Dinner's Ready, for about 400 Calories (or Less)

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Editor's Note: All this week, we're sharing meals, snacks and even desserts that can fit into your daily life. We combine our recipes with simple and nutritious sides for healthy meals, snacks and desserts that are calorie-conscious. You'll be amazed that you can fill your plate and still fit into your jeans the next day. (Find the whole series here.)

You'll need to pick up a copy of "The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight" to access the recipes, but we will share some sneak peeks this week--and you can easily add recipes from the cookbook to your SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker, too!
 
It's 5 o'clock. You're sitting in traffic on your way to pick up the kids from daycare. All you can think about is how hungry you are. Drive-thrus and takeout are tempting, but you know neither your wallet nor your waistline will be happy with that decision.
You don't have much time, you need to make something that everyone in the family will eat, and you need it to fit into your SparkPeople Nutrition Tracker.
Stop worrying, crank up the radio, and enjoy the ride. "The SparkPeople Cookbook" has dinner covered.

These 10 combos have about 400 calories--can you believe it?
  1. Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken in a whole wheat tortilla with 1 cup mixed greens and 1/4 avocado (377 calories)
  2. Baked Chicken Tenders with roasted potatoes, carrot sticks and Spicy Yogurt Sauce (351 calories)
  3. Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with whole-wheat couscous and grilled summer squash (415 calories)
  4. Peppercorn Steak with Herbed Blue Cheese, roasted potatoes and green beans (416 calories)
  5. Miso Vegetable Soup with Edamame Confetti Salad and 1 serving rice crackers (407 calories)
  6. Orange Chicken with brown rice and sautéed peppers (367 calories)
  7. Maple-Glazed Roasted Salmon with broccoli and brown rice (430 calories)
  8. Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili, 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup milk and Lunch Box Carrot Slaw with Apples (436 calories)
  9. Parmesan Chicken with Tomato-Basil Salad and a Multi Grain Roll (410 calories)
  10. Chiles Rellenos with 2 corn tortillas, 2 tablespoons of guacamole, and 1 cup shredded cabbage slaw with vinaigrette (408 calories)

    Updated to add: Vegetarians, take note: We didn't forget you. There are almost 100 vegetarian recipes in the book, it was co-written by one of your own (me!), and we have an entire chapter devoted to vegetarian entrees.
Which one of these recipes would you like to make for dinner tonight?