Dinner & Breakfast Diet Ideas

Preparing breakfast and dinner at home allows you to control the ingredients so you can focus on healthy foods without a lot of unnecessary calories and fat. A diet does not mean you have to eat bland foods and go hungry. A well-stocked pantry allows you to put together breakfasts and dinners that taste good, but do not blow your calorie allowance.

Pizzas

Create a fruit pizza for a sweet breakfast treat. Use a whole-wheat pita and spread it with a tablespoon of almond butter. Top with a variety of fruits such as thinly sliced apple, pears, strawberries and bananas. Bake for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven until the pitas are crispy and the fruit is slightly soft. A pizza made with a large, 6-inch diameter pita and ½ banana contains about 315 total calories. Make a savory breakfast pizza by topping each half of an English muffin with a slice of tomato, a slice of low-fat mozzarella cheese and a slice of Canadian bacon. Bake at 400 degrees F until the bacon is slightly crisped, the cheese is melted and the muffin is browned -- all for a 300-calorie meal. For a quick dinner pizza, make a quick flatbread crust, courtesy of Pam Anderson's book "The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great," by mixing together ½ cup of white flour and ½ cup of wheat flour, a dash of salt, 1/3 cup of warm water and a teaspoon of olive oil. Add more water if too thick, but the dough should be stiff enough to roll out into four rounds, about ½-inch thick. Top with traditional pizza ingredients or use sautéed spinach and feta cheese or hummus and roasted pepper and bake in a 450 degree F oven for about 10 minutes. The flatbread contains 110 calories per 1/4 of the recipe, plus the calories for any added toppings.

Eggs

Eating eggs for breakfast can actually enhance weight loss. In a study in the2008 issue of the "International Journal of Obesity," dieters who ate eggs for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight than dieters who ate an equal amount of calories in a bagel for breakfast. Two hard-boiled eggs with toast makes a quick breakfast, or if you have more time, make a two-egg omelet filled with diced ham, green peppers and mushrooms to fit in a vegetable serving. Eggs can make a quick diet dinner as well. Beat together two egg whites and one whole egg and ½ cup of cooked quinoa. Pour into a non-stick omelet pan sprayed with cooking spray and cook over medium heat until the bottom is set. Top with ½ cup of cooked broccoli and ¼ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Finish under the broiler for a protein-rich frittata containing less than 350 calories.

Tacos

Breakfast tacos may not sound like a diet food, but create them with healthy ingredients instead of fatty bacon and chorizo for a low-calorie morning meal. Chop ½ cup potatoes into a small dice and brown in olive oil along with chili powder, salt, cumin and pepper. Serve in two corn tortillas along with a scrambled egg and salsa for a 300 calorie breakfast. For healthy, light dinner tacos, make a filling by browning onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and Mexican oregano with lean ground turkey. Add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilis. Serve in whole-wheat tortillas with shredded lettuce, salsa and a little low-fat cheese. Add sliced avocado, but stick to just 1/4 of a fruit to add just 75 calories and healthy fats.