Need meal ideas to stay within 1290 calories for the day

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IMSkitt3nX
IMSkitt3nX Posts: 3
in Recipes
My calorie goal for the day is 1290 net calories. I have not been getting in a lot of exercise lately, with sick kids and aching body, so I need stuff to keep me in the 1290 calorie limit until I can start working out again.
Any suggestions?

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  • mgtighe
    mgtighe Posts: 2
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    I eat large salads with very small amounts of diced lean meat, hard boiled egg, or croutons to make it more satisfying. Eat a decent breakfast, perhaps a burrito with a whole wheat tortilla or hot cereal. Fresh apples for snacks. I keep Dr. McDougal's boxed soups on hand for healthy, low calorie quick meals.
  • sloojgud
    sloojgud Posts: 15 Member
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    Hearty casseroles. Use a tin of tomatoes as a base then add chopped onions and a selection of whatever vegetables you like. Don't add any oil. Can also add fish or seafood, or perhaps lean chicken. Or beans such as kidney beans of chickpeas, or lentils Flavour with herbs or spices. Maybe dollop low fat yoghurt on at the end.

    Use your imagination to produce variations on this basic casserole.
  • the_great_unknown
    the_great_unknown Posts: 194 Member
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    I would try some soups with lots of vegetables to fill you up. The one that comes to mind is a cheater version of wonton soup. It is really easy - chicken broth, potstickers from Trader Joes (other brands are OK, I just don't know the calories for those), and vegetables simmered in the broth before you add the wontons. I like it with spinach, carrots, and onions, but it is flexible. I just googled the potstickers to find the calorie info and one of the first results is a recipe for the soup at the Trader Joe's website. I would leave out the oil. About 260 calories for 6-7 potstickers.

    http://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/recipe.asp?rid=79
  • joannafarrer
    joannafarrer Posts: 20
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    Masses and masses of vegetables! A dinner plate loaded with carrots, runner beans, broccoli etc stll comes in well under 100 calories. You can then add a small baked potato (even have one or two tablespoons of sour cream with it - way fewer calories than butter) and a small steak or a piece of salmon (wild caught is better and much lower calorie than farmed) and you have a satisfying, but, quite frankly, enormous dinner, which will only add up to around 300 calories.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    Soups are always healthy, as long as they don't have a cream base (think chicken soup, minestrone, bean soup, split pea soup).

    I also like to stir-fry meat (usually half a chicken breast per person) with a ton of vegetables, and only use garlic and soy as the sauce.. You don't really need to serve it with starch, but if you want it, you can do it with brown rice or soba noodles, and still keep the calories reasonable.

    Seconding the idea of large salad with some grilled, lean meat.
  • Karina_isela
    Karina_isela Posts: 15 Member
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    Try skinnytast.com that is where I got a recipe for a chicken and pork soup. But what I did was add just a little bit of beef as the meat ingredient. I added lots of cabbage like it said. It has great seasoning like cumin and basil leaves. It was very good. I don't know what your taste is like so go on there and check out the website.

    A good tasty and filling recipe is black beans, corn and pico de gallo. Its great as a main dish, burrito stuffing or salad topping.
  • mogletdeluxe
    mogletdeluxe Posts: 623 Member
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    Bumping this!
  • CeeRawr89
    CeeRawr89 Posts: 328 Member
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    http://swole.me/

    Hopefully the link works
  • helganog
    helganog Posts: 15 Member
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    Wholegrain oats to make porridge for breakfast (add sultanas for sweetness 20g is plenty)
    If you have a slowcooker you can follow just about any recipe for casserole / stew / curry and throw it all in the crock without adding any fat! Brilliant. If you DON't have a slow cooker...get one! (Or just use a casserole dish in the oven on a really low heat - make 2 or 3 at once so you're not wasting energy).
    Using low fat condensed soups as sauce for pasta is another easy win. There are usually also recipe suggestions on the tin.
  • allifitforthe5
    allifitforthe5 Posts: 7 Member
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    Mini Quiche for breakfast. Your kids will love them.
    Cut out small rounds from whole wheat tortilla shells put them in a muffin pan and fill them with your favorite veggies (I like spinach and asparagus).
    Mix up some eggs - whites only is your lowest cal option but I like to use a 1:3 ratio( 1 whole egg for every 3 egg whites)
    -add in your favorite spices and a little dijon mustard to taste.
    Pour mixture over veggies until they are 3/4 full and pop them in the oven for about 20 mins at 375F.

    My cookbook says 1 serving (3 of them) = 185 calories and they include a bit of cheese sprinkled on top too (using only egg whites though).

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