Healthy Summer Recipes

I've been asked to come up with a couple of healthy recipes for the Most Wanted Summer Shape Up, Save Up project, which are under 500 calories and £5 per portion.  I try and cook healthy meals whenever I can to compensate for all the cakes and sweet stuff that is usually knocking around the kitchen. It's not always easy to cook healthily when you're in a hurry though, and it's usually quicker to throw something unhealthy in the oven for tea.

Tasty salads and meals don't have to take ages to make and these took under 30 minutes to prepare. The salad is around 320 calories and under £2.50 per portion and the chicken pitta around 400 calories and under £2.00 per portion

Grilled Halloumi and Aubergine Salad - serves 2

1 Aubergine, sliced
125g Halloumi, sliced into 6 pieces
2 tbsp Olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 small green chilli, finely sliced
6 fresh mint leaves, ripped
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
black pepper

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

handful of fresh coriander
35g Rocket

• Use your finger to rub a small amount of olive oil onto both sides of the aubergine and halloumi slices
• Heat a griddle pan and cook the halloumi and aubergine in batches for approx 2-4 minutes each side for the aubergine and 2 minutes each side for the halloumi
• Mix the remaining olive oil with the lemon juice, chilli, mint leaves, white wine vinegar and black pepper
• Cut the grilled aubergine & halloumi into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl with the tomatoes 
• Toss in the dressing to coat everything fully
• Add the coriander and rocket to the bowl and toss quickly
• Serve immediately

Pesto Chicken Pitta - serves 4

4 skinless & boneless chicken breasts

60g sundried tomato Pesto

1/2 small white cabbage

1 carrot, peeled

1 small red onion, peeled

100g Low fat natural Greek yoghurt

10 mint leaves

grated zest of 1/2 large lemon

4 pitta breads
Lemon wedges for serving

• Rub the pesto onto both sides of the chicken 
• Grill, griddle or barbecue the chicken for around 5-8 minutes each side, depending on how thick the breasts are, checking that they are cooked right through
• Meanwhile finely slice the cabbage, carrot and onion
• Chop the mint leaves and mix with the yoghurt and lemon zest
• Once the chicken is cooked slice it into thick slices
• Toast the pitta breads and slice open
• Fill the pittas with salad and top with slices of chicken and yoghurt
• Serve with lemon wedges

Summer healthy eating tips

• Drink plenty of water
• Have lots of fresh fruit and vegetables ready prepared in your fridge for snacking on
• Make fun fruit kebabs with children to get them eating more fruit
• BBQ your meat for a tasty result without using cooking oils
• Bulk out your sandwich with lots of fresh salad
• Frozen fruit is great to stock up on for chilled fruit smoothies
• Use Greek yoghurt in salad dressings and dips instead of mayonnaise - even the low fat version is creamy

I was compensated for the cost of ingredients

5:2 Diet Low Calorie Ideas

On a fast day I like to try and make my paltry 500 calories stretch as far as possible, giving me as much food as possible. I'd prefer to have five 100 calorie snacks in a day than one big 500 calorie meal, although most days I have 3 small meals.

It's no good eating biscuits as a 75 calorie digestive is not going to fill much of  a gap and will probably leave you craving the rest of the packet. Instead here are a few ideas that I eat on a regular basis that help me to get through the day, especially when I haven't got much time to prepare something.


Bowl of sweets - 52 calories
well, frozen Morello cherries to be precise. Perfect for sweet lovers craving a fix - if you close your eyes & suck real hard they remind you of sour Haribo's.......sort of

 

Cheese on toast - 80 calories

I discovered Laughing Cow blue cheese triangles and then forgot about them. At only 25 calories each they give you a little bit of cheese without being packed full of calories. Spread one on a slice of toasted Nimble & top with a few slices of cucumber for a very light lunch.

Frothy Cappuccino - 16 calories
If you like a cappuccino but want to cut down on the calories then use unsweetend almond milk. Blue Diamond almond milk only contains 14 calories per 100ml, which is plenty for a coffee. I warm the milk up in the microwave and then add a shot of freshly brewed espresso, and top with a sprinkling of cinnamon - perfect for a cappuccino fix

Mushrooms on toast - 84 calories
1 slice of toasted Nimble with 200g of mushrooms (that's a lot of mushrooms) dry fried. I love this to start my day, along with a cappuccino

Continental breakfast - 144 calories
Another of my breakfast or mid morning favourites is a cappuccino along with 2 crackerbread with a slither of peanut butter (6g) and half a medium banana, and a sprinkling of cinnamon on the top. This feels like a real treat!

Coffee & Cake - 111 calories
Soreen lunchbox loaf really, at 95 calories and individually wrapped it's perfect for a fast day. Do not make the mistake of opening a loaf of chocolate Soreen on a fast day though - it might also be 95 calories per serving but have you ever tried cutting a malt loaf into 8 pieces and not shoving the squidged piece in your mouth.....I rest my case.

Thank you to everyone that nominated The Crazy Kitchen in the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging awards. Thanks to you I have been shortlisted in the Food category and would now appreciate a vote.....pretty please!

5:2 Diet & Family Friendly Vegetable Curry

It's been a long old week (on Tuesday I thought it was Thursday) and it feels like the kids have been off school forever. Two weeks of Easter holidays plus a week beforehand where they took it in turns to be ill adds up to a Mum whose eardrums are about to burst. We've not done a lot this week, husband has been off work with a bad knee, Jack has Impetigo and Hanna has had a routine hospital appointment so trips out have involved sitting in NHS waiting rooms.

Today there wasn't anything exciting in the fridge for dinner and I didn't fancy one of my usual fast day stir frys, and instead wanted something hearty and warming, but not soup. I decided to chop up the veg that was left and throw it in the slow cooker for a curry that we could all eat as I couldn't be bothered with making two different meals. I weighed all the vegetables as I added them into the pot and calculated the calories. The total calories of all the ingredients added up to around 472 (I wasn't too sure about the spices) so if you wanted to you could cook up a batch of this and munch your way through it the whole day if you're doing the 5:2 diet. Alternatively you could add a big spoonful of peanut butter, for a whopping additional 272 calories, and share it with the family. The peanut butter not only adds extra flavour but it also thickens the sauce - I often add the odd teaspoonful to a stir fry (not the 5:2 ones though).

If you're doing Weight Watchers I'm pretty sure that if you leave the peanut butter out it would be a no point curry.

5:2 Diet & Family Friendly Vegetable Curry - serves 4

1 onion (94g) - 36 cals
1 1/2 courgettes (269g) - 48 cals
mushrooms (161g) - 26 cals
1/2 small Butternut squash (226g) - 101 cals
2 Green peppers (208g) - 62 cals
Carrots (226g) - 77 cals
1 can chopped tomatoes (400g) - 90cals
1 tsp Garam Masala - 5 cals
1 tsp ground coriander - 5 cals
1 tsp ground cumin - 5 cals
1/2 tsp turmeric - 3 cals
1/2 tsp chilli powder - 3 cals
1/2 tsp paprika - 3 cals
1 tsp garlic paste - 4 cals
1 tsp ginger paste - 4 cals
1 heaped tbsp of smooth peanut butter (44g) - 272 cals

Total : 744 cals / 186 per portion (1/4)

• Chop all the veg into small pieces
• Add all the spices along with the ginger & garlic paste to a small bowl & mix to a paste with a little hot water
• Add everything to the slow cooker with 1/4 empty can of boiling water and give it a good mix
• Cook on high for a few hours until everything is cooked to your liking
• Stir in the peanut butter before serving

I had mine with cauliflower rice, whilst everyone else enjoyed it with Basmati rice and home-made Naan bread...

and this little man couldn't get enough of it, and ate the lot, including thirds of naan bread!

Aubergine and Rocket Salad [5:2 diet recipe}

When shopping at the weekend I noticed some lovely plump and shiny Aubergines that were only 50p each so I couldn't resist buying one, thinking that I might make some ratatouille for a fast day. I then spotted a recipe for an asparagus and courgette salad in this month's Good Food magazine and thought I'd make something similar and 5:2 friendly. 20g of Feta cheese doesn't seem much, and it's not, but crumbled into small pieces & scattered through the salad it just adds an extra flavour, but if you want to save a few calories it could be left out or replaced with some cottage cheese.

Absolutely delicious as a light lunch or add some extra vegetables or some lean chicken or fish for a more substantial dinner.

Aubergine and Rocket Salad - serves 1

144g Aubergine - 24cals
Tsp olive oil - 40 cals
20g Rocket - 5 cals
Zest & juice of 1/2 a lemon - 5 cals
20g Feta cheese - 58 cals
a few chilli flakes & salt & pepper to taste

Total : 132 cals

• Slice the aubergine lengthways and brush both sides with the olive oil
• Mix any leftover oil with the lemon juice
• Cook the aubergine on a griddle pan (or bbq) until charred & softened
• Toss the aubergine and rocket in the lemon juice/oil, season & serve with the crumbled Feta

Tomato & Basil Soup {5:2 diet recipe}

The 5:2 diet is still going well. Another 2lbs lost despite a weekend away and a day out in London consuming pastries. Easter Monday was a bit of a challenge as I decided to fast on the journey home from Devon. It was a mammoth journey involving the M5 with only celery and crispbreads to take my mind off the kids eating cheese sandwiches and Easter eggs in the back. I suppose I didn't help myself by watching back to back episodes of The Great British Bake off and Paul Hollywood's 'Bread' in the iPlayer. We then stopped off at the Brother in Law's where I turned down crusty baguettes and fairy cakes. It was certainly a test of my willpower anyway.

On fast days I still generally eat 2 very small meals and then a larger dinner, mostly made up of lots of veggies and the odd marmite on crackerbread thrown in. I fancied a bit of a change for lunch on one of the days last week and decided to make a quick soup. It was full of flavour and after my 10 year old daughter tried some she asked for me to make double next time so that she can have a bowlful too. She was so surprised when she saw the finished soup and exclaimed "it looks like real tomato and basil soup". 

Tomato & Basil Soup  - serves 1

1 clove of garlic - 4 cals
1 small red onion (64g) - 25 cals
400g can of chopped Tomatoes - 68 cals
handful of Fresh basil (15g) - 4 cals
salt & pepper to taste

total : 101 cals

• Heat a small amount of water in a pan and sweat the garlic and onion off for 2 minutes
• Add the can of tomatoes and bring to the boil
• Tear the basil up and add to the pan & remove from the heat
• Blend until smooth with a stick blender
• Add salt & pepper to taste and serve

If you want to add a few more calories to the meal you could add some croutons or cooked pasta, or serve with a slice of bread.

Vegetable Stir Fry {5:2 Diet Recipe}

I'm now starting week 4 of the 5:2 fasting diet and things are so far so good. I've lost a steady 2lbs per week without feeling like I've been missing out on anything. On fast days I eat around 500 calories which usually consists of a late breakfast and then a dinner or a light breakfast and lunch and then a larger dinner. Crispbread's with Marmite have become my new best friend, at only 19 calories per crispbread I have them for breakfast if I feel that I can't wait until late morning. Sticks of celery are a life saver if I get the mid afternoon munchies and My Fitness Pal is a handy app that I use to keep track of my calories on my ipad and phone.

A favourite dinner on fast days is stir fry as I can have a pile of veggies for very few calories, with a stock cube adding flavour, and only 164 calories. I use whatever vegetables I have in, but always courgettes and broccoli.

Vegetable Stir Fry - Serves 1

1 garlic clove, crushed - 4 cals
1 Courgette (175g) - 35 cals
Broccoli florets (100g) - 30 cals
Beef Oxo cube - 13 cals
Chilli flakes - 1 cal

1/2 portion Amoy straight to wok rice noodles (75g) - 81 cals

• Add a small amount of water to a wok & bring to the boil
• Add the garlic, vegetables,stock cube & chilli flakes and steam the veg until cooked to your liking
• Add more water if needed
• Stir in the noodles & warm through

Beetroot, Carrot & Cottage Cheese Salad {5:2 Diet Recipe}

Last week I started doing the 5:2 diet, a way of eating whereby you fast for 2 days of the week and eat normally for the rest. On fast days you can consume around 500 calories, which isn't a lot if you only eat cakes and biscuits, but with a little bit of imagination you can create meals with very few calories. I'm still learning but there are lots of bloggers sharing recipes at the moment, as well as books you can buy for inspiration.

I created this salad for lunch on a fast day, but I would be more than happy eating it on a regular day too as it was really filling, yet only 177 calories. As it's got the 3 ingredients in from the March Swallow's Recipe for Life challenge (beetroot, carrot and cheese) I have entered it there. You can read more about the challenge here.

 

Beetroot,Carrot & Cottage Cheese Salad {5:2 Diet Recipe}- serves 1

1 carrot, grated - 92g / 32cals

Rocket - 20g / 5 cals

half a small red onion, sliced - 25g / 10 cals

few slices of red chilli (optional) - 5g / 2 cals

Juice & zest of half a lemon - 27g / 6 cals

1 small orange, peeled & sliced - 58g / 24 cals

Cooked beetroot, sliced - 60g / 23 cals

Low fat cottage cheese - 100g / 75 cals

• Toss the carrot, rocket, chilli, and orange in the lemon juice and zest and arrange on a plate
• Add the beetroot slices and cottage cheese

this has been entered into the Rix November challenge