Sunday 5 June 2011

Courgette cannelloni with beetroot salad & orange dressing




Recipe to serve one

For the canneloni
One courgette, thinly slice
Mix of low fat cottage cheese, mixed with 1/2 ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper

Dressing
juice of 1/2 orange
tsp of dijon mustard
Balsamic to taste
Combine all of the above.

Salad
Green leaves
Tomatoes
sprouted pulses
raw beetroot

This is a delicious, very quick simple lunch or dinner dish with lots of protein. Steam or blanch the courgette in salted boiling water for a few mins. Drain and rinse under cold water. If you don't do this, the cheese filling warms up and runs out.
Fill with the cheese mixture that has been seasoned. Roll and place on a layer of beetroot (for extra flavour you can chop herbs like dill, basil or mint and place in the cheese). Serve with a salad and dress with a tangy orange dressing.
Proof that delicious, tasty dinners take less than five minutes to make.

Tuesday 31 May 2011

Guest Post: Tips to Dress Dropping Success





Welcome to one of the first in a series of guest posts. This post, from Belinda Muir, 50, a FitBitch graduate on tips that helped her to lose over three stone with the FitBitch healthy eating plan.

Eat more, not less

I used to skip meals or not eat anything but milky coffee all day in a bid to lose wieght. It just meant that I was so starving by dinner I'd eat enough pasta for two grown men with rich creamy sauces and a glass of wine. No wonder I couldn’t sleep or run for a bus! Instead, I learned to snack regularly throughout the day. I felt better, had more energy and it helped me lose weight.

'Prime' your kitchen cupboards
Always have FitBitch basics in the kitchen like eggs, leafy greens/salad, tuna, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, chopped tomatoes, frozen green beans, quinoa, ryvita, cottage cheese etc, along with lots of herbs and spices. It means that there is always something quick and handy that you can make, which tastes good and won't sabotage your diet.

'Spring clean your diet habits'
One of the first things I did when I received my Fitbitch Food Plan was to clean out my kitchen of anything that wasn’t on the list. It was a massive pasta funeral!
It’s tempting to hang on to certain things in a 'just in case' way, but what you don't have, you won't be temmpted to eat. And it's amazing the lengths you'll go to even to get to the top shelf when the craving takes hold. Remove the temptation.
surprising what junk you have lurking on that top shelf that you can just about reach.

Cut the evening carbs
Having to rethink how I'd been eating for years was the hardest aspect of the eating plan, in particular cutting out bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice in the evening.
At first, not feeling bloated when I went to bed felt strange. Perhaps I hadn't eaten enough? I thought. But I soon realised how much better I felt for it, and it helped me sleep well too.

Handbag Snack
I always take snacks to help me avoid temptation, if not an entire packed lunch then an apple of a couple of Ryvita with ham. You're much less likely to succumb to temptation if you don't even need to set foot in a coffee shop.

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Tartare of Mackerel with Mint & Cucumber Soup



'Tis almost mackerel season and if you're not the type to go fishing (honestly, those little boat trips from Brighton Marina are SUCH fun) head to Fish in Shoreham harbour for spanking fresh mackerel.
I'm a squeamish pescatarian and I can still handle this dish so don't get all funny about the raw nature because this is delcious and the perfect FitBitch meal. I haven't put 'exact' measurements down as so many people fear cooking and think they've got to follow a recipe to the letter for it to turn out 'right'.What is right is how it tastes to you. Your taste is all that matters!

Ingredients
Fillet of mackerel
quarter of a shallot, finely chopped
3 gherkins, finely chopped
flat leaf parsley finely chopped
spoonful of Fat Free Total Greek Yoghurt
dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash of Tabasca
few capers

For the soup
inch of cucumber, peeled
half a garlic clove
bunch of fresh mint
dash of white wine vinegar
spoon of Fat free Greek yoghurt
salt and pepper to taste

Remove any pin bones form the fish, remove the skin and dice the flesh. Add all the ingredients together and combine in a bowl. Adjust the seasoning. Leave to one side.
To make the soup, combine everything in a blender and blitz until smooth.
Serve.Ta Dah!