EASY SUMMER SALAD

If you can chop vegetables you can make this EASY SUMMER SALAD in no time at all.  It's tasty, cheap and colourful…  as well as cheerful.
If you have time why not try this simple dressing, otherwise pick up a ready made dressing.
We love summer tomatoes as they are so juicy and flavoursome, plus they are quite cheap compared to the rest of the year when they are out of season.
The basic salad is tomato and red onion.  We chose to add FETA CHEESE which is also inexpensive, but use your own favourite cheese! Omit the cheese and you have a great side salad that will go with many dishes, especially spicy ones.
The onions took the longest - as we soaked them for 10 minutes while we prepared the rest of the ingredients.
Serve with some crusty bread and you have a very easy, simple summer salad.

TOMATO AND ONION SALAD

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 large tomato per person

Large red (or white) onion

For the dressing:

3 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

half teaspoon mustard

sugar or honey (add to your preferred taste)

chopped fresh herbs such as basil and oregano (or dried provencal herbs)

salt/pepper
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Slice the tomatoes and onion very thinly. We used a mandolin for our wafer thin onion slices.

Place the sliced onions into cold water for around 10 minutes, remove and pat dry.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together (double up on the quantity if you think you'll be using this again soon). Use whatever herbs you have - either dried or fresh. We used fresh basil and dried oregano today.  We love oregano for its sweetness, and if we usually have this dried herb to hand.

Arrange the tomatoes on a plate and top with the onions. Drizzle with the dressing and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Leave to infuse for 5-10 minutes. 

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WARM FIG & GOAT'S CHEESE SALAD

Feast your eyes on this colourful warm fig, goat's cheese and sweet red pepper salad. Add fresh crunchy croutons for texture. The secret ingredient is temperature - warming the figs through in the oven to bring out their full flavour.
To make this salad for two you will need:

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1 bag of mixed salad leaves

4 figs

one sweet pointed red pepper

soft goat's cheese

day old bread cut into cubes

pine nuts

olive oil

vegetable oil

a sprinkle of dried herbs - use whatever you have

salt/pepper

optional - chilli flakes

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Turn oven to 160ºC. Cut figs in half and lay on an oiled baking tray and drizzle lightly with melted butter. Cut the bread into cubes and coat with vegetable oil and a sprinkle of mixed dried herbs. Place the bread onto the same tray as the figs. Slice the pepper and coat lightly with oil. Put the red pepper into a separate oven proof dish and place in oven at the same time as the figs and croutons. When figs have warmed through (around 15 minutes), remove from oven.  Turn the croutons over. Keep the croutons and red pepper in the oven while you assemble the salad (you can turn the oven off). Take a handful of pine nuts and fry lightly for a few minutes in a little vegetable oil - if you like a little heat, add a few chilli flakes to the pan. Dress the salad leaves with your preferred dressing. We used a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt/pepper. Add the rest of the salad ingredients and enjoy.

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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.

Leftover chicken Thai style

Thai style chicken salad, using leftover chicken was the order of the day. What a tasty way to use leftover chicken (or stretching a pack of pre-cooked chicken) to make a wonderful meal.
We cooked dried noodles - following the instructions on the pack, and cooled them down with cold water. To this we added a selection of crunchy chopped salad vegetables - carrot, iceberg lettuce, red onion, red pepper and cucumber. There was also half a red chilli pepper lurking in the fridge, so we used that and added fresh coriander that we had planned for something else.
The salad was tossed in a lovely Thai dressing - you can buy one or make your own; here's our recipe which we love and keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Make twice as much of this salad/dressing and enjoy in your lunch box the next day - your friends will be jealous!

Thai dressing

1 tablespoon of oil (we used sesame but use whatever you have)

teaspoon of honey

juice of half a lime (you could add some zest too if you wish)

coriander - I used a good sprinkle of dried as I had no fresh

half a red chilli - deseeded and chopped
salt (or a drop of fish sauce)

Finishing touch
add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

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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.

Please do not copy any of this material without our express permission.

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:

Italian mozzarella and tomato salad

A simple Italian mozzarella, tomato and onion salad.
So easy to put together and so very tasty. We've made a similar tomato and onion salad before, using a different dressing.
For this salad, we kept it simple: fresh tomatoes, basil, onion and mozzarella (from Aldi). The dressing was just olive oil, salt and pepper - can't get simpler than that.
The secret with the onions, is to thinly slice then put them into some water to remove some of the heat. We didn't want to overpower the rest of the salad. The onions remain nice and crisp.

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

We began our weight loss journey in January 2011 - and began this blog in June 2011.
You'll find our first post (about our successful weight loss method here).

Read about our successful weight loss story and find out how you can lose weight eating the food you love.
Copyright © forget dieting forever, all rights reserved

Chorizo salad with Manchego

Brunch was a warm and slightly spicy Chorizo salad with Manchego cheese. This bold salad recipe, infused with the flavours of Spain, went down a storm.
Undecided about what to eat - hot or cold - we ended up with this delicious combination.
The result was a very colourful, tasty and filling salad around 450 calories.
Here's how we made it.
Boil 120g potatoes (per person) and dress with some of the Chorizo oil. Allow five minutes for the flavours to mingle. Lightly boil the egg(s) - I used two left over quail's eggs here, although one normal egg would suffice. Cook 30g of sliced fresh Chorizo - which should be more than enough. Combine with your favourite salad vegetables, we used spinach, courgette and tomato - and sprinkle with 15g grated Manchego.

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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

Cheese & pasta salad

A warm green salad with pasta and cheese, can be ready to eat within half an hour.
For this type of salad we tend to use Pecorino - but we came across an interesting looking cheese in the supermarket called YORKSHIRE FETTLE. We thought we would give this a try, as it's a crumbly, feta style cheese. We weren't disappointed - and a little went a long way.
You can buy a ready made dressing, or make your own. We tend to make a few servings of our favourite (lemon & mustard) dressing and store in the fridge.
Here's how we made it.

Celeriac Slaw

We often make our own COLESLAW but today we wanted to try a new ingredient: CELERIAC.
The salad was inspired by Ottolenghi although I couldn't find his recipe.
I know BARBERRIES are used in the salad, but we couldn't find any, so I substituted them with another ingredient.
The end result was very tasty - and this would go well with something like buffalo wings.
I was really impressed by the texture of the celeriac and think I might even prefer it to white cabbage. Here's the recipe:

Discerningly Chop'd

It's been a very busy and inspiring week so far. On Wednesday we were invited to attend the New Season Launch by Chop'd, which was held at the world famous H. Forman & Sons' London Smokehouse.
The restaurant really does boast the best view of the Olympic stadium. There is something very soothing about the whole building, which also boasts its own spacious roof-top gallery of local artwork.
But… when the venue comes second to what you are eating, then you know you are eating good food and that's when you understand provenance.
We sampled just about the softest smoked salmon we have ever tasted (which you can purchase online here).  As suppliers to Chop'd, you'll find H. Forman's delicious salmon on the menu, with a new Spring addition (available from 1st May) - sesame salmon and orange salad - where the salmon is cured with lime, lemon and sesame oil.
The Thai tofu noodle salad was one of my favourites. Being new to tofu I didn't know what to expect, but it was so soft and delicious that I know we'll be using this ingredient again. The tofu is made locally by Neil in Brick Lane.
It's part of our philosophy to eat food we love using good ingredients.
Using good ingredients actually helps us keep the weight off because we find ourselves savouring every mouthful.
NB: I haven't been paid to blog any of this.We just love food - and migrate to the food we love.

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Do you know how many calories you are allowed each day? Once we found out, our weight loss really began to take shape.

Here's a link to our very first blog post about our weight loss journey, which 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.

Thai chicken noodle salad

Easy weight loss couldn't get better - this THAI CHICKEN NOODLE salad was packed with flavour.
I've made a similar salad before - using prawns. Take a look here Thai prawn noodle salad.
Not only was this salad so tasty, but it was very satisfying and more than filled a hunger gap. I couldn't believe the number of calories.
What's more the dish is portable - easily fitting into a lunch box. Just cook more chicken than you need, and save some for tomorrow's lunch.
The ingredients provide enough for two good portions, which I estimate at around 400 calories each!
Here's my deliciously spicy recipe:

Bulgar wheat salad - fresh and tasty

We loved the Ottolenghi bulgar wheat salad so much we just had to make it again!
The fresh flavours were bursting with energy.
Last time it adorned our spicy AUBERGINE recipe - this time we ate it as a side to our chicken salad.
Either way, it was delicious and would make a fabulous lunch box item.
Experimenting with food has its upside - enjoying new flavours. So why not try making this very simple yet oh so tasty salad. We think you'll be hooked. Like we were.
This zesty salad would be a good accompaniment for anything hot and spicy.

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.

Ham hock salad

I've missed the crunch of a tasty salad, and this HAM HOCK SALAD with egg and cheese, went down a treat.
We bought a cooked ham hock from the supermarket and transformed it into ten whole meals.
Our tip for this salad

HOT OPEN BEEF SANDWICH

This HOT BEEF SANDWICH turned out so much better than I had anticipated.
My previous attempts at achieving tender roast beef, using the cheaper 'Silverside' or 'Topside' cuts were all pretty disastrous. A lot of websites will tell you these cuts of meat are better slow roasted. Yet I've also seen instructions for conventional roasting.
Today I thought I would experiment. Having been spurred on by the ever increasing cost of roast beef on the deli counter and my thrifty conscience.
There was a hint of where I had been going wrong after I tested out Michel Roux's method of roasting pork loin.
This fabulous open beef sandwich includes just a few of the deliciously sweet and sticky shallots which went into the roasting tin. The meal is under 400 calories - and very satisfying! If you don't have time - use some deli slices, but if you want to try this recipe - here's what I did:

Sausages

A sausage salad might sound odd, but when you're feeling indecisive - why not. I really felt the need for some green leaves, but also fancied sausages. A few good quality sausages with a high meat content, a few salad leaves etc and lunch was served at around 500 calories.
If your New Year's resolution is to lose weight, and you can't quite face giving up your usual food, then why not follow the principles of our idea? It's easier, you'll feel more relaxed and you won't have to eat any strange diet food. Your mind is a powerful tool - so why not let it help you to lose weight? Give yourself the freedom to eat whatever you want, make your own choices, pick the foods you love and before you know it, you'll be losing weight like us. Why deprive yourself?
Take a look at the method we followed to lose lots of weight and, even more importantly, improve our health and keep the weight off.
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 the link) to our very first blog post. 

Read about this 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.

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.

FESTIVE HOT OPEN SANDWICH

What a great idea for a quick festive treat! This hot open sandwich reminded me of Christmas - cranberry, parma ham, chicken and melting mozzarella.
You can use sliced chicken or turkey, but we chose to flatten a chicken breast and flash fried. Spread the ciabatta toast with cranberry sauce, top with chicken and parma ham. Grill for a minute before adding the cheese, then continue to heat under the grill until crispy. Serve with a light salad and you have a delicious hot lunch around 450 calories.

EAT GREAT AND LOSE WEIGHT.

Do you know how many calories you can eat 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 (2013), all rights reserved. Please do not copy any of this material without our 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:

Cheese & bacon

If you want to lose weight, it's always so much easier when eating food you actually enjoy.
At around 400 calories - this hot and cold salad proved to be a winner. This goat's cheese and bacon salad is a great way to serve bacon. Just add a few of your favourite salad items to a bag of salad and begin the assembly job!
We each ate 50g of goat's cheese and two large rashers of bacon. Cut out circles of bread (whatever you prefer) and toast one side. Place the slices of goat's cheese on the other side then grill. Our bread circles weighed around 25g per person - but looked so much more on the plate. Add your favourite relish.
We usually dress our salad leaves with a good oil as it helps to fill us up.
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.

Midweek chicken salad

Our midweek CHICKEN SALAD was made all the tastier with roasted tomatoes in balsamic vinegar. We are trying to use up our bumper crop of tomatoes - which were even more sweet when roasted alongside the chicken.
Here's our BUDGET tip - just roast half the chicken. Much nicer than roasting the whole lot then looking for recipes. See more here.
Our butcher cut the whole bird down the middle. We rubbed piri-piri seasoning all over then roasted. Each half took around 40 minutes to cook and we we enjoyed two fresh, hot roast meals. We crisped up the skin under the grill for 5 minutes. A very tasty meal cooked in under 45 minutes - with hardly any effort and under 500 calories. What more could you want?  Total cost per meal for two was around £2.50 each (£1.25 per person).
We are in our THIRD year - having lost lots of weight and kept it off. We've noticed now that if we eat ENOUGH at a meal, we don't feel hungry until 4 or 5 hours later. We love eating 3 meals per day, but say you preferred to eat 4 smaller meals per day, then go ahead. The gap between meals is less, so you just need to eat a little less at each meal time. Simply divide your calorie allowance between the number of meals you prefer to eat.
I'm currently sorting out a mountain of old clothes - all far too big. We won't be putting the weight back on - because we know how to keep it off. That's a far cry from my old 'traditional dieting' days, when I would always put the weight (and more) back on.

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 give you an idea of just how far calories can go! It's up to you what you eat.

Read about our UNIQUE METHOD of weight loss and find out how you can have the food and drink you love while losing weight. 

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.