It’s been a little while since I’ve shared a new 1200 calorie diet menu. Yesterday I tested some mini meals to include on a new menu. My husband was out of town so I had more leeway to have fun with this and try what I wanted!
I love simple easy to prepare low-calorie meals. I think you’ll find what I have to share today to be easy yet surprisingly tasty and nutritious as well as low calorie. It is a high iron menu due in part to the Wheat Chex cereal I chose to include for breakfast. If getting too much iron is a potential problem for you, I would encourage you to substitute a different cold cereal.
I’ve been keeping up with my daily walking quite well. So I was able to add an additional 200 calories to my meals and snacks for this basic 1200 calorie menu. Getting to eat more food is a good reward for exercise in my opinion! What do you think?
Do you remember to take into account the calories you burn with exercise? If you want to learn more about your total calorie needs when on a low calorie diet or if you need a refresher, you may want to review my article: 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started. That article will give you all the basics. Or if you want more in depth information you may want to read another article of mine: 1200 Calorie Diet: How to Make it Work for You!
Sample Menu for 1200 Calories #14
Breakfast
1 bowl Wheat Chex Cereal (3/4 cup ~160 calories)
1/2 cup blueberries
8 oz. skim milk
1/2 cup orange juice
Snack
1 stick mozzarella string cheese (80 calories each)
Lunch
Easy Pizza:
[1 Honey Wheat Pita (about 6 inches in diameter, 180 calories)
1/2 medium tomato (about 1/2 cup) very thinly sliced tomato (layer on top of the pita bread)
6 slices turkey breast (Oscar Mayer, shaved slices 50 calories) chop into smaller pieces and scatter on top of the tomato slices
1/4 cup Reduced Fat Shredded Mozzarella (Sargento, 80 calories) spread over the turkey and tomato slices. Instead of the mozzarella you might try the Sargento low fat 4 cheese reduced fat shredded Mexican also 80 calories for 1/4 cup. I think I tried this once for a small homemade pizza topping and it had more flavor and appeal than the reduced fat mozzarella.
Season with oregano or pizza seasoning. Bake about 15 minutes or so at 375 degrees in a toaster oven.]
water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or diet soda
Snack
Low Fat Peach Yogurt (or flavor of your choice, Stonyfield Farms, 130 calories)
Supper
Veggie Frittata:
[1/2 cup egg substitute (99% egg whites, 60 calories)
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
About 1 cup of mixed vegetables lightly steamed or cooked in a microwave (chop up fresh or use a frozen mix) See link below for more information.
Seasoning (I used an organic season-all blend with sea salt.]
1 cup Sweet Cherries
If you would like directions on how to make a basic frittata, I ran across a good article on the New York Times yesterday: How to Make a Frittata Hopefully the article is still accessible without you having to log in. I joined the site a while ago because I like to stay informed with their health and fitness information. It’s free to join.)
water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or diet soda
(Always remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.)
Total Calories = 1206
Total Fiber = 23.6 grams
Fat = 17%
Carbs = 60%
Protein = 23%
Calcium = 1235 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 mg a day)
Iron = 22.2 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg)
1500 Calorie Diet Menu
Modify the 1200 Calorie Diet Menu. As I mentioned earlier, this menu is high in iron. So if you are post-menopausal you may want to substitute a breakfast cereal that has less iron. Otherwise this is a well-balanced menu. You might increase the amount you eat (portion size) or add whatever you might like for the additional 300 calories that will fit your needs.
Both the frittata and the pita bread pizza offer a lot of possibilities for variation. Choose healthy ingredients and create your own unique versions. Let me know how it works out!
Till next time, watch your calories and eat healthy!
