We’ve learned by now, I really love varying my down days – crafting a single 500 calorie meal. This week was no exception. Not only did I do the meal I am sharing today, I also (&unexpectedly) did a zero eating down day!
For the actual 500 calorie meal I went with a theme; protein! This meal was all things, variety in textures, refreshing and so, so delicious!! All important to me – I can’t look forward to a 500 calorie meal if it’s not comprised of delicious components, right? And I am all about enjoying my food daily, even on down days!
The start of this meal is dairy! I made a whole milk dip with 1/4 cup green yogurt and 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese. The Badia Ranch seasoning added zero calories and made my greek yogurt a ranch dip. Then I did a generous coating of Slap Ya Mama (seriously a favorite of mine, though it’s a tad salty to be perfect).
Yogurt – 57 calories, Cottage Cheese – 330 calories, Seasonings – 0 = running total 387
Naturally, if I make a dip… something needs to dip in it. BRING ON THE CRUNCH! I LOVE to dip veggies in ranch, but this yogurt alternative is quickly gaining favor in my diet, it’s much heartier and lower calorie than ranch dressing. So I added broccoli, a sliced mini cucumber and cherry tomatoes.
Cherry tomatoes – 15 calories, 1/2 cup broccoli – 15 calories, mini cucumber – 10 calories = running total = 427 calories
Looking pretty delicious to me!
I almost always have a zero calorie beverage in my down days. These serve two purposes; keep calories low (duh) while also adding to the variety of flavors. So I chose a coconut la croix to add a bit of a sweet profile to an otherwise savory meal. I also had room to add in a cheese stick – which are another protein option & fun to eat!!
Cheese stick – 70 calories, La Croix – 0 calories = running and final total 497 calories!
This meal was very satisfying and the protein between the cottage cheese, cheese stick and greek yogurt really allowed me to feel full much longer. My cottage cheese and the greek yogurt were full fat options (or at least not lowfat)… going low fat would save further calories, but I like the creaminess most of the time.
As always, these meals are used as part of an overall pattern. When I eat a single 500 calorie meal in a day (down day), it is ALWAYS followed up with a larger eating window the next day (up day). My up days are always at least 6 hours long and two meals. The down and up pattern keeps variety in my schedule, provides flexibility and helps maintain my weight loss.
If parts of this meal aren’t your favorite, don’t forget… adjust to your liking! Hate cherry tomatoes? Have an extra mini cucumber, or substitute for a few berries! The longer you do down days, the more you’ll have a huge list of perfect foods to sneak in to really fill your plate and enjoy your meal!
