The healthy BBQ!

Recipe of the week 22nd August 2011

Well this week as next weekend is the August bank holiday weekend (in England anyway) I have decided to do BBQ food.  I made pork and apple burgers, chicken and chorizo sticks and a paprika pasta bake, for this BBQ.  All of these together, its less than 550 calories.

Pork and Apple Burgers

Ingredients 

400g minced pork

2 tbsp vegetable stock powder

2 eating apples, grated

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 red onion, finely diced

1 red pepper, finely diced

Black pepper

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well, season with black pepper, and combine.  Divide into 4, and mould into burgers.

2. Cook on a hot BBQ, regularly turned, till throughly cooked.  To test the are cooked by, inserting a knife into the centre, if the bade comes out clean, they are cooked.

Notes

Serves 4.

Calorie content 180.

Fat content 4.8g.

These can also be grilled under a hot grill, if the weather isnt good enough!

Chicken and Chorizo sticks

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, chopped

1 lime, zest and juice.

2 tbsp light soy sauce

Thin chroizo slices

Method

1. Mix the lime zest, juice and soy sauce together.  Then add the chicken and marinade for at least 10 minutes, but ideally as long as possible.

2. Thread alternate pieces of chicken and chorizo onto the sticks.

3. Place on the BBQ and cook, until chicken cooked through.

Notes 

Serves 4.

Calorie content 89.

Fat content 3.8g.

If using wooden skewers remember to soak in water for at least 1hr to help prevent the wood burning.

If the weather isnt good enough for a BBQ, Cook in under the grill for 2-4 minutes turning frequently.

Paprika Pasta Salad

Ingredients 

350g pasta shapes

2 vegetable stock cubes

2 red peppers, cut into large slices

2 yellow peppers, cut into large slices

150ml virtually fa free fromage frais

1 tbsp paprika

1-2 tbsp of dried herbs

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, with the 2 stock cubes for added flavour.

2. Place the pepper on the BBQ for 5-6minutes, until the peppers start to change colour.  Allow them to cool, and peel the skins off.

3. Mix the cooked pasta and peppers in a bowl.

4.  In another bowl mix the fromage frais and dried herbs, before adding to the pasta and peppers.  Mix until well combined.

5. Sprinkle the paprika over the top and serve.

Notes

Serve 6.

Calorie content 250

Fat content 2.2g

If the weather doesnt allow a BBQ, grill the peppers until the colour changes

Weekly update 17/08/11

No can do :(


Well this week is a bit of a let down.  Was hoping to post that I was nearing the 2 stone mark, and also mentioning that I have started a friend on the diet having seen how much I have achieved.  However no can do.

This time its not even down to me not pulling my weight on the diet and fitness front during the past week. No, unfortunately my class was cancelled due to illness.  I did with my determined head on, try to go to a different class, but as I was trying to navigate myself round an unfamiliar part of town (with only 5 mins to spare till the start of the class) I ran into roadworks.

So no weigh in today for me.

My new plan of action is to pop along to a class tomorrow am, and hope that having a morning rather than evening weight doesnt cause too much difference.  On the plus side, I started the whole of this process as a size 20, and during the last week I needed to buy new trousers as the old ones were falling down (even with a belt) and... drum roll please... I now can get into a size 16.  Which is slightly loose!!

I have also learnt this week, that cardio exercise every day can  be detrimental to your fitness, so this weeks goal (as well as getting weighed) is to reduce my cardio exercise to 5 times a week.

Weekly update 10/08/2011

Weekly weigh in and new task

Well, first of apologies for not being online for a while, there has been lots going on (mainly sickness) in the faithful household this week, but all is better now.  So we are back!!

First of my weight loss over the last 2 weeks has been good (7lb off in 2 weeks) so Im impressed with how things are going.  Also appear to be losing inches as well (last week, 4 inches off various areas).

Now my new challenge, well started doing this last week, but with all that has been going on, didnt get very far, is to look at my hunger levels.  So Im using my fitness pal (its a site and an app for phones) and when typing in the food/calorie content of what Im eating, Im also adding how hungry I am when Im eating, out of 10 (1= not hungry at all, 10=completely starving, would actually eat ANYTHING).  Once I have completed this weeks, Im going to look at them and see if Im eating when Im not hungry or at the wrong times of the day and see if I can tweak my food habits to help me not eat when Im not hungry.

Im also deciding what to have as my losing 1.5 stone present.  Im currently debating between a set of kitchen scales or a new sports bra… Exciting times!!

Spicy Cottage Pie

Recipe of the week: 1st August 2011

This recipe is a combination of our own cottage pie and a rosemary conley recipe, as the together we think they make THE best cottage pie!

Ingredients 

600g potatoes, peeled & chopped

1 white onion, cut into quarters

400g extra lean mince beef

1 red onion, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

200g mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp balti curry paste

1 beef knorr stock pot

1tsp of gravy granules

2 tbsp skimmed milk

300mls water

salt and black pepper

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 200C, 400F or gas mark 6.  Pre heat a large non-stick frying pan.

2. Boil the potatoes with the white onion until soft.

3. Meanwhile, dry fry the mince in the non-stick pan until lightly browned.  Then tip the mince into a sieve and drain off the excess fat.

4. Return the mince to the pan, add the red onion, garlic, carrots and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring in the balti paste while they are cooking.

5. Add water and bring to a gentle simmer, then add the gravy granules, stock pot and seasoning.  Simmer the mixture gently for 20 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

6.  Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish.

7.  Drain the potatoes, mash well, adding the skimmed milk and seasoning.

8.  Spread the mixture over the top of the meat, and rough it up with a fork.

9.  Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Notes

Calorie content 338.

Fat content 6g.

You can add cheese to the top of the mash before placing in the oven, however this will increase the calories and fat content.

We serve ours with seasonal veggies.

It serves 4.

Tomato Risotto

Recipe of the week: 25th July 2011

Ingredients 

1 red onion, diced

1 garlic clove crushed

100g arborio risotto rice

750ml vegetable stock

100g tomato passata

150g cherry tomatoes, halved

black pepper, and if you like salt

Method

1. Pre heat a non stick pan and dry fry the onion and garlic until soft.  Add the rice and gradually stir in the stock and passata until all the stock has been absorbed.

2.  Add the tomatoes and season to taste and cook for a further 5 minutes.

3.  Serve, we choose to served it with sugar snap peas, but it also works well with a salad.

Notes

Calorie content 266.

Fat content 3.2g.

You can add 2 tbsp low fat fromage frais to make the risotto more creamy, although this will increase the calories and fat content.

It serves 2.

Weekly update 20/07/2011

Veggies anyone?

 Well today was the BIG weigh in day.

I had such nerves as had put a lot of pressure on myself to lose weight this week, and……

It paid off.

3 and a half pounds off, so hit my first stone target and became slimmer of the week.

As my ‘prize’ to myself for hitting a target Im joining the gym.  This is going to hopefully help me keep up my weight loss and my motivation to lose weight.

This weeks focus is on hitting the 5 a day, my main issue is with veggies.  I hate a lot of them and can tolerate the rest with lashings of ketchup, not so good.  So I (well me and a friend) have come up with a plan….

Add fruit into my breakfast calories.

1 snack per day is a portion of fruit.

1 veggie portion at lunch (So far my ideas include soup, salads or salad sandwiches)

2 veggie portions at dinner, to get round my fear of veggies without the lovely red sauce, Im adding them into sauce based meals, for example adding grated carrot to a spag bol, or mushrooms to a curry sauce.

Im also planning my next weight target and prize…. Next target is to get to one and a half stone weight loss.  Current ideas for prize include new exercise trousers or a rosemary conley recipe book.

Later this week I will add a new recipe of the week and Im planning on measuring myself to prove that Im losing inches as well as pounds….

Spicy mexican beef

Recipe of the week: 18th July 2011

Spicy Mexican Beef

.

Ingredients

400g rump steak, sliced (visible fat removed)

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 green pepper, diced

200g mushrooms, sliced

2tbsp fajita spice mix

1tbsp mixed herbs

1tbsp light soy sauce

200g cherry tomatoes

100g cooked new potatoes, sliced

chilli sauce, for drizzling

Method

1. Pre heat a non stick pan, then dry fry onion, garlic and green pepper until soft.

2. Add the beef and lightly seal, then stir in the mushrooms, spice mix, herbs and soy sauce.

3.  Toss together, then add the cherry tomatoes and potatoes and heat through.

4. Serve drizzled with chilli sauce.

Notes

Calorie content: 192 (we served ours with 55g of rice, per person, and that increases the calories to 397)

Fat content: 1.6%

It serves 4.

Weekly update 13/07/2011

Well, I had a 1 pound weight gain last week at my weigh in, so have decided my target for this week is to lose that pound and an extra half in order for me to have made it to my first stone.

To achieve this Im sticking to my 1860 calorie daily limit and have decided to concentrate on exercising this week.

This has been going well, I have only had one plate of chips since wednesday night, and have otherwise stuck to my low fat diet. Including eating my recipe of the week which was enjoyed by the whole family.

Exercise wise, Ive done well. I went swimming on thursday for 30min, did an hour exercise DVD both on friday and sunday.  I had saturday as a day off as I was working a 15hr day, so there was no time to exercise.

I have also got a friend who is going to help coach me into better health, so think with her help I might already have a focus for next week…

Weigh in is on wednesday, so will let you know how I get on.