Day 23

Lunch - 247 calories

1 Itsu Spicy Tuna Maki box - 151 calories
1 Packet of Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-Dried Tomato ProperCorn - 96 calories

Dinner - 254 calories
1 Packet of Tesco's Mussels In White Wine And Garlic - 130 calories
1 and a half Slice of Wholemeal Bread - 124 calories

Grand Total - 501 calories 

And how did it go?

I again succumbed to the powers of the ready meal, I'm afraid. I just don't think it's worth it to make such a small amount of mussels from scratch, so I'm trying to relax a bit over ready meals. Overall a tasty, easy and light supper. You can't complain about that!

Day 22

Lunch - 222 calories

1 can of Chicken Noodle Soup (Heinz) - 126 calories
1 Packet of Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-Dried Tomato ProperCorn - 96 calories

Dinner - 284 calories

Courgette and Red Kidney Bean Burguer with Onion Chutney and Mediterranean Cous Cous

Vege Burguer Patty - 129 calories
5 grams of Onion Chutney - 8 calories
115 grams of  Tesco's Mediterranean Cous Cous - 143 calories
4 sprays of Fry Light - 4 calories

  

Grand Total - 506 calories 

And how did it go?

I got the idea for the vege burger from here, but adapted it to use the courgette I had in the fridge. It turned out tasty, but I'd follow that other recipe more closely next time, as it looks more like a burger than the one I made. I used 150 grams of Courgettes (30 calories), a tin of Red Kidney Beans (280 calories), 150 grams of Onion (63 calories) and 1 Egg-whites (17 calories) and got 3 patties out of it.

I grated the courgette and diced the onion and "fried" them on some water. On a separate pan, I boiled the kidney beans for 5 minutes and  added them to the courgette and onion mixture. I then mashed the ingredients as much as I could and waited for it cool down a bit before adding the egg-whites, for binding. After portioning into 3 patties, I used Fry Light on a non-stick pan and very carefully cooked the patties on both sides and Voilà! 

After a big holiday and 2 weekends away in 2 months, I'm trying to do 4:3 this week to kick start my weight loss again. While I haven't lost much in weight, I have lost in measurements and haven't put on any kilos after indulging in some, more like a lot of, Brazilian, Dutch and French food. 

Day 21

Lunch - 298 calories

1 Itsu Salmon and Avocado Midi-box - 242 calories
Half a Banana - 56 calories

Dinner - 219 calories

Ham, Courgette and Aubergine Bake
   - 130 grams of Aubergine (26 calories)
   - 150 grams of Courgettes (30 calories) 
   - 3 slices of Wafer-thin Ham (33 calories) 
   - Homemade Tomato and Onion Sauce (90 calories)
   - 10 grams of Parmesan (40 calories)

Grand Total - 517 calories (Ooops! This is what being inventive for lunch gets you...)

Exercise - 60-minute Personal Trainer session

And how did it go?

This is one of the biggest meals I had on a fast day, probably only behind the Full English Breakfast on Day 8. Dead easy to make and allows for all sorts of combination. I first made a simple tomato sauce with Italian Passata (160 calories), 150 grams of Onion (63 calories), Vegetable Stock Pot (35 calories) and Italian Herbs and divided it in 3 portions, saving 2 of those for future fast days. 

Next, I took a pie dish and covered the bottom with a thin layer of the tomato sauce. I then added a layer of grilled aubergines, followed by some more of the sauce and shredded ham, and then a layer of courgettes, sauce, ham and so on. On top of the last layer of tomato sauce, I sprinkled 10 grams of Parmesan and put it in the oven (pre-heated to 160) for around half an hour. Let it cool a bit before eating, the last thing we need on a fast day is a burnt tongue.

Day 20

Lunch - 210 calories

1 Itsu Tuna & Salmon Junior box - 165 calories
1 small pot of Miso Soup - 45 calories

Dinner - 280 calories
1 Cod Melt in the Middle Fishcake - 265 calories
30 grams of Salad - 5 calories
10 mls of Balsamic Vinegar - 10 calories
1 Lemon Wedge - 2 calories

Grand Total - 490 calories 

And how did it go?

I was feeling adventurous today and instead of the usual sushi box, I got myself a Nigiri box instead! Boy, I was clearly thinking out of the box today, han? It's not my fault that Itsu has such 5:2-friendly boxes that allow me to eat a bit more in the evening.

I have mostly cooked dinner from scratch on fast days, but since I had packing to do and a million different little details to tend to before I went to bed, I succumbed to the power of the ready meal. Plus, I quite fancied fishcakes today and after becoming traumatised by  a very disastrous first attempt at making homemade ones a long time ago, I have bought them ready ever since. Not the healthiest of options, but not so bad either.

I have to admit that this miserable day of this bloody interminable winter made me crave for comfort food and it has taken a lot of will power - and the promise of a mini-break tomorrow - to stop me from eating all sorts of food. I am not hungry, but I am definitely fantasizing about pasta today. A lot. Carbonara and Funghi to be more specific. Sweet dreams for me!

Day 19

Brunch - 207 calories

1 Itsu Spicy Tuna Maki box - 151 calories
Half a Banana - 56 calories

Dinner - 292 calories

150 grams of Turkey Breast, diced - 150 calories
1 Whole Pepper (155 grams) - 54 calories
50 grams of Courgette - 15 calories
25 grams of Spring Onions - 7 calories
25 grams of Sweet Corn - 30 calories
2 slices of Wafer Thin Smoked Ham - 24 calories
5 grams of Bouillon Stock - 12 calories

Grand Total - 499 calories 

Exercise - 60-minute Personal Trainer session

And how did it go?

And the award to the most random dish goes to this Turkey and Vegetable Stuffed Pepper. I have no idea what come over me when I was cooking this one, I had never made Turkey or Stuffed Peppers before in my life (as it shows), but it turned out great somehow. I had a lot of things in my fridge that needed using, so I just combined all of them together with the Turkey Breasts that I was convinced to buy in the supermarket after looking at the calorie count for them.

I was planning on doing something completely different with the turkey, my own 5:2-friendly version of this recipe, but when I couldn't find aubergine in my local shop, I thought of that lone orange pepper, sitting in my fridge, doing nothing and decided to use it instead.

I find that most fast days lately haven't been a chore at all, I don't even feel hungry at the 5 o'clock mark anymore. They turned into completely normal days. Whenever I am on a fast day, my boyfriend (bless him!) tries to be really careful around food when I am near, but I honestly don't mind seeing food that I can't eat. I do find that I can smell food from a greater distance when I am fasting and tell exactly what it is. Odd how your body works, no? I wonder if it my hunter-gatherer instincts kicking in... 

Day 18

Brunch - 136 calories

2 Biltong packets (70 grams) - 136 calories

Dinner - 368 calories

Burguer patty
   - 100 grams of mince (185 calories)
   - 10 grams of Red Onion (5 calories) 
   - 5 grams of Dijon Mustard (11 calories)

1 Slice of Wholemeal Bread - 83 calories
1 Slice of Wafer Thin Smoked Ham - 12 calories
1 Light Laughing Cow Cheese Triangle - 25 calories
15 mls of Ketchup - 18 calories
150 grams of Mushroom - 24 calories
Handful of Salad - 5 calories 

Grand Total - 504 calories 

And how did it go?

A great find today, people: Biltong. Low calories and full of protein, so very filling. My boyfriend and I met his parents for lunch at a pub today and this is what I had, two packets of beef jerky. Yep, beef jerky and diet coke... Happy times!

Anyway, since I had only spent 136 calories on lunch, I could splash out on some bread at dinner. This is another one of Camila's tips and she served the burger on a Portobello mushroom and topped it with an egg-white omelette. Since I didn't have a Portobello mushroom, just loads of small mixed mushrooms, and some calories from lunch to spend, this is what I came up with. Comfort food for this very cold bank holiday.

One thing I do is spend a lot of time at the supermarket looking at labels. With only 500/600 calories on your budget, any 20-30 calories variance can make or break your planned meal. Choose your products and portions wisely and you can have pretty much whatever you want on a fast day.

Day 17

Brunch - 207 calories

1 Itsu Spicy Tuna Maki box - 151 calories
Half a Banana - 56 calories

Dinner - 306 calories

Prawn, Mushroom and Vegetable Summer Rolls 
   - 100 grams of Prawns - bought cooked and peeled (80 calories)
   - 100 grams of Mushrooms (16 calories) 
   - 50 grams of Red Onion - (21 calories)
   - 50 grams of Red Pepper (18 calories)   
   - 50 grams of Spinach (15 calories) 
   - 4 Rice Papers (136 calories) 
   - 1 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce (8 calories)
   - 5grs of Bouillon Stock (12 calories)

Grand Total - 513 calories (overindulgent!)

Exercise - 60-minute Personal Trainer session

And how did it go?

My first fast day after 3 glorious weeks of being on holiday (Did anyone miss me?), drinking loads of Prosecco and Capirinha and eating tons of food went pretty smoothly. To tell you the truth, while it was good to have a break from the diet and fitness regime, I couldn't wait to get back on it. So I decided to kick thing off again with a simple yet delicious Vietnamese dish that I had never made before (as you can see from the picture, my rolling skills aren't so developed yet).

I had picked up a pack of Rice Paper during a visit to my local Oriental food shop before I went on holiday, figuring it would be a quick, light choice for dinner on a fast day. I cut the red onion into thin, long slices and cooked it on a bit of thick Bouillon stock. I then added the peppers and a bit more stock and after it had reduced a bit I added the mushrooms and poured in a tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce. Since the prawns I bought were already cooked, I chopped and added them at the end, just to warm them up. I also put in half of the spinach for a few seconds and took of the heat before it wilted. I prepared the Rice Papers as per the packet instruction, which is to simply immerse them into warm water for a few seconds. I then transferred them to a plate and did a bad job at rolling the prawn, mushroom and vegetable mix. I should've made them thinner and longer, making it easier to eat with my hands. To serve, I put all 4 rolls onto a plate, used the other half of spinach as a salad and the mixture of stock, cooking juices and soya sauce left on the pan as a dip. It turned out pretty amazing and it took me 20 minutes to make.

A few fast days back, I mention that Camila had suggested that I start cooking the onion on some water instead of using that Fry Light thing that I hate and I have been doing that ever since, but with a bit of stock added to it. This way, you save on calories and season your food at the same time.