Ideas for Healthy Meals Under 500 Calories: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Options

2011-03-15

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If your looking to get healthy, lose weight or maintain your weight, eating a well balanced diet is key to your success. Take the guesswork out of creating affordable and healthy meals under 500 calories.

Breakfast

Start your day right with a low-calorie breakfast. Don’t worry about time either on those hectic weekday mornings; you can still enjoy a healthy and tasty morning meal with a limited amount of cooking time. Add some oomph to boring frozen whole wheat waffles with pecans, maple syrup and blueberries. Microwave 1/3 cup frozen blueberries with 2 tablespoons maple syrup for two or three minutes. Toast the two whole wheat waffles in your toaster and top with the fruit syrup mix and 1 tablespoon of pecans. Add a tall glass of fruit juice for a full meal, including multiple services of fruit, for less than 500 calories.

Make this tasty concoction on a lazy Sunday morning when you have available cooking and prep time. You will need 1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, 2 tablespoons canned green chillies, 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese, 1 whole wheat tortilla and 1/2 of a grapefruit. Scramble the eggs over medium heat with the chillies and cheese. Place the cooked egg mixture in the tortilla and fold. Serve the grapefruit on the side with a glass of lowfat milk or fresh fruit juice.

Lunch

Mix and match health conscious foods to create original lunches for every day of the week, all with less than 500 calories. Make a sandwich one whole wheat bread, a reduced calorie wheat pit, hamburger bun or hard roll, each contains less than 165 calories. Add in smooth peanut butter, sliced deli ham, fat-free deli turkey breast slices, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese and more, each less than 106 calories per serving. Top your sandwich with as many vegetables as you please from lettuce to spinach and hot peppers to tomatoes. Throw in a side of fruit like an apple or pear with 72 and 96 calories, respectively. Treat yourself to a savory snack instead of the fruit with 20 baked potato chips at 200 calories or ¾ cup of mini pretzel twists for 112 calories. For the complete list of items and corresponding ingredients see references at the end of this article.

Dinner

Combine some of your favorite foods like cheese and salsa into a delectable quesadilla. This twist on the traditional Mexican dish is low in calories and includes something from almost every food group like grains, vegetables and diary. To make this black bean and zucchini quesadilla you will need 1 cup chopped zucchini, 1/2 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 whole wheat tortillas. 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons of your favourite salsa. Begin by sautéing the zucchini, beans, olive oil and cumin for five minutes. Place the sautéed ingredients on top of the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Fold each tortilla in half and transfer to frying pan to heat until the cheese melts. Pour salsa on top and enjoy.

Get your fill of pasta with this tasty twist on an Italian classic, Italian sausage and veggie pasta. To make this satisfying dish you need 2 ounces uncooked whole-wheat pasta, 1/2 cup of your favourite spaghetti sauce, 1 Italian-style chicken or turkey sausage sliced into rounds, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1/2 cup chopped zucchini and 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese. Cook the pasta to desired tenderness while heating the sauce, garlic, veggies and meat in a saucepan until the vegetables are tender. Drain the pasta and serve topped with the contents of the saucepan and sprinkled parmesan cheese.