If you are trying to watch your figure without sacrificing any fabulous flavor, there are many light dinner ideas that won’t leave you spending hours in the kitchen after a long work day and will leave your stomach feeling satisfied. One of the easiest way to cut out calories is to hold off on the starches in your meal. Gone are the days where starches like rice or potatoes were a dinner staple. Instead, opt for double the fresh vegetables or a piece of fresh fruit that will give your palette a feeling of having dessert without your tongue touching a pudding or a piece of cake!

If you have a left over protein from the night before, why not make a fresh and delicious salad for dinner? Take some sliced lean beef and toss it with crisp iceberg lettuce, a small amount of bleu cheese crumbles, some sautéed red onions and some roasted red peppers and you have a filling and healthy dinner within minutes. The same goes for grilled chicken. Simply dice it up and add it to romaine lettuce, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a light dressing and you have a tasty and low-calorie Caesar salad for dinner. You can use the Caesar option with grilled shrimp or salmon as well for a nice alternative. Salads are a great way to get all of your vegetables into one meal and adding a protein gives you the healthy fats and vitamins that you need only in smaller amounts, so your stomach fills up quicker, leaving you with less of a desire to go back for seconds.

Take advantage of warm evenings and use your grill for a tasty meal. There are so many light dinner ideas you can use when working with the grill. A nice piece of fish with a tangy marinade is just the perfect light meal that won’t leave you feeling too full. Pair that with some grilled vegetables like zucchini, onions and corn on the cob and you have a complete meal, and the very best thing about it is the easy clean up! No pots or pans will need scrubbing!