Pan fried mackerel and tomato salsa

The fisherman on the quay had super fresh mackerel impossible to resist. Even I could tell it was very very fresh.
The price - what price! The fisherman sold us the mackerel at 50p per fish. After pan frying we just couldn't understand why this fish isn't more popular.  The simplest of dishes are often the best and this is no exception.
We test drove one fillet with a coating of egg and porridge oats. The nutty texture of the oats worked very well against the soft creamy flesh. Perfect if you want to make the fillets go even further!
You need a bit of acidity to complement the oily fish and beetroot/apple is a popular combination. We served our mackerel with tomatoes, which was very refreshing. We mixed chopped tomatoes with red onion, basil, olive oil and lemon juice. Don't forget to season well. The mackerel took just minutes in the frying pan. If you want a crispy skin you'll need to rack up the heat in the pan. We didn't do this as we decided to flavour the oil in the pan with bay leaves and garlic which we removed before pan frying the fish. Serve with fresh crusty bread or some earthy Cornish new potatoes. 100g of mackerel is around 170 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.

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

Tandoori salmon bites

These spicy SALMON party bites are based on our competition winning Tandoori party bites, with our recipe printed on the Total Greek yoghurt pots as a result.
They are easy to prepare and low in calories, at around 50 calories each. Eat them as a light starter or lunch too. Serve them hot or cold.
These versatile party bites work out at around 25p each, with a small 120g piece of salmon creating 10-12 snacks.
Take a look at our recipe below.
Be who you want to be.

Do you know how many calories you can eat each day?

Our very first blog post about our weight loss journey - back in 2011.

You'll find our successful weight loss method and a few tips and tricks here: WEIGHT LOSS STORY.

Copyright © forget dieting forever (2015), all rights reserved.

Smoked cod and poached eggs

Have you ever eaten smoked cod with poached eggs? We've occasionally eaten smoked haddock and poached eggs, but never cod. The supermarket was selling smoked cod loin at a very reasonable price.
If you're not a fan of smoked fish, you might find this cut of fish interesting. Compared to smoked haddock the cod was less smoky and more delicate, and went perfectly with spinach and poached egg. All very moreish.
The fish was very easy to cook. Place the cod into a small saucepan and cover with milk. Turn up the heat and simmer for around 4-5 minutes (we had two 150g fillets). Turn off the heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. We used frozen spinach, as it is economical and there is no waste. The bacon added a lovely crunch to the meal.
This meal with a slice of toast was around 450 calories.
Just like everyone else, we have indulged over Christmas and the New Year. Our weight has fluctuated over the festive season by a couple of pounds here and there. We've addressed this by thinking about what we are eating and in the last few days we've returned to our pre-Christmas weight.
It's around this time of year when we notice the bits and pieces of 'leftover' nuts, biscuits and chocolates lurking around the house. Noticing what's around us was how we originally came up with the weight loss idea.
Four years ago I noticed my other half would pick up a mince pie (or two) and munch on them as he wandered around the kitchen. These mindless snacks can have a big impact on weight. Just two mince pies amounted to 500 calories - enough calories for a whole meal. He wasn't necessarily 'enjoying' them either, but eating them so they wouldn't go to waste. We now choose to eat whatever we want to eat, but (roughly) within our daily calorie allowance.

****

Be who you want to be.

Do you know how many calories you can eat each day?

Our very first blog post about our weight loss journey - back in 2011.

You'll find our successful weight loss method and a few tips and tricks here: WEIGHT LOSS STORY.
Tweak what you eat and lose weight.

Copyright © forget dieting forever (2014), all rights reserved.

MONKFISH SCAMPI

We saw MONKFISH SCAMPI being cooked on a television programme. This is how old fashioned scampi used to be made, although now scampi contains langoustines.
As monkfish was the only option at the supermarket, we decided to have a go at making our own scampi. It was surprisingly easy to make too.
SERVES TWO (as a starter):  Cut around 180g of monkfish into 8 pieces (approx 2cm each). The monkfish bone is easy to remove, alternatively you can ask the fishmonger to take it out. Season with salt, pepper and even add a bit spice if you fancy e.g. curry, chilli, smoked paprika then flour, egg and breadcrumb them. We used Panko breadcrumbs for two reasons - they deliver a light and crunchy result, and we had them in the cupboard. We served ours with mushy peas, to which we added a teaspoon of mint sauce. Shallow fry the scampi until golden brown - 4 to 5 minutes should be enough.
You know we ate this type of food while losing weight. We're now keeping the weight off. It's about eating food you really enjoy, and filling up. No need for hunger!

Be who you want to be.

Do you know how many calories you can eat each day?

Our very first blog post about our weight loss journey - back in 2011.

You'll find our successful weight loss story here.
Tweak what you eat and lose weight.

Copyright © forget dieting forever (2014), all rights reserved.

Hot smoked salmon salad

This hot smoked salmon salad is very quick and easy to assemble. 

So simple yet so tasty. 

The zesty yoghurt dressing is perhaps our favourite component. If you are looking for a simple, low calorie potato salad recipe, this dressing is a must. 

We bought chilli flavoured hot smoked salmon today. Alternatively you could use smoked trout, as we have done in the past. 

The potatoes work well warm or cold, so why not make a large batch of potato salad? A great lunchbox idea too. Here's the recipe:

Baked fish with tangy beans

Baked fish with a breadcrumb topping was on the menu yesterday. Cod was on offer at our local supermarket and looked very fresh.
The haricot beans were cooked with tomatoes, garlic, herbs and lemon.
The whole recipe was quite simple to make. The fish topping involved making fresh breadcrumbs which took ten minutes and we made them up earlier in the afternoon.
The fish fillet we bought was long and quite thin, so we folded the whole thing in half prior to cooking. By doing this, we used less breadcrumbs and as the photograph shows, it came out looking like one chunky piece. Saves paying for cod loin - which can double the cost. You can ask the fishmonger to skin the fish for you - even in the supermarkets.
Our RECIPE for baked fish in breadcrumbs can be found here. We baked the fish at 190ºC for 15 minutes, then checked before cooking for a further 4 minutes, when the flakes were just starting to separate. Fish is low in calories yet very filling too.
We used haricot beans, but you could swap them for butter beans etc. Simply drain and add the rest of the ingredients. Here's our recipe for the tangy beans:

Tangy Beans

Ingredients

1 large tin of cooked haricot or butter beans

1 large crushed clove garlic

3-4 chopped tomatoes

juice of half a lemon

splash of red wine vinegar

salt/pepper

tablespoon of chopped herbs - we used basil and parsley

chilli flakes if you like a bit of heat

50ml white wine 

olive oil

drop of honey - if required

*

Put the oil into a frying pan and add the chopped tomatoes and garlic. Stir for a few minutes until tomatoes begin to break down.

Transfer the tomato mixture to a saucepan and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the beans are heated through and the liquid has reduced slightly.

Check the seasoning, add a drop of honey if necessary, although the acidity will compliment the fish. 

*

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

BASIL, LEMON & LEMON SOLE

Lemon sole is a wonderfully light fish, and this recipe made good use of the basil sitting on the windowsill.
I cooked a plateful of smaller fillets - deliciously soft and sweet.
After marinating the fish in oil, lemon juice and chopped basil for 10 minutes, I pan fried in butter and oil. The small fillets took just minutes to cook.
Had the fillets been bigger, I could have spread them with a basil (or similar) pesto, rolled them up and baked in the oven. Another favourite recipe of ours is this lemon sole with capers.
Despite using olive oil to marinate and cook the fish, the meal was still surprisingly low in calories - this 150g of lemon sole is around 125 calories. We served ours with pine nuts - around 190 calories per 28g (each kernel works out at just over 1 calorie each). With the small amount of butter and oil, this plateful is somewhere around 250 calories.
With plenty of room to spare, I served the fish with lots of flavoursome Jersey Royal potatoes. I look out for these seasonal beauties, along with Pembrokeshire and Cornish potatoes. Serve with peas, or a salad. Keep it simple and enjoy the star of the dish - the delicate lemon sole.

***

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.

Creamy smoked trout salad

We love this SMOKED TROUT SALAD as it's quite easy to put together. With all the ingredients to hand, it's more of an assembly job, apart from boiling the potatoes.

I added a little more horseradish sauce to the dressing today. 

Smoked trout is cheaper than smoked salmon, and makes a nice change. If you can't find trout, you can always substitute with hot smoked salmon. 

We've used a very thick and creamy Greek yoghurt for the dressing. It really helps give the dish a velvety richness, without using mayonnaise (which can often taste too oily).

This dish comes in under 300 calories - and it is so filling, you would never believe it. Room for something else…… Here's our recipe:

BAKED COD WITH A HERB CRUST

BAKED COD with a herb crust is very easy to prepare and cook.
The dish can be prepared beforehand then all you have to do is turn the oven on and wait. Great if you are entertaining - and a delicious idea for Valentine's Day.
I've found baking cod usual gives a lovely moist result and you are less likely to overcook it.
We took advantage of an amazing offer on at Morrisons at the moment - fresh cod at just £5.99 per kilo. Their website also has a lot of recipe ideas too.
After this very tasty recipe, I'm tempted to eat fish all week - and we'll definitely be making this again! Take a look at how we made it below.
Part of our weight loss success has been down to a bit of exercise - WALKING to be precise. If you're interested, here's something I've learned recently.
WALKING & DEHYDRATION.
We've had persistent rain in the South West for months now. So when we see the odd blue sky we like to take the opportunity to go for a walk. But I wasn't prepared for the strong winds, and we had to battle against the gales which almost took my breath away. After lunch, about two hours later I began to feel quite cold and tired. A quick search on the internet suggested this was probably down to dehydration. It made sense, as the walk had been much more strenuous due to the weather. It's so easy to forget walking is an exercise, but good hydration is just as important as with any exercise.

LEMON SOLE for WEIGHT LOSS

Worrying about weight gain after the festive season? Why not follow our unique weight loss system. Lose weight and never go hungry - this is weight loss that works.
We've shown you can lose weight easily eating a lot more than some well known diets would impose on you. In fact our weight loss system was so easy, we ended up losing 7 stone between us. Not bad when you consider the very high diet failure rate. Until I used this system I found it difficult to lose weight and keep it off.
Here's what we ate yesterday. We used normal cooking techniques too with butter and oil.
LEMON SOLE has such a delicate flavour you would think this powerful caper sauce would do it an injustice. In fact, the opposite was true.
When I tasted the caper sauce on its own, it was so acidic I thought I had better get the ketchup ready on standby. But… together they were divine. Like chalk and cheese - yet an unexpected perfect match.
Despite the butter, the dish came in under 450 calories. There was quite a bit of the sauce left in the pan - so it could stretch to serving four with less reduction. It was so much tastier than anticipated.
I had a jar of capers in the fridge - they've been haunting me for months, so I thought I'd better use them. (One of those purchases you make when you feel creative while shopping).
Our weight loss philosophy is to eat what you enjoy - nothing is banned. Live life to the full and savour your food. Forget about all that substitute low-fat food - just eat the real thing, and you will probably find you naturally eat less of it. As in this dish - we used full fat ingredients, yet there was plenty of sauce left in the frying pan. It's about not being afraid, and taking a leap of faith.
After enjoying such a wonderful treat, I can thoroughly recommend this dish. We were very surprised at just how balanced the fish was, and better still, you can prepare it within 30 minutes - the potatoes taking the longest! So why not experiment, try something new and enjoy this fabulous recipe:

Baked fish & curly fries

This is a light and delicious combination - COD IN BREADCRUMBS with curly fries. Everything was baked, making the dish extremely low in calories too. A great alternative to the fish and chip takeaway.
We cut a 300g piece of COD into four centimetre chunks, then dipped in seasoned flour, egg and white breadcrumbs. This makes the fish go a lot further - and 100g of fish is ample for one portion.  These were then baked for just 10 minutes in a hot oven (180ºC).
The curly fries were made using a Japanese mandolin. We used one large potato per person. They were seasoned with bbq spice and placed onto a greased tray, sprayed with oil and baked for 30 minutes until golden brown.
If you need a little more information about this dish, here's a link to our previous more detailed recipe - cod and chips. You'll be amazed at just how moist and delicious the fish is when baked like this.
So how many calories in this baked cod and curly fries? Well, we would estimate this dish at around 450 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.

275 calories - hot smoked trout salad

This HOT SMOKED TROUT salad tasted as if it had a lot more calories than it actually did. It was packed with flavour and it gave my tastebuds something to think about.
It was the perfect lunch, and a great way to eat potatoes. Just 275 calories too. You could always substitute the trout for hot smoked salmon.
We've always aimed for a lunch at around 400-500 calories, so I'll be eating something else between now and dinner. There's no need to experience hunger to lose weight. You don't have to deprive yourself of anything. Why put your body under stress?
Here's our fabulous recipe:

CREAMY FISH PIE

There's nothing quite like a comforting CREAMY FISH PIE.  
Why load the pie with creme fraiche or cream, when you can halve the calories with this fabulous recipe. The creaminess is still there, you lose nothing in flavour, and the sauce can be used for other recipes - such as chicken pie etc. 

Depending on your appetite, this huge fish pie will serve between four and six people.
If you divide between four, then each portion works out at around 660 calories.
Divide between SIX people and each portion will be around 440 calories.
We loved everything about this dish - and you must give it a try! We chose a different kind of white fish than your normal COD. But you can choose whatever fish you fancy for this dish. Fish is extremely expensive, and you might want to shop for bits and pieces of fish when they are on offer - placing them in the freezer until you are ready. Alternatively, the supermarket offers bags of frozen fish - which seems relatively cheap in comparison to fresh fish. Here's our fabulous recipe:

COD in breadcrumbs

I was really hankering after some fish - so we made this delicious cod in breadcrumbs again. Once you've made this yourself, you'll probably wonder why you've never thought to make it before. It's so easy, and so much tastier than its processed, frozen friend.
Tonight we served ours with potato wedges - cooked in the oven in a piri-piri seasoning.
My 180g portion of raw cod is around 150 calories.
After bread crumbing and serving with spicy oven cooked potato wedges, and a little side salad, the whole dish is still only around 600 calories.
Take a look at our truly succulent lemony cod recipe:

SEAFOOD PASTA

You either love seafood or hate it. Here's our SEAFOOD PASTA. Good fresh ingredients are best for this dish.
After a holiday you may find the weight has piled on. We've just returned from our holiday, enjoying the sunshine, food and drink. We also did a lot of sight seeing - or should I say 'walking' - and we think this has helped our weight to remain stable (a balance of calories). We ate very heartily too. When we returned home, we found our weight was more or less stable, which is more than we can say about our (poor and often non-existent) internet service. Hence the lack of posts but I'll attempt to post whenever possible.
I took very few FOOD photographs while away as I was too busy capturing the scenery, but here's the meal we ate when we arrived home. We love shellfish, and even foraged for our own mussels which were sweet and juicy. We brought back lots of fresh seafood, making this pasta dish amazingly fresh. When you have fresh seafood you'll find the texture is incredibly soft. Here's a link to the spicy tomato sauce we used in this dish. SEAFOOD is low in calories, so this dish is only around 450 calories.

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 all of your favourite food and drink. Put hunger to rest.

Copyright © forget dieting forever, all rights reserved.

Smoked trout salad

Today we had smoked trout salad with new potatoes for lunch.
If you are dieting and want to make a real difference to your weight (forever) then why not take a look at our weight loss method. We've managed to lose 7 stone between us, and have kept the weight off without any problems. Our philosophy is to eat ALL foods - nothing banned eg if you love fish and chips - have them. This is what we fancied today.  Our meal was under 450 calories and very filling/satisfying.
You can buy pre-packed cooked, smoked trout fillets in the supermarket. Ours came from a Smokery, as we were passing the shop. Smoked trout is quite a subtle tasting fish and makes a nice change from eg smoked salmon. Great with a creamy potato salad, or simply with brown bread and butter.

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.

Delicate FISH CURRY

The fragrant FISH CURRY was perfect for a hot day. We made twice as much sauce, saving some for another day, when we can add whatever protein we like to the finished dish.
A very easy dish to make, and one we will be making again. The fish remained lovely and moist. I doubt you could overcook fish cooked this way! Our 'favourite' list has just got longer. Deceptively LOW in CALORIES - using our special recipe tip below.
Use fresh fish if possible. Salmon is particularly good with this recipe, as it really takes on all the flavours and spices.
Here's our EASY recipe:

Spicy baked sea bass

Spicy baked sea bass - a tasty way to cook this fish without fuss. You won't be disappointed.
Did you know you cannot taste coriander if you hold your nose! Coriander is an AROMATIC herb and if you chew it while holding your nose, you won't taste it at all. Try it - pinch your nose while chewing on a bit of coriander then release... you'll soon realise just how pungent coriander is.
Tonight we cooked this wonderful fresh sea-bass, baked with lemon, basil and coriander and a hint of chilli. Our visit to the Severn and Wye smokery  resulted in buying some wonderful fresh and smoked products which we'll be eating over the next few days and weeks.
Sea bass is very low in calories - like most fish at approximately 1 calorie per gram. We served our sea bass with spicy noodles and onion bhajis - the whole dish was under 500 calories! We picked up a bag of onion bhajis from the takeaway on the way back from the pub! We popped them into the oven to reheat while the fish was cooking.
Here's how it looked before going into the oven. Once cooked, just peel off the skin and enjoy the most succulent piece of fish ever.
Here's how we prepared our fish along with our Thai noodle recipe:

Scallops and black pudding

If you've been dieting and missing out on your favourite foods then take a look at our weight loss method where all foods are permitted. BLACK PUDDING included.
We used our favourite of all black puddings for this lunch recipe. It has a high grain content and is very soft and tasty. Perfect partner for these very sweet scallops. This would make a fabulous starter too. In restaurants you'll get around 3 scallops as a starter and 6 for a main course. We were fortunate as we had some very large scallops which we could cut in half before cooking.
Occasionally we'll make a trip to the fishmonger but you can buy scallops in the supermarkets. This dish is around 200 calories - can you believe it (see below for ingredients).
We upped the calories with a buttered bread roll on the side. Although still quite low in calories - we've got a chocolate brownie to get through, so it'll all balance out in the end.
Here's our recipe - and budget tip!

TERIYAKI SALMON

In a hurry and just want to eat great fast food without the cost of a ready meal or takeaway? Why not try this quick and easy TERIYAKI SALMON with a refreshing bean sprout and noodle salad. Everything works well together and the salmon had a lovely sticky sweet flavour.
This HOT weather has changed what we fancy eating, and we are enjoying the oriental flavours at the moment.
Earlier this week, we ate TERIYAKI BEEF with egg fried rice. We enjoyed it so much, we couldn't resist trying the same marinade with salmon.
Lunch is ready in no time, once you've prepared a few vegetables.
The salad on its own is so refreshing and spicy - at around 150 calories per portion.  It would make a great lunch box side salad. Make more of the dressing and keep it in the fridge for a few days and add to your salads. We used the dressing for our prawn noodle salad last week.
This is fast food with big flavours, and so much cheaper than buying ready meal equivalents. You can always buy a ready made teriyaki sauce if you don't have all the ingredients. Here's our delicious recipe: