Low-calorie meals that actually fill you up

Breakfasts (200-350 kcal)

Protein breakfasts that hold until lunch without snacking:

• Light Greek yoghurt with strawberries and 20 g of oats (~250 kcal): protein + fibre + natural sweetness.
• Scramble of 2 eggs with spinach and tomato + 1 slice of wholegrain bread (~300 kcal).
• Porridge of 30 g of oats with skimmed milk, cinnamon and half a grated apple (~280 kcal).
• Wholegrain toast with 80 g of quark, tomato and oregano (~230 kcal).
• Shake of skimmed milk, a small banana and 15 g of protein powder (~250 kcal): for days without time.

Lunches (350-450 kcal)

High-volume mains — most exceed half a kilo of food:

• Giant chicken salad: 150 g of grilled breast, leafy greens, tomato, cucumber, onion, 1 spoon of oil and vinegar (~400 kcal).
• "Vegetable-first" lentils (a moderate portion of lentils, double the vegetables, no sausage) (~380 kcal).
• Prawn and courgette stir-fry with 60 g (dry) of brown rice (~420 kcal).
• Baked hake with thin sliced potato and peppers (~390 kcal).
• Tuna bowl: 1 large tin in water, tomato, sweetcorn, boiled egg, leafy greens and 1 spoon of oil (~410 kcal).

Dinners (300-400 kcal)

The dinner format: warm, quick and closing the day without opening the fridge at 11pm:

• Courgette cream with light cheese + a 2-egg omelette (~340 kcal).
• Grilled salmon (120 g) with asparagus and lemon (~350 kcal).
• Tortilla pizza: a thin wholegrain wrap with tomato, light mozzarella and mushrooms in the oven (~380 kcal).
• Noodle soup with defatted broth + 100 g of shredded chicken (~320 kcal).
• Mushroom and prawn scramble with a tomato salad (~300 kcal).

The pattern behind the 15 recipes

Notice the formula that repeats: a base of vegetables or broth that fills the plate (almost free in calories), a clear portion of lean protein (the satiety of the following hours), a wholegrain carbohydrate in a moderate portion when it fits (the energy), and the added fat MEASURED — one spoon of oil is ~120 kcal, and that is where a 350 kcal recipe becomes a 600 kcal one without showing on the plate. With that pattern you can improvise endless versions with whatever is in the fridge: swap the protein, swap the vegetables, keep the structure. Eating in a deficit stops being a list of forbidden recipes and becomes a pattern you master.