Help! I need Quick Dinner ideas and under 400 calories

Bit of grilled fish, some steamed veg and a little garlic butter - quick, easy and healthy!

Mom of three here too, also in sports and going all dif ways!
Im doing a taco bar tonight .. cook 2 lbs lean meat, I add pack of low sodium taco seasoning and 2 cans of chili beans, 1 big can of itallian tomatos, and a handful of banana peppers (makes enough for left overs!!) and put all the fixins on the bar for everyone to make however they like.
Easy for me too, I just k eep fat free sour cream and low fat cheese for me, and I skip the chips or tortilla and just throw my taco fixins over lettuce. Ends up being real good and the fam can still eat tacos how they like em

Quinoa with ground turkey, spaghetti squash, turkey burger, oven fry chicken with mash potato (sorry, I am not a big meat eater)

Chicken Parmesan:

Dip chicken breasts in a little egg, roll in Progresso Garlic and Herb bread crumbs, put in pan. Top with a little light spaghetti sauce of your choice. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, top with a little shredded mozzarella cheese. Serve with a little whole wheat pasta and veggies. Each 4 oz. breast is under 200 cals on its own, with the added sides you should be able to stay around 400 cals. Make up a whole pan and feed off it for days. Great for lunch, too! Good luck!

This is a little more than 400 cals, but when I figured out the cals on it, I was using regular ingredients, not low fat products! Still not bad for using the regular stuff. This is something my mom used to make for my family when I was growing up and is extremely kid friendly! I hope u give it a try...

HONKEYTONK

Ingredients
Prego - Spaghetti Sauce - Roasted Garlic and Herb, 1 container (2 1/2 cups ea.)
Beef - Ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned (hamburger), 2 portion ( yield from 1/2 lb raw meat )
Prince Pasta - Small Shells, 1 container (16 oz (1 cup dry) ea.)
Kraft - Velveeta - Cheese Slices, 1 container (16 slices ea.)
Campbell's - Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup-Great for Cooking, 1 container (1 3/10 cups ea.)
Contadina - Tomato Paste, 1 container (10 tbsp ea.)

Per Serving: 538 cals 61 carbs 19 fat 26 protein 5 fiber

My favorite quick meal is no fuss chicken pot pie. So easy. I have it posted on my blog http:imnochef.blogspot.com and others if you want to look.

1 can 10 3/4 oz of cream of chicken soup 98% fat free
1 can 10 3/4 oz of cream of celery soup 98% fat free
2 cans of 29 oz mixed vegetables
1 - 2 lbs of baked chicken breast (depends on what you like)

2 deep dish pie shells
1 box of two pie top crusts

* Cut the chicken into cubes. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Pour mixture into the deep dish pie shells. Moisten the pie shells edge with a little water. Unroll the top crusts and lay on top of the pot pie. Pinch the edges to seal it. Cut slits in the top to give it vents. Bake at 425* for 30 minutes. Freeze any uneaten pot pies to thaw and warm later. One of my favorite freezer meals.

Just let me know if you have any questions. Happy to help.

423 calories, 10 fat grams, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protien, and 52 carbs for a serving. 8 servings in a pie.

Super easy!! Wish I could post pics. It looks yummy too!!

Do you have a slow cooker? Mine is my best friend.

The meals can take a while to prep, but you can make an awful lot of food at a time, and the cooking is all done during the day, unsupervised. I do my prep the night before, toss it in the bowl of the pot and huck it in the fridge. Then, when I wake up, I throw it back in the crock pot, press go and wait for the good smells to start wafting their way out.

Chicken (or turkey) Stew (approx. 10 servings, 160 cals per serving)

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in chunks and browned, or leftover turkey meat (great for avoiding "dry turkey leftover syndrome")
3 cans cream of chicken soup (low sodium/fat if possible)
carrots
green beans
corn
potatoes
any other veggies you like (I add mushrooms and leeks as well)
sage to taste
thyme to taste
black pepper to taste
flour to thicken

Put in pot, cook on low for 8-10 hours. Add the corn and green beans with about an hour left, or else they get mushy. I serve it in bread bowls if I feel like being extra fancy.

Ham and Lentil Soup (8 servings, 131 cals per serving)

http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotsoup/r/bl17c6.htm

Carrot and Honey Soup (8 servings, about 120 cals per serving)

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/carrot-soup-with-honey-recipe.html (I omit the sauteeing, and thus the oil)

My Spaghetti Sauce Recipe (12 servings, 150 cals per serving)

3 900 mL cans crushed tomatoes
1 lb ground beef, browned
red onion
jalapenos
green peppers
mushrooms
frozen chopped spinach
zucchini when it's in season
italian herb blend

Throw in crock pot, cook on low 8-10 hours, adding zucchini in the last hour or so if you're using it.

Just wondering does any one use fresh Ingredients in the US of A

Keep in mind, depending on where you live there isn't much that's "fresh". I live in Canada, and it's -10C here right now. The nearest "fresh" fruits and veggies are in Mexico and the southern States, thousands of miles away! It's not like it is for you in England, where good growing is just around the corner. Our fresh produce is pretty expensive, unless you happen to like potatoes, rutabaga and squash. So sometimes frozen, dried or canned just has to be the reality.

I make a vegetarian chilli that comes in at 255 calories a serving (before any garnish or grains). You would have to modify the yield to feed everyone, as this recipe makes 3 servings, but I like it.

1 can kidney beans
1 cup black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 garlic clove
50 grams onion
1 tb chilli powder
1 tb ground cumin.

Pretty tasty and super easy to make. And you can switch out the beans for pinto or other types if you like.

Just wondering does any one use fresh Ingredients in the US of A

Keep in mind, depending on where you live there isn't much that's "fresh". I live in Canada, and it's -10C here right now. The nearest "fresh" fruits and veggies are in Mexico and the southern States, thousands of miles away! It's not like it is for you in England, where good growing is just around the corner. Our fresh produce is pretty expensive, unless you happen to like potatoes, rutabaga and squash. So sometimes frozen, dried or canned just has to be the reality.

What I ment was every thing you US of A people use is from a can or packet ?

The request was for something to prepare quickly and people offered "suggestions". Just because the suggestions use some pre-prepared items doesnt' mean that's the only way we, in the USA, cook.
There isn't always time to wash/peel/slice/dice fresh items-- bottom line, it's better than unhealthy fast food.

Sorry we don't all eat raw tomatoes for every meal, as I see that was your healthy dinner suggestion.

meoow

You should check out the slow cooker recipe thread. most of the stuff you can put it all in the crock pot the day before, then plug it in in the morning, let it cook all day, and it's done when you get home. The most time you'll probably spend putting it together is 30 minutes, and most recipes don't even require that!

I want to bump this so I can add a yummy recipe, and copy down some more! Cheeseburger soup