Free Meal Planners, American Style

Article by Diet Bites

American Meal Planners & Recipes for Your Diet

When it comes to the American Style menus - we end up with a smorgasbord of tantalizing flavors! Many contain inflections of our ancestors who came to America from all corners of the globe.

Basic, American Style meals tend to embrace the healthy Food Pyramid - typically containing grains, vegetables, proteins, dairy and a fruity-concocted dessert entree - all of which are naturally low in calories in their basic states.

So where do all the calories come from?

Most calories are added to American Diet in the form of fat: butter, margarine, cooking oils, visible fat on proteins, full-blown dairy products such as cream cheese and most varieties of cheese.

Therefore, in Diet Bites American-Style Diet Meal Planners, we'll keep a lid on for flavor while blocking as many fat calories as possible.

And an added perk for dieters is that they won't spend all day in the kitchen or at the market searching for strange ingredients OR a plethora of ingredients, because our low calorie diet recipes are simple to prepare.

Five American-Style Diet & Low Calorie Recipes created in the humble Diet Bites kitchen.

Diet Meal Planner - Merry Men's Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes

No one cooks meatloaf better than mama - unless it's those Merry Men who live in the forest. With so much time on their hands, they sure can cook up some tasty offerings - including this American-Style Meatloaf and Mashed Potato Diet Menu.

Ingredients for Merry Men's Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes, a Low Calorie Recipe for Dieters

1 pound of extra lean ground beef (or use ground turkey if preferred)

1 egg, slightly beaten

Salt & Pepper to suit personal taste

20 Saltine Crackers, coarsely crushed

Ketchup, Sliced Onions & Bell Pepper Rings (any variety of onions and peppers)

Directions for Preparing Merry Men's Meatloaf, a Low Calorie Recipe for Dieters

Using clean hands (be sure to remove rings/jewelry) mix together the first four ingredients. Shape into a loaf and place into a non-stick baking pan of your choice. Top with a layer of ketchup.

Add a few of the onion and bell pepper rings. Bake at 400° in a preheated oven until done. The top of the meatloaf should caramelize while cooking.

Ingredients for Merry Men's Mashed Potatoes, a Low Calorie Recipe for Dieters

6 white potatoes (any variety), peeled and washed and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 cup of margarine

Low Fat Milk

Salt & Pepper to suit personal taste

Cook the potato chunks in water until tender. Drain. Using mixer, add remaining ingredients - adding as much milk as desired to suit personal consistency.

Enjoy this hearty, low calorie American-Style Diet Meal Planner with green beans and your choice of bread.

American-Style Diet Meal Planner - Fireant Chili

This simple chili simply hits the spot on those cold winter days. Grab a stack of crackers and 1/4 cup of low fat mozzarella cheese + your favorite store-brand chili sauce to add, if desired.

Ingredients for Fireant Chili, a Low Calorie Recipe for Dieters

1 small can of black beans + 1 small can of your favorite kidney beans + 1 small can of pinto beans + 1 small can of hominy (yellow or white)

1/4 cup of chili powder + 1/4 cup of ground cumin + 1/8 cup of dried cilantro (or you can use fresh cilantro OR you can omit cilantro if desired)

1 small can of tomato sauce + 1 small can of tomato paste

1/2 cup of chopped onions OR 1/4 cup of chopped garlic OR use a mixture if preferred

1/2 cup of chopped green, yellow or red bell peppers

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Drain all the beans and rinse well. Drain the hominy, also. Using a deep, non-stick pot, add the olive oil. When oil heats, add the peppers, onions and garlic. When onions clarify, add the beans. When mixture heats, add the spices, stirring well - then add the sauce and tomato paste. Serve over a bed of rice or noodles, if desired - or add the fixins' recommended above.

Free Diet Meal Planner - Sailor's Simple Shrimp

Purchase 1 pound of your favorite shrimp (unbreaded) - frozen or fresh, then prepare shrimp as you would for cooking. For frozen shrimp, after thawing, I prefer a good rinse under cool water, then a thorough drain. Next, add thawed shrimp to a pan sprayed with cooking spray (or you can use a bit of your favorite oil if desired).

Shrimp will cook quickly. Just before removing from the heat, sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning and stir shrimp so that all get a light coating of seasoning.

After removing from heat, add 1/4 cup of whipped margarine and gently stir the shrimp until all are lightly coated with the margarine. Enjoy with a chunk of your favorite bread, a serving of whole grain rice and a serving of orange, green or yellow vegetables.