I want ideas for something low cal, low fat, yet filling. I usually make a pot of beans and just take a bowl all week. But I am sick of farting in the early evenings. Going to make a pot of greens with turkey necks this week. Also, have taken green salads. What else? Thanks_
Quinoa instead of beans?
How do I cook it, just like the beans?
Quinoa is not exactly low cal, with the understanding of course that it’s all relative.
I, mean, compared to deep fried butter quinoa is probably a negative calorie food like celery.
Try a baked potato, either regular or sweet.
Or wheat berries instead of beans.
1 Like
I usually mix quinoa with whatever leftovers are on hand. It makes good cold / room-temperature salads.
Nutritionally it’s similar to beans except quinoa has complete proteins.
chickpeas / quinoa, 1 cup cooked
calories: 269 / 222
fat (grams): 4 / 4
starch carbs: 3 / 34
sugars: 8 / 0
fiber: 12 / 5
protein: 15 / 8
Regular (as opposed to sweet) potatoes are the only whole natural food that’s almost entirely simple carbohydrates. They spike your sugar levels like sugar or white flour.
I agree with others’ suggestions of room-temp grain salads. Whole grain pasta and orzo salads are also nice. Dress with citrus vinegar & oil. For orzo or couscous, I typically mix in cherry tomatoes, feta, olives, chickpeas, green onions, lemon juice, and olive oil.
I’m also a big fan of sandwiches. Unfortunately they can’t be prepped en masse like grains or beans, but they are filling and can be fairly low cal. Whole grain or sprouted bread, light spread of choice, and filled with whatever you like. Trader Joes’ rosemary ham with red onions, arugula, and tomato is a favorite. When figs are in season, I make fig & prosciutto sandwiches (not totally low fat, but if you stick to the serving size of 2 slices, it’s quite reasonable).
Soups are another great lunch. Just heat, fill a thermos, and go.
+1 on soup (or stews) especially this time of year (although it’s 90 degrees in LA). A veggie soup or minestrone is pretty lo-fat. You can always add a grain like barley to make it more filling (mushroom/barley is really good).
Also soups, for the most part, freeze really well—so you can make a large batch, freeze half in single portion sizes and eat the other half for most of the week. This way you will have a back stock in the freezer and can mix it up for future lunches.