My five favorite 100-calorie meals
On the Johnson Up Day Down Day Diet, 100 calories (okay, kilocalories) is about a fifth of my daily limit on a down day, so you can bet that I want to make them count! I’m always on the lookout for low calorie foods that are still satisfying and tasty (I’m a picky eater, which doesn’t help much).
I tend to eat meals on my down days that are closer to 200 or 250 calories, but I’m planning to change this because there are some significant benefits to doing five 100-calorie meals. Many people do better when they eat more often. As far as I can tell, this is both physical (blood sugar levels and so on) and psychological (it feels less like starving 
). More meals also build in more nutritional diversity.
My tastes are likely not your tastes. I did a lot of my research on NutritionData, which I highly recommend—you might be surprised at what you learn there.
Here are my top five picks:
- Spinach salad with mushrooms and homemade dressing. A cup of spinach plus a half cup of white mushrooms (I really like mushrooms) weighs in at just 56 calories, leaving plenty for one of the delicious-sounding low-calorie homemade dressings I’ve found (all three recipes are based on cottage cheese, so I’m going to try them starting tomorrow after I go grocery shopping).
- Apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon. I like all things apple sprinkled with cinnamon. A medium apple (2.75″ diameter) is about 72 calories.
- Half a baked potato with sour cream. Potatoes have roughly 1 calore per gram, and I figure half of a medium sized potato would be about 75 calories. Throw in a dash of salt and 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream and you’re at an even 100. Or combine with the next item for a big splurge.
- Steamed broccoli. Broccoli and spinach are about the only green veggies I eat, but happily, they’re both super nutritious. I can fit two cups (cooked!) into 100 calories. Dash of salt and I’m a happy camper.
- Sliced mushrooms dipped in marinara sauce. Mushrooms are so low-calorie it’s ridiculous, and they’re also very high on the Fullness Factor scale. A half cup of sauce ranges between about 50 and 70 calories, depending on what kind you buy. With your remaining 30-50 calories, you’re looking at six to ten large mushrooms. That’s a lot of mushrooms! (Of course, I may be the only one who thinks that’s a good thing…)
This post is part of the “Top 5″ ProBlogger Group Writing Project.
I am also doing the Johnson Up Day Down Day Diet. I really like the 100 calorie microwave popcorn bags. Popcorn is yummy and munchy for when you are craving that sort of thing. Plus it has great staying power!
I can’t believe I forgot to mention the popcorn! I have a big ol’ box of Pop Secret 100-calorie bags in the pantry. I tested out a couple of different brands and was really pleased with how the Pop Secret tasted; definitely lighter than full-butter popcorn, but quite tasty.
Very nice blog – glad I stumbled on it!
I love popcorn too – I measure mine out into an air popper (I keep my sodium low to help with the blood pressure). I’ve been on my healthy eating plan for a little over a year now — lost over 70 lbs and about 70ish more to go. My friend and I have been blogging about it together on our blog The Incredible Shrinking Ladies.
Lady Rose
Mmm-mm…that made me hungry just reading it!
Bookmarked for future reference, and feed added to my reader
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Oh my god people!!! You are sick. If you had any knowledge about nutrition you would know this is totally stupid!!! Seek help with pros!
Hi, Anne–thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. I know there are many people who would agree with you.
I’m not sure how much you know about the Johnson UpDayDownDay Diet thing, but I’m guessing from your response that you haven’t dug into the science behind it (which is perfectly reasonable, as most people haven’t).
Personally, the jury’s still out for me on it. This blog is meant to chronicle my experimentation, rather than advocate a particular diet or concept, and I opted to try the JUDDDD for a number of reasons, ranging from the evident success of its followers to the convenience aspect.
I haven’t been on the diet long enough to have even an anecdotal stance on the results, but that’s why I’m testing it. Until I get a bodybugg or similar, my information is somewhat limited, but I’m hoping it will be helpful to others anyway.
Those meals are great for either snacks or meals. They show that you can still enjoy eating but do it healthy and in moderation.
I have lost 53 lbs of the Johnson Upday Downday Diet. It really works and I know with this knowledge I will never let myself get fat again. This diet gives you control over food. I have a spark team, Friends of Dr. Johnson, on sparkpeople.com if you want more information.
Another good meal is, take a red potato cut it into french fry strips, put on a cookie sheet sprayed with pam. Yhen sprinkle seasoning salt on top. Bake in oven for 20 min. at 450. Enjoy with mustard (no calories) or a little catsup.
Wow, really wonderful ideas. I wish you could post even more; I am so eager to try them. I love the fact that your top five are vegetarian. I too LOVE Mushrooms!!
I love the ideas you have posted here! My son was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome and therefore is restricted to 800 calories a day. This is extremely hard for me as we are not normally healthy eaters and have never learned to be at any point. I am trying all of your ideas with my son. Thanks so much hope to see more for him.