Low Cal Stir Fry Ideas

Stir fries are a great way to have a big meal all in one big, easy to clean up after, pan.  I love one pan meals, they’re usually easy, fast and tasty, especially the older I get and the more I like to mix my foods together and experiment with different flavor combinations.  Stir fry is one of the best ways to enjoy flavor combinations without all the calories, and with minimal time preparation.  Plus, since you don’t cook the daylights out of a stir fry, and they almost always involve veggies of some sort, you know that you are maintaining maximum nutrient value.

I just made one tonight that was particularly tasty with mostly veggies and a little bit of lean protein, which is the best way to make a stir fry, and one of the best ways to stay thin because it has the right combination of foods that help us to keep our metabolism high and keep us fuller for a longer time.  It uses the portioning of about 1/7 or 1/8 protein to 7/8 vegetables, so that’s perfect for staying in the right carbohydrate, fat and protein range.

When I cook a low fat and low calorie stir fry, I like to use olive oil.  I use about one tablespoon for a large, two serving pan of stir fry, but then I also use a fat free butter flavored canola oil cooking spray as well because the olive oil isn’t usually enough lubricant to keep the veggies and meat from sticking the pan or burning. 

Here is a great recipe for a low calorie, low fat chicken stir fry:
2 tablespoons almonds

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and fat free cooking spray

1 large bag of french cut green beans, frozen

2 small chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 small package (eight ounces) of chopped mushrooms

1/2 can or preferably organic black beans, undrained

1 small onion, diced and chopped – I like to use yellow onions, they are supposed to have the best glycemic index, so they are supposed to help your blood sugar stay stable for a longer time, and therefore keep you feeling fuller, longer.

Ground cumin, ground sage, pepper, seasoned salt

Crushed garlic in a jar – about one teaspoon or tablespoon, depending on how much you like garlic. Remember, garlic is heart healthy and has many other health benefits, so it doesn’t ever hurt to load up on the garlic!

Throw everything in a large stir fry style pan or a wok, whichever you have available, season to taste with the seasonings I mentioned above, and cook on medium heat for about a half hour or until the vegetables are done to the desired consistency, this could be less time than a half hour, the less time the better, since the more nutrients will be saved with less cooking time.

With these types of low calorie and low fat stir fries, you will be amazed at how full they make you, how quickly, and how satisfying they are.  They have deceptively less calories than what they feel and look like, since they consist mostly of low calorie, high fiber foods.  You can add other green vegetables you prefer instead of the beans if you’d like, perhaps broccoli if you want.