What are some of your favorite low-cal dinners?

alexisFRA
alexisFRA Posts: 2 Member
in Recipes
Dinner is usually where I fall short. Matter of fact, it doesn’t necessarily even need to be low cal, since I save majority of my calories for dinner time because I know that’s my weak spot.

Replies

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    Cambodian beef lok lak. The first link is similar to the recipe I use for the beef but the second (more complicated recipe) gives a better idea of how to serve it.
    http://www.junedarville.com/beef-lok-lak.html
    https://refugeekitchen.com/2014/04/04/khmer-lok-lak/

    Nam prik ong is a Thai dish of spicy sloppy joe dip for raw veg. You can replace pork with leaner mince such as turkey, chicken or beef. This recipe is a particularly easy version because it uses commercial red curry paste. Though I would add a squeeze of lime juice to this.
    https://importfood.com/recipes/recipe/201-spicy-pork-and-tomato-dip-with-veggies-nam-prik-ong
  • ClaudiaDawn2
    ClaudiaDawn2 Posts: 103 Member
    My favorite low cal proteins are filet mignon, grilled salmon, grilled tuna, grilled chicken breasts (boneless skinless), smoked chicken, smoked salmon. Add a green leafy vegetable and you've got a low cal meal. If you want to up the calories, add a baked potato with sour cream, rice pilaf, or baked sweet potato.
  • lleesabb
    lleesabb Posts: 12 Member
    Trader Joe’s turkey burger I add sautéed mushrooms I use Pam place on toasted wheat English muffin. Cauliflower rice with hot peppers flakes low fat margarine. Arugula salad with vinaigrette
  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    I love ordering out when I don’t feel like cooking, and a local Mexican place has these amazing tacos! I just get two chicken tacos with cilantro and onion, comes with two small corn tortillas and I add avocado to it. It’s perfect. Usually it’s 3 or 4 oz of chicken (I account for cooking oil when logging), 48g of corn tortilla, 40g of avocado, and the rest is all pretty negligible (salsa, diced onion, cilantro, etc). I love being able to eat out and still being able to keep it to a reasonable and fairly healthy calorie count.
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
    My go-to formula is 5-6 ounces of lean protein (chicken, fish, pork tenderloin), flavored with a rub to not add calories, baked or pan cooked with a bit of Pam to keep it from sticking without adding too much cooking fat. On the side a steamed/roasted/pan cooked watery veggie with a couple sprays of spray butter plus salt and pepper. Also a whole wheat roll because I love bread more than Oprah and I find this helps fill me up and keep me full till bedtime. The Pepperidge Farm stone ground wheat rolls are my jam. A couple sprays of butter there too. This usually adds up to 400 calories or less and I don't mind eating it most nights when I don't feel like pulling out a recipe or taking more than 15 minutes to cook. If you want fewer calories sub the bread for more veggie, but that's boring.

    Depending on how hungry I am, eggs and toast or a low calorie soup also work. The key is to make sure you're getting enough protein and not just eating a bowl of spinach to keep your calories low.
  • emcclure013
    emcclure013 Posts: 231 Member
    I love soup! Some of my favorites are chicken tortilla, taco, stuffed green pepper, and chicken noodle. You can bulk up any soup and make them super filling without many calories by using extra vegetables or potatoes.

    I also love doing baked potatoes. I always find that potatoes make me feel full and satisfied, and you can dress them up any way you want. Sweet potatoes with greek yogurt and honey, russet potatoes with taco meat and low fat sour cream, ect.

    Another favorite is just a huge sheet pan of roasted vegetables. I can't wait for the weather to cool down so I can roast squash, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onions, ect. for a huge bowl of veggie goodness. Play with your spices - curry, lemon, bbq, lots of possibilities to keep it from getting boring!
  • flippy1234
    flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
    I am very boring. I like to eat the same thing so it's easy to log. I grill a bunch of chicken at the beginning of the week. Every night I eat a 3 oz. portion with a cup of steamed vegetables. Sometimes I add some brown rice.
    I keep things very simple. Works well for me.
  • AJB1014
    AJB1014 Posts: 1,380 Member
    Bag of coleslaw mix, pound of ground turkey, 1/4 cup of applesauce, 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce = egg roll in a bowl. Serve over rice if you'd like.

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