Lunch Ideas Under 300 Calories
These delicious lunch ideas will keep you satisfied right through the afternoon. They may be low in calorie, but they are high in flavour.1. Hearty Fish Sandwich
This is a great alternative to a burger at just 277 Calories and only 4g of fat. This is really easy to prepare. You simply coat a 6 ounce cod fillet in a mixture of breadcrumbs, garlic, cayenne pepper and parsley before grilling at a medium heat for around 5 minutes each side. The fish can then be served on a burger bun with lots of fresh lettuce, onion and tomato and a generous dollop of relish made from yoghurt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. This is real comfort food and you won’t believe it is so low calorie!
2. Potato & Egg Salad
This is a great salad which can be prepared in advance and which all the family will enjoy. As well as being a great lunch it also makes a great side for gammon steaks. It consists of boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, chopped celery, sliced radishes, chives and cress. It is a refreshing, but satisfying salad that will keep you full and energized.
3. Stuffed Tomatoes
Grab some large beef tomatoes and slice the tops off before scooping out all of the seeds. Make sure that they can stand upright on a tray. Stuff with a mixture of cous cous, feta cheese, onions and olives and then bake for 20 mins.
Dinner Under 300 Calories
When you have been out all day, the last thing you want to come home to is boring or tasteless food. With these meals under 300 calories, dinner will be nothing short of delicious!
4. Sweet & Spicy Shrimp with Noodles
This one dish meal is packed with flavour and plenty of vegetables making it a satisfying and healthy meal at just 299 calories. Start by marinating the shrimp in a combination of rice vinegat, honey, chilli and soy sauce for at least 30 minutes. In a large, lightly oiled walk you will want to combine some cashews, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for a minute until the garlic starts to brown. At this point you should add sweet peppers, carrots and a little salt and cook for a further 2 minutes before adding your marinated shrimp, bean sprouts and some cooked noodles and cooking through for 2 or 3 minutes.
5. Grilled Skirt Steak & Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
Grilled strips of skirt steak are a pretty basic dish, but when served with a delicious tomatillo sauce they are transformed in to something much more interesting and the whole dish is just 277 calories. To make the tomatillo sauce you need to roast 8 ounces of tomatillos with some crushed garlic for around 20 mins until the tomatillos start to char. Add them to some lime juice along with oregano, cumin, salt, pepper and a touch of pepper and then blend down to a smooth sauce.
6. Poached Halibut with Lemon-Herb Sauce
Poached fish is always a winner and this lemon-herb sauce is perfect with halibut. One fillet topped with a tablespoon of sauce comes in at about 217 calories leaving room for a vegetable side of your choice. The sauce combines olive oil, jalapenos, lemon rind, lemon juice, cilantro, parsley and finely diced lemon. The resulting chunky sauce is fresh and zingy – just perfect for fish.
7. Seared Scallops with Watercress & Bacon
Scallops are a great choice when you are interested in a break from the usual fish dishes and when seared in a pan they taste fabulous with some bacon. The addition of plenty of wilted watercress and a sprinkling of shallots gives the perfect fresh side for an otherwise salty dish that is around 260 calories per serving.
8. Stuffed Chicken (Goat Cheese & Sun-dried Tomatoes)
Chicken breast fillets are a staple in any low calorie diet thanks to them being packed with protein and low on fat. It is useful to have a selection of ideas to stop chicken from being boring so why not try stuffing chicken fillets with a combination of sun dried tomatoes, basil and goats cheese before roasting or grilling them. They are great served with a little rice.
9. Chicken Peperonata
Another great way to serve chicken is peperonata. To prepare the sauce fry off some onions in a little olive oil before adding mushrooms, garlic and red peppers. After around 5 minutes add 250ml of white wine and simmer for ten minutes before pouring over roast chicken fillets.
10. Chickpea Curry
This chickpea curry is something that will last for several days in the refrigerator, so it is a great dish to have on hand to grab after a busy day with no time to cook. Heat diced onions in olive oil and combine with cumin and tumeric to form a paste. Add chickpeas and coconut milk and simmer for 30 mins.
11. Chicken & Cashew Stir Fry
For a quick and easy dinner at just 250 calories, this sizzling stir fry is the perfect choice. Stirfry chunks of chicken, cashews, yellow peppers, ginger, brocolli and onion before adding soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce.
12. Low Calorie Korma
Korma is reknowned for being a creamy, rich curry – but what if I told you that you could enjoy a Korma for just 186 calories? Stirfry onions and diced chicken before adding 100ml of single cream and 4 tablespoons of Korma paste. Cover the pan and simmer for around 20 minutes to thicken up the sauce before serving with a scattering of almond flakes and some boiled rice.
13. Mixed Vegetable Grill
Spread a mixture of tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers and any other veggies you have on hand over a baking tray and lay slices of reduced fat mozzarella cheese on the top before sprinkling with garlic and fresh basil. Grill for 10 minutes and then season to taste.
Hopefully, these will give you some new ideas about what you can eat while still keeping those calories in check. If you do decide to give them a try I would love to hear what you thought about them.
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