Dinner should be the lightest meal of the day, but full of nutritious low calorie foods.    When it’s cold, I love warm homemade soups.  In the summer,  grilled organic vegetables with salmon or chicken breasts. Light and simple.  You are preparing your body to rest for the night.  If you overburden your digestive system with heavy food, then you get heartburn and any unused calories  end up stored away as fat.    A good rule of thumb is to stop eating anything but fruit after a certain hour.  When I’m good, I don’t like to eat past 7 pm.  In the summer, It’s easy to get in the habit of eating late because the sun stays out so long.  The later you eat, the lighter it should be.  Be sure you use healthy low calorie foods like the ones listed below.

Here are some of my delicious low calorie foods  for dinners that I love to eat!

Grilled Vegetables with Wild Alaskan Salmon.  There is no better way to eat your veges than to grill them.  I love to slice zucchini, sweet onion, asparagus, and tomatoes or any high fiber low calorie foods you have in the fidge.   I coat them with olive oil, then grill them slowly for 20 minutes or so.  While I’m grilling my vegetables, I marinate the salmon.  I like to use Makoto’s ginger dressing for a spicy, sweet gingery flavor, or sometimes a dressing made with fresh squeezed lemon, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt.  . When the vegetables are finished, I grill the salmon.   I like to garnish with a few bits of crystallized ginger on top.   That’s it!  Simple and easy.   Even my 7 year old son loves this meal!

Vegetable soup. There is nothing like a warm bowl of soup to fill your tummy on  a chilly evening.  This recipe is my weight loss special.  It’s on the top of my healthiest low calorie foods list.   I love to eat it for snacks too.

Saute 2 onions and 3 carrots in garlic and olive oil until slightly tender.  Add 8 cups water and bring to a boil.  Add chicken bouillon,   2 diced potatoes (skins off),  1/2 shredded cabbage, 2 cans dices tomatoes and a little bit of tomato paste.   Add the zucchini last for a filling low calorie dinner.

Taco salad. This is one of my favorite high energy low calorie foods. Brown turkey and add  taco powder.  Make a salad of shredded  romaine lettuce , red leaf, or whatever kind you prefer.  Top with a 1/2 cup taco meat, 1/4 cup salsa of your choice, a dollop of low-fat sour cream and sprinkle a tablespoon of cheddar cheese for a filling low calorie dinner.    Delicious!

Greek Lentil Salad. This is the most nutrient dense low calorie foods I make.  Everything is so good for you!  Mix 1/2 cup drained canned lentils with 1/4 cup each of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion.  Dress with 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of oregano and 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese.  This Salad is shock full of filling low calorie foods!

Bon Apetite!