HERB CHICKEN

HERB CHICKEN. This quick and easy recipe will give bland chicken a lift. The recipe was an instant hit in our household and took very little effort to achieve a wonderful balance of flavours. We love the pattern created by the herbs! Serve it with potatoes and salad or as we did - with crushed new potatoes sprayed with oil and crisped up in the oven.
For this recipe take one large chicken breast around 250g (this will serve two) and slice it lengthways into three. Flatten the chicken slightly with a rolling pin. Place sage leaves on top of each slice of chicken. Season with salt and pepper as you go, although less salt is required because of the ham. Wrap the whole chicken breast in parma ham (around 3 slices per chicken breast). Briefly fry for one minute either side then place in a hot oven (180ºC) for around 15 minutes. We placed the chicken breast on the same baking tray as the potatoes, which took up the flavour of the parma ham. We used a thermometer to check it was thoroughly cooked. Serve with salad or vegetables. Chicken is low in calories (around 1 calorie per gram uncooked weight), so 250g of chicken would work out at 250 calories. Add 100 calories for 3 slices of parma ham. The herb chicken breast would be around 350 calories - and that's between two! It was certainly very filling and would be lovely eaten cold - perhaps as part of a sandwich or salad lunch box.
Do you know how many calories you are allowed each day?

Here's a link to our very first blog post about our weight loss journey, which we began in January 2011. We started this blog as a way of recording what we ate while losing weight. The blog is a food diary, and contains lots of recipes, tips and ideas about losing weight.

Copyright © all rights reserved. Please do not copy any of this material without my express permission.

HOME MADE POTATO GNOCCHI

With fresh tomatoes in season (and cheap too) this POTATO GNOCCHI recipe with fresh tomato and basil was bursting with flavour. Better still, this is a great budget meal - working out at around 50p per portion. The gnocchi is simple to make, and we think the easiest pasta dish we've made. Here's how we make ours:

GNOCCHI (serves 4)

500g floury potatoes

100g fine flour

1 egg yolk

salt/pepper

Peel 500g of floury type potatoes (such as King Edward) and boiled until very soft. Drain and let all the moisture come out of them, as that's an important step. We drained and let them steam in the pan then mashed until very very fine. Leave to cool.

Add the flour and egg yolk to the cooled potatoes and season. Use salt and pepper - and add any of your flavourings at this stage. Form into small squares -we made around 40.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and drop the potato gnocchi into the pan. When they rise to the top, fish them out - this takes around a minute or so.

Serve with your favourite tomato sauce - today we have chopped up a few fresh tomatoes, fried lightly for five minutes in a small amount of oil, added garlic and basil and cooked for a further couple of minutes.

Top with your favourite cheese. Today we used 10g of Parmesan each - bringing our meal to around 350 calories. This gave us plenty of room for the all important chunk of crusty bread to mop up all that wonderful sauce.

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REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - do you know yours?

We began our weight loss journey in January 2011 - and began our blog in June 2011. Here's a link to the first post. (here's the link).

Read about our UNIQUE METHOD of weight loss and find out how you can lose weight eating the food you love.

Copyright © forget dieting forever, all rights reserved

FRESH CRAB

How lucky we were to find some very delicious fresh crab – just landed (…. on our plate) while we were away.  

This fresh crab sandwich is light in calories yet packed with a wonderful sweetness. The brown crabmeat is much more powerful, so we added a touch of lemon juice and mayonnaise.  You could also chop hard-boiled egg into the mixture. We used the brown crab mix to spread on the rolls instead of using butter, before piling the white crab meat on top.  

White crab meat has approximately 72 calories per 100g, and we estimate our large crab roll totalled around 350 calories.
Do you know how many calories you are allowed each day?

Here's a link to our very first blog post about our weight loss journey, which we began in January 2011. We started this blog as a way of recording what we ate while losing weight. The blog is a food diary, and contains lots of recipes, tips and ideas about losing weight.

You'll find our WEIGHT LOSS PLAN here. 

Copyright © forget dieting forever (2014), all rights reserved. Please do not copy any of this material without my express permission.

BEEF STEW & DUMPLINGS

When the weather turns cold there's nothing more comforting than BEEF STEW & DUMPLINGS. This is a classic dish and despite the bit of stodge on the side - those fluffy herb dumplings - it's relatively low in calories.
Pick up any ready made stew and you might be surprised at how low in calories they contain. Better still, make your own as it's so easy.
It's hard to believe the stew is around 350 calories (that includes the dumplings) - your tastebuds may be forgiven for thinking otherwise.
This recipe makes 6-8 hearty portions - costing around £1.00 per portion. It's a great budget dish with so much flavour it would quickly fly off any gastro menu. The secret is really in the ingredients - and using the right cut of meat.
You can use whatever ingredients you like, but here's how I made this:

Hot chorizo pizza

We fancied something simple and tasty but less rich than some of the dishes in the previous week. Pizza seemed to be the obvious choice! So we made this HOT & SPICY CHORIZO PIZZA. Add your own toppings and create something you will enjoy!
It's strange - but making pizza at this time of year seems to be becoming a tradition! Take a look at our pizza recipes and you'll see we began making them this time last year.
Each time we make pizza we improve slightly - so why not start making your own? Here's an internal link to a  GREAT PIZZA recipe and tips on how we've achieved successful results.
Even this time around we found the pizza dough resulted in a lovely chewy texture. All we did was leave the dough to rise for even longer than last time - about 4 hours in total. We also believe part of the secret to a good pizza is using the correct flour - a very strong bread flour.
So HOW MANY CALORIES ARE IN THIS PIZZA?
Well, the picture shows a whole 700 calorie pizza - which we shared…..
So each portion was around 350 calories - not bad for a great tasting meal.

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REMEMBER:  - Do you know how many calories you are allowed each day?

Here's a link to our very first blog post about our weight loss journey, which we began in January 2011. We started this blog as a way of recording what we ate while losing weight. The blog is a food diary, and contains lots of recipes, tips and ideas about losing weight.

You'll find our WEIGHT LOSS PLAN here. 

Copyright © forget dieting forever (2014), all rights reserved. Please do not copy any of this material without my express permission.

350 calorie chicken salad

This vibrant salad tasted as good as it looked. CHICKEN SALAD with spicy quinoa, vegetables and nuts.
Lunch was ready in no time at all. So why not pick up a ready prepared salad and sliced meats?
You can add a few more salad ingredients to bulk it out, and maybe a little cheese. We chose to add some shaved smoked applewood cheese.
Choosing a strong cheese means you can get away with eating less of it. The applewood is very strong so you'll experience all of its powerful flavour in just a few generous shavings.
For this salad I used around 10g of cheese, and I would estimate the whole dish at around 350 calories. It's almost three years since we began our weight loss journey - and we are still keeping the weight off. Why not take a look at how we took a different view - ditched faddy diets and started eating everything we wanted.

REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - do you know yours?

We began our weight loss journey in January 2011 - and began our blog in June 2011. Here's a link to the first post. (here's the link).

Read about our UNIQUE METHOD of weight loss and find out how you can lose weight eating the food you love.

Copyright © forget dieting forever, all rights reserved.

PRAWNS

A quick and easy lunch - PRAWN COCKTAIL salad. The prawns were sweet, juicy and very low in calories at just 80 calories per 100g (about the amount in this picture). Just watch for the calories in the sauce!
I ate mine with half an avocado today (165 calories per 100g). The sauce was the most calorific item at 495 calories per 100g, and I used approximately 20g. Despite the sauce, my salad was still around 350 calories - so I had a nice crusty roll with butter.
Not eating enough will result in hunger which leads to unnecessary snacking and can break your resolve if you are following a strict diet. Be kind to yourself. Take time to lose weight and enjoy eating your favourite foods. If you love certain foods, don't deny yourself them; find out the nutritional value and make up your own mind whether you'll eat it. Take control of your food choices and you'll soon discover (like us) you can lose weight.
OUR MOTTO is to EAT GREAT AND LOSE WEIGHT.
REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - do you know yours?

We began our weight loss journey in January 2011 - and began our blog in June 2011. Here's a link to the first post. (here's the link).

We like to post our main meals to show you what CAN be eaten. You won’t find us posting every last morsel though – but we hope this gives you an idea of how far calories can go! I'm currently going through the photographs and replacing them with more website friendly versions which will allow the blog to load quickly. 

Read about our UNIQUE METHOD of weight loss and find out how you can lose weight eating the food you love.

Copyright © forget dieting forever, all rights reserved.

Pasta with tomatoes

A very easy and simple recipe - PASTA with fresh tomato sauce.
Does your pasta fill you up? We found the fresh pasta we were making actually filled us up for a lot longer than the dried pasta we've been using. That makes fresh pasta great for weight loss.
We wanted to know why we felt much fuller after eating our home made pasta. After a little research, we found the reason our fresh pasta was so filling is because our fresh pasta is made with EGG which provides more protein. Some things are simple once you know!
We now realise some dried pasta is made with semolina flour and water and no egg. So the next time you're buying dried pasta, take a look at the ingredients. I'll be looking out for dried pasta with egg! Last time we made this delicious (and VERY easy tomato sauce) we used this spicy recipe. But today, we opted for something even more simple.... fresh egg pasta and fresh tomatoes.
Here's our pasta and tomato sauce recipe (making use of our glut of home grown tomatoes) you will be amazed at how low in calories this actually is:

Tomatoes and mozzarella for 350 calories

A simple lunch of TOMATOES & MOZZARELLA at just 350 calories. This is one of our favourites. Today we used a little less cheese, making a lighter lunch/starter. This photograph shows 75g of mozzarella and 60g of ciabatta. We generally like to eat around 450-500 calories at lunch time as this seems to fill us up for longer and reduces the urge to pick.
The tomatoes are from our garden and deliciously sweet. If you have a spare tub - tomatoes are easy to grow, and you'll experience a flavour second to none.
If you can make toast, you can make this meal. Toast a few slices of ciabatta and pile on the tomatoes mixed with a little oil, basil, salt and pepper. Serve with your favourite mixed salad leaves and don't forget to season them too. We used an olive oil dressing and a little balsamic.

REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - do you know yours?

We began our weight loss journey in January 2011 - and began our blog in June 2011. Here's a link to the first post. (here's the link).

We like to post our main meals to show you what CAN be eaten. You won’t find us posting every last morsel though – but we hope this gives you an idea of how far calories can go! I'm currently going through the photographs and replacing them with more website friendly versions which will allow the blog to load quickly. 

Read about our UNIQUE METHOD of weight loss and find out how you can lose weight eating the food you love.

Copyright © forget dieting forever, all rights reserved.

Thai inspired chilli prawns with noodles

Today I was inspired by the freshness of the Bang Bang Chicken salad (peanut butter chicken) we ate last week.
I thought these PRAWNS would go well with a chilli and lime dressing. I added an avocado to the salad, as I had some ripe and ready to eat.
It's unusual for us to have such lovely hot weather, and this lunch went down particularly well.
The ingredients provide enough for two good portions, which I estimate at around 350 calories each! Omit the avocado and you have a spicy salad around 250 calories.
To bulk out our meal, we ate some buttered rolls on the side. We still prefer to eat a good lunch around 450-500 calories, as it fills us up and we're not left feeling too hungry before our next meal. So if you often find yourself snacking mid-afternoon, the cure could be to eat a little more for your lunch. Here's my deliciously spicy recipe:

RHUBARB AND CUSTARD

RHUBARB AND CUSTARD - what a classic. How about trying it this way? Is it a rhubarb crumble or is it rhubarb and custard... or is it rhubarb jelly? The combination of textures and flavours create a good talking point.
Most people eat this type of dessert hot - but once you've tried it this way (cold) you'll experience a new dimension. Something new, something exciting yet traditional.
You won't believe the number of calories considering the luxurious taste.
Home made custard is a treat, but you could always top the rhubarb with a shop bought variety. The last time I made custard I ended up with scrambled egg. It's not that easy (in my opinion). But, after trawling a few recipes I came across this ALL IN ONE CUSTARD recipe, which was so easy and very, very creamy. However, the custard didn't 'set' to the level we expected - but this didn't detract from the final creation - which was unexpectedly refreshing.
I used HALF the ingredients stated in the custard recipe which divided nicely into four servings (thus reducing the calories a little).
We roasted the rhubarb, after a friend suggested the idea. The fruit kept its shape and helped us to create the dessert. A great dinner party idea - can be made well ahead of time and will surely wow your guests!

Asparagus with duck egg

There's nothing quite like new season asparagus. We served ours with a duck egg, watercress and hot buttered toast. A low calorie lunch at around 350 calories if you have one slice of toast. Why not serve with a few slices of ham? Asparagus is quite often wrapped in parma ham and fried.
This dish was ready in no time - so if it's fast food you're after, then here it is.
Later we will be eating a favourite of ours - bbq beef brisket, with roast potatoes, sweetcorn and salad.

REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - do you know yours? 

We like to post our main meals to show you what CAN be eaten. You won’t find us posting every last morsel though – but we hope this gives you an idea of how far calories can go!

Read about our UNIQUE METHOD of weight loss and find out how you can lose weight eating the food you love.

Copyright © forget dieting forever, all rights reserved.

Monkfish with spicy sauce

Monkfish carries spicy sauces well because its meaty and strong. We give this dish 9 out of 10 and the result is up there with our favourite meals. Here's our spicy recipe - with such a depth of flavour, it's worth using the sauce with other dishes such as pasta. You could cook clams and mussels in the sauce too for a perfect light lunch.
We used lots of crusty bread to mop up every last drop of the sauce as it was so addictive. Estimated calories in this dish would be around 350 calories for the fish. Don't forget to add the calories for your bread (and potatoes if using). Here's our distinctive recipe:

Cajun chicken salad

We used less chicken in this CAJUN CHICKEN SALAD. Slicing the chicken breast into strips makes it look more. This meal is under 350 calories. We were going to have a cajun chicken wrap, but the wrap on its own was 190 calories.  The new potatoes (with a little butter and salt) were much more filling and satisfying - they may have taken 20 minutes to cook, but that's not too long and we had the time available.
Simply season some chicken strips with cajun seasoning and cook lightly in some olive oil.  We mixed a bag of salad with some tomatoes, cucumber and red onion and coated in olive oil. Served with those wonderful Jersey royals.  All ready in about half an hour.  After our meaty Monday beef curry, this was a nice light alternative.

Losing weight eating the food we love!

REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - and we like to post our main meals to show you what we are eating. You won’t find us posting every last morsel though – but we hope this gives you an idea of how far calories can go!

Read about OUR UNIQUE METHOD of weight loss and find out how we have lost weight eating the food we love.

Copyright © forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.