Nothing tastes as good...

... as being a skinny minnie feels!

My fave easy-DIY low-cal (ie all well under 300 c's) dinners at the moment:

*Roasted Asparagus
(spray a cookie sheet with Pam, put asparagus on the sheet, spray with Pam, 2 tsp of parmesan cheese, salt & pepper. Bake at 450 until you can pierce the asparagus easily with a fork.)

*Pasta Primavera
(Use angel hair; it's the most filling by weight. 100 cal/ 1 oz. Prepare angel hair according to package directions. Steam broccoli & asparagus. Heat low-cal tomato sauce- 70 c per serving. Mix. 2 tsp parmesan cheese optional, 20 additional cals)

*"South American" (as my mom would say) Chicken
(For chicken, use either Perdue Short Cuts- follow directions on pkg to heat- or raw chicken breast prepared with Pam. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 c light shredded cheese, pineapple salsa from Trader Joe's- only 15 cals per 2 tbsp!-, heat in microwave until melted. Optional, add 1 tbsp sour cream (20 cals). Dump entire contents onto a bed of field greens.

*Meatballs & Sauce (Trader Joe's necessary. Luckily for Char, TJ's is opening in NY!)
http://www.nysun.com/article/10058
(TJ's turkey meatballs, 50 cals each and enormous. TJ's organic creamy tomato soup, 100 cals per cup. Prepare according to individual directions.)

*and, mais oui, Lean Cuisine!


Kitchen necessities (absolutely, positively, HAVE TO HAVE THEM):

*Scale to weigh your food for portion control (I bough a cheap one from Target, for $10, but have been eyeing electronic models- more precise.)

*Mesu bowls (see picture).

*Baby spoons. Sounds certifiable, but I swear by it!