The Imperfect Community

Jessica

Anybody have any low-fat or low-cal dinner recipes that are any good? I need some ideas rather than Lean Cuisines.

I don't know if any of you read my MILF blog this week, but I'm on a mission. My New Years resolution is to lose weight. I do this every year and am usually successful, but this year I want to lose more and keep it off this time!

I will be posting weekly weigh ins and weekly photos, so anybody who isn't pregnant that wants to follow along and do their own thing (I'm doing weight watchers online flex plan), then please come keep me company.

I do need some recipes though!

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:53 am Post subject:

I do this chicken stir fry that's low fat--marinade chicken breasts in teriaki sauce with grated fresh ginger. Marinade it for like only 10 minutes 'cause it gets strong. Then you can grill or broil the breasts, and then cut them into little nugget sizes. Grill (or stir fry) fresh veggies--mushrooms, onions, zuccini, peppers, broccoli, carrots....you know. Then serve it over brown or white rice. If you load up on the veggies and the chicken, and keep the rice to a miniumum, and if you've used very little or no oil, then you can eat like pounds of this stuff and have it be real low cal.

Kabobs are another low fat-high veggie thing. I do them with beef, and add mushrooms, tomato, onion, and so on.

Chili can be low fat if you do a lot of beans in it. I have a killer chili recipe:
2 lbs lean ground beef (or you could use turkey)
1 lb italian sausage
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz can) of crushed tomatoes
2 (15 oz cans) tomato sauce
1 (6 oz can) tomato paste
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1/4 cup chili powder (I actually use a little less for the kids' taste)
1 T oregano
1T basil
1/2 cup dark red wine (burgandy or merlot)
1 cup beer
1/4 cup dijon mustard (again, I use a little less for the kids)
2 T lemon juice
a few shakes (probably equals about a tablespoon) of Frank's Red Hot

--Brown the meat, drain, add the onions and garlic, then I add the tomato stuff, then the herbs, then the wine and beer, mustard and hot sauce, and let simmer for a few hours, stirring occasionally. This make a huge-ass pot of chili. I do it all in the one pot. Then you can freeze a couple of meal's worth and have it on hand. Just make sure you keep a couple cans of beans in the cupboard, too.

I don't ADD beans to the recipe. I just open and wash a couple cans before dinner and everyone adds the amount of beans they like to their own servings. The kids like a little bit of beans, Mike doesn't like any, and I like about 70% beans and 30% of the chili in the pot, and that's why MINE is low fat, lol.

My pasta sauce is low fat, too. But pasta in general packs a lot of calories.

Anthromomma · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:04 pm Post subject:

I have this huge (HUGE!) file of Cooking Light recipes that have the WW points already figured. I can send it to you if you'd like, let me know. I'll sort through my other recipes when I get some time and post a few.

I'll be joining you, I think. The post baby weight losing extravaganza stalled out at Thanksgiving, and I am waay sick of looking at my fat clothes. I haven't really formed a plan of attack yet. I should probably get on that.

Erika

ExCareerGal · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 1:55 pm Post subject:

Jessica,
I will be joining you too. I lost about 20 lbs last summer/fall so I am down to 145 but I really want to get it down another 10lbs. I am working out most every day and starting to get tone in some places but there is still so much blubber and loose skin covering my muscles it is hard to tell.

I am at 31% body fat and really need to lower that. I do not have any good recipes to suggest to you since I barely know how to cook. I do count calories though. I also am checking out that sparkpeople site discussed in your blog since I am too cheap for WW.

Good luck to you. You can do it!
Janna

Jessica · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 3:04 pm Post subject:

Jessica · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 3:05 pm Post subject:

Jessica · Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 3:07 pm Post subject:

mammaX3_MOD · Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:27 pm Post subject:

Jessica, if you go to allrecipes.com, on the left side of the home page click on "more recipe collections", then click on "healthy living", then you can find "low-cal", "low-carb", "low cholesterol".
I looove allrecipes.com! A friend showed it to me after she made an awesome fruit salsa for a community BBQ! The site even lets you do an ingredient search so you can find recipes that have specific ingredients you want or you can specifically leave any out that you don't want.
I'm gonna have to join you gals on the whole diet thing. I've never successfully lost weight ever (besides dropping a 7lb baby out, though HA! Very Happy

) I finally lost about 15lbs since we bought our new house in April and now I'm terrified it'll come back on. I'd like to lose anothe 15-20 (gosh, I hope that's not too unrealistic).

Jessica · Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 4:21 pm Post subject:

mammaX3_MOD · Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 12:21 pm Post subject:

Anthromomma · Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject:

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 2:15 pm Post subject:

Oh, Jessica....you're darling! Seriously, you are absolutely cute. 195 at 5'7 isn't a healthy weight, so I definately support you in trying to get it down, but as far as it detracting from your prettiness--nah, I don't think so.

I don't know, my perception of what's attractive has changed a lot though. I was at the store the other day and this chick was looking at the stuff next to me and I swear, she was just a fucking GODDESS. She was like 6 feet tall, gorgeous long blond hair, done just right, porcelain skin, big blue eyes and she must've weighted 215. She was like Emme 215 though. Just like from another planet. She was turning heads left and right as she walked down the aisle, and it was her beauty, yes, but also the way she carried herself, flipped her hair over her shoulder and was just *there*. Boosted my own damn confidence!

They also say that women who are happy with the way they look tend to lose weight faster, so stop beating yourself up! Enjoy who you are NOW while you're joureying to who you hope to be!

And...I'd recommend this flu. I'm back down to pre-holiday weight after one day of it.

Jessica · Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 6:26 pm Post subject:

mammaX3_MOD · Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 7:58 pm Post subject:

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 8:10 am Post subject:

That happens to me too, but that has always happened to me. I remember waaay back, when I was ultra-thin (5'9 and weighed 110), and I'd look at pictures just taken of myself and think I looked like a hog. My wedding pictures, when I was totally PERFECT weight (140), I wanted to burn them all because I thought I looked like a whale. ALL pictures of me, regardless of how I actually looked, I thought I looked awful. Of course, now I look back at those pictures and think, damn, I looked great, what was I so upset about, I wish I could look so bad now! So, after literal decades of that, I just gave up. I judge how my face looks in the picture and if there's visible fat rolls, then I decide I need to dress a little differently Laughing

But, I know I will never look at a picture of myself and think, wow, I'm pretty, or, yup, that's about how I thought I go around looking.

Don't be so hard on yourselves!