Good low-cal dinner recipes?

hoyagirl03
hoyagirl03 Posts: 220 Member
edited November 11 in Food and Nutrition
So for the past few weeks it seems like the amount of eating out has been creeping up on me and my boyfriend (and we workout at least 4-5 times a week) just a little bit and I'm concerned (not only from the weight perspective but also it costs money!). I just decided yesterday that I'm going to take charge and basically start setting the menus during the weekend for the rest of the week. We use to do this but I think we got away from it because the tried and true menu started getting boring. I.e., for dinner (which is the biggest concern) we'd eat a perfect portion chicken breast (seasoned with garlic powder, pepper, onion powder), sweet potato and some greens. Other nights, instead of the chicken, it'd be salmon. And other nights, it might be a low-cal version of some big meal (like turkey chili). But admittedly, all of this is kind of getting old.

What are some of you all's favorite dinner recipes, websites or cookbooks? Currently I thumb through Cooking Light but I'm sure there are others out there. Just don't want to ruin the good exercise we've been doing because we're bored with dinner (and that can happen!)

Thanks all!

Replies

  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    I know what you mean. I cook this one at least once a week. I make a change on mine so my photo looks different than the one on the link page: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/double-plum-baked-chicken-50400000118595/

    I replace the dried plums with fresh plums and serve over rice. I also leave out the Chinese Mustard. It's spicy enuff without. It looks like this when I'm done:
    [img]http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r560/delilah47/Pics For MFP/doubleplumchicken.jpg[/img]

    edit: oops that's huge!
    tried 3 times to resize, but no luck.. sorry about the huge size.. it's a little distorted too
  • emfilomena
    emfilomena Posts: 120
    Bump : ) Curious what others are going to post..
  • CherrySunday
    CherrySunday Posts: 301
    YES!! I totally know what you mean.. I even sing the song of "chicken and vegetables, chicken and vegetables." I get SO tired of it sometimes!! For awhile I was cooking dinners out of the "Cook This Not That" book, which is SUPER helpful and filled with awesome ideas for dinners around the 400-500 calorie range. I seriously need to open that book again, I cooked from it for a few months -- you do have to get some special ingredients at the store -- as well I don't know how awesome your pantry is, but mine wasn't that awesome -- so I had to go and buy some little extra things. Total worthy investment though, and I'm sure by now there's got to be some new ones from that guy. Good luck!
  • AirCircleI
    AirCircleI Posts: 334 Member
    My BF and I were really happy with our dinner tonight - it was very fresh. Sort of a mexican salad/tortilla thing.

    Make some black beans by sauteeing some onion, garlic, chilli flakes (if you like those), and cumin, and a chopped tomato - add a can of black beans and a little water and let it simmer whilst you prepare the rest.

    Seperately, I sauteed some chicken (sliced) with salt and pepper and some lime juice (just cause I had some extra limes). Once cookied, set aside.

    I then sauteed a sliced onion, red pepper, green pepper, garlic and some chipolte paste (or whatever mexican type seasoning you have).

    Seperately, I made some homemade salsa with tomato, red onion, corriander (cilantro), lime juice and garlic.

    I chopped up some lettuce and a tomato, heated a single tortilla each.

    Then, I combined it all on top of the warm torilla on the plate. It was like a giant mexian salad, there was a lot of it, and it was about 500 calories.

    We were very happy with it because it was something different, tasted very fresh and was very tasty.
  • Moyzilla
    Moyzilla Posts: 106 Member
    I love making omelettes for dinner. You can cut the calories by using all egg whites or a mixture of whole eggs and whites. I've found that if I fill them with sauteed veggies I don't really need cheese with them.

    I've been making plain green vegetables more interesting by mixing them with anywhere from 1tsp to 1TBsp of pesto or olive tapenade. (both also make great omelette fillings!)
  • hoyagirl03
    hoyagirl03 Posts: 220 Member
    These are all really really good ideas! Thanks so much, all!! I'll definitely get that book "Cook This, Not That" to get some good ideas for recipes. :)
  • Werglum
    Werglum Posts: 378 Member
    http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/recipes/2009/september/chickpea-and-tomato-curry

    This ^^ super cheap and easy and very yum and only 155 calories! Although, I have it with rice which bumps it up a bit. Plus it is great as leftovers for lunch and in a way tastes better the next day.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories