Low-calorie Fall Dinner Ideas

Fall signals the end of outdoor grilling and the farmers market, seemingly making healthy eating more challenging. Take advantage of the seasonal offerings of fall and build low-calorie dinners that allow you to manage your weight. Even if you don't think you have time to cook, some of these ideas can be thrown together quickly without blowing your calorie budget.

Soups

Soups satisfy your need for something warm and nourishing as the temperatures drop. Use a basic formula to create a hot, steaming, hearty bowl of soup. Start by heating 1 or 2 tsp. of heart-healthy olive or canola oil in a sauté pan, add chopped onion and cook it until it is just soft. From this point, be creative. Add vegetables, fresh or frozen, a protein choice and chicken (or vegetable) stock and a can of diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and toss in a starchy vegetable, quinoa, whole grain pasta--try orzo for speed--or beans. Simmer for 20 minutes and it is done. To take advantage of fall's bounty, try a soup that includes scallops, carrots and fennel or a chowder of leeks, potatoes and salmon. Eat the soup alone, or serve with a green salad featuring baby chard and spinach, or an open-faced sandwich made with a slice of whole grain bread, tomato and low fat cheese heated under the broiler until the cheese bubbles.

Salads

Try a hearty version of a fall salad. Toss flavorful mixed greens like mizuna, spinach and arugula with dried cranberries, roasted butternut squash and diced, roasted turkey breast. Alternatively, use romaine, red cabbage, diced chicken breast, red grapes, red onion, toasted walnuts and blue cheese. Both of these salads work well with a light balsamic vinaigrette made with a minced garlic clove, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard, salt and pepper and about 1/3 cup olive oil. Shake the dressing ingredients in a tightly covered container until emulsified for about 120 calories per 2 tbsp.

Roasts

Roasts may bring to mind fatty pork shoulder or prime rib, but can just as easily be done with lean cuts like chicken breast and pork tenderloin. Fall vegetables, like mushrooms, carrots, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes and beets, burst with flavor when roasted. Chop the vegetables uniformly into bite-size pieces and toss with olive oil, fresh rosemary and salt. Lay them on a sheet pan, sprayed with cooking spray, and cook in a 400 degree F oven for 20 to 30 minutes--until caramelized and soft. Serve alongside simple roasted chicken that was marinated in balsamic vinegar and dried herbes de Provence. On another night, marinate pork tenderloin in mustard, garlic and white wine vinegar and roast for about 20 minutes in a 450 degree F oven.