Yummy recipes all under 500 calories!

Who said diet food had to be boring? Here fitness expert and dietician Samreedhi Goel shares a variety of yummy recipes for every meal, all under 500 calories!

BREAKFAST

Onion poha (150 calories)
Ingredients

• Rice flakes (poha), 30 grams
• Oil, 1½ tsp
• Onion, 1 large
• Mustard seeds (rye), 1 tsp
• Green chilli, 1 big
• Turmeric powder, ¾ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Juice of 1 lemon

~ Chop the onions and green chilli and set aside. Wash poha with water and allow the excess water to drain.
~ Heat oil in a kadai (wok) add the rye, green chilli, onions and turmeric powder cook on low flame till onions become slightly transparent
~ Add poha and sprinkle salt and lime juice.
~ Serve hot.

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French toast (230 calories)
Ingredients

• Bread, 2 slices
• Egg whites, 2
• Oil, 1 tsp
• Salt & pepper to taste

~ Whisk the whites of two eggs together with salt and pepper
~ Dip the slices of bread in this mix till soaked
~ Heat 1 tsp oil on a non stick pan and place bread slices on the pan. Cook till crisp.
~ Serve with tomato ketchup.

Cereal & milk (200 calories)
This is the easiest breakfast for when you are on the run!

Ingredients

• Skimmed milk, 200 ml
• Bran flakes, 30 grams
• 1 apple or ½ banana or ½ mango

~ Add bran flakes to chilled milk top with a fruit and serve!

LUNCH
Dahi idlis (175 calories)
This dish is the perfect summer cooler. If you plan to carry this with you it would be a good idea to use very thick curds or drain the water from the curds for an hour or two.

Ingredients

• Medium-sized idlis, 2-3
• Dahi, 100 grams (1 medium cup)
• Oil, 1 ½ tsp
• Mustard seeds, 1 tsp
• Curry leaves (kadipatta), few leaves
• Salt to taste

~ Cut each idli into 4 pieces
~ Add a little water and salt to curds, beat well and pour on the idlis
~ Heat oil, add to it rye and kadipatta and pour this over the dahi idlis
~ Serve chilled.

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Paneer Frankie (275 calories) **
Ingredients

• Medium-sized rotis, 2
• Paneer, 8-10 small pieces
• Onion, 2 medium
• Tomato, 1 large
• Oil, 1 tsp
• Coriander chutney, 2 tsp
• Ketchup, 1 tsp
• Chaat masala, 1 tsp
• Juice of a lemon
• Salt to taste

~ Put coriander chutney on the rotis and sprinkle chaat masala
~ Chops onions, set aside 2 tsps onion and sprinkle lime juice on them keep aside for 10 minutes then put these onions on the rotis.
~ Heat oil, add chopped onions, chopped tomato, ketchup, salt and paneer pieces
~ Once this mixture is ready, add to rotis and a little more sprinkle chaat masala
~ Roll up & serve like a frankie

Chatpata Chicken sandwich**
Ingredients

• Sandwich bread, 2 slices
• Boneless chicken breast, 25 grams
• Onion, 1 large
• Tomato, 1 large
• Green capsicum, 1 large
• Ginger garlic paste, 1-2 tsp
• Chilli sauce, 2 tsp
• Soya sauce, 1 tsp
• Oil, 1 tsp

~ Chop onion, tomato and capsicum finely.
~ Cut chicken into small cubes
~ Heat oil and add all sauces then the vegetables and the chicken, allowing it all to blend well as it cooks on a low flame.
~ Stuff in sandwich and serve or you can even grill the sandwich after stuffing.

**To add fibre to this meal accompany it with a salad made with tomato, lettuce leaves, cucumber and carrot = 125 calories (You may also drizzle 1 tsp of French dressing)

SNACKS

• 1 plain croissant: 270 calories
• 1 khakhra: 150 calories

Bhel (125 calories)

• Rice puffs (kurmura), 30 grams
• Lime juice
• Tamarind chutney, 2 tsp
• Coriander chutney, 2 tsp
• Small cubes boiled potato, 4-5
• Salt to taste

~ Mix all the ingredients and it's ready to serve.

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DINNER
Green Pulao with Vegetable raita (485 calories)
Ingredients

• Rice, 2 small cups
• Onion, 2 chopped fine
• Small tomatoes, 3 chopped finely
• Ginger garlic paste, 2 tsp

Green paste

• Corriander, 1 small bunch
• Green chilli, 2
• Curry leaves(kadipatta), 20
• Mint leaves, 10

~ Grind these to a paste

Masalas

• Red chilli powder, ½ tsp
• Dried coriander powder (dhania), 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder, ½ tsp
• Black cardamom (badi elaichi), 2
• Cinnamon sticks (dalchini) 2
• Clove, 3
• Oil, 2 tsp

~ Heat oil in a large bowl or pan
~ To this add chopped onion and cook till brown
~ Add ginger garlic paste, masalas and chopped tomato, cook on low flame till tomatoes are soft.
~ Then add the green paste and cook for 3-5 minutes
~ Add the rice to the mix and cook till rice grains separate
~ Add two glasses water and allow it to cook on low flame till rice is done

Vegetable Raita

• Curds, 1 small bowl
• Salt and jeera (cumin seeds) powder to taste
• 1 cucumber grated

~ Beat the curds with salt and jeera powder and add the grated cucumber
~ Serve chilled

Misal pav (450 calories)
Ingredients

• Dried peas (vatana) soaked in water for 4-6 hours, 1 medium cup 
• Chopped onion, 2 large
• Coriander, 1 handful
• Garam masala, 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder, 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Ginger garlic paste, 1 ½ tsp
• Ready usal misal masala, 1-2 tsp
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Oil 1-2 tsp
• Water
• Pav 2 medium

~ Pressure cook the vatana by giving 1-2 whistles then keep aside
~ Heat oil, add 1 chopped onion and cook till slightly transparent
~ To this add ginger garlic paste and cook on low flame
~ Add all masalas and the cooked vatana
~ Top with lime juice, corriander and onions
~ You can add 1 tsp of tamarind chutney if you like
~ Serve with two pav