Eating nutritious small meals is a challenge on low calorie diets. In May I shared with you eight sample mini-meals of approximately 300 calories each. Today I have four more sample 300 calorie mini meals.
Although you need to keep in mind how a mini-meal will fit into an overall balanced plan for the day, each of the ones I am providing here is already reasonably well balanced. For a convenient checklist you may want to refer to the 1200 and 1500 calorie diet plans I’ve provided to assess how you can best achieve overall nutritional balance.
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In addition to keeping an eye on the overall nutrition for the day, do make substitutions when appropriate to meet your particular preferences and needs. For example, if you don’t like or can’t tolerate cow’s milk how about soy milk? Or almond milk? Or rice milk?
I hadn’t tried almond milk till recently. I found it to be surprisingly good and nutritious. The unsweetened version has fewer calories than either cow’s milk or soy milk. In addition, it is lactose and gluten free. I’ve included almond milk in one of the mini meal suggestions.
If you don’t like milk in any form you might substitute yogurt or cheese, if appropriate, for calcium and protein as well as other nutrients.
Dinner/Lunch mini-meal:
1 Veggie Cake (Burger) – Southwest Style by Morningstar – 130 calories
Make a small salad:
1 cup Spinach leaves raw – 6 calories
1/2 cup fresh Tomatoes chopped – 16 calories
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil vinaigrette – Wishbone is a possibility or better yet make your own – 30
1 Serving Baked Beans – (about 1/2 cup) Bush beans (vegetarian) – 130
Total Calories: 312
Protein: 13.7 grams
Carbohydrates: 56.6 grams
Fat: 5.8 grams
Calcium: 119 mg
Iron: 6.4 mg
Vitamin C: 21 mg
Dinner/Lunch mini-meal:
1/2 Pita (bread) sliced to make a pocket, Honey Wheat – 90 calories
1/2 cup Tuna, chunk light canned in water – 60
1 Tbsp. Light Mayonnaise – 45 calories
8 Baby carrots
1 cup Low-fat Vanilla Almond Milk – 90
Total Calories: 309
Protein: 19 grams
Carbohydrates: 41.1 grams
Fat: 8.1 grams
Calcium: 376 mg
Iron: 2.4 mg
Vitamin C: 6.7 mg
Breakfast Mini-meal:
1 Container All Natural Vanilla Yogurt – Dannon – 150 calories
1/4 Cup Mountain Medley Trail Mix cereal – Kashi (or the cereal of your choice) – 110 calories
1/2 Cup Raspberries – 32
(Make a yogurt parfait by layering the ingredients)
Total Calories: 292
Protein: 10.7 grams
Carbohydrates: 50.8 grams
Fat: 6.4 grams
Calcium: 265 mg
Iron: 0.9 mg
Vitamin C: 17.3 mg
(Don’t like or can’t eat yogurt made from cow’s milk? Try Peach flavored soy yogurt with sliced peaches and trail mix. Be creative, there are probably hundreds of possible combinations of fruit, cereal, and the low fat yogurt of your choice.)
Snack Mini-meal:
1 cup Sweet Cherries – fresh, 73 calories
1/2 cup Blueberries – fresh, 41 calories
2/3 cup Edamame Beans – Organic – 120 calories
1 piece Mini Babybel Light Cheese – 50 calories
Take advantage of the great choices for fresh fruit (and veggies) in the summer months. Cherries and blueberries make great finger foods and a delightfully filling nutritious snack along with the edamame beans and cheese! (Edamame beans right out of the freezer and just slightly thawed are wonderful on a hot day). If you are vegan and can’t eat cow’s milk cheese how about a few nuts or veggie cheese?
Total Calories: 284
Protein: 17.8 grams
Carbohydrates: 38.2 grams
Fat: 8.4 grams
Calcium: 320 mg
Iron: 2.4 mg
Vitamin C: 27.1 mg
Coming soon I plan on giving you some new 1200 and 1500 calorie sample menus and more healthy low calorie snacks for 100 calories or less. If you’d like additional 300 calorie mini-meals, as well as ideas on how to make mini-meals work for you, don’t miss my first post (300 Calorie Mini Meals: Eat Less but Often).
Till next time, hope you are successful with healthy low calorie eating!
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