Filling, Low-Cal, Healthy & Tasty?

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raji20
raji20 Posts: 4
in Recipes
Hello Fitness Pals,

I'm new here and joined after I found out from the doctor that I have high cholesterol and am overweight. The pounds had been creeping up since I turned 30 and having never been terribly focused on weight, I was frankly shocked when I saw on the doctor's scale just how much weight I had gained. My doctor suggested I track my food & exercise on My Fitness Pal. I am 10 days in.

I hope this isn't a question/issue unique to me, but I am finding that in limiting my caloric intake (after so many years of eating whatever whenever), I feel hungry even with 3 meals a day and snacks.

Are there low-calorie, healthy foods/meals/recipes that you recommend, that will also be filling & tasty (flavorful)? Right now, this feels like an impossible combination to find.

I also posted this under the food thread.

Thank you!

Replies

  • kduggan24
    kduggan24 Posts: 6 Member
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    I use my crockpot and make a big batch of this each week and grab like a cup at a time when I need something filling and warm in my stomach.

    approx 2# ground chicken or turkey (precooked and drained)
    Quinoa 1/3 cup
    4oz tomato paste
    2 cups low sodium chix broth
    1 large can diced tomatoes
    green pepper
    onion
    1 can garbanzo beans
    1 can red kidney beans
    Chili powder 4T
    Cumin 1T
    3 cloves of garlic
    S+P to taste

    sm 4 oz can green chili peppers (optional)
    Cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours
  • maxmariesfo
    maxmariesfo Posts: 173 Member
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    Do you cook for yourself? Or do you buy ready made meals?

    The best thing you can do is cook for yourself.

    You can get a basic rice cooker for about $10, but I recommend the $20 version that you can steam veggies while the grains cook.

    There are so many wonderful WHOLE grains. Skip the white rice. Bad for you. Brown rice, brown basmati rice, quinoa, spelt, kamut, millet.

    Steaming veggies is the quickest and probably lowest in calories. But there is also saute or grill. I have a cast iron "mini-grill" that doubles as a panini press.

    I love to slice veggies thin and grill them for sandwhiches.

    Noodle bowls are also fabulous. You can pick up low sodium boxed broths at most grocers. If making a bowl with broth, I always ALWAYS toss in a handful of wakame. Wakame is a little dried green seaweed LOADED in nutrients and very low in calories. It also goes well in a cold cucumber salad. Spend a little extra with your wakame. Eden organics is pricey. But I recently tried to cut corners and buy cheap stuff. It wasn't good. Added bonus, wakame contains fucoxanthin which has been show to promote weight loss by increasing the rate our fat breaks down.

    Read more: http://healthmad.com/nutrition/the-amazing-health-benefits-of-wakame-seaweed/#ixzz1nu4dB4sn

    Hakubaku makes organic noodles. Many grocers carry them.

    http://hakubaku.com/

    Soba is buckwheat, ramen is wheat, lo mein is egg. I forget what udon is. I don't use udon because they take longer to cook. Soba, ramen or lo mein takes only 4 minutes. I can cook my veggies while the water boils.

    You can use chilled noodles too. For a cold veggie bowl during the summer.

    Toss with one or two tablespoons of your favorite Soy Vay marinade.

    http://www.soyvay.com/

    YUM YUM!! Quick and easy meal.
  • raji20
    raji20 Posts: 4
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    Thank you very much for the crock pot recipe and the suggestions. I do have a rice cooker and have been experimenting with different grains (not white rice). I bought a steamer for veggies. I'm also getting better about choosing healthy snacks for between meals. I used to buy a lot of my meals out - living in NYC it was way too tempting (and easy) to get good eats, but now I am making a solid effort to cook for myself.

    Thanks again!

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