7 healthy meals under 300 calories (Using only 16 ingredients)

Tweet this! Apparently, Kraft does a program called 1 bag 5 dinners where they give you 5 recipes you can use to incorporate a set number of ingredients throughout the week (Thanks to Sydney for giving me a heads up on this! Love you).

Only problem is that Kraft doesn't seem to have been very diet-conscious when designing these meals (with meals like Spaghetti Bolognese, Beef Stew, and Pasta Alfredo, which really do a number on your daily caloric, sodium, and fat intake).

So here's my solution: a healthy version. Using the same 16 ingredients, you can save money at the store, save time in the kitchen, and save your fresh produce from going bad before you can eat it... and, best of all, a serving size of each of these recipes is either at or below 300 calories!

What you need for the week:

1. Quinoa (Pronounced Keen-Wah, FYI) 
2. Sliced Turkey (Preferably Black Pepper)
3. 2 cans of black beans (can substitute other beans)
4. 1 can of chick peas (can substitute other beans/peas)
5. 1 can black eye peas (can substitute other beans/peas)
6. 1 large box Spinach or mixed baby greens
7. 1 small box Strawberries
8. Feta Cheese (fat free)
9. 1 red pepper
10. Slices of pepperjack (or any other) cheese
11. Whole wheat tortillas
12. Mushrooms
13. Balsamic vinegar
14. Extra Virgin Olive oil
15. Cumin
16. Sandwich Thins

Meals You'll Be Making:

Turkey, Mushroom & Cheese Panini
Bean Salad
Cumin Quinoa w. Beans & Pepper
Whole Wheat Cheesy Quesadillas
Berry Balsamic Salad
Personal Pizzas
Red Pepper & Mushroom Salad

The Recipes:

Turkey, Mushroom & Cheese Panini
Ingredients: Turkey, Sandwich Thins, Mushrooms, Cheese slice



Directions:

1. Sautee and drain mushroom slices 
2. Place 1 ripped up slice of cheese and 1 ripped up slice of turkey on a sandwich thin. Add drained mushroom slices 
3. Toast in oven for ten minutes

Nutritional Information (based on one panini):
Sandwich Thin (100 Calories)
Turkey Slice (30 calories)
Slice of Pepperjack Cheese (80 calories)
Mushroom Slices (30 calories)
Total: 230 calories

Bean Salad
Ingredients: 1 can black beans, 1 can chick peas, 1 can black eye peas, feta cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar



Directions:

1. Drain beans & peas 
2. Dump drained beans into a large bowl and stir 
3. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 
4. When ready to eat, add feta to taste and stir

Nutritional Information (based on 1/4 of recipe):
Black Eye Peas (65 calories)
Chick Peas (80 calories)
Black Beans (80 calories)
Feta (40 calories)
Olive Oil (20 calories)
Balsamic Vinegar (15 calories)
Total: 300 calories

Cumin Quinoa w/ Beans & Pepper
Ingredients: 1 cup of Quinoa, 2 cups of water, cumin, 1 can of black beans, ½ red pepper

Directions:

1. Boil 2 cups of water 
2. Add 1 cup Quinoa and 2 teaspoons of Cumin and reduce to simmer 
3. Leave covered for 20 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, drain black beans and wash and chop half of one red pepper 
5. Add drained black beans (about half the can) and red pepper slices. Add Cumin to taste.

**Save leftover Quinoa & leftover black beans for the next recipe!**

Nutritional Information (based on 1/4 of recipe):
Quinoa (180 calories)
Cumin (0 calories)
Red Pepper (25 calories)
Black Beans (80 calories)
Total: 285

Whole wheat quesadillas 
Ingredients: Cheese, Whole Wheat Tortillas, leftover cumin quinoa (or make more), leftovers from first can of black beans.

Directions:

1. Place one tortilla on a skillet on medium heat. 
2. Add ripped up cheese slice and sprinkle in feta cheese, leftover Quinoa, and leftover black beans 
3. Add top layer of tortilla. 
4. Cook in skillet for 2-5 minutes.

Nutritional Information (for one Quesadilla):
Whole wheat tortilla (120 calories)
Cheese slice (80 calories)
Feta cheese (30 calories)
Quinoa (30 calories)
Black beans (30 calories)
Total: 290 calories

Berry Balsamic Salad
Ingredients: Spinach (or mixed greens), strawberries, feta, olive oil, balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Cover plate in spinach (or mixed greens) 
2. Add sliced strawberries and sprinkle feta cheese on top 
3. Lightly pour balsamic vinegar and olive oil as dressing.

Nutritional information:
Spinach (50 calories)
Strawberries (50 calories)
Feta cheese (80 calories)
Balsamic Vinegar (40 calories)
Olive Oil (60 calories)
Total: 280 Calories

Personal Pizzas
Ingredients: Sandwich thins, spinach, cheese slices, mushrooms, olive oil, feta cheese, turkey.



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 
2. Divide sandwich thins and place on an un-greased cookie sheet (these will be used as pizza crusts rather than sandwich thins). 
3. Lightly drizzle olive oil on each sandwich thin. Add a few small pieces of spinach and mushroom slices (can be sauteed in olive oil first, if you like them to be very soft), as well as some ripped up pieces of turkey. If you've got pizza-esque leftovers from earlier in the week, such as cumin quinoa or red pepper, go ahead and add those in. 
4. Rip or cut up one cheese slice per pizza and cover ingredients on the pizza with cheese. Sprinkle feta on top. 
5. Toast in oven for ten minutes

Nutritional Information:
Sandwich Thin (100 calories)
Olive oil (20 calories)
Spinach (10 calories)
Mushroom (20 calories)
Turkey (40 calories)
Cheese slice (80 calories)
Feta (30 calories)
Total: 300 calories

Red Pepper & Mushroom Salad
Ingredients: Spinach (or mixed greens), mushrooms, ½ red pepper, feta, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, leftover cumin Quinoa (if any)

Directions:

1. Cover plate in spinach (or mixed greens) 
2. Add sliced mushrooms 
3. Add sliced red pepper (remaining half) 
4. Add feta cheese 
5. Lightly pour olive oil & balsamic vinegar as dressing

Nutritional Information:
Spinach (50 calories)
Feta (80 calories)
Red Pepper (20 calories)
Mushrooms (50 calories)
Olive oil (60 calories)
Balsamic Vinegar (40 calories)
Total: 300 calories

Enjoy! Don't forget to check out this week's recipe link up here and fitness collaborative (I'm running a virtual half marathon) here!