One of the biggest challenges of losing weight is preparing meals that will adhere to your weight-loss regimen. For some, it entails giving up on favorite delectable recipes to make the efforts pay off. Truth to be told, you can eat delicious food while sticking to your fitness goals. Read below some yummy, everyday weight-loss friendly, and guilt-free recipes you can whip up that will keep your palate satisfied and body looking good!
Chicken Farro or Quinoa Salad
Farro is an ancient grain ideal for losing weight. Having 47-gram of farro only has about 170 calories. Plus, it packs a lot of protein and fiber. Increased fiber intake helps reduce appetite and keep you feel satiated longer. Thus, also aiding in preventing obesity. Another gut-filling grain is quinoa that has a low glycemic index and also brimmed with protein and fiber.
So, if you’re fond of chicken salads but want to switch things up, you can definitely replace the greens with those two grains for a flavorful and healthy weight-loss meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup microwavable farro or quinoa grains
- 1 lb chicken breast, stripped, grilled
- ½ cup sesame dressing
- 1 cup seedless cucumber, diced
- 1 cup seedless grapes, halved
- ½ cup diced carrot
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
- ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Prepare:
- Cook the farro or the quinoa following the instructions on the label. Set aside to cool.
- Combine all ingredients, cooked farro or quinoa, dressing, cucumber, grapes, carrot, parsley, dill, and red onion in a mixing bowl.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Top it with the grilled chicken breast.
- Place it in an airtight container. Keep it refrigerated and enjoy it for up to a week.
Salmon Noodle Bowl
Salmon is excellent for weight loss as it contains lots of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which aids in regulating the hormones affecting appetite and satiety. Plus, it provides essential vitamins and minerals, such as selenium, vitamin B, vitamin D, and vitamin E.
To reap all those benefits, you can prepare a Salmon Noodle Bowl for dinner. Add in the soba noodles and the asparagus, which are also associated with lower body weight. With that, you can eat without much worries about your weight-loss regimen.
Ingredients:
- 4 oz soba noodles
- ¾ cup asparagus, cut
- ½ cup avocados, diced
- ½ cup cucumber, diced
- 200 grams salmon fillet, skinned off, cut
- 3 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tbsp. of toasted sesame oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to Prepare:
- Cook the soba noodles for about 7 to 8 minutes in boiling water. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Boil the asparagus until al dente and rinse in cold water.
- Heat a grill in medium heat. Apply cooking spray and cook the salmon for about 2-3 minutes each size. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, lime juice, and salt and pepper to make the vinaigrette.
- Combine the noodles, asparagus, and vinaigrette in a sufficiently-sized container. Put in the avocados and cucumber.
- Top the bowl with the salmon fillet before every serving.
- Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. You can serve it warm on it at room temperature.
Salsa Verde Soup
Soups are warm, comforting, making them perfect for dinner or colder nights. However, did you know they can also work for your weight goals too? One meal you can prepare is the flavorful Salsa Verde Soup, which contains different types of jalapenos. Peppers contain the potent component Capsaicin, which speeds up your metabolism and improves your body’s fat-burning capacity.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Salsa Verde
- 1 Poblano pepper, chopped
- ½ onion chopped
- ½ tbsp. garlic, minced
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 lb. chicken breast, chopped
- Beef or chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Toppings (cheese, avocado, tortilla chips)
How to Prepare:
- Get a soup pot and put everything except for the fresh chopped cilantro. Turn the stove into high heat and cover. Reduce it to medium heat once it boils and simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Put in the fresh cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Scoop the soup into bowls. Garnish it with your favorite toppings, like cheese, avocado, or tortilla chips.
Marinated Grilled Shrimp
If you’re a seafood lover, you know how delicious shrimps are. Luckily, you don’t have to skip them as these crustaceans only have 30 calories in one ounce, equivalent to four large shrimps! Plus, it offers B-vitamins, vitamin D, healthy proteins, and selenium. Marinate and grill them for some yummy goodness!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs shrimp
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 cup olive oil
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Wooden skewers sticks
How to Prepare:
- In a mixing bowl, add and mix the basil, parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce.
- Put the shrimp into the marinade. Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Make sure to mix it every 30 minutes.
- Thread the shrimps onto the wooden skewers.
- Coat the grill with cooking spray. Once done, preheat to medium heat.
- Grill the shrimp for 3-5 minutes per side or until it turns opaque.
Sweet and Juicy Fruit Salad
Fruits have different flavors and textures. Mixing and balancing the right one can help in your weight loss programs. For instance, watermelon is mainly composed of water, with a 100-gram serving only equalling 30 calories.
The same way goes for other water-rich fruits, such as melons and cantaloupe. Other fruits with low calories include peaches, plums, berries, coconut, mandarin and oranges. Plus, you also get to enjoy all the vitamins and minerals each fruit offers.
So, go ahead and top off your lunch or dinner with a sweet and juicy fruit salad. You can even have this weight-loss winner as a healthy snack!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup melon or cantaloupe
- One peach
- One plum
- One mandarin
- 1 cup raspberries or blueberries
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 tbsp. almond
How To Prepare:
- Cut fruits into bite-sized pieces and mix them in a bowl.
- Top it with almonds as garnish.
(Optional: Add lime juice or honey to taste.)
Final Words
Those are some of the tasty everyday recipes you can prepare to help you lose weight, proving that feeling and looking good doesn’t mean you need to veer away from delicious food. Happy eating and good luck with your weight loss journey!