Diet Bites Quick Calorie Reference Chart for Meal Planning

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Diet Bites Quick Calorie Reference Chart for Meal Planning

How many times have you been trying to lose those unwanted pounds, and felt like you had went to the battle blindfolded - particularly when the situation involved one of your favorite recipes, or even a simple meal plan?

Diet Bites quick calorie reference chart below can assist in keeping calories under your control. And we have a few tips to accompany meal planning.

Another tip that can help with weight loss is to take time to analyze those favorite family recipes, particularly those that are frequently invited to your dining table. Ingredients that can spike weight gain include: oil, shortening, cheese, creams, sugar, peanut butter, nuts, butter, margarine and cream cheese. Work to create new, more calorie friendly recipes by targeting the higher calorie ingredients. For example, can the recipe taste almost as good if 1/2 the nuts are omitted? Rather than butter, oil or margarine, what about opting for pureed fruits which will not only substantially reduce calorie content, they will also add nutritional values and moisture to the recipe.

Even recipes that are considered taboo while dieting can often be trimmed down to size skinny. Let's use mac & cheese - a wonderful Comfort Food that is high in fat and calories. The pasta base automatically sets the stage, containing about 200 calories per cup. So let's use 4 cups of prepared macaroni and instead of adding full-blown cheese, let's use reduced-fat cheese. OR, what about using 1/3 less of our regular cheese? And 1/2 of our regular amount of margarine? And rather than whole milk, let's use skim milk OR low fat cream. And if we really want to take down the calorie count, and add zip while we are at it, let's forego the cheese and milk, and use jarred queso which contains a skinny 40 calories per serving. At about 400 calories per 12 ounces, we can enjoy 1 cup of our Zippy Mac & Cheese for 300 calories, or 1/2 cup for 150 calories.

Keeping our favorite foods in our daily diet while keeping our calorie needs in check can help in losing those unwanted pounds, as well as in maintaining our recommended weight - while adding a higher level of health.

One of my favorite foods is squash - and unfortunately, it's fried squash. So on rare occasion, I'll use an 80 calorie fresh flour tortilla, 1/2 slice of 50 calorie cheese (reduced fat), 100 calories worth of the fried squash, and 1/2 cup of mushrooms that I 'grill' on the stove top in a non-stick pan (I don't even have to add any cooking spray). This gives the mushrooms a grilled flavor. To assemble, I place the cheese on the flour tortilla, then the squash, then the mushrooms and then I'll add a few chopped tomatoes from time-to-time. And at other times, I'll add a few sliced black olives, and a serving of light sour cream. For about 300 calories, I have a divine concoction that totally satisfies my fried squash cravings for weeks to come.

So get creative, and have fun doing such! Here is Diet Bites Quick Calorie Reference Guide for ingredients most commonly used in recipes.

Calorie Reference Chart for Common Recipe Ingredients Used in Meal Planning

Ingredient	Amount	Calories	Meal Planning Tips & Suggestions
Margarine, whipped	1 Tablespoon	40-80 calories	Check vary between brands; check labels & stick to a favorite brand for instant calorie recognition.
Butter, whipped	1 Tablespoon	67 calories	1 pat of whipped butter contains 27 calories, 1 cup of whipped butter contains 1,083 calories and 1 stick contains 545 calories.
Oil, most varieties	1 Tablespoon	120 calories	1 teaspoon contains about 40 calories and 1 cup of most oils contains about 1,950 calories. If a cake recipes calls for 1 cup of oil, and serves 10, the oil is adding about 195 calories per slice. A healthier, lower calorie option is applesauce and/or blended fruits. These work well: bananas, prunes, peaches and strawberries.
Shortening, most varieties	1 Tablespoon	115 calories	1 cup of shortening contains about 1,845 calories. We recommend foregoing the shortening for the blended fruits mentioned above.
Peanut Butter, regular	2 Tablespoons	190+ calories	We love Peter Pan's whipped peanut butter which contains 150 calories per 2 Tablespoons. We never miss those extra 40+ calories.
Whole Milk	1 Cup	150 calories	Check the labels as calories vary from brand to brand. Opting for skim milk, fat free milk, 1% milk or even 2% milk can assist in saving calories in your recipes.
Skim Milk	1 Cup	90 calories	Check the labels as calories vary from brand to brand.
Buttermilk, low fat	1 Cup	98 calories	If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can add a teaspoon of white vinegar to milk and allow to stand about 5 minutes.
Evaporated Milk	1/2 Cup	169 calories	1/2 cup of non-fat evaporated milk contains about 100 calories and makes a smarter choice when keeping calories to a minimum.
Sour Cream, regular	2 Tablespoons	60 calories	Check the labels as calories vary from brand to brand. Light sour cream contains about 40 calories per Tablespoon and the Daisy brand is delicious.
Cream, Heavy whipped	1 Cup	414 calories	1 cup of liquid produces 2 cups of whipped cream and contains 821 calories. 1 Tablespoon of heavy whipped cream contains 52 calories - a little more than non-dairy type toppings. Whipped cream makes a better nutritional choice, particularly light whipped cream which contains 15 calories per serving. What a Diet Deal!
Cream Cheese, regular	1 Tablespoon	50 calories	1 Tablespoon of whipped cream cheese contains 34 calories and we prefer the taste 100 to 1 over fat-free versions of cream cheese.
Flour, all purpose	1 Cup	455 calories	Although scorned in carb restricted diets, flour is a healthy source of grain. Using whole wheat flour can increase nutritional benefits.
Cornmeal, white	1 Cup	442 calories	1 cup of yellow cornmeal contains 442 calories also.
Sugar, granulated white	1 Cup	774 calories	Opting for Splenda can save 774 calories and Splenda works well in the heat. Or, opt to use 1/2 sugar and 1/2 Splenda and save half the calories.
Powdered Sugar, sifted	1 Cup	389 calories	If unsifted, the calorie content equals 467 calories. Powdered Sugar is generally used in creating tasty frosting to which butter and cream are added. Keep calories under control by opting to 'dust' the top of the cake or cookie with the Powdered Sugar rather than using frosting.
Brown Sugar, Light or Dark	1 Cup, Packed	836 calories	Unpacked brown sugar contains 551 calories per cup.
Syrup, Light Corn Syrup	1 Cup	965 calories	1 cup of dark corn syrup contains 938 calories and 1 cup of maple syrup contains 840 calories.
Molasses	1 Cup	977 calories	If the recipe serves 10, the molasses is contributing about 98 calories to each serving.
Eggs, Large	1 Whole Egg	70 calories	1 cup of eggs (about 5 large eggs) contains about 350 calories; 1 medium egg contains about 63 calories; 1 small egg contains about 54 calories; 1 extra large egg contains about 80 calories and 1 jumbo egg contains about 90 calories. Eggs are very low in calories compared to their size and satiety powers due to the protein content. However, they are high in cholesterol content, the culprit being the yolk.
Chocolate, baking, unsweetened	1 square	145 calories	1 cup of shaved, unsweetened baking chocolate contains about 661 calories.
Chocolate, white solid	3 ounces	458 calories	1 cup of white chocolate chips contains about 916 calories
Chocolate Chips	1 Cup	899 calories	Check the labels as calorie content varies greatly from brand to brand.
Butterscotch Chips	1 Ounce	111 calories	Again, be sure to check the labels.
Pecans, chopped	1 Cup	753 calories	We recommend adding 1/2 (or less) of the amount that the recipe recommends.
Walnuts, chopped, English	1 Cup	765 calories	Add 1/2 the amount + 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract.
Macadamia Nuts, whole or halved	1 Cup	962 calories	Add 1/2 the amount + 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract OR Butter Flavoring.
Almonds, sliced	1 Cup	529 calories	Add 1/2 the amount + 1 Tablespoon almond extract.
Raisins, dark seedless, packed	1 Cup	493 calories	1 cup of non-packed raisins contains about 434 calories; 50 raisins contains about 78 calories
Raisins, golden seedless, packed	1 Cup	498 calories	1 cup of non-packed golden raisins contains about 438 calories.
Frosting, Ready-to-Eat, Chocolate	2 Tablespoons	163 calories	We recommend using Diet Bites 7-Minute Frosting recipe instead.
Coconut, shredded & sweetened	1 Cup	1,057 calories	1 Tablespoon of coconut contains about 68 calories. If recipe serves 10, that equals more than 100 calories per serving associated with the addition of coconut.

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