Low-Calorie Dinner Recipes for Weeknights
It can be a challenge to get a healthy meal on the table during time-crunched nights. These recipes make it easier to put a healthy and lighter dinner on the table. We've got yummy recipes for spaghetti squash, chicken, and more so you can eat healthy every day.
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Yogurt-Curry Marinated Chicken Thighs
This healthy chicken thigh recipe is tender and packed with flavor, thanks to a yogurt-based marinade. The healthy yogurt marinade recipe also works well with pork, shrimp, firm fish or tofu. (Divide the recipe in half if marinating 1 pound of chicken thighs.)
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Baked Tilapia Curry
This healthy fish-and-vegetable curry recipe is made with yellow curry paste, but any Thai curry paste--red or green--will work. Serve with sautéed green beans and brown basmati rice to soak up all the delicious sauce.
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Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs
With this spaghetti squash and meatballs recipe, you can reduce the carbohydrates and increase the vegetable servings by skipping pasta and serving the Italian-seasoned turkey meatballs and quick, homemade marinara sauce over thin strands of cooked spaghetti squash instead. Cooking the squash first in the microwave and then in a skillet to cook off the extra moisture, gives the squash a more spaghetti-like texture.
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General Tso's Chicken
In this healthy version of a General Tso's Chicken recipe, we cut the fat and sodium in half from the original version by not frying the chicken and by using half as much soy sauce in this Chinese-takeout favorite. Serve with steamed baby bok choy or sautéed spinach and steamed brown rice.
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Chicken Thighs with Couscous & Kale
One-pot meals, like this all-in-one chicken thigh, kale and Israeli couscous recipe, are perfect for nights when you want to keep cleanup to a minimum. Look for Israeli couscous--small pearl-shaped pasta made from semolina flour--near other Middle Eastern dry goods in well-stocked supermarkets or specialty-foods stores.
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Vegetarian Tikka Masala
In this vegetarian tikka masala recipe, we combine crisp tofu pieces and vegetables in a spiced tomato sauce to make a healthy and flavorful dish. If you like spicy food, increase the amount of crushed red pepper. Serve with steamed brown rice for a healthier take on a classic takeout dish.
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White Turkey Chili
This healthy white turkey chili recipe is gorgeous, with flecks of green from zucchini, oregano and green chiles. To keep the saturated fat low, we use one pound of ground turkey and add whole-grain bulgur to boost the volume and fiber in this chili recipe. After all the ingredients are added to the pot, we like to slowly simmer our chili for close to an hour to develop the best flavor, but if you're in a hurry, reduce the liquid by half and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.