When you are busy, you tend to reach out for “ready to eat” food. In other words – processed food.
The package says natural, healthy, organic or even low calories. It sounds good, doesn’t it?
But, are they really good for us to eat?
So what is processed food? Here is the definition.
Processed food includes food that has been cooked, canned, frozen, packaged or has had nutritional composition changed with fortifying, preserving or preparing in different ways.
We all know that processed foods have too much sodium, added sugars, unhealthy fat, color and preservatives to taste better, to look better and keep longer.
A study I heard on KPBS radio may surprise you. They said:
“People who ate processed foods that have a defined amount of calories, sodium, and sugar for 2 weeks GAINED 2 pounds”
“People who ate unprocessed food that has the same calories, sodium, and sugar for 2 weeks LOST 2 pounds”
Wow! What a difference!
It is not about processed food, but it is about how the food gets processed.
The processed food is no longer the same food as our bodies require for energy.
You may want to avoid processed foods as much as you can. Instead, you buy less expensive and more nutritious whole foods.
Then, do simple cooking.
Let’s cook a 500 calories set meal in a simple way!
As you read through the recipes below, cooking whole foods has so much to offer to your body. Therefore, your body is prone to lose weight even if you eat until you are full!
~Menu~
Main Dish: Boiled Chicken Breast with Miso Mayo Sauce
Side Dish 1: Pickled Daikon
Side Dish 2: Satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato)
Soup: Daikon Ginger Soup
Steamed White Rice
Total 497 calories
All recipes are made for 2 servings. This printable recipe box will allow you to change the serving size to adjust the recipe.
Boiled Chicken Breast with Miso Mayo Sauce
174 calories
Why do you have to buy processed chicken such as precooked chicken and cold cuts?
You can cook moist chicken breast so easy, and it is inexpensive.
Chicken breast is a good source of protein and very low in calories.
Let’s make a simple chicken dish with miso mayo sauce. If you don’t have miso, you can mix ketchup or mustard instead.
Keep the leftover chicken in the broth after cooking and slicing. It will keep moist for up to 4 days in refrigerator.
You can use the sliced chicken for cold sandwiches and salad. How about quick grilling it and eating with teriyaki sauce by mixing soy sauce and honey.
Oh don’t forget! You can make a nice soup with the broth.
- 1 piece chicken breast
- 10 g ginger sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon miso
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- Pour about 2 cups of water into a pot (until the chicken is covered). Add one pinch of salt and a slice of ginger. Bring to boil.
- Place chicken into the pot. Make sure chicken is covered with water.
- Bring back to boil.
- Then, turn off the heat. Cover the pot with lid. Leave it until the pot cools down completely.
- Mix miso and mayo in small bowl. Add one teaspoon of water to dilute.
- Take out the chicken from the pot. Pour the broth in a container. Slice the chicken diagonal with knife about 0.5 centimeter thickness.
- Place 100g of the sliced chicken on plate. Add the miso mayo sauce and steamed broccoli to the plate.
- Place the rest of the sliced chicken in the container with the broth. Keep in refrigerator.
Pickled Daikon (Japanese Radish)
29 calories
Daikon is in season in winter. This root vegetable gets sweeter during winter time.
My mom came up with the recipe because it’s hard for her to consume a whole Daikon by herself. She makes it every other day. She tends to sample while preparing this pickled Daikon and gets full before the meal! That’s how good it is!
Japanese people eat Daikon almost every day. It contains Diastase, an enzymes that breaks down starch into maltose. It promotes digestion. Also, it cleanse the palate.
It’s so easy to make, but it tastes better if you leave it longer about one hour because Dikon absorbs more flavor. So I highly recommend to make it extra for next day’s meal.
- 200 g daikon
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
- 1 tablespoon katsuobushi dried bonito flakes
- Mix soy sauce, honey and vinegar in bowl.
- Peel Daikon skin and slice about 0.7 centimeter thickness. Then, cut it into strips.
- Put into the bowl and mix well. Leve it at least 30 minutes. Occasionally mix.
- Optional: add Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) on top.
Satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato)
106 calories
I like Japanese sweet potato better than cakes! It is true! They are so sweet!
Satsumaimo is rich in fiber and yarapin, which prevents constipation.
Also, it contains a good amount of potassium that releases sodium from the body and vitamin E that has antioxidant effect.
Furthermore, vitamin C in the potato doesn’t get destroyed after cooking.
The calories are slighter higher than regular potatoes, but Satsumaimo is more nutritious. Good news is that it has less calories and GI than rice.
There are over 30 kinds of Satsumaimo in Japan!
In general, they have a thin red colored skin, and the inside is yellow. They are all sweet, but texture is slightly different, light and dry or heavy and moist.
There are purple sweet potatoes, but they are not sweet as Satsumaimo.
Unfortunately, Japanese sweet potato is hard to find in the US. You may be able to find it Japanese and Asian supermarkets. I have spotted it in Whole Foods Market.
The best way is to make it sweeter is roast slowly. However, by doing that it produces more sugar. Therefore, quick microwave cooking is the best way for dieting.
It satisfies your taste buds and makes you full. Yet, it promotes regular bowel movement. The result is much better when compared to eating processed sweets. I’m well experienced!
- Wash Satsumaimo. Wrap it with two wet paper towels.
- Then, wrap it with saran wrap.
- Microwave for 5 minutes at level 5. If it’s not soft when squeezed with fingers (it’s hot so be careful!) Then turn it over and microware another 2 minutes.
- Leave it until it cools down completely. Then, use 80g of the sweet potato per person.
Daikon Ginger Soup
28 calories
This soup keeps your body warm because of the root vegetables. If it warms your intestine, it helps to lose weight. Read more… 500 Calories Set Meal: Warm Your Body To Lose Weight
The ingredient is simple. And when you buy whole Daikon, you can use it for different dishes, like pickles and warm soup.
If you want to use the broth from the Boiled Chicken Breast, this is the right recipe.
- 100 g daikon
- 5 g ginger
- 250 ml chicken broth or water and chicken base
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tsp green onion minced, or parsley
- Peel daikon skin and slice about 0.5 centimeter thickness. Cut the slice into halves or quarters. Mince ginger and green onion.
- Place daikon, ginger and chicken broth into pot. Cook until Daikon is soft, about 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat and add sesame oil. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle green onion or parsley for presentation.
100g of Steamed White Rice
160 calories
Each 500 calories set meal comes with 100g of steamed rice. You will need to cook rice in a rice cooker or in a heavy gage pot. And measure cooked rice for 100 grams. I will show you how to make your cooking life easier. Read more How To Cook And Store Japanese Rice.