500-Calorie Dinners Meal Plan: Week 5
Pictured Recipe: Seared Steaks with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola
A week of healthy 500-calorie dinner recipes.
When you're dating, every night can be date night; when you're feeding a family every night-not so much. But Monday can feel like date night this week, since the dinner we have planned for you is Seared Steaks with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola plus two side dishes, all for under 500 calories. In fact there's something special for dinner every night this week (Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry! Arugula & Prosciutto Pizza!), planned, organized and manageable. It's all part of a healthy (and delicious) relationship.
-Wendy Ruopp, Managing Editor
Buy the book now: EatingWell 500-Calorie Dinners
Pictured Recipe: Seared Steaks with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola
Monday: Seared Steaks with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola
Beef tenderloin is naturally lean and mild-flavored, so it's great paired with the intense flavors of sweet caramelized onions and salty Gorgonzola cheese. To go with it, make Crushed Red Potatoes with Buttermilk and sauté chard with 1 tsp. olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
- Seared Steaks with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola
- 306 calories
- Crushed Red Potatoes with Buttermilk
- 85 calories
- Sautéed chard with 1 tsp. olive oil and a squeeze of lemon (1 cup)
- 76 calories
TOTAL: 467 calories
Pictured Recipe: Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry
Tuesday: Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry
Spiked with lots of zesty lemon, this delectable chicken stir-fry has a colorful mix of snow peas, carrots and scallions. But feel free to substitute other thinly sliced vegetables, such as bell peppers or zucchini. Make some brown rice to serve it on to maximize enjoyment of the sauce (and end your day with a whole grain). Then treat yourself to a 100-calorie serving of Fast Strawberry Frozen Yogurt.
- Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry
- 225 calories
- Brown rice(3/4 cup)
- 164 calories
- Fast Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
- 100 calories
TOTAL: 489 calories
Pictured Recipe: Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables
Wednesday: Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables
For a friendly bump over the hump of the week, pour yourself a glass of white wine and get ready to enjoy Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables in just 35 minutes. Serve it with quinoa with chopped fresh herbs-and relax.
- Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables
- 227 calories
- Quinoawith chopped fresh herbs (1/2 cup)
- 111 calories
- White wine (5-ounce glass)
- 116 calories
TOTAL: 454 calories
Pictured Recipe: Moroccan Vegetable Soup
Thursday: Moroccan Vegetable Soup
Tonight's menu takes a little extra planning, but it's worth it for the wonderful leftovers of Moroccan Vegetable Soup you'll be able to take for lunch tomorrow. While it's simmering and filling the kitchen with enticing smells, hold off hunger with some Garlic & Herb Pita Chips. You'll have time, too, to prepare a side dish of Creamy Chopped Cauliflower Salad and whip up Raspberry Applesauce for dessert.
- Moroccan Vegetable Soup
- 237 calories
- Garlic & Herb Pita Chips
- 117 calories
- Creamy Chopped Cauliflower Salad
- 48 calories
- Raspberry Applesauce
- 67 calories
TOTAL: 469 calories
Pictured Recipe: Arugula & Prosciutto Pizza
Friday: Arugula & Prosciutto Pizza
Sautéed onions, prosciutto and fontina cheese flavor this white pizza. Topping the hot-out-of-the-oven pizza with fresh greens and diced tomatoes gives it a delicious, summery twist. We use store-bought pizza dough to keep it quick. Make a salad of mixed greens with Parmesan-Pepper Dressing and pour a glass of red wine to toast your week of creative and satisfying dinners that kept your weight goals on track.
- Arugula & Prosciutto Pizza
- 306 calories
- Mixed greens (1½ cups) with 2 Tbsp.Parmesan-Pepper Dressing
- 37 calories
- Red wine (5-ounce glass)
- 120 calories
TOTAL: 463 calories