500 calorie meals are a fun part of my week!  It may seem odd, since it’s the only day I actively count calories.  However, I like the game of it!  What can I come up with?! Also, I know so many people like to see 500 calorie down day examples to see it’s not an impossible meal to actually enjoy!

Today I didn’t specifically purchase anything to make a 500 calorie meal.  I looked within my packed fridge and to my delight, made a filling and delicious meal.

First, I knew I wanted to drink a liquid IV at the end of my eating window.  I have found I do enjoy drinking these before long fasts!  They’re delicious, provide electrolytes to make my longer fasts better.  Plus, I really do find them to be hydrating and refreshing on these warm days.  I cannot quantify a benefit, but I enjoy them.  And for me, that is enough!

Watermelon Flavor added to ice water – 45 calories

Liquid IV has sent me many flavors to try for free and all are great!  I am not sponsored, but they did offer to sign me up as an affiliate.  Since I loved the product I signed up.  If you shop through me, I earn commission.  However, they also provide you a 25% discount (sometimes more during specials!!) and free shipping!

Sometimes I choose to do a zero calorie drink, like diet cola or a flavored la croix (see meal here), but Liquid IV helps push through a fast feeling better and has been worth the 45 calories.

With drink established, we can assemble all the ingredients I foraged for in the comfort of my kitchen.

Truthfully, it’s a promising looking meal even at this point!  I was most excited to have the idea of a berry bowl. SO, SO good and not many calories.  I didn’t take many progress photos so we will break down the meal before the reveal!

Berry Bowl – 110 calories total

• 1 cup unsweetened  vanilla almond milk (bought at ALDI) – 30 calories
• 1 cup blueberries – 60 calories
• 5 sliced strawberries – 20 calories

I don’t know why I don’t eat this regularly!  Truly delicious and felt nothing like a sacrifice or low calorie option.  This will be something I start to incorporate into my eating windows – down day or not!  I saved it to the end to eat, like dessert.

Egg Scramble – 345 calories total

• Pam spray, salt & pepper – 0 calories (even if adds eventually to calories, it’s negligible and I don’t count)
• 1 chicken sausage (from Imperfect Foods) – 170 calories
• 2 Eggs – 140 calories
• 1 cup of frozen spinach – 30 calories
• 2 tbsp Kimchi – 5 calories
• Dragon Sauce (from Trader Joe’s) – 0 calories

I added the frozen spinach to a heated pan with pam.  I also diced the chicken sausage and began to sautee that.  The cooking of the sausage added a nice bit of flavor to the pan along with spinach juices thawing.  Once my chicken sausage was getting browned, I added in the two eggs and continued to cook and scramble it all together.  Once plated, I topped with 2 tbsp of Kimchi and added dragon sauce to dip in.  It was PHENOMENAL!  The chicken sausage had a bit of sweetness and adding the spicy dragon sauce was the final touch needed!

Grand Total – 500 calories (45+110+345)

This took me a whopping 17 minutes to eat!  I did finish a bit of liquid IV after my window closed.  It’s not what I would technically recommend, but I wanted to sip a bit longer and knew my body wouldn’t think it was still eating by drinking the remaining watermelon deliciousness.