Forget dieting forever: January 2013

Thursday, 31 January 2013

A few days off...

I've had a nasty cold for the last few days, and my eating pattern has gone a little haywire. So tonight we made a cajun chicken salad with new potatoes (although my chicken was plain).

This is really simple to make, and will set you back around 450-500 calories. The chicken breast is flattened out slightly and coated with cajun seasoning. Fry in oil and serve with boiled potatoes (with a little butter), sweetcorn and mixed salad.
Once you work out how many calories you can eat each day, you can work out how many you have available for the four 'good' days. You must choose food you love and eat. If you prefer to eat a larger meal at breakfast or lunch, then do so - you choose when you want to eat your calories. It's all about you taking control, enjoying your food and making all the choices. We've got plenty of recipe ideas, but if there is something else you would prefer to eat, then eat it. Just work out the calorie content. The thing about most prescribed diets out there, is they dictate to you - telling you what you can and can't eat. With this method of eating, you take the reigns - so take that leap of faith, and if that means getting out your calculator for a while until you get used to things, then so be it.
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!

If you would like to know more about how we have achieved over 6.5 stone weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see the UNIQUE METHOD

Read how we put 'our idea' to the test - Our Experiment

We keep mentioning CALORIES - see why!

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Bubble & Squeak

If you are on a budget then this bubble and squeak is a great way to use up leftovers! On Sunday we made more mash than we needed, so we mixed it together with a little of the leftover cabbage. Each potato cake (approx 160g) was fried in the same pan as the sausages until cooked. We used good quality sausages from our butcher, so there wasn't a lot of fat running out of them. We estimate the meal at around 600 calories. We could have added baked beans, tomatoes and mushrooms too.
Until the sausages went into the pan I wasn't sure I wanted this (after having a bit of a cold). But, the smell of the fat cooking seemed to stimulate my appetite. It reminds me of when you go past a fast food outlet, and suddenly you feel hungry. Why does it happen? Is it because we are programmed to search out certain types of foods?
If you would like to know more about how we have achieved our fabulous weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see OUR IDEA
Read how we put 'our idea' to the test - Our Experiment

We keep mentioning CALORIES - see why!

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!

Sunday, 27 January 2013

Chasseur sauce and chicken and mushroom casserole

Here's a lovely recipe that won't break the budget. Chicken and mushroom casserole - or as it's known in France - chicken chasseur.

Ruby fruits

SWEET RUBY FRUITS

Blood oranges are in season - and these were so sweet. Mix with ruby grapefruit for a tantalising breakfast. Feast your eyes. Just serve naked on a plate. Add some toast...

If you would like to know more about how we have achieved our fabulous weight loss eating the food we love - see OUR UNIQUE METHOD.

Saturday, 26 January 2013

Smoked haddock souffle

OH DEAR - this was how it looked when we removed it from the oven after the stated cooking time. But ... despite how it looks it did - eventually - turn out to be very very tasty.
My partner wanted to have a go at this smoked haddock soufflé - by Michel Roux. The main difference being that we used full fat milk to poach the fish, rather than cream.
The problem began when we cooked the soufflé for the time suggested (seven minutes) and found it was still undercooked - very liquid, so we cooked it for a further two minutes. Even then it was still not cooked. It took a further three minutes before we decided it was ok to eat.
In total the soufflé took twelve minutes to cook. We also forgot to run a finger around the rim, so it was a bit lopsided.
But..... when it was finally cooked, we cannot begin to describe how delicious this was. Perhaps the difference in cooking time was down to professional ovens versus domestic ovens? Please give this a go - it was so light and tasty... In hindsight we should have tested with a cocktail stick - just as you would test a cake. We're not professionals and we may just have made an error or two.
I've worked out the calories for each serving to be around 300 calories each.
If you would like to know more about how we have achieved our fabulous weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see OUR UNIQUE METHOD.

Weekend menu plan

I quite fancy a risotto. This simple pea risotto was delicious - but, we found a whole lobster in the freezer, so we're going to make lobster risotto later. We bought this from one of the large discount supermarkets for around £6. Cooked as a risotto the lobster will feed 4. We'll put the recipe up later.
Calories in the risotto will be quite moderate. So we are having a starter too (and maybe a dessert).
My other half wants to have a go at a smoked haddock soufflé too. So that's the starter for our dinner this evening.
Tomorrow we are going to make chicken chasseur with mashed potato. Usually we have a roast, but we may be too busy. With plenty of mushrooms to use up, the chasseur will look after itself, and is quite economical to make.

CHICKEN CHASSEUR (serves 4)

4 chicken legs

200g chestnut mushrooms - sliced

1 onion or the equivalent in shallots (we used 3 small shallots) - finely chopped

couple of cloves of garlic - minced

2 glasses of wine (red or white according to taste/stock used)

half a litre of stock

Brown the meat pieces - we kept the skin on. Sweat onion/shallot in a pan until soft, add mushrooms and garlic then cook for a couple more minutes. Add wine and reduce this to half. Return the browned chicken pieces to the pan. Add the stock.

We put our ingredients into an oven proof dish, covered and cooked at 140 degrees C for and hour and a half. It could also be simmered gently on the hob if preferred.

Once cooked, remove liquid, strain the fat and reduce this to desired consistency (probably by half), I think ours could have done with a little more reduction. Just before serving, add some chopped parsley, and if you have it, a little tarragon which will lift the sauce - then season to taste.

If you would like to know more about how we have achieved over 6.5 stone weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see OUR IDEA

Read how we put our weight loss idea to the test - Our Experiment

We keep mentioning CALORIES - see why!

Friday, 25 January 2013

CHICKEN FAJITAS - recipe

Following our unique method for weight loss should bring you fabulous results. Once we began paying attention to what was actually in our food, we were often shocked to find out just how many calories could lurk beneath the wrapper.
This is what we are eating later. We're off to the pub, and this chicken fajita will stop us feeling ravenous and in need of some calorie laden snack at the bar.
At around 400 calories this chicken fajita is perfect - leaving plenty of room to eat something later too. Depending on what we plan to do later, will depend whether we share one.
With our on/off weight loss method, Friday is a day when I get to eat a FULL calorie allowance. I've had porridge for breakfast and butternut squash soup for lunch. This whole wrap will leave me with around 1000 calories to play with. Oh, and walking to and from the pub will give me another 150 calories.

CHICKEN FAJITA WRAP (serves 2)

Pack of tortilla wraps

250g chicken breast (cut into strips)

fajita seasoning

one or two peppers

one large onion

greek yoghurt

sweet chilli sauce

First marinate the chicken in the fajita seasoning and a little oil. (Optional - add a sprinkle of smoked paprika and a dash of lime juice to the marinade).

Fry some colourful peppers and onions in a little olive oil then remove and set aside. Place the marinated chicken into the frying pan and fry until cooked through. This won't take long. Just cut one open to see that it's cooked - it should be white inside. Place on a paper towel to rest for a minute or two.

Spread the wrap with greek yoghurt** and sweet chilli sauce (we used Chinese sweet chilli sauce - that's all we had). Add some shredded lettuce then top with the pepper mix and chicken.

Wraps are around 200 calories each, so we find it's better to use one wrap and pack it out with filling!

It's annoying that wraps can only be bought in packs of 6 - so don't forget to freeze the rest for another day. I roll mine up and wrap in cling film.

**You could use sour cream or creme fraiche. We tend to use whatever we have in the fridge - saves money. Sometimes we spread with mayonnaise.

Looking forward to spending all my unused calories later! TGIF. Enjoy your weekend. Relax and most of all ENJOY THE FOOD YOU EAT.

If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss eating all this wonderful food, see OUR IDEA

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Leek and potato bake with a twist

LEEK AND POTATO BAKE WITH CHORIZO

INGREDIENTS (2-4 servings)

One large leek

1kg of potatoes

20g sliced chorizo - roughly chopped

stock cube

approx 250 ml milk/water (50/50mix)

salt and pepper

butter

I was using leftover ingredients - if you don't have chorizo, then use bacon bits instead (or just use leeks and potatoes).

Layer the potatoes (I used Estima today) and leek into a shallow oven dish. Season each layer with salt and pepper - and anything else you fancy. Mix the stock cube with the water/milk mixture. I use whole milk, as it makes it creamier and saves buying cream! Pour over the stock until it comes to just below the top layer of potatoes. Then... scatter with the chorizo (or bacon bits) and dot some butter on the top.

Cover with some foil or a lid, and bake at around 180 degrees C for 40 minutes, remove foil and continue cooking until nicely browned (a further 30 minutes should do the trick).

We had this as a side dish with some sausages, but if we were going to eat it as a main dish all on it's own, then we would have added a little more chorizo/bacon.

Estimate this dish at around 600 calories if divided by two large appetites. It's quite more-ish though, and if you want to ensure you don't eat all of it between two, then just make less and use a smaller baking dish. I used a 26 x 18 cm dish (8 cm deep) for these ingredients - and think it will serve 3 nicely.
TIP: When we served this immediately, we found there were a lot of 'juices' in the oven dish. Treat this dish like a good steak - let it rest, and the potatoes will soak up all those juices and make it taste even better. If you can wait......

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.

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Bacon and brie

Here's our lunch. We love making this - and sometimes use goat's cheese instead of brie. You could slice the brie onto some toast and grill if you prefer. It was so cold here I had to warm up the lettuce leaves!
Estimate around 450-500 calories for this lunch.
My attempt to join Google+ has been a bit confusing, especially with the linking of various accounts, so I've reverted back to Blogger for the time being. Hope to get it sorted soon. Thanks to everyone who Google+ us - it's good to receive positive feedback.
Tonight we're having another favourite meal of ours - jambalaya (from the freezer). This is a lovely spicy dish, and we used both chicken and prawns. The rice mixture is good on its own, so add you favourite protein if you prefer something other than prawns & chicken, but most of all ENJOY WHAT YOU EAT.

Lose weight eating the food YOU love and forget dieting.

REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - (see our page on calories) 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 the UNIQUE METHOD of weight loss and find out how we have lost weight eating the food we love.

Monday, 21 January 2013

Mushroom and cheese omelette

A real his and hers lunch today. This was his. A three egg omelette with cheese and mushroom. Simple.

Sunday, 20 January 2013

Beef casserole

We were very busy today, and grabbed a quick sandwich at lunch time.
The beef casserole was made a few days ago, using brisket of beef, and we made a large batch. Here it is second time around and we also have several portions in the freezer.
We served with some celeriac mash, cabbage and buttered leeks. The cabbage and leeks were chopped and placed into a saucepan with just a small amount of water. With the lid on, enough steam was created to cook them in a very short time. Ours took five minutes, and we finished off the leeks with a little butter. Another delicious way to save money. As for calories - these will be quite low and well within today's FULL allowance.

If you would like to know more about how we have achieved our fabulous weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see OUR UNIQUE METHOD.

Saturday, 19 January 2013

Red mullet and pearl barley risotto

We estimated this dish at around 450 calories as there was a lot less fish than last time. It was handy having lots of the red pepper sauce already in the freezer, so we dug some out. We made a good batch of the sauce when the peppers were in season and cheap. Fish is great when it's fresh, i.e. doesn't smell, and cooked gently - that's all you have to do!
TIP: When cooking the pearl barley, it may taste quite strong. The balance of flavours deliver when you taste this together with the red pepper sauce which is quite sweet. Delicous.
If you're starting from scratch, here's how to go about it:
Begin by frying a chopped shallot and some garlic until soft, add one and a half chopped red and yellow peppers to the pan, cook for a little longer. Add small dash of white wine vinegar to the pan, the vermouth and stock/water. Reduce by half, then whizz in a blender - you may need to add just a touch of sugar to taste due to the white wine vinegar. We did this bit early in the afternoon - so it was ready to go. Add salt and pepper to taste.

We used 80g of dried pearl barley between the two of us and cooked it in fish stock - but any stock and/or ordinary water will do - until soft. You can do this early in the afternoon, then when ready to eat, just heat through and add a tablespoon each of mascarpone and grated parmesan. Add a small knob of butter too, as this will give the dish a real richness. TIP: If we were making a risotto with rice, we wouldn't be able to pre-cook like this, so why not give pearl barley a go? You can relax with your friends instead of being slave to stirring a risotto!

Don't forget to season - salt needs to be added carefully, little by little, not enough and the barley is 'missing' something.

The fish fillets were pan fried in butter/oil. We served with some courgettes last time but forgot to buy some, so added frozen peas to the risotto to give it a bit of colour for the um 'photo shoot'.

If you would like to know more about how we have achieved our fabulous weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see OUR UNIQUE METHOD.

Scallops, chorizo crisps and... belly of pork

Scallops, chorizo with belly of pork and sweetcorn puree!! We made this up - and the flavours worked fabulously together.

We used a piece of our (frozen) belly pork we made last week. Scallops are very low in calories, and we estimate the starter to be around 250 calories. Very tasty, and not too filling.
Here's what we did for the sweetcorn puree (enough to serve four):

Take a small piece of sweetcorn (we used frozen) and cut off the kernels. Place in a pan with a chopped shallot (half an onion if you don't have one) and a small clove of garlic. Cover with water and boil until soft. Blend. Pass through a sieve and season to taste. TIP: Cook the scallops for less time than you think they need, then you can always cook a little longer according to taste. Overcooked scallops are not very nice, and as they come in all sizes it's difficult to judge. Remember they carry on cooking after you remove them from the pan. Buy one extra so you can cut into it and check ....
We took some chorizo slices and placed them in the oven between two baking sheets to keep them flat. Eight minutes later at 180 degrees in a fan oven and they were very very (more-ishly) crispy! Because of the way they were cooked, a lot of the fat was removed too - leaving all that wonderful flavour. Assemble onto a very hot plate (take care), take photo to impress your friends, then eat.
We estimate the main course of red mullet with pearl barley risotto at around 450 calories. This was because we used much less fish than we did last time. This brings the whole meal to around 700 calories - brilliant. Enough room for a good glass of wine... of course.

If you would like to know more about how we have achieved our fabulous weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see OUR UNIQUE METHOD.

Meal ideas for the weekend

Saturday is here - along with the snow.....
After porridge for breakfast, we thought we would go to the fishmonger and see what was on offer. We bought some red mullet, scallops and crayfish tails for later. We were going to cook the scallops for lunch, but decided to make this pizza instead.
Make your basic pizza dough - you can buy ready made or search the internet. (I found this one which looks really interesting how to eat properly: basic pizza dough). We covered the base with passata, red and green chillies, pepperoni and mozzarella. I then began adding up the calories.... and realised we had done it again and overstepped the mark. A whole pizza/salad would cost us around 650 calories. Never mind we get a FULL calorie allowance today, plus we're going for a walk. As you can see, it's hanging off the plate - and I did leave some of mine again.
TIP: For a MEAT FREE option - just leave out the pepperoni. It was the chillies that made this pizza spicy and hot.
Tonight we've opted for a scallops starter with a difference. Dinner is the red mullet.
If you would like to know more about how we have achieved our fabulous weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see OUR UNIQUE METHOD.

Thursday, 17 January 2013

SLOW COOKED BEEF CASSEROLE & DUMPLINGS

Good honest food - our fail safe beef casserole. The aroma permeated the kitchen all day - inviting me to sneak a morsel or two. Don't forget the star anise, it adds depth of flavour. If you were fine dining this would be called slow braised beef, but let's be honest, it's a good old stew. I call it a casserole though, because it deserves it.
I made the dumplings smaller than usual and let them form a crust for a bit of crunch. I went easy on the pearl barley... just enough. Today this was made in a large stock pot on top of the cooker on a low simmer. A pressure cooker would save time, but as I was around, it was no problem having it simmering away.
The flavour was second to none, and had us rushing back for more. You wouldn't believe just how low in calories this meal is. This will make our 'good day' a very good day. It's not swimming in fat either - equally there are no added sugars etc.
Apparently we're going to be snowed in - yes, in Bristol... Thankfully we made enough of this to feed an army, and we won't have a problem eating it all weekend if necessary.
If you would like to know more about how we have achieved our fabulous weight loss eating all this wonderful food - see OUR UNIQUE METHOD.