TASTY STILL TASTY
Tweak your favourite dishes
Bangers & Mash
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put 3 chicken sausages on a foil-lined baking tray and cook in the oven for 35 mins or until piping hot and browned. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add 75g chopped carrot, 75g chopped swede, 1 crushed garlic clove and 75g chopped parsnip. Cook for 10 minutes until tender. Drain then mash the veg with 10 sprays of low-calorie olive oil, 100g of 0% fat Greek yogurt, salt and pepper. Serve with the sausages on top.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Heat 5 sprays of low-calorie oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add 200g of 5%-fat beef mince. Cook for 5 mins, stirring, until browned. Add 1 chopped red pepper, 1 chopped red onion, 100g mushrooms and 200ml passata. Reduce heat and cook for 10 mins. Bring a saucepan of water to boil and add 50g dried spaghetti. Cook for 6-8 mins. Drain the pasta, serve topped with the bolognese sauce and sprinkled with dried coriander, and salt and pepper.
Fish ‘n’ Chips
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Whisk 1 medium egg in a large bowl. Put 50g breadcrumbs (bought or homemade) in another bowl. Dip a 150g fresh cod fillet first in the egg, making sure it is fully coated, then in the breadcrumbs to cover the fish. Slice 200g potatoes into chips and add to a mixing bowl with 5ml of olive oil, a pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs. Mix with your hands to coat the potatoes fully. Put the fish and potato chips on a non-stick or foil-lined baking tray in a single layer and cook in the hot oven for 30–35 mins. Five minutes before the end of the cooking, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook 50g of fresh or frozen peas. Drain the peas and serve everything with 10g tomato ketchup and lemon wedges.
Portion control Cheese on toast
60g slice of sourdough, add 30g of cheddar cheese, four pepperoni slices and 2 sliced cherry tomatoes. Don’t try to make drastic changes to your diet overnight. Start by becoming aware and altering the quantities of foods you already consume. This will help you to gradually support your calorie deficit in a familiar and enjoyable way. You can still eat any food you like, but if fat loss is your goal, then portion control is the way to achieve your calorie target. This is not rocket science. But it is science.