Low Calorie Dinner Menu

Everyone has a day when the cheesecake factory sends out its minions to handcuff you and bring you to their counter to order their whole cheese cake delights. The day after is a new day.

Here's a complete meal menu that is low in calories and tastes great too. First, let’s start with the main course. This chicken dish will keep your taste buds working without the need to exercise all the calories off because you ate it.

Pecan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites
4 tbsp minced toasted pecans
2 tsp chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
4 small (1/4 lb each boneless skinless chicken breasts
Low sugar, low fat honey mustard salad dressing or Dijon mustard to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mist small nonstick baking sheet with olive oil spray
3. Beat egg white with fork
4. Combine pecans, parsley and salt
5. Spread half of mixture on sheet of wax paper
6. Dip 1 chicken breast into egg white to coat
7. Place smooth side of breast on nut mixture
8. Press to make the mixture stick
9. Place breast, nut side up on prepared baking sheet
10. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts
11. Place on baking sheet without touching other chicken breasts
12. Bake 20 minutes or until no longer pink
13. Let stand 5 minutes
14. Serve with honey mustard dressing for dipping

Yields 4 servings

183 calories per serving
28 grams protein
1 gram carbs
7 grams fat
1 gram saturated fat
66 mg cholesterol less than
1 g fiber
379 mg sodium

Add fresh string beans as a yummy vegetable along with these stuffed mushrooms.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

12 medium sized button mushrooms
4 1/2 tbsp crumbled fat free feta cheese (1/3 oz)
8 tsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground red pepper, or to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Lightly mist small baking dish with olive oil spray
3. Remove stems from mushrooms by gently twisting stem until it comes loose and pulls from mushroom top
4. Mince stems and place in small mixing bowl.
5. Place caps in prepared baking dish, stem side up
6. Add cheese, parsley oil and red pepper to bowl
7. Mix well
8. Spoon mixture evenly into reserved mushroom caps
9. Divide remaining mixture evenly among caps, filling each
10. Bake 12-15 minutes or until tender
11. Allow mushroom to stand to cool before serving
12. Makes 1 serving multiply ingredients for larger servings

48 calories per serving
4 g protein
3 gram carb
3 g fat
0 mg cholesterol
1 g fiber
157 mg sodium

We can’t leave out a great dessert to top off dinner. As promised, here is a dessert you can make at home and save you that trip to the fattening cheesecake counter at the grocery store.

White Chocolate Strawberry Pie Treats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup crunchy high fiber low sugar cereal like Grape nuts crushed into crumbs
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp 100% fruit strawberry preserves
1-3/4 cup fat free milk
1 pkg. sugar free fat free white chocolate pudding mix

Instructions:

1. To prepare low calorie crust, combine crumbs and 2 tablespoons of preserves
2. Using a large spoon, stir to mix well
3. Divide mixture into 4 ramekins or small dessert bowls
4. Press mixture into bottom of bowls
5. Set aside
6. Combine milk and pudding mix
7. Whisk to blend
8. Pour into the prepared ramekins or bowls
9. Drop 1/2 teaspoon preserves on top of each
10. Cover with plastic wrap
11. Refrigerate at least 2 hours prior to serving

Yield: 4 servings
145 calories per serving
6 g protein
30 grams carb
Less than 1 gram fat
0 gram saturated fat
2 mg cholesterol
2 gram fiber
357 mg sodium

Article by:

Angela Tyler is a mom who would rather play than cook. If that sounds like you, you won't want to miss www.FreeQuickRecipes.com. And, if frugal cooking is your thing, then check out the Frugal Cooking Recipes on this site.

This article is available for reprint with author's resource box intact and all links live and clickable. Copyright is reserved by author.

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