What did you have for dinner last night? Looking for new ideas!

Someone, somewhere in this forum talked about WW Pita Pizzas once, so we tried them last night...WOW!  My family LOVED them!  Daughter, 14: "These are way better than the ones you used to make with the bread machine!"

Now, I'm relying on you guys to enlighten me with more tried and true, great tasting, easy meals that use ingredients I probably have in the house already and that will have my two teens raving as much as me.  I know you've got them, let's hear them! 

Bubbles8154

Actually I had a flatbread pizza last night, which is pretty similar! I used half a lavash flatbread, with regular tomato sauce, mozzarella, thinly sliced zucchini, green olives, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs. Tonight I'm having something completely different: brown rice prepared Spanish-style (cooked with vegetable broth and tomato paste instead of water, with onion and garlic) with pinto beans, pepper jack cheese and avocado. 

Well, I'm not sure that this will compete, but I had two slices whole wheat bread with 1/2 medium plantain fried up in 1 tsp olive oil. Can't get any simpler than that. Cut the plantain lengthwise and fry it in oil until its golden brown. I love the sweetness of plantain, and it fits in with my local Caribbean cuisine, so I don't feel deprived. 140 calories for bread, 110 calories for plantain, 40 calories for olive oil, and finish it off with a nice cup of green tea (70 calories per bag and 20 calories per tsp of condensed milk.

Sharon

I had spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, cottage cheese and garlic with a turkey meatloaf meatball.  

Spaghetti Squash tomato sauce stuff =99 calories

2 turkey meatballs=330 calories. 

I like pasta with shrimp marinara.

1 cup pasta of your choice = 220 calories

1/4 cup canned marinara sauce (or make your own) about 35 calories depending on your brand

16 shrimp (med-small) 70 calories

1 tbsp grated parmesean cheese 22 calories

Total calories 347 (approx. depending on your sauce)

Tonight I had

Boneless skinless chicken breast pan braised in olive oil.  Green beans as my side dish.

I sprinkled 1/2 chicken with black pepper, garlic and onion powder and paprika.  Braise (kind of like pan frying, but in small amount of oil)  You can tell I've been watching the food channel) 

Chicken breast = about 142

Olive oil (1/2 tablespoon)  55 (estimate)

After you cook your chicken done, let it rest a minute before cutting.

About 200 calories plus 20 for the 1/2 cup of green beans.  I spray them with ICBINB - (I can't believe its not butter).

Oh that reminds me, that left me enough calories to have a blue bell low cal ice cream bar. 100 calories.

here's what I had for dinner the last 7 days (I like to cook, so I'll make extra so I can have leftovers.  One thing I've noticed since I've started this healthier path...it takes me a lot longer to go through leftovers now!)

2oz taco meat, ¼ cup ff cheese, ½ cup black beans, flat bread wrap, med banana - 445 calories

2 pitas w/ 1/2 cup of black beans and 2Tbs hummus, pita w/ tsp blackberry jam, med banana - 475 calories

½ 12” thin crust cheese pizza (Domino's) - 556 calories

2oz taco meat, flat bread wrap, 2tbs hummus, 1/2 black beans - 460 calories

2oz taco meat, flat bread wrap, 1tbs hummus, 1/2 black beans, small banana - 415 calories

100g tortellini, ½ cup meat sauce, 2 tsp parmesan, med banana - 475 calories

100g tortellini, ½ cup meat sauce, 2 tsp parmesan, small banana - 460 calories

The hummus is Sabra Chipotle Hummus - 30 calories/Tbs.  The pitas are Joseph's Oat Bran w/ Flax pitas - 60 calories each (they are my bread replacement and are so good, I'm never going back to regular bread).  The flat bread is the Flat-Out brand - 90 calories.  The taco meat is 95% lean with a 7 calorie seasons recipe I found here on CC.  The tortellini is whole wheat w/ cheese and tri-color w/ roasted chicken from Monterey Pasta.  The black beans are Bush's low sodium black beans that I drain before cooking with some paprika and Cholula hot sauce.  The meat sauce is Ragu Old World Meat that I add garlic and oregano to.

And yes, I measure the bananas :)

If the pizza seems out of place, it's not.  I'm making healthy choices, not "dieting". To paraphrase Tyler over at www.344pounds.com, I'm not going to choose a life where I have to give up pizza night with the family for the rest of my life.

I had Pulled Pork Wrap - 3 oz pork tenderloin (slow cooked) shredded 150 mixed with 2 table spoons bbq sauce wrapped in lettuce.  1 Cup squash hash with onions 40.  This was very filling.

Cathy,

How nice to meet you.  That does sound good.  I was just thinking that pulled pork with a skinny coleslaw on top would be good (but I would put it in a tortilla (having saved some calories for that).

we had "homemade lettuce wraps"

strir fry in a little canola oil  chopped chicken,finely diced onion, waterchestnuts,finely chopped celery, diced red pepper, a clove of minced garlic, a tbsp low sodium soy sauce, a little cayenne pepper to taste, ginger, and right before it's all cooked at some lightly toasted pine nuts and 1-2 tbsp of hoison sauce.  I measure ingredients for two people to split.  spoon it onto a romaine leaf or a leaf of butter or bibb lettuce.  The best thing about this "recipe" is that it is easy to control your calories by the amounts you choose to use. Sometimes if i am trying to watch my sodium I will back off the hoison to 1 tbsp and add a pack of splenda if i think it needs it,  I will sometimes add chinese 5 spice too.

  crunchy,delicious and satisfying...pretty healthy too!

I made some chicken chili in the crock pot. I used about 1lb northern beans, 1/2 lb red beans, 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, an onion, some garlic, a little can of chipotle peppers in adobo (threw the can's contents in the food processor) about 42oz whole/dices canned tomatoes and some cumin, chili pepper, salt, pepper, water, chicken broth.... came out to less than 1 calorie per gram - 275g = 230ish calories. And 275g is plenty. I think the sodium isn't calculated perfectly, but the calories basically are.

I had a salad of spinach, lettuce, some grilled chicken with lemon pepper seasoning. and a half a hand ful of crushed sunchips on top. Later I had an apple topped with some Jif pb, I would die with out jif!

tonight I'm having-

thin sliced grilled flank steak

steamed cauliflower

small mixed green salad with 3 cherry tomatos

1 tbsp ranch dressing

(iIseason flank steak ( or skirt steak )  with a spiced rub overnight and then grill---can be used in fahitas as well-

spices in rub are- salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, hungarian smoked paprika, cayenne pepper----so good , be sure to wrap and rest the steak 10-15 minutes after grilling and it will hold the juices--cut it thin on a slant and against the grain of the meat and it will be super tender.  My butcher tells me flank or skirt steak are the leanest cuts of beef in the meat case)

I make this fairly often and its great and my kids like it too. I take like a beef roast - I forget which i just know what it looks like lol a bottom round roast I think, make sure to trim as much fat off as you can.

I take 1-2 onions and 2 green peppers, cut them in big pieces and toss them in the crock pot. I add maybe... 3 cups of water and 1.5tsp beef granules and a can of beer (i forgot the beer this time no wonder it tasted off!! arg!!beer is a must, low cal is fine) a little bit of salt, some pepper and leave it to cook all day.

I buy some sub/hoagie rolls and serve it with some mayo and provolone on a sandwich for the kids, 1 kid uses some of the broth for dipping.

My husband just eats it in a bowl, sometimes on a sandwich, but he adds a lot more salt to his.

I usually put mine on half a pita (about 2oz of meat and another oz worth of onions and peppers), bit of mayo and like half a slice of provolone.

The way I eat it, its like 270 calories and super yummy. Putting it on a sub roll 6" and adding a bit more everything to cover it makes it about 475 calories, or more if you add too much cheese!

I buy pieces of salmon individually sealed in a bag for 4 bucks at walmart.  I sit them out to thaw the night before (i think fish especially is better if you let it defrost naturally instead of nuking it) and then marinate it around 3 hours in a coating of hoison sauce.

  Then I sautee it in a little olive oil or canola oil till browned and just flakey.  It is sooo good.  I also put about a half cup of fresh sliced mushrooms,  with a little diced red onion in the pan as a side dish. Right before it was finshed I tossed about 1 tbsp of pinenuts into the pan and cook for about a minute longer.  (you could also use slivered almonds) Added some steamed broccoli for a really tasty meal.  Who knew something so good could be so healthy

What's for dinner tonight?.  keeping it simple,

 a lean pork chop from the grill, steamed broccoli, a small mixed green salad, a little ranch dressing, and a dill pickle.  Homemade no sugar iced green tea with ginger and peach flavoring. 

 (Last night it was my homemade veggie soup and a piece of splenda pumpkin pie)