light dinners - besides salad

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AlisonMacKay
AlisonMacKay Posts: 112
in Food and Nutrition
My Hubby and I went out for his B-day yesterday and ate like kings and queens. So for tonight I think we should go light. Does anyone have any favorite light dinners. Beside salads because that is the obvious answer ;) Thanks for all your suggestions in advance.

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  • flausa
    flausa Posts: 534 Member
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    A homemade soup that you fill up with a variety of veg - parsnip, swede, carrots, celery, sprouts, onions. Very low cal and healthy. If you want meat, add a couple of meatballs or turkey or just use ham or beef stock to give the soup a meaty flavour without the calories. It's what I'm eating for lunch today.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
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    Stir fry stir fry stir fry!
  • BrettPGH
    BrettPGH Posts: 4,720 Member
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    Salmon and broccoli. It's what I'll be having tonight.
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
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    Soups are great - just stick with a low sodium natural stock and use as fresh ingrediants as you can...

    Fish and steamed veggies are great - I had Ahi Tuna and 1/4 of an acorn squash and the whole meal was under 300 calories but very filling
  • geri1955
    geri1955 Posts: 106
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    I eat whatever I want, in moderation!!! As long as you dont go over your caloric intake for the day your ok! There are ways to cook ur food lower in fat or calories too, and I use every step to cook that way! Everyone loves french fries- I make them and they are 110 calories... I cut 1 potatoe into french fry cut, coat with olive oil(1 tbsp) and sprinkle with OLD BAY seasoning , bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes and they are great! I usually cut a turkey hotdog up with them and bake them together and make a meal out of it! The whole meal is 150 cal...and u can add pork and beans to that also!!! yummmmmmmm!! also there are alot of good recipes on skinnytaste.com
  • 5pmsomewherenow
    5pmsomewherenow Posts: 163 Member
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    my favorite for a quick, light meal, -- is an eggbeater omlette with spinach and mushrooms. For regular eggbeaters, you get protein but no fat. If I can spare a little fat for the day, I add some reduced fat cheese (it melts better.)

    I agree with the other suggestions, too. Homemade soup, or a salad with a little fish protein.
  • rlwzgd
    rlwzgd Posts: 46 Member
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    My go to is oven roasted chicken breast with a side of sauteed veggies - which ever kind you want. Add some fresh citrus juice and salt and pepper to the chicken = yummm!
  • noexcuses1218
    noexcuses1218 Posts: 332 Member
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    boca burgers on sandwich thins
  • bhalter
    bhalter Posts: 582 Member
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    Ditto to light soups. Also spaghetti squash...somewhere around 50 calories for a serving I think? Adding veggies or a low-cal chunky veggie sauce to it is a super low-cal meal and very tasty!
  • techcommdood
    techcommdood Posts: 37 Member
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    Aside from some more robust dishes and rich ingredients, anything can work in moderation. The best place to start is with a smaller plate for dinner (it makes the meal on it look bigger). Any lean meat, poultry, or fish would work. Use seasoning and spices - as well as veggies - for flavoring in place of sauces. Plate it with steamed vegetables and a small portion of a high fiber whole grain carb (whole wheat couscous can be dressed up to pair with just about anything). And don't forget the salad on the side.

    For soups, avoid canned. Even the low sodium varieties are chock full of additives that can impact your nutritional intake. It takes little effort to make your own. I make a huge crock of soup just about every weekend and freeze it in many smaller containers for quick dinner prep. You have about 30 minutes of prep and then just let it simmer in the crock pot all day while cleaning/relaxing. Best part is that you can control exactly what you put in it and can determine the calories per serving (especially if you use measured containers when freezing it - I freeze in double portions).
  • techcommdood
    techcommdood Posts: 37 Member
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    A homemade soup that you fill up with a variety of veg - parsnip, swede, carrots, celery, sprouts, onions. Very low cal and healthy. If you want meat, add a couple of meatballs or turkey or just use ham or beef stock to give the soup a meaty flavour without the calories. It's what I'm eating for lunch today.

    I'm eating homemade chicken soup for lunch today. No noodles, but heavy on carrots and celery. Cheers!
  • pixiechick8321
    pixiechick8321 Posts: 284 Member
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    Not sure what you consider light...

    but vegetables are generally better than meat which is better than pasta/grains in terms of low calories so try and enhance the veggies first, then meat, then add grains if needed

    For tonight, for example, we're having roasted butternut squash (1/2 each), mushrooms, and quiona - the quiona is the same calorie wise as the first two and the whole thing is still under 400 calories.

    A quick favorite I like is throwing a bunch of chopped veggies into a pan on the stove with a little olive oil and cooking spray and spices - let them get soft, then add a 1/2 a tbsp tomato paste and put on top of 100 calories worth of pasta (usually 1 oz). That whole thing fills me up quite well and is usually less than 250 calories - add a glass of milk or a dollop of greek yogurt on top for protein.

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