With the start of a new year as incentive, the Señor and I decided to make an attempt at healthier eating. With the help of www.loseit.com we are journaling our food which in turn tracks the number of calories we consume each day. The application is very user friendly, is free and allows the user to establish a profile which based on age and weight determines the number of calories the user should eat in order to experience weight loss. The application also allows you to track your daily exercise and; of course, your weight. Seems so simple, right?
I'm going to be honest. I do great during the week. Not so great on the weekends. Breakfasts are easy. Lunch? I do okay. I might even have an afternoon snack.
Control calorie intake at week day breakfasts, week day lunches and week day snacks - check.
Control calorie intake at week day dinners and weekend meals - let's just call those a work in progress!
Oh, dinner! I try. I really do. I read cookbooks. I research the Internet. I put a lot of thought in to finding meals that are pleasing and don't taste like cardboard. Some of them turn out okay. Some of them not so much. A couple have gone straight to the garbage.
It would be different if the Señor and I didn't enjoy good food but the fact of the matter is we do. We love to cook, we love to eat and we love restaurants. Thus the challenge. Finding tasty dinner options that don't leave us feeling as if we are being punished merely for eating.
So lovely readers, will you help me? Do you have any yummy low-cal recipes or meal ideas you are willing to share? I'll go ahead and share a couple with you that I like - www.eatingwell.com and www.cookinglight.com. If you are not familiar with them you should check them out. They, in my humble opinion, have some nice low-cal recipes.
So, come on. Work with me people. Send me some low-cal love!
3 days ago
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4 comments:
I'm really no help when it comes to low calorie/low fat cooking. I've been down that road and don't really care for it! I'd rather eat the things I enjoy, even if that means eating less and/or limiting some things to special occasions.
That being said, there are a few things I do to trim calories from favorite recipes: cut down on oil/fat in a recipe if practical, use chicken broth for sauteeing if possible, don't bread/flour meat before browning, use low-fat ingredients (low fat sour cream, etc) in recipes where the taste difference will not be noticed, etc. We ~try~ to limit starches at meals, too. Skip the potatoes and substitute more of your favorite vegetables. Portion control is important, too. Thanks to huge restaurant portions and advertising, I think we have all forgotten what healthy portion size means!
I really liked the Balsamic Chicken from Skinny Ms. Slow Cooker (can find her on facebook). I'm going to try some of the others, but haven't yet. All of the recipes are under photos there.
Good luck! Dinner is my downfall too. It's like you have been "good" all day, so you want to reward yourself. Let me know if you come across something tasty, and I'll do the same!
Kim, think fish at home and in restaurants. Try one vegan meal a week. Limit bread intake and think of brothy soups. I write a food blog and am surrounded by temptations but I've developed a half portion mentality that helps. I eat everything but in much smaller quantities that I would if weight were not a problem. I also swear by Weight Watchers. I know it seems a joke in this day and age but the program does work. I know you'll do well. I'll stop back to see how you are doing. Have a great evening. Blessings...Mary
I've found that making some substitutions in our "normal" meals really helped us. Things like switching out corn tortillas for flour, baking things instead of frying, mustards instead of mayo, greek yogurt instead of sour cream, those sorts of things.
That being said, sometimes you just want something yummy--and at those times, I try to load up on protein (more filling for me!) rather than waste my calories on starches. So I'll have a steak, but no baked potato.
Hmmm, I didn't give you an actual recipe did I? How about chicken tacos? Take 2-3 chicken breasts and a jar of green chile sauce, cumin, garlic, and some chicken stock. Cook in a slow cooker on high for 6 hours (or until the chicken shreds with a fork). Bake corn tortillas in a 350 degree oven for 5-15 minutes (depending on how crunch you want them). Fill tortillas w/ a spoonful (about 1-2 ounces if you're measuring) Top with a pinch of cheese, greek yogurt (instead of sour cream), lettuce, tomato & salsa if desired. This can give you 2-3 tacos for under 500 calories if you're judicious in your cheese usage.
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