I haven’t posted for a while, so thought I’d share with you a special dessert that would be great for Valentines Day – the best thing is, it’s got no fat and only 180 calories per portion, so you can impress your loved one without jeopardising your weight loss plans.
Here is my Valentines Day recipe for Sparkling Wine and Grape Jellies: (more…)
We all love puddings don’t we? When trying to lose weight we often feel deprived if we have to miss out on puddings all the time, I know I do. It is always nice to finish off a good meal with something sweet and satisfying, but puddings are traditionally high in fat and calories so that rules most of them out.
I came across this lovely recipe for a low fat bread and butter pudding, it is really tasty and very satisfying and is not too high in fat or calories – 230 calories per portion and 5g fat, so as an occasional treat it is well worth making without doing too much damage to your weight loss efforts. (more…)
I love curries, but often they can be full of cream and butter, so tend to keep off them other than for a special treat. I found this recipe the other day for a low fat version of Chicken Korma, it is absolutely gorgeous and is only 375 calories per portion. I thought you might like to try it as it is simple to make and really tasty, you do need a fairly well-stocked spice rack though.
Low Fat Chicken Korma
Serves 2 375 calories per portion 18g fat per portion
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tbspn groundnut oil
1/4 tspn ground cloves
1/2 tspn each of ground chilli,
cinnamon & cardamon
salt & black pepper
1/2 tspn saffron threads
in 1tbspn hot chicken stock
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
cut into 4 (400g total weight)
75ml chicken stock
15g shelled cashew nuts
150ml full-fat natural bio yoghurt.
Method
Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and saute the onion over a medium heat for 5 mins, stirring frequently, until it begins to turn golden. Add the garlic, ginger, dry spices and seasoning and stir for 30 seconds, adding a little chicken stock if necessary.
Add the saffron/liquid and the chicken pieces, stir for 1 – 2 mins until the chicken is coloured.
Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, by which time most of the liquid will have evaporated.
Add the nuts and yoghurt and heat through for a few seconds (do not boil)
Serve with Basmati rice and a herb salad.
I hope you will give it a try, let me know what you think.
Here in the UK we are gripped by snow which is making life very difficult and is very unusual for November. I had to have my two grandaughters for the day today as their school was closed and their mum had to struggle in to work for a few hours. I was planning lots of work today, but instead I got to play out in the snow. I am pretty exhausted now after pulling them round on the sledge, making a snowman and having a snowball fight – but we had good fun and I’m sure I’ve burnt off lots of calories and toned up some muscles that I didn’t know I had!!
I decided to make some warming winter soup to keep out the chill – it is really delicious and really warms you from the inside. Soup is a really good weight loss food as it is normally low in calories, full of healthy nutrients and fills you up, so you are not tempted to snack on high calorie foods. I thought I would share it with you as it is pretty simple to make and very tasty. (more…)
If you have been out at work all day, the last thing you want to be doing is slaving over a hot stove when you get home. This is often where problems arise when you are trying to lose weight, it is so easy to pop in to the supermarket on the way home and buy a ready-meal, or worse still get a very high-fat takeaway meal, such as a pizza, kebab or Chinese meal.
I have found this really tasty recipe for a low-fat supper which has only 320 calories per portion and 12.5g of fat per portion, it is very quick and easy to make, and is ideal for a winters evening.
Creamy Pork with Peppers – Serves 2
250g Pork fillet (cut into strips)
1 large red pepper (deseeded and thinly sliced)
2 small shallots (finely chopped)
100g small mushrooms
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1tspn sweet paprika + a little extra
1tspn cornflour
25ml chicken stock
100ml dry white wine
salt and pepper
75ml Greek yoghurt
1/2 tbspn groundnut oil
Method
1. Heat half the oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the meat over a high heat until browned on all sides. Remove and reserve.
2. Add the pepper and shallots to the pan with the rest of the oil, reduce heat and stir-fry for 4- 5 mins (until softened & just turning golden). Add the garlic and paprika for the last minute of cooking, add a little water if ncessary.
3. Add the flour and a little splash of stock, stir for about 20 secs, then add the mushrooms, wine and the rest of the stock and seasoning. Stir well.
4. Return the meat to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 5 mins, stir in the yoghurt to warm through without boiling.
Sprinkle with the extra paprika and serve.
Serve with basmati rice or noodles and a green salad.
When I made this the other night, it only took me about 30 minutes from start to finish, so there is no excuse. Give it a try, it is really tasty.
If, like me, you are a lover of cakes and really miss them because you are trying to lose weight and cut down on fats, then I have some good news for you – you can bake really delicous cakes that do not contain any fat.
You can use dried fruit purees in place of fat in many cake recipes and they are moist and very yummy. This does not work for ordinary sponge cakes, but is most successful in recipes that have a moist texture and fruity flavour.
To make the dried fruit puree, all you do is chop it up roughly (apricots or prunes work best) and put them in a blender with a few tablespoons of water and blend until roughly smooth. To use, simply substitute the fruit puree for the same amount of butter or fat that the recipes calls for, or you can use a combination of part fat and part fruit puree if you prefer.
Here’s a recipe that I have tried a few times and it is really very tasty – you would never know that there is no fat in it. It’s quite easy to make – so give it a go. (more…)
[ Note: This article was written by fitness and nutrition author Jon Benson. I have his permission to share it with you. ]
One of the most surprising benefits I’ve discovered for being engaged to a gal from the Middle East, other than the vast cultural exchange, is the cooking.
Oh, yes ladies… my gal COOKS!
Which is good since I am a lousy cook. : )
Hanna enjoys it… and she brings a Middle Eastern flair to some really boring fitness/bodybuilding foods that I want to share with you today.
Here’s just two quick tips from Hanna on making the ultimate in “boring” foods — egg whites and tuna (yuck) — taste incredible.
TIP 1:
Lively Egg White Omelette
Let’s face facts: Egg whites suck. At least that’s what I USED to think until Hanna decided to experiment with my morning omelette.
Now I eat this stuff like it was candy.
Here’s what she does:
1. She cooks the veggies separate from the egg whites. You’d think this would be common sense, but I never did it and I’ve seen a lot of people just toss it all in together.
2. Add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil to the veggies. This alone improved the taste tremendously.
3. Add 1/2 egg yolk to the veggies after cooking for 1 minute. This, again, is primarily for taste.
4. Garlic! If you love garlic, here’s your chance. Garlic ROCKS in egg white omelets.
5. Use Pam or another non-stick spray for the egg whites and cook them like you would a normal omelette. Then pour the almost-cooked veggies in the middle. Do the omelette dance.
6. Here’s the SECRET SAUCE… literally. This will sound nuts until you try it:
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Okay… Hanna’s bright, but this was an accident. She thought it was salsa. But I’ve NEVER gone back to salsa after stumbling on this incredible treat! I have no idea why it tastes so good, but it makes the omelette.
Try these tips and see if your egg white omelette doesn’t become your favorite meal of the day.
TIP 2:
Canned Tuna Extraordinaire
Again, I have the lovely Hanna to thank for this.
Like egg whites, I used to HATE canned tuna. Now, again, I can eat this every night without complaint.
Here’s what she does:
She cooks the veggies the same way as in the omelette above and then pours the tuna from the can into a skillet. That’s IT.
I’ve never had “tuna ala skillet” before… and I have no clue why this tastes so smooth and delicious, but it does.
If you hate canned tuna for being dry or tasteless, try this. You’ll never go back.
If you want 40 pages of recipes like this… very yummy and VERY healthy… then be sure to pick up my EODD “Favorite Foods” Dieplan.
Here’s more about it:
Favorite Foods Diet + Recipes <– click.here.for.more
Remember:
Don’t Quit. Get Fit!
P.S. Most of the recipes that come with my EODD book can be prepared in 15 minutes or less… so do not let the clock become your enemy when it comes to getting lean!
And remember: You can eat your favorite foods several days per week on my plan and still get rid of excess bodyweight.
Why give up living when you don’t have to, right? : )
Favorite Foods Diet + Recipes <– click.here.for.more
If you are a regular visitor to my website, you will know that I have been trying to convert my husband to healthy eating as he was diagnosed earlier this year with a heart condition. I am pleased to say that he had his heart bypass operation a couple of weeks ago and is now doing well and on the road to recovery. We can, at last start to get our life back to normal and will soon be able to get back to long walks and being more active together.
In the meantime though, he can only do short walks as he builds his fitness levels back up, so I am still largely doing things on my own like brisk walks and swimming and of course, we still have to keep on with the healthy eating program to keep cholesterol levels down.
Healthy eating is now second nature to us both, despite initial resistance from my husband, he has now adapted to living without his beloved crisps, cakes, sausage rolls and chocolate biscuits. If he can do it – anyone can!! We have both been losing weight slowly and haven’t really found any great hardship. We still allow ourselves treats at weekends and go out for meals with friends, but we have found that we don’t need to eat as much as we did before and very rarely have a pudding, which before, we both loved. (more…)
