Preparing food at home can help you save calories-and money

Why spend P100 for a 500-calorie sandwich when you can spend P20 for a 250-calorie homemade version?

IF YOU want to manage your weight, then you should think about saving calories. Saving money by cooking simpler and healthier versions of food you love to eat is a bonus. If you always have time to eat out, then you can also make time to prepare your favorite foods. Those 400-calorie meals are becoming popular nowadays, as shown in some health books like “Cook This, Not That” by David Zinczenco and “The 400-Calorie Fix” by Liz Vaccariello, featuring meals with less than 500 calories per serving.

Now, here are some affordable, healthy and tasty meals that you can always try at home for a healthier, stronger, leaner and slimmer body. Just three servings of each of the following meals can help you lose weight the healthy way, without the need for fad diets. You can just eat fruits for your snack.

Pasta meals



Pasta in your favorite restaurants can cost more than P150 and the serving portion is usually doubled, with more calories from the white or oily sauces, cheese and meat balls. Most of the pasta dishes that you can order when you dine out may contain 800 to 1,300 calories per serving especially if you order spaghetti with meatballs, lasagna, and carbonara or alfredo pasta. Most pasta dishes also lack protein, which is important to make you feel fuller longer.

Cooking your own pasta can help you cut calories in half and gives you a chance to eat a well-balanced meal complete with carbohydrate, protein, fat and vegetables. It takes about 15-20 minutes to prepare everything.

o Boil pasta noodles for 10 minutes and drain. Measure a cup of cooked pasta and set aside (200 calories).

o For protein, choose a serving size (the size of a deck of cards) of chicken, shrimp, squid, or fish, and you can grill, roast, or sauté it with onion and garlic (100- 150 calories).

o Put vegetables like mushrooms, asparagus, onions, tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant and flavor builders like chili flakes, grated parmesan cheese, parsley, or basil leaves (50 calories).

o Add tomato sauce and limit oil-based sauces like plain olive oil or basil pesto to two tablespoons (100-150 calories). If you choose white sauces, limit the amount and/or use light cream, butter and milk.

Sandwiches


Grab a sandwich from the most popular coffee shops and delis, and it will cost you more than P100. You can also consume more than 500 calories because of its size, sandwich dressing, add-on cheeses, butter and oil. Creating your own sandwich is an easy way to have a satisfying meal or snack, and for only P10 to P20 per serving and 250-400 calories per sandwich. You just need to get a tasty and filling bread, some leafy veggies, and a serving of protein with a teaspoon of spread or a thin slice of cheese.

o Prepare 1-2 pieces of regular-sized whole-wheat bread, English muffin, or whole-grain bread (80-160 calories).

o Make your protein filling like a grilled, boiled skinless chicken breast, canned tuna, boiled egg, or pan-fried fish fillet that you can also prepare in advance. You can also have lean beef slices like roast beef or lean ground beef if you want red meat. Use vegetable extenders for beef or pork like mushrooms and onions to save more calories. Stay away from deep-fried and breaded fillings. Use just a serving size of protein (the size of a deck of cards) for the whole sandwich (120-200 calories).

o Add lettuce leaves (arugula, iceberg, or romaine) and tomatoes with pesto, salsa, low-fat mayonnaise, mustard, or a slice of thin cheese (50 calories).

Rice meals

When you eat out, a rice meal can cost you at least P100 and 600-1,000 calories per meal. The good news is that you can make a 400- to 500-calorie rice meal with all the rice, vegetables and protein and spend only P20-P50 per serving. The trick here is to watch your way of cooking. Avoid oily, creamy sauces, do not deep fry, and remove visible skin and fat of meat and chicken.

o Use a measuring cup for your rice. If you eat brown rice, you can even have less than a cup since it’s much more filling than regular white rice, but they still have the same amount of calories (200 calories).

o Get at least a cup of raw leafy vegetables, like a salad serving or half-cup to a cup of cooked vegetables like carrots, onion, tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, or spinach. Use less oil for the cooked veggies, about a teaspoon (50-100 calories).

o When you cook your viand, limit oil and sauces and try to bake, boil, steam, grill, roast, or sauté instead of deep-frying. Choose chicken, seafood and lean cuts of beef and pork. Eat only a serving size of protein for your meal, which is about a size of your palm since protein intake depends on one’s size, as well (150-250 calories).



source: inquirer