Low Calorie Dinners and Desserts That Don't Require Weird Ingredients

First of all, I don't think I'm fat. Not by any means. However, in the last year I've gained 10 pounds which is just enough to make me too big for my favorite shorts and to loathe the way my shirts emphasize my new little paunch.

So, I downloaded an app on my phone called My Fitness Pal that counts calories for me and subtracts my exercise from those calories. It's so easy! I put in my goal which was to lose 1/2 pound a week and it gives me how many calories I can eat a day: 1650. Then I just input what I eat for each meal and what I did for exercise (and for how long) and it adds and subtracts all the calories for me. It has been a huge eye-opener for me just to see how many calories certain things are.

For instance, yogurt can have a LOT of calories depending on the kind you buy. Veggies and fruits? Some of them don't even have enough calories per serving to even add to my calorie counter. Seasonings don't count as calories either. But meat is high in calories. And I'm sure these are all things that everyone already knew and I just figured out. :)

So when I originally found that in order to lose 1/2 pound a week I had to eat only 1650 (more if I exercise!), I thought "I can do that." Then I started adding some of my favorite meals and snacks and found that it was harder than I thought.

Therefore, I'm sharing with you some of the low-calorie dinners and desserts that I've found. Besides the Lime Chicken Salad, under each recipe I'll put how many calories a serving is but since I'm just taking the total calories of the meal and dividing it, I don't know exactly the measurement of each serving. But if you're making the whole recipe and dividing it up, you'll know how many calories the serving is. I hope that makes sense.


Black Bean Soup from Our Best Bites
You can find the recipe for this yummy soup here.

If you divide the soup into 5 servings, it makes each serving about 223 calories. Pair this soup with 10 Mission yellow corn tortilla chips and you have a meal for only 323 calories!



Explosion on Your Tastebuds Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tian
You can find the recipe for the chicken here.
       **Note a difference: Instead of using 1.5 lbs of chicken thighs, I made it with 1 lb. of chicken
           breasts and my calorie count reflects this change.

You can find the recipe for the Summer Vegetable Tian here.

If you divide the Chicken recipe into 4 servings and the Vegetable Tian into 5 servings, a serving of each gives you a meal of 380 calories! And they're both real yummy!


Lime Chicken Salad (1 serving recipe)  approx. 400 calories
6 leaves of romaine lettuce, cut up
1/4 cup black beans
1/3 of a medium avocado, cut into cubes or slices

1/4 cup corn
1/8 cup green onions
1/8 cup cilantro
1/2 cup chicken breast, cooked and shredded or diced,
Assorted seasonings

2 Tbsp. Italian dressing

Season the cooked chicken breast with whatever seasonings you want. I put a little lime juice and garlic powder on it. Then create a salad with the remaining ingredients, pouring the Italian dressing over the top.


Healthy Energy Bites
You can find this recipe here.

I actually only use 1/4 cup honey in this recipe because I think 1/3 cup makes them too sweet for me. But if you use the original recipe and make 20 equal balls with it, it makes each ball only 145 calories!




Banana Icecream
This recipe only calls for bananas, peanut butter, and cocoa powder! You can find it here.

If you divide this recipe into 4 servings, it makes each serving only 165 calories!





I hope this helps if you are looking for low-calorie meals/desserts. I know that there are even less-calorie meals and desserts out there, but I really can't afford all the weird ingredients that those recipes require. A good rule of thumb is to eat more fruits and veggies and less meat, carbs, and sugary stuff. Not only are they more healthy for you but they're less calories too!