving of pasta.


There are millions of ideas online.

skinnytaste.com, eatbetteramerica.com (healthified recipes are yummy). Coconut shrimp, pecan crusted tilapia, garlic shrimp fettucine, chicken parmesan, chicken fried rice, tangy pork roast etc...Many good recipes!

Bumping for ideas!

One meal that I love is: about 2 cups diced celery, 1 cup peppers, 1/2 cup peas, 1/2 cup cauliflower (or can use any combination of veggies) all sauteed together in coconut oil til nice and soft. Then add 2 cups brown rice and a baked chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces. Sometimes I add a little bit of cooked quinoa. I add a couple tablespoons of coconut (non-soy) sauce, some sea salt and pepper and ginger. Feeds 2-3. Low in calories and is very filling! Never need an evening snack after having this!:happy:

This isn't exactly a recipe, but this weekend I tried hot Italian turkey sausage (jennie-o brand) and was very impressed. 1 sausage link is 160 calories. I typically fry them up in a little oil with onions and peppers. If it has been a really good day I can throw it on a roll, typically I just eat it with lots of veggies! I was so surprised at how low cal these sausages were.

Check out the hungry girl website/cookbooks!

Stuffed mushrooms. Of course the calories could vary depending on the ingredients in your stuffing. I normally make batches of about 18 large mushrooms and bake any leftover stuffing in an oven-safe dish

Favorite stuffing ingredients for a savory stuffing include (all cut up pretty darned tiny because I'm a glutton for that sort of punishment):

• Black olives (1 can)
• Sweet italian sausage (I normally just use one link cut up into small pieces then browned before added to the stuffing)
• Stems from your mushrooms
• Bread crumbs (I do anywhere from 2-4 slices)
• Bell pepper - any color
• Onions and garlic (I can't eat alliums so I don't know how much I'd recommend for either.)
• Cheese - grated or diced tiny. 2 oz. is the most I've ever added)
• Celery - (3-4 stalks though the inner leafy sections work well too.
• Spices of your choosing (I normally do the green ones, basil, thyme, tarragon, oregano, marjoram)
• Salt and pepper. (The celery already adds plenty of salty flavor so you don't need much)
• Butter (I try to avoid extra calories and only use enough to get things to stick together. How much you need may vary depending on how mushy your bread is, how much water was in your veggies, etc. I try to stay under a stick even for my biggest batches.

Pile as much stuffing as you can into a mushroom and space out on your baking tray. I think I normally cook at 375, though I just pull them out when they smell right so I don't know for how long.

I don't oil my baking pans and have no trouble with clean up, the mushrooms being rather moist already. And my stuffing doesn't stick together because I don't use much bread but is still is quite tasty - the sausage adding my favorite flavors.

Last time I made them I tallied up the calories and figure the entire thing was about 2400 for the ingredients listed above. That was four 300-calorie meals of 4-5 stuffed mushrooms and 6 servings of stuffing for a side dish at 200 calories per serving. You could probably cut the calories by skipping the olives.

I typically don't eat a big dinner, but I've started eating after I work out (I work out at night usually) with really good results (energy and just feeling better, and not starving in the morning!). So this is what I have and it's only 225 cals! I'm usually pretty satiated after, and I'm definitely a snacker:

1/2 bottle of Pure Protein Frosty Chocolate
1 frozen banana
2 tbsp of Red Mill Ground Flax Meal

I put it in my Magic Bullet and I'm gtg! It has everything! High protein, high fiber, high potassium, AND it tastes like dessert. Not exactly a "dinner" but it works for me!