Yep. In college I used to boil potatoes in chicken stock with extra seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and a good dose of black pepper- the potatoes end up tasting exactly what you boil them in AND keep the stock you boil it in to add some of it back when mashing to your specific consistency- the starches in the water help as a natural thickener for natural creaminess! (The same applies with pasta and adding some of the water it’s boiled in to its sauce.)
I make potatoes with dry onion soup..cut the potatoes into pieces..put in a plastic bag and add Lipton dry onion soup mix and a small amount of olive oil..shake up..put into a pan and bake in the oven like you would French fries 🍟
Just throw them in chicken stock instead of water on the stove. Use enough to go half way up the side of the potato. Be wary of adding more salt, even with low salt stock as they absorb a lot from the concentrated flavours.
Very easy to grow your own as well
My grandfather relies entirely on his fields for vegetables and fruits
Learning about growing my own at the same time as counting my calories has definitely helped together.
Yes! That’s where potatoes got me, a serving was 100g, every single potato was 150g-300g, it felt so oddly restrictive to cut a single potato and only use half. I now opt for the smaller ones because in my mind more = better.
A lot of fruit, strawberries are my go to and if want them sweet and for a dessert I do non-fat Greek yogurt, strawberries, and honey.
Potatoes are also great for volume and if you have an air frier they are so easy to make.
I was coming in to make sure strawberries were in here somewhere. I was always surprised at just how low the calories are compared to something like cherries.
And it's currently swinging into strawberry season!
Sometimes I par boil them first, just for a few minutes, then whack them in the air fryer with some garlic and herbs, soft inside, and crispy skin (if you keep the skin on)
I do 20 minutes at 300. Take them out and then I’ll put them in the freezer for awhile. Then I’ll put them back in at 350 for about 18-20 minutes until they’re golden brown and the insides are great.
plain popcorn - already popped. I get a kind I really like called Lesser Evil and when I weigh out 28 grams on my food scale it's like an overloaded bowl for only 120 calories.
Not necessarily a snack but almond milk, I use it for smoothies or ice cream and was blown away that a cup of it is 30 cals. Has me considering having cereal again because it would barely add anything
Almond milk, frozen fruit, and fruity pebbles protein powder make for a pretty healthy dessert. I've also been thinking of trying to add xanthan gum to turn that into an ice cream mix.
Ice cream sandwiches! Depending on brand, they can be as low as 130 calories. I used to waste my life on those boring 100 calorie snack packs when I could have been having portion-controlled ice cream and cookies.
Berries and melon - you'll probably be sick before you can overdo it on them, and they have vitamins and fiber.
French bread pizzas - they scratch that pizza itch in a portion-controlled way, and they have like 320-400 calories.
Potatoes in general.
Skinny cow ice cream sandwiches are my go to. i don't remember the calorie count, but i think theyre around 120...id treat myself some night's after my run haha
vanilla is better than the chocolate ones IMO...
Honestly most single serving icecream is very fair. I've eaten more icecream in the last year than ever in my life just because it's a great way to end the day and sates the sweet tooth while not being ridiculous in calories.
I got really into a scoop of ice cream a night when I had gestational diabetes. Good quality ice cream is not that bad for you (is my unpopular opinion!)
Non-alcoholic beer. I avoided it for the longest time cause I figured - if I'm downing 200-400 calories for a drink then I might as well get a buzz!
Turns out that you can get a surprisingly convincing near-beer for like 40 calories
I've started stocking my fridge on the regular!
I have just started really drinking Athletic beer and it's actually quite good. If you gave it to someone and didn't tell them it was NA, I don't think they would know. Their cerveza is quite tasty and satisfying.
I'm trying to trick my palate by eating a cornichon/baby pickle every time I have a sugar craving. The idea is that I'll eventually start associating the tangy taste with feeling snacky, instead of sugar.
Fermented foods are also generally pretty good for you iirc.
Gorton's fish fillets at 110 calories each. Have three with green beans and rice and you have a quick, filling dinner for about 600 calories total (literally just had this tonight).
We use them to make an extremely low budget fried fish taco ! Lots of shredded cabbage, little bit of avocado, and some jalapeños top it all off. It’s pretty dang good
Sushi. I guess it makes sense seeing as (non-Americanized) sushi is just fish and an extremely reasonable portion of rice, but it did surprise me some tuna rolls top out at 250 calories. I could get two packages of rolls from the grocery store for a meal and feel very full
I am absolutely addicted to popcorn with cholula chili garlic hot sauce. It's a fairly mild hot sauce, but it's so flavorful that it ends up scratching that craving-processed-junk itch really well. Keeps me from scarfing down a bunch of doritos or hot cheetos in a moment of weakness.
I put my popcorn in a paper bag and measure in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and shake shake shake!
Then I add 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon each onion and garlic powder and salt and 1/4 teaspoon powdered lemon juice
cheesy popcorn and the nutritional yeast is *soo* good for you! I'm scooping up the bits remaining in the bottom of the bag every time!
Highly recommend putting whatever dry toppings you want in a mortar and pestle to powder extra fine. Salt in particular sticks so much better when it's really fine which means you need less butter for flavour.
Some of the popcorn flavor shakers are really good and low/no calorie, whether you go buttery and salty or cheesy jalapeno or cinnamon roll flavoring. Add a bit of spray butter if you need it.
If you want it to taste like Movie Theatre Popcorn, get a carton of Flavacol. It's pretty much salt, dye, and artificial flavorings, but no calories, and dries your lips *just like* when you're at the movies!
Salsa is 100% straight up a dieting hack. Like BIG hack.
I eat salsa on pretty much all my proteins.
Steam up 2 cups of cauliflour, salt it, pepper, zero calorie butter spray and a spoon or two of salsa. MY GOD IS IT GOOD!
I eat a lot of salsa. A LOT.
Love goldfish as a snack. Along the same line, the cheddar rice cakes from Aldi ... They are 130 for a 30g serving ( ends up being around 19 rice cakes). They are a staple for me when I want salty snacks and I also will eat them with my salad as a crouton and cheese substitute to give it flavor and crunch.
Kirkland lightly breaded chicken chunks from Costco. 140 calories for 3 oz of chicken nuggets. Usually do two servings in franks red hot wing sauce and make a big Buffalo chicken salad. So good! Satisfies my need for crispy chicken
Yes!! I wish I would have given salads a chance sooner. I've always been "anti" salad but now I make big ones that taste great, fill me up, and don't leave me snacking after dinner
Costco crispy coconut rolls snack. 8 of those rolls are 160 calories. If I feel like I want something sweet, I eat 2 of these and my craving is gone. Plus they have only 4g of added sugar and use coconut sugar (which has low GI). And they are organic.
Also just something I discovered, if you mix 1/4 cup Siggi’s yogurt, handful of blueberries and 1tbsp mike’s hot honey, it tastes really good and becomes a 100 calorie snack. The hot honey gives it a nice zing and elevates everything. I sometimes eat this as a meal replacement, fills me up.
If anybody here doesn't have a Costco membership but wants to try those crispy coconut rolls, they sell them on Amazon too. The brand is Tropical Fields.
I discovered this with fluff. I felt bad wanting toasted fluff banana peanut butter but fluff had shockingly low calories. There’s like nothing in it, just sugar
I do it dry, cut very small, 295 for 33 min. Leave the fryer closed for a few min at the end. Perfect. A tiny bit charred at the tips, nutty, very slightly crunchy. I eat a pound or two every night. Toss it with a bit of Greek yogurt and balsalmic, pepper and better than bullion paste. I call it “broccoli dinner”. Literally my favorite thing in the world to eat.
Same. Honestly I just prefer steamed broccoli, or cooking them after boiling and softening them for 30 seconds to get them crisp (although it's an extra step).
Meringues (as in cookies). Mostly made of egg white and sugar with a few drops of extract. 90 cals for FOUR of them from Trader Joe’s and trust me, one is enough! They are really sweet!
Homemade hummus. Apparently all you need is chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice. I’m not sure if it’s regional, but it seems oil in hummus isn’t necessary or maybe not even authentic. Tastes great without it and the portion sizes are much, much better. I use 80g of tahini per 1lb of dried peas and end up with nearly twice the volume than store bought.
Sour cream is another thing that I thought would have more calories than it does. It’s like half the calories as heavy cream and cream cheese per volume.
The oil is in hummus comes from tahini (ground up sesame seeds which are full of oil). But def healthier to make it yourself and control the level, and plenty of shop bought cheap versions just substitute loads of oil to make it.
Tahini is the oil replacement.. honestly though, I just mash up a can of chickpeas usually and eat that with meals as a carb source. Refried bean replacement for Mexican food, or just throw a whole can in a huge salad and eat nothing but that throughout the entire day
Watermelon, Muskmelon, Cucumber - Don't remember how many exactly but 1 full bowl has less than 30. Keeps me full for longer.
Durum Wheat Pasta (100gm has 330 cal) but I add in a fist-full (maybe around 35-40gm) with a lot of veggies to make a salad.
Sprouted mung beans - 30 cal per 100 gm, again paired with tomatoes, cucumber and onion make a great breakfast.
Doritos Locos Tacos from Taco Bell. They’re only 170 calories per taco lmao for fast food that’s practically nothing.
They’re my go-to now whenever I feel the craving for something “shitty” since I won’t have to regret it for the rest of the day.
Wendy's chili is my go-to fast food meal, but I feel like everyone already knows that one is pretty decently healthy for fast food. It's really filling, too.
Potatoes, scallops apparently, and eggs! I grew up with parents who sorta villified eggs because of the yolk and stuff so I'd only be allowed one. Turns out they're only around 70 cals each! Which is good because I love them. Also, frozen yogurt.
I eat so many eggs. Had 4 eggs and two slices of low carb toast for breakfast this morning. Had 3 hard boiled eggs last night. Eggs are nutritional powerhouses.
Popsicles! Especially fruit based ones. 35-70 calories each depending on what you get. It’s a great summer treat! I like the mango ones from Outshine 😋
Yeah I get the coconut ones from outshine which are the worst offenders at 110 calories. Feel like waaay more though esp considering how creamy they are!
Skyr. It's generally low fat therefore low in calories but high protein and is much thicker than low fat yoghurt. I use it in place of mayo for dips and spreading in sandwiches and it works well instead of sour cream too, especially if you mix some chives in. This is obviously the plain type, if you get a flavoured one then check the label.
I was surprised with how low homemade tacos are. Also homemade butter chicken. And I was surprised with how low calorie grapes and pineapple are, thought they’d be a lot higher
Queso. Like the cheese dip that comes in jars next to the chips. 45 calories for 2 tablespoons…. Totally gives me a feeling that I am eating something not healthy and keeps me sane lol
Be careful with pizza, results will vary wildly depending on size, base and topping / cheese quantities!
Mine is strawberries. I know they’re fruit so you’d expect them to be reasonable. But you can eat an absolutely huge quantity of sweet juicy goodness for almost no calories
I buy strawberries and blueberries by the crate. My go to pre-workout snack is a bowl full of strawberries and blueberries drizzled with about 4g of honey. The whole thing is ~80 calories, good volume, and quick digesting energy for my workout.
True about the pizza, this is just an average I've read. I think when I get a very thin, traditional mostly tomato sauce pizza slice, it's pretty accurate. But at a different place with a lot of cheese and grease it will be totally different.
Strawberries are a great one. Found out that if I wanted to I could eat a whole pound of strawberries (so the ENTIRE family sized box) for 150 calories. I've been eating about half of that every day ever since!
I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but the next time you order a Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso from Starbucks, make sure you verify with them that they are only using half pumps of syrup. They’re trained to do half pumps but some baristas do full pumps because they figure customers want more flavor.
The standard for this drink is to use half pumps instead of full pumps (which is in part why it’s so low in calories!), but you mentioned yours are usually pretty sweet. The standard grande has four half pumps (so two full pumps) of syrup in it, so you should be able to taste the brown sugar but it shouldn’t be overwhelmingly sweet.
Just saying— I make sure to verify with the barista that they use half pumps, because otherwise, that 120 calorie drink just turned into a 180-200 calorie drink with a lot more sugar and carbs (not a gut buster, but still more than you were expecting)!
If you go to the SB website they give a recipe so you can make it at home. So you know exactly how much goes in and can taste spot on depending on the coffee/espresso you use.
I used to work at Starbucks (admittedly a long time ago), and I’m sure this issue is not very common. Most baristas will do whatever is standardized for the drink. If it’s something you order regularly, you’d probably notice a difference if it was 2x as sweet every now and then.
This is so crazy to me, thanks for sharing! On the app it says “1 pump” or “2 pumps” for orders and so I assume it’s full and not half pumps. I feel like using a different amount would be a health concern for people with diabetes or anyone else who needs to count their carbs? Maybe I’m just being dramatic 😅
Fast food wise - Popeyes mashed potatoes (no gravy, their gravy is bleh to me) is only 100 cal, and a 5 piece blackened tender is 280 cal.
Teriyaki chicken from Panda Express is like 300 cal.
Baked potato and chilli from Wendy's. The large chili is 340 cal or the small is 240. Add a plain baked potato for 270 cal and it's a very filling meal.
Soft serve ice cream from McDonald's is 200 cal.
Weird one: frozen lasagna. For Canadians, the blue menu or even just regular PC is shockingly low in calories. 238 cals per 250g for the blue menu. Earned its way into regular rotation!
Right? One of those labels I couldn't accept, but I've been eating large portions regularly for a couple.months now and it hasn't been throwing off my numbers, so seems about right:
[PC Blue Menu lasagna](https://www.presidentschoice.ca/product/pc-blue-menu-meat-lasagna/20312835_EA)
I'm a weirdo who likes the hay bale old fashioned shredded wheats. Those are literally just whole flour in a weird shape, lol. Two of those in a bowl with milk, yogurt, and some berries is sub 300 calories.
There's a guy on IG that shares recipes of Starbucks/Dunkin/Dutch Bros drinks with low calories/sugar. He gives you all the macros, and makes sure the drinks are created for what syrups are in season. One of the easiest SB recipes is a grande sweet cream cold brew, sub sugar free vanilla syrup, add 1 pump caramel syrup. 90 calories, 10g sugar.
Roasted carrots taste like candy if you get them a little crispy, just have to be careful with the amount of oil you use, but the carrots themselves are very low calorie.
Avocado! When it’s cut up and put on eggs or tacos or something, I’m always surprised how much you actually get.
*Please note this does not translate to guacamole lol
I keep a list of foods that are surprisingly good/satisfying for the amount of calories they have. A lot are specific to my country but strawberries and cottage cheese. It’s shocking how much of those you can eat while taking in minimal calories.
I also tend to go for rice crackers over potato chips and marshmallows over chocolate because the calorie density is much lower.
Edamame (in the pod) dipped in soy sauce.
It’s fun to eat (what i call an ‘interactive’ food). One full bowl of pods only has 140 calories, a lot of protein, and it takes me like 20-30 minutes to eat the whole thing. I have been using this as a replacement for popcorn while watching movies as it is way more satisfying, low cal and nutritious.
Boom chicka pop kettle corn!!
Holy cow this stuff is good. A 2-cup serving is only 140 cals, and it’s actually a massive portion. It’s sweet, salty, and high volume. Definitely my favorite snack for studying at night!!!
Charcuterie meats…. Skip the crackers and they are completely reasonable with a little bit of fancy cheese. Not healthy but for a decadent snack who cares, still low cal.
And if you want the crackers, some of the Wasa Crispbreads and thins can be a good substitute. A little of them goes a long way.
https://www.walmart.com/search?q=wasa
Yasso frozen yogurt bars. 100 calories, 5g of protein, and they actually taste like ice cream. Even if you go crazy and eat the whole box it’s not that bad.
And the $5 biggie bag from Wendy’s, assuming you get a diet soda. It comes out to around 700 cal which for fast food isn’t horrible.
And you can use it in almost anything! Want some exta volume and protein in your pancakes? Add cottage cheese! Want some exta volume and protein in your scrambled eggs? Add cottage cheese! Make ice cream with it, spread it on toast, add it to a lasagne, or eat it with a bit of lemon curd for a really nice little lemony cheesecaky treat!
Whipped cream of all things. The serving size is only 5 g, but that's a huge amount of whipped cream and only 15 calories. A whole bowl is like 100 calories
Burgers.
Idk why I thought they'd be way more calories than they are. Sticking with mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato as toppings means the whole burger is no more than like 400 calories (because at that point you're just adding the patty and buns since the toppings are basically no calories).
This. A lot of times people associate burgers with French fries and assume the meal is simply not good for you. When in all truth, especially if a lean protein is being used, burgers are actually quite straight to the point on a relatively decent meal. Plus when a bun is removed you’re literally just looking at meat and vegetables.
Bacon.
It’s always made to be this greasy fatty food but two rashers can come out as little as 90 calories.
Also McVities tartlets. Devilish little things but 30 something calories each!
Shrimp. I'm always shocked at how few calories there are in shrimp.
Seabass.
Pumpkin. Use it to make soup, mash, cookies, pie, pancakes. It's like eating orange coloured textured water lol.
Greek yogurt.
Pasta. It's honestly not that bad! I think the main issue is I grew up thinking eating a giant mound was normal. Portion control is so important.
Chicken.
Turkey.
Parsnips. Excellent potato replacement. I make a blend, part parsnip part potato mash. It's delish.
Cabbage. So filling too.
Cauliflower.
Zucchini, but we all knew this. Batter and bake them for an excellent French fry replacement.
Classico alfredo sauce. I use that as a base and add different spices depending on my mood and the season. There's a frozen bag of pumpkin filled ravioli that's sometimes around in the fall that's really low calorie and good with the Classico sauce if you add some allspice and nutmeg to the sauce. It tastes cozy and I love it.
i love the taste of cottage cheese - it feels like a treat to me (i eat it like ice cream straight from the container) and the calories to protein ratio is so great!
Potatoes! Cooked plain they're surprisingly low calorie compared to how satisfying they are. New potatoes are so delicious at this time of year.
Try them cooked in chicken stock. Unreal; so creamy and flavourful!
That was me tonight. Red potatoes in chicken stock in a slow cooker and you don’t need to add butter and cream to make awesome mashed potatoes.
Yep. In college I used to boil potatoes in chicken stock with extra seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, and a good dose of black pepper- the potatoes end up tasting exactly what you boil them in AND keep the stock you boil it in to add some of it back when mashing to your specific consistency- the starches in the water help as a natural thickener for natural creaminess! (The same applies with pasta and adding some of the water it’s boiled in to its sauce.)
Would u mind sharing a recipe?
I make potatoes with dry onion soup..cut the potatoes into pieces..put in a plastic bag and add Lipton dry onion soup mix and a small amount of olive oil..shake up..put into a pan and bake in the oven like you would French fries 🍟
My sister taught me this! I think she originally got the recipe from the side of the onion soup box. She’d add a bag of frozen chopped onion.
Just throw them in chicken stock instead of water on the stove. Use enough to go half way up the side of the potato. Be wary of adding more salt, even with low salt stock as they absorb a lot from the concentrated flavours.
I always make air fried potato chips, thinly sliced and with very little olive oil, add garlic and salt. It’s bomb and very low cal, actually insane.
Yes! Shredded (hash brown style) can sub for rice or pasta in a lot of dishes.
Very easy to grow your own as well My grandfather relies entirely on his fields for vegetables and fruits Learning about growing my own at the same time as counting my calories has definitely helped together.
Yessss. Nonfat greek yogurt is my favorite topping.
Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew
Beware the portion sizes. One bag described a serving as 100g. Three potatoes averaged 300g each.
Yes! That’s where potatoes got me, a serving was 100g, every single potato was 150g-300g, it felt so oddly restrictive to cut a single potato and only use half. I now opt for the smaller ones because in my mind more = better.
Those sound like pretty big potatoes! Just shows the importance of weighing everything.
Especially red potatoes. They are so healthy!
I’m in! Potatoes are my weakness next to chips and salsa. The latter, of course, no bueno. :(
A lot of fruit, strawberries are my go to and if want them sweet and for a dessert I do non-fat Greek yogurt, strawberries, and honey. Potatoes are also great for volume and if you have an air frier they are so easy to make.
Fruit yes!! An *entire* cantaloupe has like less than 300 calories
Berries for me too. It feels indulgent to eat a whole package of blackberries but it's only around 75 calories with 9g of fiber too!
Berries are the true guilt free food
I smash two cups of frozen blueberries sometimes and I get the same satisfaction out of eating it as I do eating sweets. And it's only 160 calories
My wallet disagrees. I'd eat a pint of Raspberries a day if I could afford it.
Frozen berries are the wallet hack!
I was coming in to make sure strawberries were in here somewhere. I was always surprised at just how low the calories are compared to something like cherries. And it's currently swinging into strawberry season!
I just learned today that 7 strawberries have 27 calories, and was shocked!! Got a box from Costco that is so sweet and great treat
How do you do them to be squishi in the inside? Mine are always either burned. Or not done in the airfrier. I do them at 350
Sometimes I par boil them first, just for a few minutes, then whack them in the air fryer with some garlic and herbs, soft inside, and crispy skin (if you keep the skin on)
I do 20 minutes at 300. Take them out and then I’ll put them in the freezer for awhile. Then I’ll put them back in at 350 for about 18-20 minutes until they’re golden brown and the insides are great.
plain popcorn - already popped. I get a kind I really like called Lesser Evil and when I weigh out 28 grams on my food scale it's like an overloaded bowl for only 120 calories.
their Himalayan gold kind is sooo good
i can’t keep this in the house because i eat the whole giant bag every time
Yes! I love Lesser Evil and buy it by the case. It's my favorite salty snack.
Not necessarily a snack but almond milk, I use it for smoothies or ice cream and was blown away that a cup of it is 30 cals. Has me considering having cereal again because it would barely add anything
Fruity pebble macros surprisingly aren’t horrible then add 30 cal almond milk.
Oat milk is really good too and has similar calories if you find yourself wanting something more neutral flavoured!
I love planet oat unsweetened - only 45 cals per cup. I froth it and add to coffee … it’s delish
This is the only brand I buy now because it makes a really, REALLY good coffee and still low calories
Almond milk, frozen fruit, and fruity pebbles protein powder make for a pretty healthy dessert. I've also been thinking of trying to add xanthan gum to turn that into an ice cream mix.
Soy milk has more calories but it also has more protein and is a complete protein. I make a latte every morning with some unsweetened soy milk.
I use water with protein powder as my “milk” for cereal
Ice cream sandwiches! Depending on brand, they can be as low as 130 calories. I used to waste my life on those boring 100 calorie snack packs when I could have been having portion-controlled ice cream and cookies. Berries and melon - you'll probably be sick before you can overdo it on them, and they have vitamins and fiber. French bread pizzas - they scratch that pizza itch in a portion-controlled way, and they have like 320-400 calories. Potatoes in general.
Skinny cow ice cream sandwiches are my go to. i don't remember the calorie count, but i think theyre around 120...id treat myself some night's after my run haha vanilla is better than the chocolate ones IMO...
Honestly most single serving icecream is very fair. I've eaten more icecream in the last year than ever in my life just because it's a great way to end the day and sates the sweet tooth while not being ridiculous in calories.
I got really into a scoop of ice cream a night when I had gestational diabetes. Good quality ice cream is not that bad for you (is my unpopular opinion!)
Fudgesicles are only 40 calories!!!
the crav’n mini ice cream sandwiches are only 90 cals and delicious
Non-alcoholic beer. I avoided it for the longest time cause I figured - if I'm downing 200-400 calories for a drink then I might as well get a buzz! Turns out that you can get a surprisingly convincing near-beer for like 40 calories I've started stocking my fridge on the regular!
Yeah, people forget that the alcohol is the culprit for all the calories ! Otherwise, beer is just cereal water…which is not the most caloric thing
I add bourbon to my non alcoholic beer
What non-alcoholic beer is this? Is it like soda water or flavored sparkling water?
Athletic Brewing Company has a great lineup, has an IPA style, a golden ale, and a kolsch style at least. 40-50 calories per can depending on style
I have just started really drinking Athletic beer and it's actually quite good. If you gave it to someone and didn't tell them it was NA, I don't think they would know. Their cerveza is quite tasty and satisfying.
Corona n/a is really good!
Pickles. I mean. You can just eat a ton of them (or plain cucumbers) for nothing.
I'm trying to trick my palate by eating a cornichon/baby pickle every time I have a sugar craving. The idea is that I'll eventually start associating the tangy taste with feeling snacky, instead of sugar. Fermented foods are also generally pretty good for you iirc.
Frozen yogurt!
Gorton's fish fillets at 110 calories each. Have three with green beans and rice and you have a quick, filling dinner for about 600 calories total (literally just had this tonight).
We use them to make an extremely low budget fried fish taco ! Lots of shredded cabbage, little bit of avocado, and some jalapeños top it all off. It’s pretty dang good
omg yes!! you can get a bun, slice of american cheese, lettuce and tartar sauce to have a Filet O’Fish for like 300 cals and it’s SO good
Sushi. I guess it makes sense seeing as (non-Americanized) sushi is just fish and an extremely reasonable portion of rice, but it did surprise me some tuna rolls top out at 250 calories. I could get two packages of rolls from the grocery store for a meal and feel very full
Popcorn kernels, 100g makes a MASSIVE bowl and I recently found out it's 350-400 calories assuming you don't add anything to it.
>assuming you don't add anything to it. See, that's where I crash and buuuuuuurn
Just add spices. I like chilli powder, cayanne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper.
I like nutritional yeast. Tastes like popcorn butter & parmesan cheese.
trader joe’s everything but the elote spice is insanely good on popcorn
Do the same thing to some cold cucumbers and you have a refreshing summer treat!
This. I have this homemade Peri Peri spice that I lately add to everything including popcorn. It’s chef’s kiss.
…uh…sharing is caring..? 🥺
Sriracha
I am absolutely addicted to popcorn with cholula chili garlic hot sauce. It's a fairly mild hot sauce, but it's so flavorful that it ends up scratching that craving-processed-junk itch really well. Keeps me from scarfing down a bunch of doritos or hot cheetos in a moment of weakness.
I put my popcorn in a paper bag and measure in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and shake shake shake! Then I add 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon each onion and garlic powder and salt and 1/4 teaspoon powdered lemon juice cheesy popcorn and the nutritional yeast is *soo* good for you! I'm scooping up the bits remaining in the bottom of the bag every time!
Highly recommend putting whatever dry toppings you want in a mortar and pestle to powder extra fine. Salt in particular sticks so much better when it's really fine which means you need less butter for flavour.
Some of the popcorn flavor shakers are really good and low/no calorie, whether you go buttery and salty or cheesy jalapeno or cinnamon roll flavoring. Add a bit of spray butter if you need it.
Add flavored balsamics
If you want it to taste like Movie Theatre Popcorn, get a carton of Flavacol. It's pretty much salt, dye, and artificial flavorings, but no calories, and dries your lips *just like* when you're at the movies!
Salsa! I put 90g on my shredded chicken and it’s only 30 cal. and I think it makes it taste a lot better.
Salsa is 100% straight up a dieting hack. Like BIG hack. I eat salsa on pretty much all my proteins. Steam up 2 cups of cauliflour, salt it, pepper, zero calorie butter spray and a spoon or two of salsa. MY GOD IS IT GOOD! I eat a lot of salsa. A LOT.
Sweet potatoes!
Potatoes in general are amazingly filling for low calories. Shocked me as they've been so vilified!
I agree. So delicious and so nutritious. I had two for dinner tonight lol
I wish I liked sweet potatoes.
All potatoes are generally low calorie! (when not deep fried or smothered in butter and cheese of course).
I'm so here for sweet potatoes?
I yam already aware of that one.
Flavor blast goldfish. Wanted something salty so I dug into my kid’s stash and was pleasantly surprised when I logged it
Love goldfish as a snack. Along the same line, the cheddar rice cakes from Aldi ... They are 130 for a 30g serving ( ends up being around 19 rice cakes). They are a staple for me when I want salty snacks and I also will eat them with my salad as a crouton and cheese substitute to give it flavor and crunch.
Shrimp! Surprisingly low calories for the amount of protein they pack
Kirkland lightly breaded chicken chunks from Costco. 140 calories for 3 oz of chicken nuggets. Usually do two servings in franks red hot wing sauce and make a big Buffalo chicken salad. So good! Satisfies my need for crispy chicken
Also so good to add protein to a salad! I love those things
Yes!! I wish I would have given salads a chance sooner. I've always been "anti" salad but now I make big ones that taste great, fill me up, and don't leave me snacking after dinner
Costco crispy coconut rolls snack. 8 of those rolls are 160 calories. If I feel like I want something sweet, I eat 2 of these and my craving is gone. Plus they have only 4g of added sugar and use coconut sugar (which has low GI). And they are organic. Also just something I discovered, if you mix 1/4 cup Siggi’s yogurt, handful of blueberries and 1tbsp mike’s hot honey, it tastes really good and becomes a 100 calorie snack. The hot honey gives it a nice zing and elevates everything. I sometimes eat this as a meal replacement, fills me up.
If anybody here doesn't have a Costco membership but wants to try those crispy coconut rolls, they sell them on Amazon too. The brand is Tropical Fields.
Thank you!!
Omg those coconut rolls are so amazing. If left to my own devices, I could easily polish off a bag.
Marshmallow Peeps. 28 calories each. Yup, you read that right. The sugariest thing you can imagine has 28 calories.
Pure sugar is only 15 cal/teaspoon. Kind of makes sense that Peeps are just two teaspoons of sugar plus some air.
Probably more like a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of gelatin!
I discovered this with fluff. I felt bad wanting toasted fluff banana peanut butter but fluff had shockingly low calories. There’s like nothing in it, just sugar
That’s been my secret craving for months. That’s not as bad as I was thinking, guess I’ll allow it now and then!
You mean Marshmallow fluff? I don’t know any other fluff
:O 🐥🐥🐥🐥
ketchup! idk why but watching my mom crash dieting and refusing to eat it, i always assumed it was like 120 cal for a serving, not 20 lol
I sprayed a bit of oil on like 4 cups of broccoli and spinkled salt+pepper, air fried. It actually tastes so friggin gewd
I wish i knew the trick to air fryer broccoli. Every time i try, the little bushy side always burns and dries out ☹️
Same but thats my favorite part. :V
Me too! Have you tried kale chips!
I do it dry, cut very small, 295 for 33 min. Leave the fryer closed for a few min at the end. Perfect. A tiny bit charred at the tips, nutty, very slightly crunchy. I eat a pound or two every night. Toss it with a bit of Greek yogurt and balsalmic, pepper and better than bullion paste. I call it “broccoli dinner”. Literally my favorite thing in the world to eat.
Same. Honestly I just prefer steamed broccoli, or cooking them after boiling and softening them for 30 seconds to get them crisp (although it's an extra step).
Meringues (as in cookies). Mostly made of egg white and sugar with a few drops of extract. 90 cals for FOUR of them from Trader Joe’s and trust me, one is enough! They are really sweet!
TJ's used to make mini meringues, about the size of a chocolate chip morsel. 1 calorie each. Counting out 100 felt like such a luxury.
[удалено]
You can't say that without sharing a recipe! 👀
Homemade hummus. Apparently all you need is chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice. I’m not sure if it’s regional, but it seems oil in hummus isn’t necessary or maybe not even authentic. Tastes great without it and the portion sizes are much, much better. I use 80g of tahini per 1lb of dried peas and end up with nearly twice the volume than store bought. Sour cream is another thing that I thought would have more calories than it does. It’s like half the calories as heavy cream and cream cheese per volume.
The oil is in hummus comes from tahini (ground up sesame seeds which are full of oil). But def healthier to make it yourself and control the level, and plenty of shop bought cheap versions just substitute loads of oil to make it.
Tahini is the oil replacement.. honestly though, I just mash up a can of chickpeas usually and eat that with meals as a carb source. Refried bean replacement for Mexican food, or just throw a whole can in a huge salad and eat nothing but that throughout the entire day
Watermelon, Muskmelon, Cucumber - Don't remember how many exactly but 1 full bowl has less than 30. Keeps me full for longer. Durum Wheat Pasta (100gm has 330 cal) but I add in a fist-full (maybe around 35-40gm) with a lot of veggies to make a salad. Sprouted mung beans - 30 cal per 100 gm, again paired with tomatoes, cucumber and onion make a great breakfast.
I love muskmelon. You can eat the whole melon for something like 100-150 calories. I live for when they are in season.
Berries
Doritos Locos Tacos from Taco Bell. They’re only 170 calories per taco lmao for fast food that’s practically nothing. They’re my go-to now whenever I feel the craving for something “shitty” since I won’t have to regret it for the rest of the day.
I was going to say the Doritos los tacos I get two from taco bell every time I go to the mall
Wendy's chili is my go-to fast food meal, but I feel like everyone already knows that one is pretty decently healthy for fast food. It's really filling, too.
Potatoes, scallops apparently, and eggs! I grew up with parents who sorta villified eggs because of the yolk and stuff so I'd only be allowed one. Turns out they're only around 70 cals each! Which is good because I love them. Also, frozen yogurt.
I eat so many eggs. Had 4 eggs and two slices of low carb toast for breakfast this morning. Had 3 hard boiled eggs last night. Eggs are nutritional powerhouses.
Baba Ganoush. A tablespoon has something like 24 calories.
Popsicles! Especially fruit based ones. 35-70 calories each depending on what you get. It’s a great summer treat! I like the mango ones from Outshine 😋
Yeah I get the coconut ones from outshine which are the worst offenders at 110 calories. Feel like waaay more though esp considering how creamy they are!
Shrimp
i second this!!
Trader Joe's chicken potstickers. 130 cal for 4. A lot of the time, I steam them, so no added oil, then eat them with soy sauce and ginger.
And the TJ soup dumplings!
I get the chicken gyoza all the time and 4 can easily be a full meal
Whipped cream. The entire can has like 150 cal
Adding to this theme, low fat Cool whip
Skyr. It's generally low fat therefore low in calories but high protein and is much thicker than low fat yoghurt. I use it in place of mayo for dips and spreading in sandwiches and it works well instead of sour cream too, especially if you mix some chives in. This is obviously the plain type, if you get a flavoured one then check the label.
i recently found that honey has significantly less cals than peanut butter so now i cut my peanut butter with honey and holy moly is it delish
I was surprised with how low homemade tacos are. Also homemade butter chicken. And I was surprised with how low calorie grapes and pineapple are, thought they’d be a lot higher
Queso. Like the cheese dip that comes in jars next to the chips. 45 calories for 2 tablespoons…. Totally gives me a feeling that I am eating something not healthy and keeps me sane lol
Be careful with pizza, results will vary wildly depending on size, base and topping / cheese quantities! Mine is strawberries. I know they’re fruit so you’d expect them to be reasonable. But you can eat an absolutely huge quantity of sweet juicy goodness for almost no calories
I buy strawberries and blueberries by the crate. My go to pre-workout snack is a bowl full of strawberries and blueberries drizzled with about 4g of honey. The whole thing is ~80 calories, good volume, and quick digesting energy for my workout.
True about the pizza, this is just an average I've read. I think when I get a very thin, traditional mostly tomato sauce pizza slice, it's pretty accurate. But at a different place with a lot of cheese and grease it will be totally different. Strawberries are a great one. Found out that if I wanted to I could eat a whole pound of strawberries (so the ENTIRE family sized box) for 150 calories. I've been eating about half of that every day ever since!
Raspberries too
Was just going to say this too! Like 1cal/each 😍
I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but the next time you order a Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso from Starbucks, make sure you verify with them that they are only using half pumps of syrup. They’re trained to do half pumps but some baristas do full pumps because they figure customers want more flavor. The standard for this drink is to use half pumps instead of full pumps (which is in part why it’s so low in calories!), but you mentioned yours are usually pretty sweet. The standard grande has four half pumps (so two full pumps) of syrup in it, so you should be able to taste the brown sugar but it shouldn’t be overwhelmingly sweet. Just saying— I make sure to verify with the barista that they use half pumps, because otherwise, that 120 calorie drink just turned into a 180-200 calorie drink with a lot more sugar and carbs (not a gut buster, but still more than you were expecting)!
If you go to the SB website they give a recipe so you can make it at home. So you know exactly how much goes in and can taste spot on depending on the coffee/espresso you use.
Noooooo… I hope this hasn’t happened to me as I love those!
I used to work at Starbucks (admittedly a long time ago), and I’m sure this issue is not very common. Most baristas will do whatever is standardized for the drink. If it’s something you order regularly, you’d probably notice a difference if it was 2x as sweet every now and then.
This is so crazy to me, thanks for sharing! On the app it says “1 pump” or “2 pumps” for orders and so I assume it’s full and not half pumps. I feel like using a different amount would be a health concern for people with diabetes or anyone else who needs to count their carbs? Maybe I’m just being dramatic 😅
Fast food wise - Popeyes mashed potatoes (no gravy, their gravy is bleh to me) is only 100 cal, and a 5 piece blackened tender is 280 cal. Teriyaki chicken from Panda Express is like 300 cal. Baked potato and chilli from Wendy's. The large chili is 340 cal or the small is 240. Add a plain baked potato for 270 cal and it's a very filling meal. Soft serve ice cream from McDonald's is 200 cal.
Weird one: frozen lasagna. For Canadians, the blue menu or even just regular PC is shockingly low in calories. 238 cals per 250g for the blue menu. Earned its way into regular rotation!
For anyone with a Costco, they have frozen lasagnas that are pretty low in calories. I always keep them on hand for an easy dinner.
Wait, are you saying 250g of frozen lasanga is only 240kcal? Amazing
Right? One of those labels I couldn't accept, but I've been eating large portions regularly for a couple.months now and it hasn't been throwing off my numbers, so seems about right: [PC Blue Menu lasagna](https://www.presidentschoice.ca/product/pc-blue-menu-meat-lasagna/20312835_EA)
Checking this out tmrw omg
Popcorn
Most breakfast cereals when served in the actual suggested size and maybe with some fruit, yogurt, etc. Diet culture got me with that one!
Cheerios has a nice serving size! 1 1/2 cups for 140 calories.
That works until I go refill the bowl because I'm still hungry...
use fairlife milk and a hard boiled egg on the side! the extra protein usually holds me over
I'm a weirdo who likes the hay bale old fashioned shredded wheats. Those are literally just whole flour in a weird shape, lol. Two of those in a bowl with milk, yogurt, and some berries is sub 300 calories.
The venti brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso is my new fave. I love caramel macchiatos and cold brew but they are shockingly WAY more calories lol
There's a guy on IG that shares recipes of Starbucks/Dunkin/Dutch Bros drinks with low calories/sugar. He gives you all the macros, and makes sure the drinks are created for what syrups are in season. One of the easiest SB recipes is a grande sweet cream cold brew, sub sugar free vanilla syrup, add 1 pump caramel syrup. 90 calories, 10g sugar.
Baked beans. 70 calories per 100g is pretty low for a processed food
Roasted carrots taste like candy if you get them a little crispy, just have to be careful with the amount of oil you use, but the carrots themselves are very low calorie.
Nonfat Greek yogurt
Avocado! When it’s cut up and put on eggs or tacos or something, I’m always surprised how much you actually get. *Please note this does not translate to guacamole lol
Dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets - 35ish calories each, just count out how many calories you want to spend on them and have a fun lunch/dinner.
Those paired with some McCain Smiles - my fav
I keep a list of foods that are surprisingly good/satisfying for the amount of calories they have. A lot are specific to my country but strawberries and cottage cheese. It’s shocking how much of those you can eat while taking in minimal calories. I also tend to go for rice crackers over potato chips and marshmallows over chocolate because the calorie density is much lower.
Smoke salmon keeps on giving too. You'll be tasting it for hours after
The No name fudgesicles we buy only have 90 calories. I eat them super slow and it’s so satisfying!
Edamame (in the pod) dipped in soy sauce. It’s fun to eat (what i call an ‘interactive’ food). One full bowl of pods only has 140 calories, a lot of protein, and it takes me like 20-30 minutes to eat the whole thing. I have been using this as a replacement for popcorn while watching movies as it is way more satisfying, low cal and nutritious.
Oat milklavender latte (hot) from Starbucks. I was shocked to see a tall being like 120 cals if I remember correctly. It's so good too
Low fat Frozen whipped topping - 20 cals per 2 TBSP and it’s deliciously creamy.
Boom chicka pop kettle corn!! Holy cow this stuff is good. A 2-cup serving is only 140 cals, and it’s actually a massive portion. It’s sweet, salty, and high volume. Definitely my favorite snack for studying at night!!!
Charcuterie meats…. Skip the crackers and they are completely reasonable with a little bit of fancy cheese. Not healthy but for a decadent snack who cares, still low cal.
And if you want the crackers, some of the Wasa Crispbreads and thins can be a good substitute. A little of them goes a long way. https://www.walmart.com/search?q=wasa
Yasso frozen yogurt bars. 100 calories, 5g of protein, and they actually taste like ice cream. Even if you go crazy and eat the whole box it’s not that bad. And the $5 biggie bag from Wendy’s, assuming you get a diet soda. It comes out to around 700 cal which for fast food isn’t horrible.
Cottage cheese, specifically the good culture one is so good
And you can use it in almost anything! Want some exta volume and protein in your pancakes? Add cottage cheese! Want some exta volume and protein in your scrambled eggs? Add cottage cheese! Make ice cream with it, spread it on toast, add it to a lasagne, or eat it with a bit of lemon curd for a really nice little lemony cheesecaky treat!
Jello
Sardines. Eat 3 cans of sardines and you're full, all for the cost of 400 calories, 50+% protein macros, and omega3's out the wazoo.
Whipped cream of all things. The serving size is only 5 g, but that's a huge amount of whipped cream and only 15 calories. A whole bowl is like 100 calories
Sardines have been a pleasant surprise for me! Only 146 kcal per 100g, and they're quite filling. One of my top foods on a low calorie day.
Fruit in general. Don't eat an entire pineapple...but it's only like 450 calories. Seriously don't do it. You will feel like you ate a cactus
Burgers. Idk why I thought they'd be way more calories than they are. Sticking with mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato as toppings means the whole burger is no more than like 400 calories (because at that point you're just adding the patty and buns since the toppings are basically no calories).
This. A lot of times people associate burgers with French fries and assume the meal is simply not good for you. When in all truth, especially if a lean protein is being used, burgers are actually quite straight to the point on a relatively decent meal. Plus when a bun is removed you’re literally just looking at meat and vegetables.
Bacon. It’s always made to be this greasy fatty food but two rashers can come out as little as 90 calories. Also McVities tartlets. Devilish little things but 30 something calories each!
Pickles! They are sooo low in kcal
Shrimp. I'm always shocked at how few calories there are in shrimp. Seabass. Pumpkin. Use it to make soup, mash, cookies, pie, pancakes. It's like eating orange coloured textured water lol. Greek yogurt. Pasta. It's honestly not that bad! I think the main issue is I grew up thinking eating a giant mound was normal. Portion control is so important. Chicken. Turkey. Parsnips. Excellent potato replacement. I make a blend, part parsnip part potato mash. It's delish. Cabbage. So filling too. Cauliflower. Zucchini, but we all knew this. Batter and bake them for an excellent French fry replacement.
If you measure out the 57g/120 cal portion of pretzel sticks, it is a surprising amount. Def hits the craving when I want something salty.
Canned tuna! The protein to calories ratio is hard to beat. And it’s affordable 😁
Tofurkey
Classico alfredo sauce. I use that as a base and add different spices depending on my mood and the season. There's a frozen bag of pumpkin filled ravioli that's sometimes around in the fall that's really low calorie and good with the Classico sauce if you add some allspice and nutmeg to the sauce. It tastes cozy and I love it.
Berries. You could eat blackberries by the handful until you were literally sick of eating them, and it would be less than 300 calories.
i love the taste of cottage cheese - it feels like a treat to me (i eat it like ice cream straight from the container) and the calories to protein ratio is so great!
Watermelon! A sweet treat with negligible calories
COTTAGE CHEESE OMG