Chicken, Mushroom & Asparagus Stroganoff

Hi folks!

This recipe is suitable for all ages & is a great family evening meal without sacrificing your macros.

Here's how!

You will need (serves two):
2 large chicken breasts (Approx 300g)- sliced lengthways into strips
1 large onion (sliced length ways)
1 clove of garlic (finely sliced)
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 or 3 cups of sliced mushrooms
1 tub of Quark (227g) (this is a low fat, high protein cream cheese available at all supermarkets)
4 stems of asparagus -roughly chopped
1 chicken oxo
Salt & pepper
Thyme
1 calorie oil spray

How?

Fry off your onions & garlic until soft
Add your sliced chicken & cook until browned
Add your paprika, oxo, thyme & stir in
Add your mushrooms & asparagus & cook until soft
Add a splash of water & cook until soft.
Season well with salt & pepper
Just before you're ready to serve stir in your quark.

Serve with Bulgar wheat

Easy peasy!!!

Here's the interesting part NUTRITION: (without bulgar wheat)
Calories: 422kcals per serving
Protein: 68.8g
Carbs: 22.6g
Fat: 7.2g (1.9g saturated)
Fibre: 5.8g

Amazingly tasty & satisfying

Hope you enjoy folks!

Xxxxx

Turkey & 4 bean chilli

Hi folks!

This quick & easy meal will be a hit with the whole family! This recipe serves 2 without rice or 4 with rice.

Here's how!

You will need:
1 medium carrot, peeled & diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tea spoon of chilli powder (use mild for a milder spice)
2 tea spoons of smoked paprika
1 1/2 tea spoons ground cumin
1 chicken oxo cube
380g of turkey mince
1/2 a pepper, chopped into small chunks
1 tin of Mexican style bean mix (I got mine from Asda) drained & rinsed
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 table spoon of tomato purée
1 teaspoon of dried marjoram
Fresh coriander
1 calorie oil spray

How?
Using a large frying pan, brown off your onion & garlic in some fry light.
When your onions & garlic are soft add your peppers, carrots & celery and then add your herbs, spices & chicken oxo cube.
Add your turkey mince & cook until no longer pink.
Add your tinned tomatoes, purée, beans & half a tins worth of water.
Cook down until all your ingredients are soft & the spices have developed. MAKE SURE YOU SEASON!
Stir in some fresh coriander before serving.

EASY PEASY

Nutrition stuff: (based upon serving 2)
Calories: 463 Kcals
Protein: 44g
Carbs: 43g
Fat: 14g (3.5g saturated)
Fibre: 19.1g

Can't go wrong with that!

Xxxx

Mexican the clean way!

Hello again!

This was the best clean discovery I've made in a while! Clean wraps! Amazing!!!!
These can be used for lunch, or for this recipe! EVERYONE LOVES FAJITAS!

Here's the breakdown!
(Makes enough for 2 wraps)
For the wraps you will need:
5 egg whites
1 cup of oatmeal
Pinch of Salt
A few good turns of Black Pepper
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of dried herbs
1 calorie cooking spray

How:
Mix all the above with a whisk until you get a good batter consistency.
Using some 1 cal spray on a large non stick frying pan, spread your batter on like a pancake.
Cook for 1 min each side & repeat

For your filling (serves 2):
2 chicken breasts- skinless, boneless & chopped into chunks or strips
1 onion, sliced
Half a red pepper- sliced
5 mushrooms- sliced
1 tsp of smoked paprika
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
The juice of 1 lemon
Half a red chilli, finely chopped
1/2 tsp of dried herbs (I used mixed)
1 tsp of soy sauce
1 tsp of tomato purée

Mix your chicken, garlic, paprika, lemon juice, chilli, herbs, soy & tomato purée together. Ideally leave this to marinate as long as possible.
Fry off your onion (in your 1 cal oil spray) until soft.
Add your chicken mix and cook until no longer pink.
Add your veg and stir fry until cooked down.
Add a dash of water to make a sticky sauce
Serve

You can sub nearly everything in this! If you're a vegetarian, leave out your meat & up the veggies, if you fancy beef or pork or prawns, go ahead!

I served my wraps with fat free Greek yoghurt & sliced lettuce for bite.

YUMMY!

Nutrition (WRAPS)
Calories: 131kcal per wrap
Protein: 12.1g
Carbs: 19.3g
Which of sugars: 0.2g
Fibre: 2.6g
Fat: 1.9g

Nutrition: (FILLING)
Calories: 160 kcal per serving
Protein: 26g
Carbs: 15.4g
Fat: 1.5g
Fibre: 2.9g

Then add extra your yoghurt or other fillings!

Not bad!

Xxxxx

A tough week

The last week or so has been tough, mentally & physically.

My dad hasn't been well for a while now and it's really hard for me to be so far away from my dad (who's in Cyprus) and my mum (who splits her time between Plymouth for her work & Dad in Cyprus) along with the rest of my family down south.

Last week my dad finally swallowed his pride and went to the private doctor in Larnaca to get an assessment. He was almost instantly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

I'm not going to lie, it hit me hard! I knew he wasn't well and it explains his falls, scatty memory & his slur in his voice. I am just glad we finally have a diagnosis & he can get the treatment he needs.

Because of this news I've been quite "bad" with my eating and exercise. In fact I've been very apathetic about everything.
I can't let the negative external factors of my life affect my progress physically or emotionally so I've decided to get back into the right frame of mind for a successful transformation.

I have decided, after a long chat with my fiancée that we need to make some changes to the wedding plans. Currently we had planned on booking a yacht for a 2 hour cruise after the ceremony but I don't want to put my Dad in any position where he struggles & getting on and off a boat he will struggle. So it's back to the drawing board! Any post ceremony drinks/canapé ideas that you can offer will be great! At least it's an opportunity to get back into my wedding planning!

Because after all, positive mental attitude breeds a positive outcome.

Xxx

Spicy Bean & Quinoa Burgers

This recipe has stemmed from the fact I am getting bored of chicken or fish or chicken or fish for tea all the time. And when I get bored, I eat the wrong things... This weekend is a great example of this. I've been terrible! Eaten all the wrong things, went out Friday night and now I feel terrible!

I need to get back on that horse and get back on track because 1 weekend of excess won't kill me, but I need to get back into perspective. I am planning all my meals this week, and getting my chubby behind back to the gym. 1 of these bad boys are going to one of my meals this week.

I don't think this recipe is perfect by any means, and there is loads I would do differently next time, but they are tasty!

You'll need: (Makes 6 burgers)
1 tin of kidney beans- drained and washed
1 tin of black eye beans- drained and washed (feel free to sub with some other type if you can't get them)
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 egg
50g quinoa
50g oats
Salt & Pepper
Hand blender
Grease proof paper
Large bowl

How?:
Blitz your onion, coriander, cumin, garlic & chilli
Mix with your beans, egg, quinoa & oats.
Using your hand blender, blend until its wholly smooth.
Season!!! Taste the mix, if it's not hot enough, adjust your spicing to your tastes.

Form into patty shapes & bake in the oven at 200 degrees for approx 25 mins or until cooked through.

You can freeze these bad boys for a later date or serve straight away with some salsa, sweet potato wedges and salad!

If you're a vegan, leave out the egg...
If you're gluten intolerant, make sure your oats are gluten free!

Nutritional info per burger:
Calories: 169kcal
Fat: 2.6g (0.7g saturated)
Carbs: 25.2g (6.8g of fibre)
Protein: 10.5g

Yummy!!! Xxxx

Curry curry curry

So following on from the general success of my Thai curry, I thought it was about time I tried something less "calorific" for those of us who are trying to cut...
A great meal to make when you're craving the comforting heat of an Indian without all the sat fat & calories! So here it is!

You will need:
A large saucepan
A food blender or hand blender
Low cal spray
Chicken breasts, skinless & boneless (1 per serving) in chunks
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 low salt chicken oxo cube
2 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp Ground coriander
1tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp chilli flakes, powder or fresh chilli to taste
Fresh ginger (a thumb sized piece) peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
200g butternut squash, peeled, cubed & de-seeded
1 pepper, chopped & de-seeded
6 balls of Frozen spinach
salt & pepper
Water


How?

Fry off your onion, garlic, ginger & dried spices in the saucepan with the low cal spray
When your onion is soft & spices are developed, put this mixture in the hand blender with some water to make a curry paste.
Use your curry paste & some more spray to brown off your chicken chunks.
Add your chicken stock, tinned tomatoes and squash.
Add your pepper
Cook down until your chicken is cooked through, & squash is close to melting.
Add your spinach & taste for spicing heat & season with your S&P

I served mine with some Bulgar wheat but you can have it without or with some brown rice.

Now the nutritional stuff!
Calories: 222 Kcal
Protein: 19.5g
Carbs: 24.9g
Fat: 6.1g (1.6g saturated)

Hope you enjoy!!