So I was pretty rubbish at blogging last year, giving up in March, which coincided with starting a new job and being sent off to Turkey nearly every week until December. Not the greatest excuse, as other people manage to blog with busy jobs, although I suppose it's my blog so I can write on it as often as I like!
Sadly my resolutions for this year are the same as they always are - eat less, drink less, spend less (and thus save more). For this year however, I'm also going to include write a blog post at least once a week (and maybe even get Harry to contribute!), and play my piano and saxophone at least twice a month (if I can still remember how to play). The creative side of my brain needs exercising!
I'm off on the 5:2 diet again this year, it worked really well last year but then after working away, it got hard to control my calorie intake (well to limit it to 500/day) as I was living off plane food and hotel food. And let's face it, I was never going to fast on the weekends when I was back in London. I've had a rather indulgent festive season and so looking to lose about 1 stone, before I go to New York in Feb (20th).
So far today I've had:
1 pint of hot water with lemon juice (a good shake of the bottled stuff, not cordial) with cayenne pepper (also a good shake)
1 miso soup (from a sachet)
1 1/2 carrots
5 cherry tomatoes
And yes I am hungry... waiting to go home and have some vegetables and maybe some dahl (lentils are only about 100 cal for 100g!).
I've also joined the work gym with a class-only membership, so next week I am planning on doing three classes during my lunchtimes - let's see if I actually stick to that.
I'm hoping to share some more recipes on the blog this year, not just 5:2 recipes as I really do enjoy cooking and now I have an ipad, the quality of my photos should hopefully be a bit better than those I used to take on my phone.
Showing posts with label 5:2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5:2. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Go to work (or bed) on an egg
I absolutely love eggs. Not only are they cheap, they're supremely tasty, and incredibly quick to cook. Some people seem to struggle with associations that they're a breakfast food only - but more often than not, I eat them for dinner after a long day at work, when I'm starving and desperate to have something nutritious for dinner.
Here's two egg-based recipes that I've made recently. Neither of them took longer than 15 minutes to make (from start to finish), although I have to confess and say that for the second recipe, I did already have roasted squash in the fridge.
Baked egg souffle-type dish. Recipe here (scroll down the page a bit!). I added smoked salmon underneath the egg too.
Nigel Slater's spiced squash and fried egg. As you can probably tell, the picture is not mine! Recipe here. I roasted the squash in advance though and then just reheated in a frying pan with the spices.
The second recipe as well has the benefit of being suitable for the 5:2 diet - use low-cal spray to fry the butternut squash, and add a couple of sprays when roasting too. (or steam as per the recipe and no need for oil). You could serve with a green salad on the side or some steamed broccoli if you're still hungry.
Here's two egg-based recipes that I've made recently. Neither of them took longer than 15 minutes to make (from start to finish), although I have to confess and say that for the second recipe, I did already have roasted squash in the fridge.
Baked egg souffle-type dish. Recipe here (scroll down the page a bit!). I added smoked salmon underneath the egg too.
The second recipe as well has the benefit of being suitable for the 5:2 diet - use low-cal spray to fry the butternut squash, and add a couple of sprays when roasting too. (or steam as per the recipe and no need for oil). You could serve with a green salad on the side or some steamed broccoli if you're still hungry.
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Success?
Sorry for another post without photos. I have lamented the poor quality of photos from my blackberry before, but this time it's just that I don't know what to photograph. I suppose blogs with photos are more readable, but I suppose I'm writing this more for me than for anyone else. (And maybe for my Mum to read as well).
Anyway, the purpose of this post was to give an update on the 5:2 diet. It was a great success in January, less so over the past few weeks as I've been busy, it's been super cold, and critical eating events (like Valentines, ha!) have cropped up. Still, I've managed to maintain a weight loss of about 8 lbs, give or take. I suppose the reason I haven't lost more is two fold:
1. I don't actually need to lose weight. I'm probably a comfortable size 8 now (rather than an 8 - 10 as previously)
2. My calorie restriction willpower wavers in the evening. I can happily skip breakfast and have a small lunch, and then a healthy dinner. But then I got the munchies and need sugar and end up eating minstrels or snickers or something.
I know 2. is probably psychological and that if I was truly hungry, an apple or plum would be equally as satiating as a chocolate bar. But, referring back to 1., this reduces my willpower to resist as I guess I don't care enough.
So in conclusion, I suppose the diet has definitely been a success. I'm going to half-kind-of keep it up (two days week try and eat light meals and fewer < 1,000 calories) to help maintain the weight loss, but not going to go out on a limb to eat 500 calories. I didn't really have a strict goal in mind when I started the diet, so I can't really measure success against that, although I am much happier with my body now. So that's definitely success by some measure!
Anyway, the purpose of this post was to give an update on the 5:2 diet. It was a great success in January, less so over the past few weeks as I've been busy, it's been super cold, and critical eating events (like Valentines, ha!) have cropped up. Still, I've managed to maintain a weight loss of about 8 lbs, give or take. I suppose the reason I haven't lost more is two fold:
1. I don't actually need to lose weight. I'm probably a comfortable size 8 now (rather than an 8 - 10 as previously)
2. My calorie restriction willpower wavers in the evening. I can happily skip breakfast and have a small lunch, and then a healthy dinner. But then I got the munchies and need sugar and end up eating minstrels or snickers or something.
I know 2. is probably psychological and that if I was truly hungry, an apple or plum would be equally as satiating as a chocolate bar. But, referring back to 1., this reduces my willpower to resist as I guess I don't care enough.
So in conclusion, I suppose the diet has definitely been a success. I'm going to half-kind-of keep it up (two days week try and eat light meals and fewer < 1,000 calories) to help maintain the weight loss, but not going to go out on a limb to eat 500 calories. I didn't really have a strict goal in mind when I started the diet, so I can't really measure success against that, although I am much happier with my body now. So that's definitely success by some measure!
Sunday, 3 February 2013
10 minute dinner
I got back from a weekend in Cambridge this afternoon, and having eaten lots of delicious (but unhealthy) food, I was desperate for something tasty, but quick. Usually I'm happy to spend a while preparing food, but as I'd spent the previous hour making scones - not really in keeping with being healthy! - I couldn't be bothered to slave over my dinner.
This is the concoction I came up with, something that is inspired by various recipes and ideas, but not enough to really attribute it to anyone else. It also has the benefit of being very low calorie.
Grilled field mushrooms with green crush
Ingredients
2 large flat field mushrooms
1 egg
100g frozen peas
50g frozen broad beans
small handful spinach
1 stock cube
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
salt and pepper to taste
1. Turn the grill on high and put the mushrooms on a baking tray. Place under the grill for about 10 minutes.
2. Boil the kettle. Put your peas and broad beans in a pan with the stock cube and add the boiling water. Cook for a few minutes or until cooked.
3. Put the spinach in a sieve / colander and drain the peas and beans in the same colander. This way, the hot stock cooks the spinach.
4. Poach the egg as you like.
5. Add a tablespoon of creme fraiche to the pan you cooked the peas in, and add the drained vegetables. Whizz with the blender to get a green paste, as chunky as you want.
6. Place the cooked mushrooms, flat side up, on a plate. Top each with the green crush and add the poached egg. Season with salt and pepper.
I estimate the calorie count for this to be 238 calories, so ideal for a fast day for those of you on the 5:2 diet.
Mushrooms - 30 calories
Peas - 68 calories
Broad beans - 40 calories
Egg - 65 calories
Creme fraiche (half fat) - 35 calories
This is the concoction I came up with, something that is inspired by various recipes and ideas, but not enough to really attribute it to anyone else. It also has the benefit of being very low calorie.
Grilled field mushrooms with green crush
Ingredients
2 large flat field mushrooms
1 egg
100g frozen peas
50g frozen broad beans
small handful spinach
1 stock cube
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
salt and pepper to taste
1. Turn the grill on high and put the mushrooms on a baking tray. Place under the grill for about 10 minutes.
2. Boil the kettle. Put your peas and broad beans in a pan with the stock cube and add the boiling water. Cook for a few minutes or until cooked.
3. Put the spinach in a sieve / colander and drain the peas and beans in the same colander. This way, the hot stock cooks the spinach.
4. Poach the egg as you like.
5. Add a tablespoon of creme fraiche to the pan you cooked the peas in, and add the drained vegetables. Whizz with the blender to get a green paste, as chunky as you want.
6. Place the cooked mushrooms, flat side up, on a plate. Top each with the green crush and add the poached egg. Season with salt and pepper.
I estimate the calorie count for this to be 238 calories, so ideal for a fast day for those of you on the 5:2 diet.
Mushrooms - 30 calories
Peas - 68 calories
Broad beans - 40 calories
Egg - 65 calories
Creme fraiche (half fat) - 35 calories
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
French women don't get fat?
I think I mentioned previously that I received the "French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook" by Mireille Guiliano for Christmas. Although I'm following the 5:2 diet, I'm still trying to eat healthy on my days off - which is where this book comes in.
The premise of the book, to me, is all about portion control. Learn to control your portions, slow down your eating and enjoy your food. I also like the idea of making each mealtime an event by having three courses, even if that's simply a sliced tomato to start and an orange to finish.
I haven't followed all of the principles in the book - for example, avoiding processed foods (those Cadbury mousses are just too good!) but I have been trying the recipes and I like them very much. As well as being healthy, relatively low calorie - and can be made more low calorie with a few tweaks - they are quite unusual, such as the recipe below, which is adapted from "Curried chicken with cucumber".
Don't let the cucumber put you off. It does sound strange, warm (and curried!) cucumber, but think of how well cucumber raita goes with Indian food. It's also extremely low in calories (10 calories per 100g) and so it's good for bulking up a meal!
Ingredients (serves 1)
1 small turkey breast (about 90g)
Salt and pepper
Low fat frying spray
45g creme fraiche
150g cucumber, cut into 1cm slices
1 teaspoon curry powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon
25g basmati rice
25g peas
1. Slice the turkey breast into slices vertically and season with salt and pepper. Heat up the low fat frying spray in a non stick pan (you should only need a couple of squirts), and add the turkey breast. Cook until golden.
2. Meanwhile, cook the rice as per packet instructions.
3. Place the cucumbers in a bowl and add the creme fraiche and curry powder. Mix it all together well.
4. By now the turkey should be cooked. Add the lemon juice to the pan and deglaze it. Then add the cucumber mixture and cook for a few minutes until al dente.
5. Cook the peas quickly by pouring boiling water over them and add to the drained rice. Serve alongside the turkey-cucumber curry mixture.
It only takes about 20 minutes in total and it's really delicious. I think it would be even better with a little bit of freshly sliced chilli and a sprinkling of coriander on top.
The premise of the book, to me, is all about portion control. Learn to control your portions, slow down your eating and enjoy your food. I also like the idea of making each mealtime an event by having three courses, even if that's simply a sliced tomato to start and an orange to finish.
I haven't followed all of the principles in the book - for example, avoiding processed foods (those Cadbury mousses are just too good!) but I have been trying the recipes and I like them very much. As well as being healthy, relatively low calorie - and can be made more low calorie with a few tweaks - they are quite unusual, such as the recipe below, which is adapted from "Curried chicken with cucumber".
Don't let the cucumber put you off. It does sound strange, warm (and curried!) cucumber, but think of how well cucumber raita goes with Indian food. It's also extremely low in calories (10 calories per 100g) and so it's good for bulking up a meal!
Ingredients (serves 1)
1 small turkey breast (about 90g)
Salt and pepper
Low fat frying spray
45g creme fraiche
150g cucumber, cut into 1cm slices
1 teaspoon curry powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon
25g basmati rice
25g peas
1. Slice the turkey breast into slices vertically and season with salt and pepper. Heat up the low fat frying spray in a non stick pan (you should only need a couple of squirts), and add the turkey breast. Cook until golden.
2. Meanwhile, cook the rice as per packet instructions.
3. Place the cucumbers in a bowl and add the creme fraiche and curry powder. Mix it all together well.
4. By now the turkey should be cooked. Add the lemon juice to the pan and deglaze it. Then add the cucumber mixture and cook for a few minutes until al dente.
5. Cook the peas quickly by pouring boiling water over them and add to the drained rice. Serve alongside the turkey-cucumber curry mixture.
It only takes about 20 minutes in total and it's really delicious. I think it would be even better with a little bit of freshly sliced chilli and a sprinkling of coriander on top.
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
5:2 diet: Harissa chicken and courgette cous cous
Here's a quick, simple and tasty recipe suitable for those following the 5:2 (or any low calorie) diet.
By making a few simple changes, such as using half fat creme fraiche, bulking up the cous cous with courgettes and getting flavour from herbs and spices instead of butter/oil, it's quite easy to cook healthy dinners for under 300 calories. This one comes in at around 267 calories (see individual calories below).
Ingredients
(serves two)
1 chicken breast
1 heaped tbsp half fat creme fraiche
2 tsp harissa paste
1 courgette
75g cous cous
chicken stock (from a cube)
1 spray flora frying oil
1 lemon
20g mint chiffonade (sliced into strips)
1. Horizontally slice the chicken in half. Place between two sheets of cling film and hammer with a rolling pin, mallet (or in my case, a wine bottle!) until its nice and thin.
2. Place the creme fraiche and harrisa paste in a bowl and mix together. Add the chicken to the bowl and cover. Place in the fridge and leave to marinate for at least a few hours.
3. Grate the courgette and put aside. Make up the cous cous according to packet instructions (I use a chicken stock cube) - do NOT add any butter or oil.
4. Put the chicken on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, or until cooked. Meanwhile fry the courgette in the oil until starting to crisp up.
5. Add the courgette to the cous cous, along with the mint, and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
6. Serve the chicken on top of a bed of cous cous, with wedges of lemon on the side.
Recipe adapted from bbcgoodfood.com
Calorie content:
1 chicken breast (139 calories)
1 heaped tbsp half fat creme fraiche (51 calories)
2 tsp harissa paste (32 calories)
1 courgette (18 calories)
75g cous cous (275 calories)
chicken stock cube (15 calories)
1 spray flora frying oil (3 calories)
1 lemon (negligible as juice only)
10g mint chiffonade (negligible)
So, I make that a grand total of 533 calories, or about 267 calories per serving. The cous cous is the big contributor to the calorie total here, so if you are really trying to cut back, either have a smaller serving or try to skip altogether. I think here it helps fill you up, and the grated courgette makes a big difference too.
By making a few simple changes, such as using half fat creme fraiche, bulking up the cous cous with courgettes and getting flavour from herbs and spices instead of butter/oil, it's quite easy to cook healthy dinners for under 300 calories. This one comes in at around 267 calories (see individual calories below).
Ingredients
(serves two)
1 chicken breast
1 heaped tbsp half fat creme fraiche
2 tsp harissa paste
1 courgette
75g cous cous
chicken stock (from a cube)
1 spray flora frying oil
1 lemon
20g mint chiffonade (sliced into strips)
1. Horizontally slice the chicken in half. Place between two sheets of cling film and hammer with a rolling pin, mallet (or in my case, a wine bottle!) until its nice and thin.
2. Place the creme fraiche and harrisa paste in a bowl and mix together. Add the chicken to the bowl and cover. Place in the fridge and leave to marinate for at least a few hours.
3. Grate the courgette and put aside. Make up the cous cous according to packet instructions (I use a chicken stock cube) - do NOT add any butter or oil.
4. Put the chicken on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, or until cooked. Meanwhile fry the courgette in the oil until starting to crisp up.
5. Add the courgette to the cous cous, along with the mint, and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
6. Serve the chicken on top of a bed of cous cous, with wedges of lemon on the side.
Recipe adapted from bbcgoodfood.com
Calorie content:
1 chicken breast (139 calories)
1 heaped tbsp half fat creme fraiche (51 calories)
2 tsp harissa paste (32 calories)
1 courgette (18 calories)
75g cous cous (275 calories)
chicken stock cube (15 calories)
1 spray flora frying oil (3 calories)
1 lemon (negligible as juice only)
10g mint chiffonade (negligible)
So, I make that a grand total of 533 calories, or about 267 calories per serving. The cous cous is the big contributor to the calorie total here, so if you are really trying to cut back, either have a smaller serving or try to skip altogether. I think here it helps fill you up, and the grated courgette makes a big difference too.
5:2 diet - A week's worth of food
I've been reading up a lot on the 5:2 diet recently, and I'm always curious to see what other people are eating, and whether they truly do 'feast' on the non-fasting days.
To date, I've lost 2.9 kg in 2 weeks. I've still been trying to eat relatively healthily on the non-fast days, although this weekend I did blow it a bit, having a considerable amount of alcohol and a big scone! Although, to my amazement, I didn't put on any weight - not even 100g. So something must be working.
I think that's the secret to success of this diet really, that you can still have 'naughty' days and yet it's still effective. The flexibility of choosing when to fast is great - if you're invited out to dinner you can just start it the following day. Of course, a certain degree of discipline is required, you can't continually defer your fast days!
Below is a week's worth of food for me, along with my weight, on the days I weighed myself. I generally fast for a whole day, but I've colour coded the meals that were as part of a fast day as I have done it from 2pm to 2pm before.
Week 1: 2nd January - 8th January
Week 2: 9th January - 15th January
What do you think? I think I eat relatively healthily, although I was shocked to see how much alcohol I drank on Saturday night - probably a week's worth of units, and more calories than I care to think about! I think I probably need to think about finding a low calorie alternative to hummus too - and try to crack my habit of needed something sweet everyday.
To date, I've lost 2.9 kg in 2 weeks. I've still been trying to eat relatively healthily on the non-fast days, although this weekend I did blow it a bit, having a considerable amount of alcohol and a big scone! Although, to my amazement, I didn't put on any weight - not even 100g. So something must be working.
I think that's the secret to success of this diet really, that you can still have 'naughty' days and yet it's still effective. The flexibility of choosing when to fast is great - if you're invited out to dinner you can just start it the following day. Of course, a certain degree of discipline is required, you can't continually defer your fast days!
Below is a week's worth of food for me, along with my weight, on the days I weighed myself. I generally fast for a whole day, but I've colour coded the meals that were as part of a fast day as I have done it from 2pm to 2pm before.
Week 1: 2nd January - 8th January
What do you think? I think I eat relatively healthily, although I was shocked to see how much alcohol I drank on Saturday night - probably a week's worth of units, and more calories than I care to think about! I think I probably need to think about finding a low calorie alternative to hummus too - and try to crack my habit of needed something sweet everyday.
Monday, 7 January 2013
One week in
So far, the resolutions are still firmly in place. Or at least, if not firmly in place, not quite broken yet.
There was a moment on Friday evening when red wine nearly won the battle against diet coke. There was another close call on Saturday in Waitrose, when wine needed for cooking (that's allowed!) nearly turned into buy-a-full-bottle-and-drink-the-rest. Sparkling grape juice just about came out on top. Did I feel virtuous afterwards? Not really - not after looking at the calorie content of a drink that's basically just sugar. Oh well.
The intermittent fasting diet has been going well too; unlike many others following the diet, I've adopted a strategy of not eating during the day so that I can have a normal(ish) dinner. The first time was very hard; the second time, not so bad (although I was asleep for most of the day), and the third time (today), it was almost easy! Although having a manic day at work might have had something to do with that.
However, having seen the 5:2 diet recipes on blogs such as London Unattached, I'm tempted to have a go at cooking something low calorie. This in particular looks very good. I suppose when you make the effort, cooking something low calorie isn't too difficult - just don't put great big chunks of butter in the pan you're cooking in and stick to white meat and vegetables. Hopefully I'll have some recipes to share with you soon.
In the meantime, these chocolate mousse pots have been my diet saviour:
Quite simply, they are amazing. 60 kcal a pot, good chocolate taste, nice texture. Yes, I'm sure they're loaded with artificial sugars and other bad guys. But as an occasional (every fast day...) treat they're pretty ideal. I did try having a square of dark chocolate, but that made me crave more. At least with this, I can convince myself there's a reasonable amount of food.
Anyway, I am off to sleep now to dream of all the wonderful normal foods I can eat tomorrow, starting with Magical Breakfast Cream...
There was a moment on Friday evening when red wine nearly won the battle against diet coke. There was another close call on Saturday in Waitrose, when wine needed for cooking (that's allowed!) nearly turned into buy-a-full-bottle-and-drink-the-rest. Sparkling grape juice just about came out on top. Did I feel virtuous afterwards? Not really - not after looking at the calorie content of a drink that's basically just sugar. Oh well.
The intermittent fasting diet has been going well too; unlike many others following the diet, I've adopted a strategy of not eating during the day so that I can have a normal(ish) dinner. The first time was very hard; the second time, not so bad (although I was asleep for most of the day), and the third time (today), it was almost easy! Although having a manic day at work might have had something to do with that.
However, having seen the 5:2 diet recipes on blogs such as London Unattached, I'm tempted to have a go at cooking something low calorie. This in particular looks very good. I suppose when you make the effort, cooking something low calorie isn't too difficult - just don't put great big chunks of butter in the pan you're cooking in and stick to white meat and vegetables. Hopefully I'll have some recipes to share with you soon.
In the meantime, these chocolate mousse pots have been my diet saviour:
Quite simply, they are amazing. 60 kcal a pot, good chocolate taste, nice texture. Yes, I'm sure they're loaded with artificial sugars and other bad guys. But as an occasional (every fast day...) treat they're pretty ideal. I did try having a square of dark chocolate, but that made me crave more. At least with this, I can convince myself there's a reasonable amount of food.
Anyway, I am off to sleep now to dream of all the wonderful normal foods I can eat tomorrow, starting with Magical Breakfast Cream...
Thursday, 3 January 2013
The intermittent fasting diet (5:2 diet)
Like the rest of the world, it seems, I'm following the 5:2 diet. I won't go into the detail as there's already plenty of that around, here and here, but for the uninitiated, you eat normally for 5 days a week, and then fast for 2. Although on the fasting days, you are allowed up to 500 calories as a woman, 600 for a man.
Sound easy? Well, on the positive side:
1. You can eat normally most of the time, so you don't need to feel guilty if you go out for dinner one evening, or fancy a glass of wine.
2. As well as weight loss, there are additional health benefits (such as living longer) that the diet brings.
3. 500 calories is a surprisingly large amount of vegetables.
As always however, there are some negatives:
1. Settling into a routine of only eating 500 calories is hard, and the hunger pangs are difficult to deal with at first.
2. It won't work if you spend your 'off' days downing wine and eating chocolate fondants, so self control is still required.
3. 500 calories pretty much means no alcohol, no sweet things, no bread and no butter.
What are my thoughts so far? Well, right now I'm pretty hungry (I had 70g of broccoli for dinner, along with a little garlic, red chilli and soy sauce. Approx 50kcal), but I do feel 'light' and 'cleansed'. Plus, knowing that I only have to fast until mid afternoon tomorrow, is good motivation to keep going. You can split the 500 kcal any way you want, I think I'm going to use mine on breakfast, to make the magical breakfast cream from French Women Don't Get Fat.
Anyway, here is a quick recipe for something I had last night, not on a fast day, but something that would probably be suitable, especially if you switched the salmon for a white fish.
As usual, my picture is less than appetising, but here's what it is:
Chilli Salmon with cous cous stuffed pepper
Ingredients:
1 small salmon fillet
1/2 pepper
4 mushrooms, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
1/4 chilli, diced
25g cous cous
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chopped parsley
Lemon juice
Heat the oven to 200 degrees and put the pepper in a baking dish. Do not add any oil. Put in to bake for 15 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, make a little foil parcel containing the salmon fillet, and top with the chopped chilli and a garlic clove. Seal, and add to the oven.
Fry the onions, mushrooms and tomatoes in a pan with low-cal spray (I use flora, which is only 5kcal per spray. 2 sprays is enough in a non-stick pan). While they are cooking, make the cous cous according to packet instructions but with water only (no stock, butter etc).
When the cous cous is ready, add to the pan and lightly fry. Add the spices, followed by the parsley and mix. Take the pepper out of the oven and add the mixture to the middle of the pepper.
Place the stuffed pepper back in the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes. Serve!
As you can see I had a lot of filling but I served that on the side of the plate and it was delicious. I'm not entirely sure about the calorie content, but I estimate it to be around 350kcal (170 for the small portion of salmon, 90 for the cous cous, and the rest for veggies). If I made it again for a fast day, I would probably skip the cous cous altogether.
Sound easy? Well, on the positive side:
1. You can eat normally most of the time, so you don't need to feel guilty if you go out for dinner one evening, or fancy a glass of wine.
2. As well as weight loss, there are additional health benefits (such as living longer) that the diet brings.
3. 500 calories is a surprisingly large amount of vegetables.
As always however, there are some negatives:
1. Settling into a routine of only eating 500 calories is hard, and the hunger pangs are difficult to deal with at first.
2. It won't work if you spend your 'off' days downing wine and eating chocolate fondants, so self control is still required.
3. 500 calories pretty much means no alcohol, no sweet things, no bread and no butter.
What are my thoughts so far? Well, right now I'm pretty hungry (I had 70g of broccoli for dinner, along with a little garlic, red chilli and soy sauce. Approx 50kcal), but I do feel 'light' and 'cleansed'. Plus, knowing that I only have to fast until mid afternoon tomorrow, is good motivation to keep going. You can split the 500 kcal any way you want, I think I'm going to use mine on breakfast, to make the magical breakfast cream from French Women Don't Get Fat.
Anyway, here is a quick recipe for something I had last night, not on a fast day, but something that would probably be suitable, especially if you switched the salmon for a white fish.
As usual, my picture is less than appetising, but here's what it is:
Chilli Salmon with cous cous stuffed pepper
Ingredients:
1 small salmon fillet
1/2 pepper
4 mushrooms, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
1/4 chilli, diced
25g cous cous
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chopped parsley
Lemon juice
Heat the oven to 200 degrees and put the pepper in a baking dish. Do not add any oil. Put in to bake for 15 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, make a little foil parcel containing the salmon fillet, and top with the chopped chilli and a garlic clove. Seal, and add to the oven.
Fry the onions, mushrooms and tomatoes in a pan with low-cal spray (I use flora, which is only 5kcal per spray. 2 sprays is enough in a non-stick pan). While they are cooking, make the cous cous according to packet instructions but with water only (no stock, butter etc).
When the cous cous is ready, add to the pan and lightly fry. Add the spices, followed by the parsley and mix. Take the pepper out of the oven and add the mixture to the middle of the pepper.
Place the stuffed pepper back in the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes. Serve!
As you can see I had a lot of filling but I served that on the side of the plate and it was delicious. I'm not entirely sure about the calorie content, but I estimate it to be around 350kcal (170 for the small portion of salmon, 90 for the cous cous, and the rest for veggies). If I made it again for a fast day, I would probably skip the cous cous altogether.
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