Fitbitch Dinners

Red Mullett with Borlotti beans
1/2 cup of beans soaked overnight if need be
garlic
onions
chilli
celery
Veg Stock
Cayenne pepper
paprika
rocket

saute garlic, onions, celery in 1tsp of olive oil and/or stock. Add remaining stock and simmer until beans are cooked. You can add seasoning of your choice, including mustard. Stir in some fresh rocket just before serving.
meanwhile, season fish both sides with s&P and lemon juice. Pan fry in juices, skin side down first. Can place small plate over to stop it curling up. then flip over and cook on other side. Add more lemon juice as needed to keep it sticking or light olive oil.

And ...
Here's a little something that Core Queen Aleks has been cooking up at home. Although you are all on slightly different eating plans, email me what you've been cooking. If it is good for all the campers, I will post.

`Grilled Chicken
2 x chicken thighs, de-boned
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp hot chili powder
pinch fresh-ground salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 x portabella mushroom sliced into 1-in thick slices
squeeze lemon

grind spices in a mortar & pestle. add chopped garlic and soy sauce and grind into a paste. coat chicken thighs and let marinate for 1hr 30m.

Heat grill pan on a moderate-high hob. add chicken and let sear for 2 minutes. turn over and reduce heat to medium-low. Slow cook until done.

with grill pan still hot, remove chicken and add trimmed asparagus and mushroom. squeeze lemon over the veggies, lightly salt and let sear for 2 minutes on either side.

serve with spinach salad with sliced carrot and balsamic vinegar.

serves 2.

What have you discovered? Post a comment and share your culinary delights!

Some more ...

Delicious dressings

Part of reason behind the Fitbitch diet is to help confront habitual ways of eating. We all cook with olive oil for instance and glug it on our salads, but do we really need to use so much of it?
It's only be taking things away that you can really assess your habits, good and bad. In the meantime though, try these dressings/sauces - they're not just 'diet' alternatives but delicious dressings in their own right and that you can carry on using well after Fitbitch is over.
(Admittedly, I've photographed them in a way that makes them look like shots of tequila, but I haven't got my photostudio sorted yet!)

Asian dressing
Fish sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Garlic
Chilli
Fresh lime

Mix according to taste and use to dress carrot and prawn salads, quinoa or any thing else of your choice. Add coriander and our mint in your salads for extra authenticity.

Yoghurt Mustard dressing
no fat Greek yoghurt
Lemon juice
Dijon or Coarse grain

Yoghurt and Wasabi
no fat greek yoghurt
Wasabi paste
lemon juice
This goes perfect with fish or on asparagus and broad bean salads. Use wasabi sparingly though - unless you have a tongue that can take a lot of heat!

Yoghurt and Horseradish
Same as above - really water down with lemon or even Rice wine vinegar which will make it sweeter.

Pomegrante Dressing
Pomegrante molasses (Taj do it, as do any Middle East store)
Rice Wine vinegar
Agave to taste
This goes brilliantly on quinoa with leeks, peas or any other combination of your choice

Lemon Juice
Honestly, it's nice if you use it to dress a super fresh organic salad.

And of course, that's not to mention using just balsamic vinegar.

These dressings will help ensure you get into your dress! (oh god, that was weak!)

Breakfast - two ways with eggs

If you're getting a bit bored with your breakfasts or lunches, try one of these which are delicious, even if I do say so myself.

Eggy Bread
1 slice of rye or wholemeal toast
1 egg
1 dollop of no fat greek yoghurt
Salt and pepper to taste
Worcestershire sauce, Tamari or Soy

Whisk up the egg and yoghurt with the seasoning. Then soak 1 slice of bread in the mixture and dry fry in a non-stick frying pan or use 1cal olive oil spray.Serve with tomatoes, spinach and cottage cheese.
If you haven't had eggs for breakfast try this for lunch and add some pieces of sliced, smoked ham or a small grating of Parmesan cheese (only for those who have been on the diet for two weeks!).

Another option, which I haven't tried but I'd be interested to see if it works is melt two squares of dark chocolate (only those on diet plans that allow this) and put in the egg mixture (minus other seasonings of course!). Serve with raspberries and dollop of yoghurt. ONLY have this as an afternoon snack and ONLY if you've done an afternoon run in addition to bootcamp.

Let me know how it turns out!

Scrambled eggs with chilli
one egg beaten
Skimmed milk
S&P
1/2 chopped birds eye chilli
If you want to make your scrambled a bit different, add half a chilli before cooking. alternatively tear up some spinach just before you finish cooking and add.
Or try basil with cottage cheese. All delicious!

Slim-spiration Soups

If anyone is stuck for thinking of a lunch or dinner choice, try one of these delicious ideas from Belinda, who 'graduated' from FB camp one in April, having lost 13lb. And as you can see, she didn't skimp on having tasty dinners.


Quick Fish Soup

* 1litre water in saucepan, bring to the boil.
* Add 2 packs instant miso soup - add chopped garlic & ginger & cook for 2mins.
* Add 8 chopped mangetout, 1 chopped red pepper, 1 cup cubed chunks of boneless & skinless haddock (or other white firm fish) and cook for 5 mins.
* Add 1 finely sliced pak choi & 2 finely chopped spring onions and cook for 5 mins.
* Add handful of fresh peas & handful of beansprouts and warm through before serving.

(I started having this for lunch to begin with, but found at the end of boot camp it was enough to have for dinner once I had got used to no carbs and smaller portions)


Broccoli Soup

* 1litre boiling water in saucepan, add either 1 wheatfree stock cube or 2tsp bouillon powder.
* Add 2 cups finely chopped broccoli & 1 finely shredded fennel bulb and cook for approx 10mins or until soft.
* Remove from heat and add handful of fresh tarragon & handful fresh sage. Cover and leave to stand for about 5mins.
* Blend using handheld blender or food processor.
* When in bowl top with handful of alfalfa sprouts.

(This is so nice and I found it instantly stops a rumbling tummy and stops bread / sugar type cravings, especially good for first couple of weeks on diet