300 Calorie Lunches

 

Calories in, calories burned

It is about balance

Some groan at the thought of counting calories but after just a short time, it becomes so easy. One quickly can learn portion size or calorie count from repetition. I mentioned MyFitnessPal and I use it all the time whether or not I want to loose pounds or maintain. It is a free iPhone app and it makes tracking food super easy. But even without this app, you can just do an internet search to determine the calorie count of food.

What is a calorie?

Calories is a word used frequently but not so well understood. Most people think it is the thing in food that makes you fat. I’ve heard it defined as, “Those little creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little bit tighter every night.”

Counting every one of those calories

It may sound tedious, but I suggest logging every bite of food. It is amazing how small amounts of food add up. By tracking every calorie I know, at the end of the day, just where I stand and if I can enjoy a small treat or snack.

Calories are ENERGY that fuel our bodies; much like gasoline fuels our cars. Without sufficient calories our heart would not beat, our lungs would not function, and our brain would not work.

In general, an adult body needs at least 1000 to 1400 calories to have enough energy to fuel key organs like the brain, heart, and lungs. This minimum number of calories is called your resting metabolic rate (RMR) and it varies greatly depending on age, sex, weight, and muscle mass.

In order to have enough energy to live your day and be active you need more energy than what’s required from your resting metabolic rate (RMR). This extra energy typically amounts to about 400 to 600 additional calories per day which is the energy you need to move versus just lying still all day.

Calories and Weight Gain or Loss

If you exceed the number of calories your body requires each day you will eventually gain weight. It takes an excess of 3500 calories to gain 1 lb. of fat.

To lose weight you need to use or burn more calories then you consume.

Delicious and Satisfying 300 Calorie Lunches

Most of these lunches are not recipes at all. Just familiar foods assembled, heated and presented in an appetizing way encouraging healthy eating. For me, when I actually prepare a delicious lunch that I look forward to, I feel better about it and am far more inclined to stick with my goal.

 

 7 Delicious and Satisfying 300 Calorie Lunches

Shrimp with Salad Greens and Cocktail Sauce

• 2 cups Spring Mix Salad greens (20 calories)
• 6-oz medium Shrimp, cooked, peeped, deveined, tail-on (90 calories)
• Cocktail Sauce using 2 Tbs. ketchup, 1/2 tsp horseradish and lemon juice (40 calories)
• Kings Hawaiian dinner roll (90 calories)

Tuna Melt Patties

More 300 Calorie Lunches

Open-faced tuna sandwiches

Open-faced Tuna Sandwiches

• 1 5-oz can solid white Albacore tuna in water, drained (50 calories each serving)
• 2 Tbs. Miracle Whip Light Salad Dressing (20 calories each serving) If you prefer, Light Mayonnaise is 35 calories each serving.
• 2 slices Arnold Country White bread (120 calories each serving)
• 1 Tbs. Sweet Relish (10 calories each serving)
• Salad greens, cucumber slices, red onion. sliced tomato (maybe tops, 40 calories each serving)
• Pepper

Opened-faced toasted tomato and cheese

Opened-faced toasted tomato and cheese

185 calories

2 servings

• 2 slices bread (120 calories per slice)
• 1 tomato, sliced and blotted on a paper towel if too juicy (5 calories)
• 2 slices favorite cheese (1/2 oz per slice =  60 calories)
• pepper
• Italian seasonings (optional)

Place tomato on bread; top with cheese and sprinkle with pepper and or your favorite seasoning. Place under the broiler until the cheese melts and begins to brown.

Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad

• 2-ounces dried pasta, cooked (this equals 1/2 cup cooked is 100 calories per serving)
• 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped into bite-size chunks (115 calories per serving)
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped (5 calories per serving)
• 1/4 cup carrot, shredded (5 calories per serving)
• 1/2 cup grapes, halved (27 calories per serving)
• 1/4 cup frozen  peas, thawed (5 calories per serving)
• 1/2 cup light Miracle Whip or Mayo (80 calories per serving) calories
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 cup chopped sweet gherkin pickles (optional) (5 calories per serving)

Broiled deli ham topped with cheese and mustard

Broiled deli ham topped with cheese and mustard

• 2 slices bread (I like Arnold’s Country White is 120 calories per slice)
• 4 oz    97% fat-free deli ham (30 calories per ounce)
• fresh tomato, sliced (5 calories per slice)
• 2 0z Cheddar cheese, sliced (2 slices at 55 calories per oz)
• Yellow or brown mustard

Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta with Creamy Ricotta

Dieting Desserts Jell-O Parfait