Low cal Food/recipies/ideas

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
We are all individuals , but many seem to be trying to lose weight...all kinds of ways.

So , what applies to one might not apply to another...or might apply somewhat.

If you have found a product or recipie or website with recipes etc that has helped you on your weight loss journey, can you post it here?

I'm on prednisone and it makes it crazy difficult to lose weight. My dosage was lowered today and I feel more optimistic.

A few things i have found helpful that I like:

Smart Made TV dinner (newish product) White wine and chicken Couscous
Calories 190, Protein 19, Sugar 5

Amy's organic corn Enchilada
Careful/ two in a package
One enchilada is 240 calories
I try to have one with a small salad

Annie's Lite Natural salad dressing
2 tablespoons
45 calories

(I don't have TV dinners a lot but I have found them very helpful to keep in the freezer because if I'm over hungry and rushed, don't feel well, don't have any food in the frig...they protect me from eating something dumb when in a weakened mind set)
 

1905

Well-Known Member
I love pizza...I make it myself in a healthy way.

I take a wrap, a tortilla, whatever you want to call it...
I toast it a bit, just until crispy

Then, take it out of the toaster and add any type of tomato sauce in a jar, sprinkle some cheese on top, not a ton......I also add mushrooms from a jar and raw onions. I put it back in my toaster on broil, bake is fine too....

It turns out so crispy and good! The tortilla has 120 calories at most, a small handful of cheese is like 100....anyway, this satisfies my pizza craving. It's not a recipe or anything, just thought I'd share.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
I am on Weight Watchers along with a few coworkers and friends and we found a site called EmilyBites.com which is comfort food made healthy.

Their sausage tortellini soup is AMAZING and so full of flavor. I am continuing to make other recipes also.

The WW points are shown at the end of each recipe which is helpful.
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I couldn't find that soup the other day, but was rushing. I will look again later today or tomorrow. Sounds great. I'm discovering that at the moment I do better with foods with lots of flavor! Sounds perfect!
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
Can you still get on WW online if you aren't a member? I used to go there all the time for recipes and their forums. I tried the other day though, and couldn't get past the "join up and give us money" page.
 

1905

Well-Known Member
My one friend who is doing really well on her diet eats this a lot: turkey kabalsa. Today she had it in a wrap, it looked good and filling. She said it is all protein, no sugar, hardly any calories. She said it is very satisfying and eating this is helping her lose weight. FYI for that soup Nomad!
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Lil...I don't think you can get on WW online if you aren't a member. My guess is if you google you can find various things WW related. I'm thinking of trying to find the old time WW soup we use to eat all the time made up of various vegetables...lots of cabbage and other things. It was sometimes called "zero point soup."
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
RN...I think I found the soup and it looks GREAT! Sausage and Tortellini Tomato Soup?
It has the WW Smartpoints AND Nutrition Info from MyfitnessPal
269 calories, 30 g carbs, 2 g sugars, 9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 18 g protein, 3 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)
Very nice! Thank you!
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I made this last night and it was outrageously delicious and easy to make.
307 calories (plain) without rice or quinoa
I did not use the Parmesan cheese...was NOT needed.
Extreme flavor!

Vegetables and Italian Sausage In A single Pan


Servings 6 when served with rice or quinoa
(seemed like a little less servings to me...unsure. have to calculate it differently if you use rice, etc. definitely will have left overs with this recipe)
Calories 307 kcal

Ingredients
  • 2 large carrots ~2 cups
  • 2 red potatoes ~2 cups (I used one white potato instead)
  • 1 small-medium zucchini ~2 and 1/3 cups
  • 2 red peppers ~2 cups
  • 1 head broccoli ~1 and 1/2 cups
  • 16 ounces Italian Turkey or Chicken Sausage
Seasonings
  • 1/2 tablespoon EACH: dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, dried thyme
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated, optional
  • 4 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Optional: fresh parsley, salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil (I used foil and then sprayed a little with Pam)
  2. Prep the veggies: *It is important to prep the veggies according to directions to ensure they all cook at the same time*
  3. Peel and very thinly slice the carrots. Wash and (if desired peel, we love the peel on) chop the red potatoes. You want the pieces quite small here. (Note: I used one white potato, sliced thin instead of red potatoes)
  4. Halve the zucchini and then cut *thick* coins of zucchini. Coarsely chop the broccoli. Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers and chop into medium-sized pieces.
  5. Chop the sausage into thick coins.
  6. Pour all the veggies and sausage on the sheet pan.
  7. In a small bowl combine all of the seasonings and salt and pepper if desired (I use about 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt) with the olive oil. Stir to combine.
  8. Pour the seasoning & oil mixture on top of the veggies and sausage and thoroughly toss to coat.
  9. Place in the heated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and toss around the veggies + sausage and return to the oven for another 10-20 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender.
  10. Remove and top, if desired, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. (I did not use parm., but added a little garlic salt at this time)
  11. Serve on top of rice or quinoa if desired. (Hubby put on top of a little rice/I had it plain/GREAT!)
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
If you want to join WW but don't want to go to the meetings you can join for twenty a month and use the points and tracking devices
I do that. I also am basically a vegetarian. I love all animals and don't want to eat them. Veggies and fruit and plain nonfat yogurt are low calorie.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I never thought of using those flatbread wraps for pizza. I often have the Flatout brand Light Italian wraps for sandwiches. I love them because they are 90 cal, 9 grams protein, 8 grams fiber and they have flavor and that is before I add anything to them. I generally can only eat half of a sandwich made in one, but I like having the bread give a boost of protein and having it have a good amount of fiber.

I do find that balancing what I eat so that I have roughly 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% good carbs makes a HUGE difference. I don't function well in the morning if I don't have protein. I never really have. I just cannot think.
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Susie: Due to my health problems, I like to drink a green smoothie juice several days a week. Somehow, I have gotten to like them. Anyway, I tend to drink them in the morning. HOWEVER, I know in my heart I do much better if I have protein in the morning. One of my favorites is one egg, one egg white, a ton of veggies (spinach, tomato, onion, etc.) scrambled together. I had that this morning and I feel very full. So, now I'm thinking I will have my green drink for lunch with a very small something on the side. The flatbread wraps sound very good...esp. with the Italian seasoning and might be perfect for the pizza idea 1905 mentioned.
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
One of my biggest problems has been being VERY hungry by lunch. Lil and I have been seeing a dietician for a while now, we get six visits a piece covered under our Employee Assistance Program. Anyway, our dietician has put me onto a breakfast that works to keep me full till lunch. One serving of greek yogurt mixed with one serving of Kashi Golean cereal. Leaves me feeling full most every morning. I know Lil gets tired of this but to me, breakfast during the week is simply fuel so don't usually burn out on it. We've found that the only greek yogurt we can tolerate is the Aldi's Friendly Farms vanilla brand. They also have a bunch of single serving ones with fruit flavors. The blackberry is wonderful, the strawberry kinda sucks.

I've mentioned before about using the website www.myfitnesspal.com to track what I eat and activity. It doesn't keep me from occasionally exceeding my daily calories but helps me, overall, to remain honest about it. I don't get as particular as weight watchers does because that's one of the reasons Lil and I stopped doing it. Too much work. I try to err on the side of caution. If I see 4 recipes for what I ate at 400 calories per serving and one at 500, I go with the 500. Oh, and a word of advice. Watch out for the turkey products. Someone mentioned using the turkey kielbasa and yes, they are tasty. The problem is that they tend to overload them with salt to make up the flavor difference and too much salt will make you retain water, therefore weight. Not saying don't use it, just be conscious of how much salt you use on top of it.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
It was sometimes called "zero point soup."

Is this it? http://www.food.com/recipe/zero-points-soup-weight-watchers-189795

I liked it pretty much, but my favorite WW soup was 8 can soup. Literally, 8 cans of stuff mixed together. Watch the sodium though, canned veggies can be really high. Just dump these together, heat for an hour or so, done.

1 can corn
1 can green beans
1 can diced tomatoes (flavor of choice or plain)
1 can mixed vegetables
1 can old fashioned veggie soup
1 can sliced potatoes
1 can chili with beans
1 can chili no beans

I always substituted a second can of mixed veg or veggie soup for the can of potatoes, and I used turkey chili. Really good soup and nothing on earth could be easier unless it's literally opening a can of already pre-made soup.

I know Lil gets tired of this but to me, breakfast during the week is simply fuel so don't usually burn out on it.

Yes, I do get very tired of eating the same meal every single morning Monday-Friday. Never seems to bother Jabber...but I'm already tired of it again. Different flavors help, or putting in fruit - the Yogurt is just vanilla - but I'm still tired of it. I can't handle the entire serving of Kashi either. It just makes it too dry. So, I don't stay full as long. It's time for me to get some different breakfast items.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
RN...I think I found the soup and it looks GREAT! Sausage and Tortellini Tomato Soup?
It has the WW Smartpoints AND Nutrition Info from MyfitnessPal
269 calories, 30 g carbs, 2 g sugars, 9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 18 g protein, 3 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)
Very nice! Thank you!

Yes try it. I love it and want to make it again. Also it's VERY satisfying which I need at least every once in a while to stick on this darned diet!
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
How to manage 3 hormones that can influence weight loss

Below is an excerpt from an article I read listed above. I found the last line to be particularly amusing in light of our dealings with our Difficult Children.


"One study out of the University of Oklahoma showed that consuming 2 and a half to 3 cups of coffee while under mild stress caused cortisol to jump 25 percent— and remain high for 3 hours. Another cortisol-lowering tip: Make it a point to surround yourself with positive people who make you laugh! Simply anticipating a laugh has been shown to lower cortisol levels."
 

Nomad

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Thank you everyone!
I love MyFitnessPal. I could kick myself when I stop using it for a few days, because I always gain weight when I don't.
AND I love coffee...but, yes it seems to be a problem. The other day I realized that I have been drinking these strong coffees several times a day AND I have been jittery and tense. When I'm jittery and tense I eat more.
Checking out ALL the soups. Awesome. Thank you very much everyone!!!!!!!! :)
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
"One study out of the University of Oklahoma showed that consuming 2 and a half to 3 cups of coffee while under mild stress caused cortisol to jump 25 percent— and remain high for 3 hours. Another cortisol-lowering tip: Make it a point to surround yourself with positive people who make you laugh! Simply anticipating a laugh has been shown to lower cortisol levels."

Wow.

Guess we should stop drinking coffee.

Seems like we do everything wrong according to this.
 
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