Give me your best low-cal, fast dishes.

[Vanquisher]

I need inspiration. I need recipes. DH and I are going to try some lo-cal eating, til we probably give up in two weeks. Maybe 5 days.

So, please, lay em on me.

[spotty_dog]

When I think lo-cal I think Joel Fuhrman and Eat to Live: "The salad IS the meal." I made DH a salad yesterday, chopped the lettuce a little instead of tearing it, so that the bits were smaller and you got more veg per bite. I topped it with cucumber, yellow tomatoes, broccoli florets -- all chopped to roughly a 1/2" dice size -- a sprinkle of feta, and a single chopped slice of bacon (I'd cooked some previously to render the fat for another recipe, then put it in the fridge to use later). I dressed it with olive oil and red wine vinegar, sea salt and basil. It was danged tasty IMO, for under 300-ish calories. You could pair it with a side of butternut squash or tomato soup if you wanted more stuff without hardly any calories.

Lentil soups, or any kind of bean soup, can be great too. I just bought some red lentils and I plan to make something like this: http://www.food.com/recipe/egyptian-...til-soup-94673

Salmon isn't super low-cal but its fat is healthy fat, and I find that it's such a protein punch that it's easy to limit servings -- DH and I used to get by easily with an 8 oz filet between us. And it lends itself well to be served on a bed of greens without other sides to fill up on: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/her...lmon-on-greens, http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/RCP00255...th-greens.html or try it oven-baked and topped with a light fruit salsa.

Clean Eating magazine would be my final suggestion, they often do recipes that are full of flavor but light on calorie-dense ingredients: http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/

[PrincessFiona]

Kind of along those lines, Heidi ... have you considered that instead of trying to find a whole new way to cook new foods that you change the portions of the foods you love? When I lost 70 pounds, that's what I did. I filled up my plate with salad and veggies to help fill me up and then just had a smaller portion of the food that I loved. It seems much easier to make a small change (like adding extra salad and veggies ... without calorie-laden dressings or sauces) than to embark on a set of new recipes while you are also in school. Feel free to disregard my thoughts though, because I gained the weight back!!!

Kris

[ladymoreta]

Following... We have to make some big changes, but they're going to have to be easy if we have any chance of sticking to them.

[ides]

Check out Happy Herbivore - she has several books and a website. It is vegan and no added fat FYI.

A sauté without oil or fat. I use stainless steel pans and sauté with water or veg broth. I use just enough to prevent sticking. I have no sticking to pan issues if I use liquid or/and heat the pan thoroughly first.

One of my favorite quick and easy dinners is below:

Pasta Bean
I lb whole wheat pasta (curly type is a favorite type)
1 can pinto, pink or kidney beans, drained
1/2 to 1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 to 1 8oz box of mushrooms chopped or sliced
1 medium zucchini chopped
Olives

I sauté the zucchini and mushrooms with garlic and some herbs (basil, onion). When its half way cooked I add the beans and sauce and let it simmer until the pasta is done. Then I add the olives and stir in drained and cooked pasta.

You could do other variations but this one is a favorite of mine.

Oh I love the spice/salt mix Herbamare. Its awesome on veggies.

[SoonerTexan]

Anything from Skinnytaste.com

I like the Eating Well recipes as well.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I'm following, too. Our diets are out of control - it's partly portions, and partly general calorie content. I totally need quick, low-cal things to off-set our chicken/salmon rotation I am going to start doing 50% of the plate as veggies - A eats a lot of veggies, but we don't!

[Mrs. MD, Esq.]

Cooking Light is awesome...and I rarely feel deprived. We also use a food scale to really keep track of portions.


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[Vanquisher]

I have tried eating smaller portions, Kris. I think I need both the smaller portions AND the low-cal options.

I went through my cookbooks and weight watchers recipes and found several to try for this week. They had to be fast or easy, sound good, and be low cal.

I'm under no illusions that I can keep this up.

I definitely cannot handle vegan, let alone vegetarian. DH is doing this with me, and we're eating together, our rabbit food. There's no way DH would go for vegan, or my kids. I frankly can't imagine going completely without cheese. I would just be setting myself up for failure.

Just got back from the store. Taco Bell is so much cheaper than eating healthily. Ugh.

[SoonerTexan]

I've had good luck with soups--they really fill me up. You can make a pretty hearty vegetable and meat loaded soup and have a salad and keep the calorie count pretty low.

One salad I make all the time is:

Any lettuce or greens
1 oz goat cheese (I buy the logs from Costco)
cut up fruit (whatever is in season, apples, mandarins, berries, pears)
Maybe a small amount of dressing, but I usually don't feel it needs it
Sometimes red onions

Here are some of my favorites (not all are low cal, but most are. I've made most of the soups):

http://www.pinterest.com/soonertexan/soups/

http://www.pinterest.com/soonertexan...hicken-dinner/

http://www.pinterest.com/soonertexan/crock-pot/

[Sheherezade]

I'm following along too.

I prefer extremely large portions of low cal to small portions of high cal. I am a glutton. I need volume! I have had success with eating large quantities of veggies.

Heidi - don't get hung up on when you'll quit this effort. Take it a day at a time. I have found that it works best for me to set small deadlines and then renegotiate with myself. If I try to eat healthy for today, I'll tell myself tomorrow I don't have to. Usually, tomorrow, I decide to eat healthy again. Sometimes I set a goal of making it until Tuesday night- we eat out on Tuesday. Then, sometimes, I end up staying healthy past the goal.

Just like AA, today is the only day you need to think about.

My problem is the kids. It's so hard to stay committed when you've got two loud opponent of healthy food and small portions sitting at the table! It's not like I don't agree, kids....


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[Vanquisher]

Yup, my 16-year-old who can eat an extra large pizza by himself, or a 5 pound burrito is not amused. He packs away the food and doesn't gain an ounce. The good old days, right? I remember when.

I had a small salad with flank steak and a little bit of goat cheese with a vinaigrette on it for dinner.

Chad's cutting down on soda to one Dew a day (normally, it's 6-10).

We're all suffering. This time, Chad really wanted to try. I'm really kind of done trying and failing. I'm going along with what he wants, but I just don't have high expectations for a lasting change.

1. It's never lasted before.
2. I have no motivation at all for change this time. I'm just not there.

So, we'll see, but I'm just keeping it jaded, as per my usual.

[Michele]

Salads are my big fast go-tos for low-cal meals. I'm lucky that I don't like dressings... so it's easy to keep the calorie content low.

Warmth fills me up so broth based soups work well for me to.

And focusing on increasing my fiber intake. Fills me up with less calories.


All of that and CHUGGING water. Seriously, a drink for every bite of food. Mid day snacking? Chug 8 oz of water first and reevaluate in 15 minutes. It means I'm peeing so much that I don't have time to eat.

It's a struggle to not eat a lot. At least for me, it's a constant battle. I'm hungry all of the time.... so I try to find cheats to fill my stomach. Because I love cheese and cream sauces and pizza and pasta and there are no acceptable low-cal substitutes for those. So I limit them to 1 meal/week or every other week.

[ides]

I love cheese too! I just limit it to lunch usually.

Chad will probably drop weight when he drops the soda. That's a hell of a lot of sugar.

[diggitydot]

DH dropped a shit ton of weight when he went from drinking regular Coke to CokeZero. I was shocked.

I don't eat a lot at once. It gags me. I'm more likely to snack throughout the day. I know this about myself so I keep healthy crap around to snack on. Hummus with carrots/celery is my standard go-to.

What types of things do you like?