Sunday, March 15, 2020
Hear the word diet, and what comes to mind? For starters, pain, guilt, and pants that won't zip up — and let's not forget food that tastes like cardboard. If it's good in your tummy, it must be bad for your body, or so goes the old thinking. But how can a diet succeed if you never get the flavors you crave? That's why we designed this 1,300-calorie diet nutrition plan not only to help you hit a goal, but also to give you the tastes you love. Whatever food you long for — sweet, spicy, or savory — we've got the low-cal version.
Follow the daily dishes put together by a registered dietician (and add on one 100-calorie snack!) and feel free to repeat whichever ones ring your bell. As long as you stick to the choices listed here, you'll keep your total calorie intake to 1,300 a day. Drink calorie-free beverages (water, soda, seltzer, unsweetened black coffee, or tea) as desired. Repeat the plan for one month.
Day 1-2
Start your week off strong with fiber-filled cereal and an Asian-inspired turkey burger.
Breakfast
Eat 1 cup oatmeal (like Bob's Red Mill) made with hot water and topped with 1/2 banana.
Lunch
Make a spinach salad by topping 3 to 4 cups baby spinach leaves with 1 hard-cooked egg, chopped; 2 strips cooked bacon, crumbled; 5 mushrooms, thinly sliced; 1/3 cup croutons; 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese; and 3 slices red onion. Toss ingredients together, then drizzle with a flavored vinegar, such as red wine, balsamic or seasoned rice vinegar. Finish off your meal with a pear.
Dinner
To make a savory Asian patty, mix 1 pound ground turkey breast with 8-ounce canned water chestnuts, diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 4 green onions, thinly sliced; 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce; 4 teaspoons soy sauce. Shape mixture into 4 patties. Freeze 3 for later use. In nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook patty over medium heat until thoroughly cooked throughout. Serve with a side dish of 3/4 cup cooked rice tossed with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil.
Round it out with 2 cups steamed broccoli florets and 1 cup berries on the side
Day 3-4
On the menu today: a classic peanut-butter sandwich followed by little Tex-Mex flavor.
Breakfast
Toast one English muffin and sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese (any type). Buke or broil until cheese melts. Eat it with 1 pear.
Lunch:
Spread 1 slice raisin bread with 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter. Top with 1/2 banana, sliced. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon honey and cover with another slice of raisin bread and drink with 1 cup fat-free milk.
Dinner:
Heat things up with a spicy chicken olé. On a 12-inch-long sheet of aluminum foil, center a 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast. Top with 3/4 cup canned corn with peppers, 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (optional). Fold foil into a packet. Bake on cookie sheet at 450 degrees F about 18 minutes.
Pair it with a citrusy avocado salad: On lettuce leaves, arrange 1 tangerine, peeled and divided into segments; 1/4 ripe avocado, thinly sliced; 1 slice red onion. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.
Day 5-6
Keep it up with lots of filling whole grains and some easy veggie pockets for your midday meal.
Breakfast:
Cook 1/2 cup oats with 1 cup fat-free milk. Stir in 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1/2 cup berries, and pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
Lunch:
Cut a whole-wheat pita in half. Spread 3 tablespoons hummus in each pocket. Stuff with tomato and cucumber slices and baby spinach leaves. Sprinkle each stuffed pita pocket with a flavored vinegar. Eat it with 6 ounces light yogurt and 1 kiwi.
Dinner:
For entrée, whip up some sweet honey pork. Cut 1 pound pork tenderloin into 8 slices. Pound slices into 1/4-inch-thick medallions. Freeze 6 medallions. Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook 2 medallions over medium heat until lightly browned. Add 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 teaspoons honey, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Continue cooking pork until tender, about 3 minutes.
Make apricot couscous as a side. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup chicken broth; 2 dried apricots, cut into thin strips; and 1/4 teaspoon grated orange rind until boiling. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup couscous. Cover and let sit 5 minutes. Serve with 1 cup steamed green beans.
Day 7
Good news: You can look forward to a veggie-filled beef stir-fry tonight that's faster to make than delivery.
Breakfast:
Get your day started with 1/2 cantaloupe topped with 3/4 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, plus 1 slice toasted raisin bread, spread with 1 tablespoon apple butter.
Lunch:
Top 3 to 4 cups salad greens with 1/2 cup water-packed white tuna, drained; 1 small tomato, cut into wedges; 2 green onions, sliced. Drizzle with a mixture of 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon flavored vinegar. Pair it with 1/2 whole-wheat pita and 6 ounces calcium-fortified orange juice.
Dinner:
It's hard to go wrong with a classic savory stir-fry. In nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, lightly brown 3 ounces beef strips over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables and 1 tablespoon bottled stir-fry sauce. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil. Serve over 3/4 cup cooked rice.
Snacks That Satisfy All Cravings
Sweet, spicy, or savory? These tasty 100-calorie snacks hit the spot. Eat one a day, anytime.
Sweet:
- 6 ounces light yogurt
- 1 chocolate sorbet bar
- 1 Rice Krispies Treat
- 4 meringue cookies
- 2 fig bars
- 4 Hershey's Kisses
- 1 cup mango chunks
Spicy:
- 4 cups jerk-flavor popcorn (spray light popcorn with butter-flavor cooking spray, toss, sprinkle with jerk seasoning to taste, and toss again)
- 3 California roll pieces with soy sauce and wasabi
- 10 baked corn chips with hot salsa
- 1-inch cube of Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
Savory:
- 12 mini barbecue-flavor rice cakes
- 20 roasted peanuts
- 1/4 cup hummus with celery sticks
- 50 thin pretzel sticks