Recipe for Sweet Butternut Squash soup...

It's that time of year again... yep, that's right, time for some good old fashioned food to make us feel all warm inside.

It can be so tempting to 'eat bad' when the weather turns... steaks, chips, desserts/ home baking... basically any food that 'warms' and 'comforts' us in from the cold. Of course these foods are all fine in moderation (as 'treats' as it were) but if eaten too often, it can be easy for the lbs to creep back on.

So what better to balance things out than a tasty, nutritious, heart-warming soup. This one is all 3 rolled into one, with a sweet little kick for extra warmth!

What you'll need:

1 small butternut squash (diced)

450g sweet potatoes (diced)

1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 large Granny Smith apple (diced)
950ml vegetable stock/water

2 tsp Olive oil
1 tbsp dried mixed herbs

Blender

8 servings, takes 30 mins (5 mins prep, 25 mins cooking time)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sautee the onions, butternut squash and sweet potato for 5 minutes. Add the apple, vegetable stock and herbs and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover pan and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Remove pan from heat. Work in batches depending on size of blender, pour soup into the blender and blend until smooth. Serve soup and/or re-fridgerate the remainder (great for taking to work or saving for another day). Choice to add a wholemeal bread roll or pitta, slither of light margerine. Garnish to decorate if desired.
3. Grab a spoon, snuggle up and enjoy!

Per Serving (without roll or pitta and margerine) - 138 kcals, 2.9g protein, 27.9g cardohydrates, 1.6g fat (0.2g saturated fat), 3.9g fibre, no added sugar.

Feel fab loves...

...Nando's!

Peri-Peri Chicken, freshly toasted pittas, flavoursome spicy rice and you can even have a starter and main course too. Oh, and it can all be low in fat.
Yep, you heard it right. Losing weight means keeping an eye on what you eat but it needn't mean sacrificing taste or your social life. It's fine to eat out... the trick is not to pig out!
Nando's is a personal favourite of mine as it tastes delicious but is easy to cut down on the calories too. The chicken is flame grilled not fried and the peri-peri marinade is very low in fat. But beware of mayonnaise! This is where most of the calories will be, so simply ask for your pitta, bun or salad without mayonnaise (a good tip when buying sandwiches too) and perhaps ask for chilli jam instead or go without. There's a low-fat spicy rice option instead of chips (maybe pinch 1 or 2 off a friend or your partner as a mini treat instead!), and starters such as red pepper dip with pittas which is perfect for sharing. Another great option as a side is a corn-on-the-cob which is naturally low in calories and, again, very tasty!

Nando's also do great little spices and sauces for home cooking, low in fat yet again, which can make things like salads and chicken pittas taste a little more interesting.

So now you can treat yourself to a meal out (or in) without the guilty feelings.... enjoy!

Feel fab loves...

...Cadbury's Highlights Hot Chocolate!
Love chocolate but hate the calories? Then these little gems are just for you. Imagine all the yummy-ness of Cadbury's chocolate but with a lot less guilt! You can buy it in tubs also but I find individual sachets are much handier and are perfect for popping in your desk drawer or bag (great for emergency chocolate cravings!). They contain just 40 calories and 1.4g fat per sachet, that's approx 200 calories and 10g less fat than an actual bar! They're still high in sugars though so once per day maximum is best, though an extra sachet fine if you need more.... afterall, they're still much better than giving into the real thing. They're also a great substitution for tea and coffee if you're trying to cut down on the caffeine, and can be a good distraction from eating biscuits if that's your downfall too!
So next time you're getting the groceries in (all healthy i'm sure!?), why not pop a few sachets into your trolley and see if they do the trick for you!

Recipe for Egg and Pepper Saute...

Wanting a nice light meal which is quick, healthy AND tasty? Look no further! This fresh, colourful little number does just the job and, even better, it's a great source of protein too (the perfect training partner for exercise). Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 yellow or orange pepper, de-seeded and finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
150g green beans, sliced into halves
4 tbsp white wine (or vinaigrette)
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
2 medium eggs
2tbsp chopped fresh parsley
crusty wholemeal bread, to serve

based on meal for two, takes 25 mins (prep and cook)

1. Heat the olive oil (or use spraylight spray to reduce calories further) in a large frying pan and fry the chopped onion and garlic until softened (for approx 2 minutes). Add the peppers, green beans and white wine or vinaigrette. Fry all together, stirring for another 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the diced tomatoes and fry for a further 1-2 minutes until tomatoes are warmed through. Make 2 medium sized hollows in the vegetables with the spatula or spoon.
3. Crack an egg into each hollow and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until the egg is to your liking. Sprinkle the parsley and add seasoning to taste. Serve with crusty bread and wa-la, dinner is served! Who knew healthy could taste so good?
   

Per Serving (without bread) - 187 kcals, 10g protein, 11g carbohydrates, 10g fat (2g saturated fat), 4g fibre, 0.23g salt plus no added sugar.

Feel fab loves...

....Fruity Ryvitas!

We all know Ryvitas are a great snack when slimming but they can taste a little like, erm, cardboard. Well... not any more! Ryvita Fruit Crunch crispbreads have a lovely top layer of seeds and currants making them actually rather tasty. You can eat them as they are or perhaps with sliced banana on top (a great energy snack) or even with a good old fashioned cup of tea. And what's more, they're only 57 calories each so go on... snack away.

Recipe for not-so-naughty Sticky Toffee Puds!

Here's something novel, a dessert that's actually not too bad for you! And it's secret?...easy, take out the fatty bits. In other words: butter! And in it's place- date puree. It may not sound as tempting but these little puds still taste delicious and come with a lot less guilt! But watch out, they're still quite high in sugar and so should be seen as a treat within a balanced diet (especially if trying to lose weight). Ok thats the prep talk out of the way; time to don your apron, grab that whisk and bake baby bake... enjoy!

What you'll need:
87g pitted dates (fresh or dried)
75ml maple syrup
42g self-raising flour
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, seperated
Food processer or hand blender

based on 2 puddings, takes 1 1/2 hours- simply double up on ingredients if you want to bake 4!

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees c(fan assisted 160)/gas mark 4. Simmer the dates in 90ml water for 5 mins. Tip the remaing into a food processer (or use a hand blender), add 3 tablespoons of maple syrup along with the vanilla extract, and blend until smooth Transfer into a bowl and mix in the egg yolk then the flour.
2. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and slowly fold in the date mixture as above. Spoon one tbsp of maple syrup into both of the pud moulds then add the mixture dividing equally. Cover each mould with foil (nice and tight) and place them in an ovenproof dish. Finally (nearly there!)...pour hot water up to half way up the side of the moulds and wa-la, into the oven it goes. Cook for an hour and/or until you can place a skewer through each pud and it comes out clean.
3. Once you're happy with your puds, take off the foil and run a knife around each one to loosen form the mould. Now place a plate over each mould, quickly flip over and there you have it. Drizzle a little maple syrup over to finish and you could add a very small amount of low-fat ice-cream as an optional extra treat!

Per serving (without ice-cream)- 339 calories, protein 7g, carbohydrates 73g, fat 4g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 2g, added sugar 25g, salt 0.33g.

Recipe for Spicy Carrot and Lentil Soup

Delicious and nutritious, this low-fat soup is easy to make, packed with goodness and tastes much better than soup out of a tin! It'll leave you feeling all warm inside...perfect for the British winter!

What you'll need:

300g carrots, washed and grated (un-peeled)
70g split red lentils
1 tsp cumin seeds
pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
500ml hot vegetable stock (using stock cubes is fine)
60ml semi-skimmed milk (make dairy-free by using reduced fat coconut milk instead)
wholemeal rolls or pittas to serve (no butter)

based on meal for two, takes 25 mins (1o mins prep, 15 mins cooking time)

1. Heat a large saucepan and quickly dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for approx 1 minute, or until they start to dance around the pan! Spoon out about half of the seeds and discard. Measure 500ml boiled water and add stock cubes (to own desired strength or taste). Add the olive oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have softened.
2. Pop the soup into a food processor (or use a stick blender if you have one) and blend until smooth. Serve with warmed pittas or rolls and enjoy all winter long!

Per Serving (without roll or pitta) - 238 kcals, 11g protein, 34g cardohydrates, 7g fat (1g saturated fat), 5g fibre, 0.25g salt and no added sugar.

Recipe for Spiced Chicken with rice and peppers

A good old classic chicken dish with a spicy little twist! This is another great tasting, low fat meal with the added benefit that it's low in cholesterol too. Like turkey, chicken is a great source of protein and is readily available. For a veggie option, try swapping the chicken for green beans and sliced red onions.

What you'll need:

2 large chicken breasts
1 tbsp sunflower oil (or use '1 Cal Spray' to make it even healthier)
2 tsp curry powder 1 green pepper, sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced
100g basmati rice (white or brown)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp raisins
85g frozen peas 1 tbsp
chopped mint and coriander
pinch of saffron
4 heaped tbsp of low-fat natural yogurt


based on meal for two, takes 35 mins

1. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Brush the chicken with 1 tbsp oil ( or use 1 Cal spray), then sprinkle the curry powder over each chicken breast or vegetables. Toss the peppers in a little oil. Put the chicken and peppers in a roasting tin. Bake for 25 mins until the chicken/veg is fully cooked and the peppers are crisp, stirring the peppers aprox halfway through .
2. Rinse the rice, then put in a pan with the cinnamon, saffron, a pinch of salt and 300ml water. Bring the rice to the boil, stir once, then add the raisins and cover. Gently cook for 10-12 mins until the rice is tender, adding the peas halfway through.
   
3. Serve the rice onto your plates, top with the chicken and scatter the peppers over the top. Stir the mint and coriander into the yogurt and serve on the side.

Per Serving (using sunflower oil)- 495 kcals, 45g protein, 63g cardohydrates, 9g fat (2g saturated fat), 5g fibre, 0.39g salt and no added sugar.

Recipe for Cajun Turkey

This meal is just scrumptious and is very low in fat, in fact it has only 1.75grams of fat per 100g turkey (skinless and cooked). Turkey is a good lean source of protein and, what's more it's cheap to buy. Simply follow the recipe and enjoy...

What you'll need:

225g of new potatoes
125g runner beans (or green beans if preferred)
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 turkey steaks
1 tbsp olive oil
finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
1/2 garlic glove, crushed
1 tomato, seeded and cut into chunks (or own choice of veg)

based on meal for two, takes 30 mins

1. Boil the potatoes for 8 minutes. Add the runner/green beans, cover pan and boil for further 6 minutes.
2. Whilst veg is boiling, sprinkle cajun seasoning on to both sides of each turkey steak. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large shallow frying pan and fry the turkey steaks (medium heat) for 3-4 minutes each side until they begin to blacken. Add the lemon zest and juice if desired and fry for an extra few seconds. Reduce heat to keep warm.
3. Drain the potatoes and beans and put 2 tablespoon olive oil into the pan. Add the garlic and tomatoes (or choice of veg) and cook for 1-2 minutes, mixing vegetables and potatoes through until coated in the oil.
4. Serve with the turkey steaks, pour on pan juices for extra taste. For a lighter option, serve with small side salad of own choice (no dressing) in place of potatoes.

Per Serving (with potatoes)- 326 kcals, 34g protein, 23g cardohydrates, 12g fat (2g saturated fat), 3g fibre, 0.21g salt and no added sugar.