At the beginning of this year, I finally decided to take my New Year’s resolution seriously: to start my fitness journey. As expected, it’s come with its challenges and triumphs. What I’ve found is that keeping up a weekly exercise routine is easy. Getting up and going to the gym three or four days a week was something I could commit to, but there was a second part of the fitness journey that became more challenging: what I was eating.
I’m a Cuban girl who was raised on a steady diet of rice, black beans, churrasco steak, and a bread roll with butter on the side. The place where I bonded with the women in my family was in the kitchen, cooking at family get-togethers and sharing recipes over a hot stove. Food has always been an important part of my life, so it was no wonder I found it hard to change my relationship with it.
When I looked to cooking and fitness magazines for help, I had mixed opinions on the recipes they shared. Unfortunately, the toxic diet culture still does exist. I found that the consensus seemed to be that the best recipes were simple ingredients, unseasoned, put together in the smallest quantity possible. My thought was this: Even if I’m changing the way I approach food, eating should still be fun… right? There has to be an alternative to kale and chickpea salad!
So, here are some recipes that I’ve been making religiously on my 2024 fitness journey. All of these recipes are low in calories but high in quantity. That means these recipes will fill me up without weighing me down, allowing me to stay energized, satisfied, and, most importantly, full throughout the day. I can have my cake and eat it too!
All of these recipes are organized from easiest to hardest in terms of what cooking appliances are available. If you’re a college girlie like me, you might be living in a dorm with just an air fryer or maybe in your apartment with a full kitchen. All these meals should be cookable for either setting!
- Bang Bang Chicken Bites
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I love this recipe. It’s simple, easy to make, and so tasty! Whenever I’m craving a mix between American and Japanese cuisine, I always make myself this bowl. If I want to add an extra chef’s kiss to this meal, here are two substitutions I make that aren’t included in the recipe.
I can substitute the chicken for salmon and make this into a bang bang salmon bowl! I just cut the salmon into small bite-sized pieces, follow the same steps for seasoning and the bang bang sauce, and broil in an oven on high for seven minutes. If you only have an air fryer, then air fry on 400 degrees for seven to nine minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon filets.
The last substitution I make is swapping the rice for cauliflower rice. This gives a nice low-cal veggie alternative to white rice that, in my opinion, tastes just as good!
- Southwestern Queso Bowl
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This recipe is great when I’m craving Chipotle but don’t have time to run over and get a bowl or burrito. It’s simple, too! All you need is an air fryer to cook your chicken for this recipe, and the rest of the ingredients can be bought at a local supermarket.
There are two substitutions I make for this recipe as well. Instead of potatoes, I use my cauliflower rice again. I usually eat my burrito bowls with white rice, so the cauliflower rice is just another healthy alternative. The only other substitution I make is using plant-based chicken tenderloins instead of real chicken, which is a dietary option that is completely up to you!
- Spaghetti Squash Feta Pasta Bowl
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If I could eat pasta every day, I would. I’m so thankful that spaghetti squash exists because it’s such a great alternative to a staple food we all love! This meal is especially tasty, but it’s more difficult to make, as it does require an oven to properly cook the squash.
I don’t typically do any substitutions for this recipe since it’s great as is. I have started to gradually add more feta to my bowls as I make it more. If you make it for the first time and haven’t tried feta before, I recommend being careful with how much you melt on your squash. It’s a strong cheese, and it has a very particular taste. If you already love feta, feel free to go crazy with it! The more feta, the creamier the spaghetti gets!
These tasty low-calorie, high-quantity meals keep me satisfied and energized for the remainder of 2024 and beyond. Here’s to spicing up my fitness journey with these three recipes and living a healthier, happier lifestyle!
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