It's easy and simple to prepare a delicious and nutritious dinner that won't leave a mark on your waistline. You need to take a few simple recipes as a basis and give free rein to your imagination! Hungry in the evening? This is not a reason to have a belly-fest with fatty foods and a high-calorie dessert. You can eat tasty, healthy and not very high in calories using a collection of light dinner recipes.
If you come home late from work or training, this is not a reason to overeat or skip the evening meal altogether - it is better to prepare a light dinner, hearty and healthy. Forget about the prejudice that you can’t eat after 6 pm, and read this article to learn how to have an easy and tasty dinner.
If you adhere to the principles of healthy eating, you will find a lot of interesting things here.
A gourmet delight
The easiest and fastest recipe for dinner is a light salad. Cut large grapes (green or dark) into slices. Meanwhile, chop ½ bunch of arugula, chop the avocado, 100 g of cheese and mix them. Dress the salad with a sauce of 60 ml olive oil, 1 tsp. lemon juice. Sprinkle the salad with sesame seeds. A delicious, original and easy dinner is ready.
Pork chops with garlic, rosemary and Brussels sprouts
Photo: food-o-graphy / Shutterstock
Cooking time: 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 450 g Brussels sprouts;
- a little olive oil;
- salt, black pepper - to taste;
- 4 boneless pork chops, 2.5 cm thick;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 1 cup chicken broth;
- ¼ cup cream;
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary;
- 3 tablespoons butter.
Cabbage lightness
What can you eat for dinner while on a diet, besides salad? Cauliflower casserole is a perfectly acceptable alternative. Boil 600 g of cabbage inflorescences in salted water and place them in a heat-resistant form, greased with oil. Whisk 2 eggs with 100 ml of milk, 80 g of grated cheese and a clove of garlic. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste, pour it over the cabbage and place in the microwave at full power for 10 minutes. Fresh herbs will organically complement the casserole.
Yogurt
Both adults and children love yogurt. It is rich in A guide to calcium‑rich foods / Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation calcium, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth, and smooth and cardiac muscles need itCalcium: For Strong Bones, Muscle Function, And So Much More! / Nasm, because it is involved in the contraction process.
In addition, calcium is necessary M. Nisar, R. M. Mohammad, et al. Influence of dietary intake on sleeping patterns of medical students / Cureus for the production of melatonin from tryptophan. If calcium levels in the body are low, less melatonin is produced, which means the quality of sleep will deteriorate.
In the middle of the night, it is best to have a snack of plain yogurt without sweeteners.
Cutlets in Bordeaux
Vegetable cutlets are an excellent dinner when on a diet. The recipe for beet cutlets confirms this. Sauté an onion with 2 cloves of garlic in oil, add 3 boiled grated beets to them. Add herbs to taste, sprinkle with 3 tbsp. l. semolina, mix and wait 10-15 minutes for it to soak. Then we form cutlets, roll them in semolina and simmer under the lid for 6 minutes on each side. Beetroot cutlets for dinner - tasty and healthy. For piquancy, you can add raisins or other dried fruits to these cutlets.
How should you have dinner?
We all use different amounts of energy throughout the day, which means we all need different nutritional values for dinner.
For office workers with a low level of activity, as well as other knowledge workers, nutritionists recommend focusing on protein dishes: fish, chicken, beef, cottage cheese, plus a vegetable side dish. The main requirement is that the food is not fried or heavy.
Those who spend a lot of energy during the day doing physical labor need to have a light and at the same time more nutritious dinner. During increased physical activity, it is permissible to fill part of the plate with a carbohydrate side dish of potatoes or cereals, for example, rice or buckwheat porridge, or half a serving of spaghetti. If you are gaining muscle mass, follow your diet.
Dinner is an important meal and should not be skipped under any circumstances. Have an evening meal no later than 3 hours before bedtime, and be careful about your choice of dishes. Give the fatty and heavy dinner to the enemy, and keep only light and dietary protein dishes for yourself.
Enchanting peppers
A great option for dinner on a diet is stuffed peppers. Boil 80 g of brown rice and mix with finely chopped tomato, carrots, parsley and 7 pitted olives. Fill 4 sweet peppers with minced meat, place them in a deep baking dish and fill with water to the middle. Cook the peppers in the oven for 45 minutes at 200°C, covered with foil. This dinner will definitely satisfy your hunger until the morning!
Cherry
Cherry has S. C. Chai, K. Davis, et al. Effects of tart cherry juice on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in older adults / Nutrients anti-inflammatory effect, and its juice contains J. N. Losso, J. N. Finley, et al. Pilot study of the tart cherry juice for the treatment of insomnia and investigation of mechanisms / American Journal of Therapeutics a small amount of melatonin.
These berries are an ideal late-night snack because they are low in calories, won't overload your stomach, and help keep you feeling light.
Turkey transformation
Turkey meatballs will fit well into your diet dinner menu. Fry chopped onion, garlic and 3 stalks of celery in oil. Grate a medium zucchini and squeeze out the liquid. Pass 600 g of turkey fillet through a meat grinder, combine with the rest of the ingredients, 3 tbsp. l. oatmeal, add salt and spices to taste. Grate 1 medium carrot, finely chop 1 onion, and fry. We make meatballs from the minced meat and simmer in water, frying, covered, for 30 minutes. Serve them with white yoghurt or tomato sauce - they're good either way.
Liver pancakes
Photo: zen.yandex.ru
These pancakes are very nutritious and healthy, and are very easy to prepare!
You will need:
800 g of liver, 50 ml of milk, 1 egg, 4 tbsp.
flour, spices. Preparation:
Rinse and clean the liver, chop and grind it until smooth in a blender. Add all the other ingredients, knead the dough and let it stand for 20 minutes. Fry the pancakes for 5-6 minutes, adding oil periodically.
With sea views
Shrimp makes a great recipe for a simple, easy dinner. You just need to take care of the delicious sauce. We fry carrots and onions, pour in 150 ml of white wine and simmer for 3 minutes. Add a fleshy peeled tomato, chopped dill, 200 ml of cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 300 g of browned shrimp to the sauce and cook over low heat for another 3 minutes. Place a clove of garlic in the pan and the shrimp will acquire a wonderful aroma.
Hearty salad
Ingredients:
- Boiled or smoked sausage - 100 grams;
- Hard cheese - 100 grams;
- Chicken eggs - 3 pcs;
- Canned corn - 140 grams;
- Garlic - 1 clove;
- Mayonnaise - 80 ml.
Cooking process:
The eggs need to be opened until fully cooked and cooled. Then they need to be peeled and cut into small cubes. Next, cut into boiled sausage, which can be pre-boiled, or smoked sausage. We grate the cheese on a coarse grater and combine all the ingredients in one dish: corn, eggs, cheese and sausage. Next, squeeze out the garlic and add mayonnaise, mix everything well and put it in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Waltz of vegetables
Vegetable puree soup - why not a recipe for a delicious light dinner? Divide 300 g of broccoli into florets and chop a bunch of cilantro. Dice a head of onion, a sweet pepper, 4 juicy tomatoes and 5 stalks of celery. Cook the vegetables in 300 ml of water, add salt and pepper to taste at the end. Beat them with a blender into a homogeneous mass, pour in warm milk to the desired thickness and simmer over low heat for another 5 minutes. This soup will allow you to forget about hunger and provide a peaceful, sound sleep.
Mixed vegetable cream soup
Photo: lotusite.ru
If you have a bag of mixed vegetables in your freezer, then we have an original recipe - how to use it!
You will need:
A bag of mixed vegetables, a glass of broth, spices.
Preparation:
A Mexican blend with spicy spices is ideal. Place the vegetables in a saucepan (without water), heat, season, and slowly pour in the broth in 2-3 batches. Boil the mixture for a quarter of an hour, puree it with a blender and add the missing spices for taste.
How to cook garlic arrows: quickly and tasty
banana sun
Dietary pancakes are a good recipe for a light dinner made from simple ingredients. Mash 2 bananas with a fork and pour 250 ml of boiling water. Pour in 150 g of ground oatmeal, 100 g of semolina, 1 tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. baking powder. Pour in 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, honey to taste and beat the liquid dough with a mixer. Fry the pancakes in a hot frying pan until golden brown. Top them with maple syrup or honey and a satisfying dinner is guaranteed.
Zucchini pancakes
Photo: vkuhkne.ru
Dinner will be as light and low-calorie as possible, and young zucchini is best suited for it.
You will need:
200 liters of milk, zucchini, 150 g of flour, egg, herbs, spices.
Preparation:
Wash, dry and grate the zucchini on a medium grater, squeeze out a little excess juice and place in a bowl. Add chopped herbs, raw egg, milk and mix. Slowly add flour to the desired consistency, at the end - about 30 ml of vegetable oil and fry like regular pancakes.
Fruits in zero gravity
Do you like cottage cheese? Then prepare a tender casserole with fruit. Using a mixer, beat 250 g of low-fat cottage cheese with 2 egg whites and 2 tbsp. l. powdered sugar. Cut pineapple, orange and mango into cubes. You can take any fruits and berries that you have on hand, raisins or other dried fruits. Mix them with the curd mass, put them in a heat-resistant form and place them in the oven preheated to 180°C for 20 minutes. This delicacy for dinner will definitely please both you and your loved ones.
White rice
It is peeled from the outer shell, therefore, unlike brown, it contains much less fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. However, some useful elements still remain in itNutritional content of rice compared to other staple foods / Ricepedia, for example vitamin B1 and folic acid.
White rice also has a high glycemic index, a measure that measures how quickly glucose enters the bloodstream. High glycemic index foods improve sleep quality, but it is necessaryShona L. Halson. Sleep in Elite Athletes and Nutritional Interventions to Enhance Sleep / Sports Medicine wait another hour to finally return to bed.
Sweet colors
A thick fermented milk smoothie will be a tasty and healthy end to the day. Peel and cut into slices an apple, a banana and 3 kiwis. Beat an apple and a banana in a blender with 50 ml of kefir, kiwi, 120 ml of yogurt, ½ bunch of spinach and 1 tsp. honey Carefully pour the mixture into a tall glass. This smoothie will please the eye and recharge the body with vitamins.
Find more light dinner recipes with photos from our readers on the “Eat at Home!” website. We look forward to creating your own delicious and healthy dinner recipes that will help you get in shape quickly. It’s also very easy to prepare a delicious and light dinner with “Eat at Home” frozen vegetable and fruit mixtures. Stews, baked vegetables, soups, vegetable casseroles, as well as light and tasty desserts with berries and fruits: cook deliciously!
Getting ready for a light dinner in advance
To avoid overeating in the evening, you should rationally plan your meals throughout the day.
Breakfast must be hearty and balanced; it is your energy boost for the rest of the day. During the working day, do not ignore lunch and have small snacks every 2-3 hours. Consuming the recommended amount of fluid throughout the day will help you better control your appetite in the evening. The norm is at least 2 liters or 30 mg/kg body weight. Drink most fluids evenly throughout the morning before 4 p.m.
If you stick to this plan, when you return home after work, a light dinner will be enough for you.
Why should dinner be easy?
In the afternoon, metabolism begins to slow down and insulin sensitivity increases. During a night's rest, the digestive system of a healthy person works at half capacity, so some of the food may not be completely digested, and its undigested remains remain in the intestines longer, and some begin to be absorbed into the blood and poison the body.
And instead of digestion, food rotting processes occur. By eating at night, you do not allow your body to fully rest, forcing your internal organs to work actively.
However, starving yourself and going to bed with an empty stomach is not the best solution. To ensure you feel light after dinner, your evening meal should contain a minimal amount of carbohydrates and a moderate amount of protein.
When to have dinner?
You can and should eat after 6 pm, but eating right before bed is detrimental to both your fitness results and your overall health.
Those calories and nutrients that the body did not have time to consume and spend will be stored “for the future” in fat cells. Therefore, time your evening meal based on your bedtime.
This rule also applies to a light dinner. Nutritionists say that it is ideal to have dinner three hours before bedtime, and you need to get up from the table with ease in your stomach after eating. After all, sleeping with an empty stomach is a session of detoxification and cleansing of the intestines, while excess dinner turns the night into a self-poisoning procedure.
If the rule of not eating after six o'clock in the evening is too sacred for you, then you need to go to bed around 21-22 o'clock. However, the modern rhythm of life dictates its own rules and most of us come home from work quite late and go to bed around midnight.
If you plan to continue not having dinner after 18:00 at this rate, there are two options for the development of events in your body:
- You courageously keep this vow in the name of a slim waist, but somewhere around midnight your presence of mind betrays you. As a result, the food regime is disrupted, you experience much stronger hunger, you break down and start eating everything that is in the refrigerator. Then the blood rushes to the digestive organs and you fall asleep. The result is overeating and extra pounds.
- The second option is not much better: you demonstrate willpower by refusing even a light dinner, and maintain the regime by falling asleep on an empty stomach. This decision will also not bring you any benefit, since in this case your body gets used to irregular eating and begins to store excess calories for future use.
Going to bed around midnight? Have dinner at eight pm. If your hunger doesn't subside, drink a glass of low-fat kefir or eat something low-calorie before bed.
A healthy, balanced diet leads to a slim body. And sleeping on an empty stomach is no better than overeating at night - both of them upset the balance of the daily diet.
