Recipes: Healthy, Happy, Hungry....

I have officially caught the blogging bug. I woke up in the early hours today and found myself completely unable to get back to sleep, my head swimming with ideas for future posts full of witty remarks and brilliant advice! I couldn’t wait to grab the laptop and start tap-tap-tapping the keys.

Luckily after a snuggle with my big spoon I managed to get a couple more hours of shuteye.

During my nocturnal musings I struggled to choose which post I would, essentially, christen the blog with. Should it be fashion, food, make-up? Well fashion and make-up were quickly disregarded as I currently have a massive cold-sore and I’ll be damned if there’s a camera going anywhere near me right now! 

So after a bit more thought it hit me. It’s the start of the new year. What is the one thing people are most obsessed with at this time?

Health! Gyms experience roughly a 30-40% increase in members as a result of new years resolutions, the internet is heaving with juice cleanses, detox diets and tummy tightening work-outs and people are desperate to shed that Christmas-dinner-induced weight gain.
I too am a sheep in this desperate flock, and though I didn’t actually gain weight over Christmas (internal cheering and fist pumping ensued when I first hopped on the scales after the holidays) I am not exactly feeling my best.

So along with the bf and my father-in-law, I embarked on a quest to become a better me! After some careful consideration and plenty of research we decided to try out the 5:2 diet, which seemed a lot less faddy than others and, although it doesn’t promise any huge, immediate weight loss, looks like a diet that can really become a part of day to day life for the long haul.

The idea is that 5 days of the week you eat completely normally (we’re not talking burgers and deep-fat fried everything now, but a normal balanced diet) and for 2 non-consecutive days you fast and eat 500kcal for women or 600kcal for men. That’s ¼ of your daily recommended intake.

It’s been one of the most popular diets of 2013 and for a reason. Because it’s only two days a week, the fasting days don’t seem like a struggle and the hunger feels oddly empowering because you know it’s good for your body to have that recuperation time.

It has however been testing my basic mathematical skills, which have been little exercised since university.  But I enjoy taking the time to plan out a delicious and super healthy meal that everyone can enjoy together twice a week, and so for any other 5:2ers out there looking for food inspiration, I will be sharing my recipes for fast day dinners!

On Monday we had a delicious lemon-y couscous with roasted vegetables and just a sprinkle of crumbled feta, for tonight’s menu I’m making a chicken stir-fry with noodles and what I think is technically referred to as a ‘butt load’* of veg.

Chicken veg stir-fry: serves 5

270g dried Mie (egg) noodles = 945 kcal (cooked)

2 cloves garlic = 8 kcal

1 tsp 5-spice

1 tbsp oil = 119 kcal

1 chicken breast = 260 kcal

1 onion = 46 kcal

3 Peppers mixed colours = 120 kcal

1 large carrot = 30 kcal

2 cup mushrooms = 30 kcal

1 large leek = 54 kcal

3 tbsp soy sauce = 14 kcal

1 knob ginger = 19 kcal

1 tbsp honey = 64 kcal

1 chicken stock cube = 20 kcal

1 tbsp corn flour = 55 kcal

total = 1784 kcal

Per portion = 357 kcal 

·      Boil the noodles for however long stated on packet, drain, run under cold water to stop cooking and set aside
·      Boil 300ml water in a pan, stir in stock cube, honey, cornflour, soy sauce and grated ginger. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency then remove from heat.
·      Thinly slice (Julienne) carrots, peppers, onion and leek into matchsticks. Chop garlic into fine pieces. Slice mushrooms thinly.
·      Cut chicken into very thin slices and then into strips (this will make one breast go through the whole stir fry without adding too much of those calories).
·      Heat oil in wok or frying pan, add garlic, chicken and 5-spice powder (or whatever seasoning you choose), cook till chicken whitens.
·      Add vegetables and cook briefly to retain nutritional value.
·      Add noodles and sauce, distribute evenly in pan and heat through.
·      Serve with thinly sliced spring onion as a garnish and add hot sauce or chilli powder if you like.

(note: This recipe was calculated for 5 people, 2 of whom were not on the 5:2 diet and were eating larger portions, so the Kcal per portion were lower than stated for dieters and higher for non-dieters)

I have literally just finished eating and I must say, I was impressed by how tasty ‘healthy’ can be! There was a mountain of veg, so I did need to split this all up between two pans whilst cooking. I had mine with a sprinkle of chilli pepper and the bf had his with sambal, the heat really works and chilli is good for the metabolism, so win-win! All washed down with a hot mug of jasmine tea and I feel perfectly satisfied! (I skipped lunch today so I also have enough kcals left over for a pre-bed snack if necessary)

I hope you give this recipe a try even if you’re not on the diet!

*fun fact: a buttload is an actual unit of measurement used for wines and alcoholic beverages!

P.S. Apologies for the photo quality, my camera battery charger is currently MIA.