The eating habits kids pick up from their parents at home are perhaps the biggest contributor to the obesity epidemic we seem to have been facing for quite some time now and so I reckon the responsibility to try and counteract the epidemic does indeed start at home. On the flip side of the cookie though is the apparent problem of healthier home cooking options not being all that hearty and delicious. I mean I particularly love it when the kids take their shoes off during dinner so that they can wiggle their toes to confirm that the dish served is going down really, really well.
It really doesn’t have to be an either/or scenario though. There are quite a lot of dishes which are low in calories (under 400 calories to be exact) which are just as filling and delicious as those which contain a higher amount of calories.
Roasted Scallions & Cod with Spicy Potatoes
Not only is this a tasty low-calorie dish that’s filling as well, it’s also easy to prepare. All you do is throw everything into the oven to roast after pre-spicing perhaps, but the potatoes may have to be spiced sometime during the cooking process. The potatoes also perhaps roast a bit longer so you may want to pop those in to roast first and then add the scallions and cod a bit later (when you spice the roasting potatoes).
Chilli Pork & Sweet Potato Hash
The pork can otherwise appear to be bland since you’d be using leaner pork instead of something like shoulder bacon, so maple syrup can be used to brush the pork to add a sweet balance to the added chilli as well. This dish would still come in at under 400 calories even with the syrup glazing.
Baked Lemony Salmon & Asparagus with Bulgur
It perhaps seldom gets healthier than this because there’s no frying or anything like that and also it’s a fish dish! Very quick and easy to prepare as well — simply throw all the ingredients into one dish and cook them all together.
Grilled Garlicky Tilapia & Couscous
Prior to grilling, simply marinate the fish in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic so that it gets nicely infused with great flavours before going in for the grill. Salmon cooks very quickly as well, so be careful not to scorch it.
Braised Chicken & Spring Vegetables
Fresh radishes and carrots in a nice and light broth go extremely well with tender chicken breasts or thighs, making for a light yet satisfying dinner which is really low in calories. If you’re particularly cooking breasts instead of thighs, the cooking time may be a bit longer and so you might want to let the breasts cook a little first before adding the rest of the ingredients. Use the same water the chicken cooked in for the broth.
Calorie-counting is the key to preparing low-calorie dishes with the trick to be employed being that of focussing on the preparation method to keep the calories down. Otherwise you can really enjoy some filling meals without going too big on the calories.
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