I’ve gone through quite a few periods in my life where I want to lose weight, and I do a week of healthy eating, no drinking alcohol etc, but I always end up slipping into ‘bad’ ways. It’s tough though, isn’t it? Particularly over lockdown where you’re limited to only going out for a walk once a day, and not really wanting to go out! I slipped into a few bad habits for a couple of months and I put on so much weight. I know many people were in the same boat but last week, I knew enough was enough! My clothes were definitely feeling tighter and I hated looking at myself in the mirror. I knew it was time to do something about it.
I’ve never been a fan of diets. Last year, I joined Slimming World and did it for 2 months. It definitely wasn’t a diet for me. In my opinion, it just trains your body to cut out all fat and sugar and as soon as you have some, your body immediately stores it as fat without giving it a chance to break it down and burn it off. Also, how can a huge plate of pasta be ‘free’ food, yet 1 tbsp light salad dressing would be 2 syns? It just wasn’t for me, I’m not slating anyone who gets on with it, I just didn’t like it and wouldn’t recommend it. So what works for me?
Calorie counting and exercise.
With calorie counting, I find that I have much more control over my eating/ snacking habits, but I also don’t deprive myself of anything. I never feel hungry or stressing about what I’m cooking. It’s such a good way to try and be healthier, and lose some weight. I hate going to the gym, but my friend does HIIT workouts at home and suggested I do the same. I have been doing them, as well as using a weighted hula hoop for a couple of weeks now and feel SO much better. I have lost weight, but I’m not weighing myself religiously to be honest. It can be too addictive and you tend to beat yourself up if you feel you haven’t lost enough weight.
So, with this in mind, I have been trying to create new dishes that are both tasty and fewer than 500 calories per portion as then I can still have my chocolate fix in the evening! We have definitely been eating more fish as it’s so easy to just bake in the oven and use zero fat to do so. One of the new dinners I cooked was cod with a pea, mint and chilli mash, salt and vinegar crushed potatoes, asparagus and sweetcorn. I thought I would share the recipe as it was truly delicious and simple to do. A perfect summer meal!
Ingredients:
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1 cod fillet per person.
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400g baby potatoes.
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200g frozen peas.
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2 sprigs fresh mint.
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1 large brown onion, sliced.
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1 fresh chilli, sliced.
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150g broccoli.
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1 can of cannellini beans.
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30g light soft cheese.
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1 leek, sliced.
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2 tbsp cyder vinegar.
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Salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
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Firstly, you will need to cook your potatoes. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees. Leave the potatoes whole and skins on. Boil them until they’re soft, then drain them.
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Transfer them to a roasting tin and crush them with a fork. They should ‘burst’ open. Spray with fry light and season with sea salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes.
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Now the potatoes are cooked, you can make your pea and bean mash. Now, aesthetically it doesn’t look amazing! But the taste is incredible and it makes 4 portions so if it’s only for two of you, you can freeze half (that’s what I did). Firstly, saute your onion over a medium heat. I have swapped out cooking fat of any sort for fry light, but it is up to you what you cook with. Cook the onion for around 5 minutes.
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Next, add the peas, broccoli, leek, chilli and beans. Cook for a further 10 minutes over a medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.
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Remove the pan from the heat and add the mint and cream cheese. Once you have stirred thoroughly, mash the mixture together. I cheated and used a stick blender to make it a smoother texture, but again, it’s down to preference. Set to one side ready for serving.
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In the meantime, your 25 minutes for the potatoes should be up. Place your cod in a baking bag along with some fresh lemon. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and give your potatoes another spray with fry light.
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When your cod and potatoes have had their 10 minutes, remove from the oven. While the potatoes are still in the tray, add the vinegar and mix thoroughly. They will taste like seaside chips but are much healthier!
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Serve your cod on a bed of your mash, potatoes and whichever sides you want. I had asparagus, sweetcorn and vine tomatoes with mine.
Hope you enjoy it! X
Gemma and Life 