500 Calorie or Less Dinner?

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NS81
NS81 Posts: 192 Member
in Recipes
Any good recipes/ideas/suggestions for healthy dinners 500 calories or less?

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  • itsmyvwbeetle
    itsmyvwbeetle Posts: 272 Member
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    We do:
    breakfast burritos with a fruit on the side
    chicken wraps with veggies (grilled chicken, josephs lavish bread, veggies and fat free ranch or italian for dressing inside)
    make your own pizzas (using flat out bread, low cal alreado, grilled chicken, olives, tomatoes, etc) and a veggie on the side
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    We do:
    breakfast burritos with a fruit on the side
    chicken wraps with veggies (grilled chicken, josephs lavish bread, veggies and fat free ranch or italian for dressing inside)
    make your own pizzas (using flat out bread, low cal alreado, grilled chicken, olives, tomatoes, etc) and a veggie on the side

    Thank you for the ideas! :smile:
  • kofiannans_hitman
    kofiannans_hitman Posts: 18
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    Came across this recipe quite by accident. I noticed one of the best things about eating a sub is the dressing and veggies. SO I thought why not just put dressing and veggies in a wrap. So I did. I call them salad wraps. It is as simple as taking a pita, a little mayo, some cheese and a garden salad and wrapping it up. I have found it is very filling. I did not think the wife or kids would think too much of it. Lo and behold, it is requested on a near daily basis now. That is no exaggeration. My junk food loving family asks for this almost daily. I am happy to oblige. Not to mention it is dirt bloody cheap to make. I did this for a week straight a couple of weeks ago and I spent a whole $16 for an entire weeks of lunch and supper for 5 people. Not joking. Not to mention, the possibilities for flavour combinations are near endless with dressings and condiments. It never gets old. I have also started adding in a slice of deli meat somedays. Even then it is stupid cheap.
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    Came across this recipe quite by accident. I noticed one of the best things about eating a sub is the dressing and veggies. SO I thought why not just put dressing and veggies in a wrap. So I did. I call them salad wraps. It is as simple as taking a pita, a little mayo, some cheese and a garden salad and wrapping it up. I have found it is very filling. I did not think the wife or kids would think too much of it. Lo and behold, it is requested on a near daily basis now. That is no exaggeration. My junk food loving family asks for this almost daily. I am happy to oblige. Not to mention it is dirt bloody cheap to make. I did this for a week straight a couple of weeks ago and I spent a whole $16 for an entire weeks of lunch and supper for 5 people. Not joking. Not to mention, the possibilities for flavour combinations are near endless with dressings and condiments. It never gets old. I have also started adding in a slice of deli meat somedays. Even then it is stupid cheap.

    Cheap options are always welcome lol Thank you!!
  • laurenmanderson1
    laurenmanderson1 Posts: 113 Member
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    Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons & Parsley Brown Butter
    Makes: 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

    Ingredients-
    1 pound fresh or frozen gnocchi
    2 tablespoons butter
    2 medium shallots, chopped
    1 pound zucchini, (about 3 small), very thinly sliced lengthwise
    1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
    Freshly ground pepper, to taste
    1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

    Directions-
    1.Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook gnocchi until they float, 3 to 5 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
    2.Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add shallots and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, nutmeg and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to break down, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add the gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

    Nutrition (per serving)-
    424 calories
    10 g fat
    25 mg cholesterol
    66 g carbohydrates
    17 g protein
    5 g fiber
    753 mg sodium
    539 mg potassium
  • laurenmanderson1
    laurenmanderson1 Posts: 113 Member
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    Parmesan Crusted Chicken
    Ingredients
    - 16oz of chicken breast (I like the ones that are cut thin – that way they don’t get chewy and dry when baking them)
    - 4 Tablespoons Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
    - 3 tablespoons of fresh grated parmesan cheese
    - 2 tablespoons of Italian style or seasoned bread crumbs
    - Greek seasoning (or any other kind of mixed-spice to sprinkle on top)

    Directions
    Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, cheese and bread crumbs and mix well. Lay out the chicken on a non-stick sprayed casserole dish. Cover the chicken in the mixture and bake for about 35 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Garnish with a sprinkle of Greek seasoning on top and serve with your favorite sides. Now how easy is that?!

    Nutrition Information – (For 1 serving, this recipe makes 4 servings.)

    Calories : 184
    Carbs: 2
    Fat: 7
    Protein: 29
    Sodium: 350
    Fiber: 0


    Add a veggie or 2 on the side and you are good to go! :)
  • laurenmanderson1
    laurenmanderson1 Posts: 113 Member
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    What I will do most of the time when looking for a low calorie dinner is go to www.cookinglight.com. They have thousands of recipies that are healthy and easy to make. :smile:
  • SymphonynSonata
    SymphonynSonata Posts: 533 Member
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    Add a salad!
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
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    I just had stuffed peppers. They are delish!

    Serves 4

    4 large red bell peppers tops trimmed off
    1 pack ground turkey breast (24 oz)
    1 egg
    1 cup raw brown rice
    1 large can low-sodium crushed tomatoes
    1 small can tomato sauce
    1 onion
    Seasoning to taste (I went Italian this time with herbs, garlic and paprika, but also do a "Mexican" version that uses taco seasoning)

    Directions:
    Dice the onion, and saute 1/2 in 1 tablespoon of oil in a stock pot. Deglaze with tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Simmer while you prepare peppers

    Mix meat + other half of onion + rice + egg + seasoning

    Stuff peppers, and nestle into pot so they are standing up. If there is leftover meat, form meatballs and drop in alongside peppers.

    Make sure peppers are covered with liquid by adding chicken or beef stock till submerged.

    Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 1-1.5 hour on low. Use meatballs as testers to check rice.

    Alternatively, cook in pressure cooker for 40 minutes on high.

    PS this cooks in half the time if you use white rice, but the brown is better texture IMO
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I find that eggs and veggies fill me up on very few calories. How about an omelette or frittata? For a frittata: If you have a broiler, skip to the dicing; if you don't, preheat your oven to 450 F. Dice or chop 1 small onion, 1 stalk celery, 1 carrot, 4 oz. mushrooms, or about the same quantity of any other veggies you like, and sauté them in 1 tsp. olive oil in an 8-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably nonstick). Add garlic or any other seasonings or spices you like. While the veggies are sautéing, break 3 large eggs and whisk them until they are reasonably well mixed. When the veggies are cooked to your liking, pour the egg mixture into the pan, stir quickly to mix, pat the mixture flat with a spatula if needed, and then cook for about 2 minutes until the egg is set on the bottom and is starting to bubble on top. If you have a broiler, put the skillet under the broiler on high for another minute, until the egg is set on top, too. If you don't have a broiler, put the skillet in the oven and cook until the egg is set on top and cooked through. Remove the pan, let it cool for a few minutes, then slip the frittata on a plate and serve.

    The veggies will be about 50-60 calories, the olive oil 40 calories (measure carefully!), and the eggs about 250 calories, for about 350 calories. You can make the meal work out to 500 calories by adding some grated cheese and a side salad with oil and vinegar, or a 5-oz. glass of wine (125 calories).
  • pita7317
    pita7317 Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Almost anything I eat for dinner is right around 500 calories.
    If something that sounds good to me, within reason, if that choice means a smaller portion size then that is what I do.
    Nothing worse than really wanting to eat a certain thing and not letting yourself.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
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    Thought I would add some recipe links like the thoughtful poster above me.

    I really really really REALLY love SkinnyTaste.com all the recipes are healthy, and include nutrition info + WW points. So helpful. Every recipe I have tried from there has rocked, and pretty simple to prepare.

    Also little known fact: the weight watchers recipes section is really great. You can make a free account on the site (forum access only) and see all of the recipes.

    Sorry for my double posting, I just get excited about healthy food as it's one of my hobbies (I author recipes)
  • MrsJennaKwasniewski
    MrsJennaKwasniewski Posts: 204 Member
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    SkinnyTaste.com has TONS of recipes and you can pick and choose what works for you. I will be making the Skinny Meatloaf tonight which is about 220 calories for 2 slices I believe it was. Check them out! I already made the Garlic Lemon Tilapia...YUMMY and 6oz of fish for under 200 calories is ALOT of fish! I usually make corn on the cob or grean beans with some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and garlic salt as the side dish.
  • aldousmom
    aldousmom Posts: 382 Member
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    fatfreevegankitchen and happyherbivore websites both have very low calorie recipes that are vegetable heavy (so healthy!) and super yummy. Hope that helps!
  • MrsJennaKwasniewski
    MrsJennaKwasniewski Posts: 204 Member
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    Thought I would add some recipe links like the thoughtful poster above me.

    I really really really REALLY love SkinnyTaste.com all the recipes are healthy, and include nutrition info + WW points. So helpful. Every recipe I have tried from there has rocked, and pretty simple to prepare.

    Also little known fact: the weight watchers recipes section is really great. You can make a free account on the site (forum access only) and see all of the recipes.

    Sorry for my double posting, I just get excited about healthy food as it's one of my hobbies (I author recipes)

    LOL Great minds think alike!
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    Thanks everyone! The recipes sound fantastic, and those sites are great - I checked them out!

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