Need healthy low fat recipes that are cheap and easy About This Page:

[krisk11]

I know what I'm asking for isn't easy but I'm an empty nester while dd is away at college and I'm trying to lose some weight more for health reasons than anything else (I have a goal to see how many times I can get to WDW if I live to 90) but looking better would be a great side effect. I have stocked my fridge with yogurt which is my go to instead of ice cream or a late afternoon snack at work. I've been drinking only water (plain and infused with lemon, cuccumber etc) or skim milk. Switched from bacon to turkey bacon etc. Just trying to get this jumpstarted. It's so much easier to exercise and eat more fruit and veggies in the nice weather but every other day it seems to snow here. I have been doing 2 miles a day on the eliptical (I will miss Tuesday and Friday this week because I'm going to school to watch dd's hockey games). I started out at 221.5 and after a week I'm down to 218 (I know you lose the most at the beginning then start to level off). My goal is for my weight to start with a 1 (I'm 5'7" by the way)

[my2girls]

You are doing everything the right way. I did all of those also, however, I did cut back drastically on the amount of breads, pastas, and potatoes I ate. Bread alone has made a huge difference. I don't eat white bread at all. I stick to whole grain, pumpernickel, or rye. It's very rare I eat any kind of potato chips. That has helped also. Lots of fruit, veggies, eggs, salads...

Keep up the good work!

[krisk11]

I have been avoiding "white" food for a while due to a family history of heart issues so I try not to eat white bread, white potatoes, white rice. I've switched to 1 packet of splenda in my 1 cup of coffee a day to avoid white sugar alittle. I've also tried not to bring junk food into the house which is easier with dd gone. The only snack I have is 100 calorie bags of popcorn or chips and salsa.

[Disneybine]

Kris, you should totally join our challenger group here on PP! We even have a thread with "challenger-friendly" recipes there. Send me a message if you're interested or have further questions.

[WDWfan]

I make an Italian Skillet chicken that is based on a weight watchers recipe, but that I've adapted over time. The original recipe is to serve 4, but it would be easy to make half and then have left overs for a second meal.

Chop a small onion, some carrots and celery and sauté in a small amount of olive oil. I chop mine fine, but you can certainly leave bigger chunks if you prefer. Add one clove of minced garlic (or you can use garlic powder if you prefer. Cut up 1 pond of skins boneless chicken breasts into large bite sized pieces and add to pan cooking until chicken begins to brown on all sides. Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes. I use the ones with garlic, oregano and basil, but you could use regular ones and just add the seasoning. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. I sometimes add a little chicken stock if I need to. I also taste the "sauce" after about 1/2 the cooking time and add more basil, garlic and oregano to taste. I sometimes also add a bit of seasoned salt. When done if it's too watery take the top off and simmer for a few more minutes to thicken up.

While you're cooking the above you can bring the water for pasta to a boil. I like to use whole wheat pasta - usually penne, but any kind will do. I usually use 1 box. When it's all done serve the chicken and sauce on top of the pasta. Some times I drain the pasta and add it to the sauce for the last few minutes of cooking.

If you want to 1/2 it - use 1/2 pound of chicken, 1 can of tomatoes, 1/2 an onion and fewer carrots and celery.

[krisk11]

Thanks for the recipe Leslie. I love recipes that can easily be cut in half. When you cook something too big as a single person you end up having to eat for days on end in order to not waste it and then I'm sick of it.

[Her Dotness]

I suggest the Amer. Heart Assn's Diabetes & Heart Healthy Meals for Two cookbook. There's a lot of variety, most are easy to fix, obviously healthy and best of all, not much for leftovers.

The recipes are a bit foodie-oriented and sometimes call for fresh herbs. You can easily substitute about 1/4-1/2 the amount of dry herbs, I've found. Your public library likely has this one. I've seen it in ours if you want a looksee before buying. We LOVE the pork medallions with dark cherry-balsamic vinegar sauce! Deeeelish.

[TinkerbellJenn99]

I'm not sure if you like them, but chicken fajitas are my go to when I'm cooking for just me, which is often. I make them healthy by making my own seasoning... basically cumin\mexican chili powder\a little garlic powder\pepper\a pinch of salt\and a pinch of truvia or stevia based sweetener.

If you're looking to stay away from simple carbs you can serve the chicken and veggies over brown rice or quinoa (sp??)

You can also pre pack raw items in single serve packs for freezing -- simply saute and eat

[xwewhisper]

Have you checked out Hungry Girl? Healthy Recipes, Low-Calorie Food Finds, Weight-Loss Advice, Diet Tips 'n Tricks | Hungry Girl she has a lot of quick and easy and often single serve recipes that are low-cal

Also, because of the current season, I find spaghetti squash for $0.99 each at my supermarket, and one will easily make 3-4 meals for just myself. Just bake or microwave and top a cup or two with some pasta sauce and a little Parmesan cheese!