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Light Meals for Dinner

If you are trying to lose weight or just make healthy lifestyle changes, your dinner meals are a good place to start. Rather than prepare heavy, multi-course meals for dinner, you can cook light, nourishing meals that are healthy alternatives. Salads with added meat, broiled fish or a meatless curry dish are flavorful and nutritious choices for light dinner meals.

  1. Beef Salad

    • Beef salad is a good light meal for dinner because the beef provides protein and the vegetables provide complex carbohydrates, which are key for healthy nutrition. You can use a cheaper cut of meat if you marinate it for a day beforehand. Soak the beef overnight in a mixture of oil, garlic, lime, salt and pepper along with herbs or spices of your choice. Discard the marinade prior to cooking. Grill the beef in your oven or on the grill to avoid the extra fat that comes from frying. Add mixed greens and other vegetables to the beef to complete the salad.

    Taco Salad

    • Taco salad is similar to beef salad except that it contains more grainy carbohydrates and the meat in taco salad is typically ground, rather than the whole strips of beef you used in the beef salad. Brown ground beef or turkey with some salsa, garlic, cilantro and cumin in a frying pan. Serve it on shredded lettuce and add tomatoes, onions, crunched-up tortilla chips and top with shredded cheese for a light, Mexican-inspired dinner meal.

    Broiled Fish

    • Top fish, such as trout or tilapia, with seasonings of your choice. Citrus complements the flavor of fish, so add some fresh-squeezed lime or lemon juice to the fish prior to seasoning it. Broil the fish for a few minutes on each side, until the meat flakes easily with a fork. Add a salad and some French bread for a healthy and appetizing light meal.

    Vegetarian Curry

    • Curries can be heavy, but if you avoid meat, they become a different meal entirely. Start with a protein-rich ingredient such as tofu or beans, and lightly sauté it in a frying pan. Add some mushrooms, onions, peppers or other vegetables of your choice, then some curry paste. Add coconut milk to make a sauce, and you have a light, flavorful Indian meal.

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