Hey all :)

I am after some healthy dinners ideas!!

However, as I am a uni student I would love it if I was able to keep my groceries to a minimum of 60-50 bucks or less!! x

I know it is probably wishful thinking but all the idea would be appreciated :D

Cheers x

Pearl barley, split peas, chick peas, lentils - cook them up in a soup mix, separately or mix/match and add whatever meat & veg you want.

s

Not really a recipe, but a great substitute food I recently found out about on another forum - Cauliflower instead of Rice.

Chop/blend cauliflower then put in the microwave for about 4 min (don't add any sauce or spices beforehand or it will come out soggy) - sooooo filling, and 28 calories a cup!

Cauliflower soup is good stuff too - break the cauli into flowerettes - slice up the stems - and toss it all into some chicken stock with some garlic and black pepper.  Cook it until it is soft and mushy and put through the blender for a surprisingly good creamy soup - it doesn't even taste 'cauliflowery'.  Roasted cauliflower is really tasty too.  Roast some up with some butternut pumpkin (use sparingly its high in sugars) and you've got your veggies sorted.

Another of the ones I do a lot is a sort of ratatouille, but don't use any oil in it.  Just chop up some onion, eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes with a couple of herbs and I like my chili in it too and a bit of chicken stock and simmer until tender.

Another one is egg whites only 'cakes'

Spray a non stick pan very lightly with oil and toss in some diced onion, mushrooms, parsley or chives and a small amount of no fat bacon (I only ever buy the short cut rashers which are pretty lean and strip off any fat from the edges) When cooked, beat up a couple of egg whites with a small amount of low fat ricotta or cottage cheese and spoon it into lightly sprayed muffin tins and then spoon the bacon and onion mixture around the top.  Cook in the oven at moderate temp for about 10 mins until golden and puffy.  Eat one with a lettuce cucumber and tomato salad sprinkled with balsamic vinegar.

Sang Choy Bowless.

Boil a couple of wombok or cabbage leaves.  Add to a frypan some turkey mince ($5.99/kg) shallotts or onions, garlic, soy sauce, coriander, chili = anything asian flavoured really.  When cooked, roll the mince mix into the cooked cabbage leaves - enjoy.  Can also eat the mix in lettuce leaves if you want.

Breakfast omelette

Beat up an eggwhite or whole egg (they really are a good protein hit) with a tablespoon of water and some chives and black pepper  Pour into a lightly sprayed small pan.  Toss some diced mushroom and cooked cauliflower on top and cook without stirring until set.  Shave a very small amount of parmesan cheese on top (needs less than 1/2 a teaspoon)   Remember with eggs, water for an omelette, milk or cream for scrambled.

Will try your Sang Choy Bowless recipe for lunch today, thanks Karngga! 

Another thing I do quite often for a quick, low cal, filling and nutritious lunch is use either the cooked cabbage leaves or lettuce cups, dice up some onion, garlic, mushrooms, pepper, tomato, capsicum and celery (actually I cut up a heap of this mix and use it in a lot of things)  Then mix through some low fat ricotta or cottage cheese or a chopped up hard boiled egg or finely diced tofu stir fried in a bit of coriander, chili, garlic, soy or Chinese Black Sweet vinegar or mirin or whatever you have and stuff the lettuce or cabbage leaves.

You can do this with as little as some tomato and onion and ricotta or go all out on it.  Lettuce makes a great wrap substitute.

I also use my onion and tomato mix on my 1 day a week pasta day.  I give it a bit of a simmer then toss in a bit of skim milk powder to creamy it up or some cottage, ricotta, or low fat yoghurt (unflavoured of course) and serve with about a teaspoon of shaved parmesan on top.  And make absolutely buckets of the tomato and onion mix and put it on only 1/2 cup of cooked pasta.

Yum K

You can also make up a meatloaf (same recipe makes meatballs, or rissoles)

About 1/2kg best quality mince you can find.

Grate up 1 carrot and 1 zucchini

Dice up 2 onions and 2 cloves of garlic a couple of mushrooms (celery and capsicum too if you like them)

Get a medium size tin of whatever beans you feel like or boil up some lentils or whatever and add them

Beat up an egg and add to the mix

Add some chilli flakes if you like them and some chives or parsley

Toss in a good blob of tomato paste and a good sprinkle of Italian herbs or whatever you fancy., some chives, some parsley

Now for the messy bit - sorry but you just gotta get your hands into this mess and make sure it's well combined

Stuff it all into a large loaf pan and shove it in the oven at around 190C for an hour

You might need to cover the top with a bit of foil if the top is getting too browned

Shove a skewer into the middle of the loaf and if the juices run clear, it's done.

This makes up a fair bit and what I do is let it cool right down, slice it into serving portions then interleave it with plastic wrap and freeze for Ron.  (later Ron).

If you have any leftover mix, form them up into small meat balls and cook them off in a bit of tomato paste and these can be added to the weekly pasta dish from earlier recipe.

Can also have this stuffed into a lettuce leaf - it will be a tad dry so try not to overcook it.

I also use this recipe with the turkey mince and leave out the tomato paste and shove in some chopped up cranberries and if I've got them, a couple of chopped hazelnuts and a glug of Shaoxing wine - if you don't have that, try some apple juice in it.

OMG - I forgot the coriander in the Sang Choy Bowless!!!!  Please add that to the recipe

Errrr, = it's OK I didn't forget to add the coriander - its there!  But I did forget you can grate a bit of lime rind and juice into it for a bit of extra tang

I'm such an idiot!

It's the black spot putting pressure on the brain dear.

Errrr - black spot????????

Teehee sorry K was having a go at you too cute avi....please don't ever change it....Oh I remember you can't it's a photo. ROFL

I like a small bowl of pasta with the small tin of tuna ( chilli, lemon pepper etc), some chopped tomato and cucumber. I have this when the other have their spaghetti bol.

SlimPasta is pretty good and it only has about 8-14 calories per serve and practically zero carbs. I think it is made of plant fibre.  I make a tuna pasta sauce,  with a jar of my favourite pasta sauce, crushed tomatoes, onion, celery, capsicum, carrot , garlic, fresh basil & chilli sauce a teaspoon or two of massel chicken low salt stock powder and it is really delicious, low calorie and filling. Links deleted as per rules

Best thing I have found to have pasta without the carbs and calories.  

StephenSLR:

Pearl barley, split peas, chick peas, lentils - cook them up in a soup mix, separately or mix/match and add whatever meat & veg you want.

s

It's lovely,my cuteman (cutey) cooks a really lovely soup with all that except the Chick peas that I usually like in Hommus and lentils.

So actually I'll start again lol

Pearl barley (YUM)
Green/yellow split peas
onion
carrot
celery
Shiitake Mushrooms (strong  taste (kind of Meaty)
chicken stock powder (about 2 tspns).
Depending on flavour can add Worcester Sce.

ditto whatever meat you want or not.

Make a soup as above.