Tag Archives: dieting

LighterLife Fast Review: The Easy Way To Do The 5:2 Diet?

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The 5:2 diet really took off last year and is still huge. If you have been living under a rock and don’t know what it is: you eat normally for 5 days a week and then the other two days you fast, having 500 calories if you are female, or 600 if you are male. It sounds better than most diets and you get to eat what you want (within reason) the other five days. What makes it hard though is finding something low-calorie to eat on the fasting days. Enter LighterLife Fast, which we got sent to review recently. It is a new product from Superdrug that makes the 5:2 diet easier. On your fasting days you just have four packets of the LighterLife Fast foodpacks.

5.2dietfood 5-2diet

They are not only convenient but they also make sure you get all of your nutrients while you fast. They are very handy and you can pop them into the microwave, or on a hob, which I prefer. We got sent two different bars, two shakes (chocolate and strawberry), porridge, vegetable soup, pasta carbonara and spaghetti bolognese flavoured meals. Note that I said ‘flavoured’ these are mostly dehydrated meals that you add water too.

 

LighterLife Fasting has a number of things going for it: no cooking, no counting calories and you get 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals, along with good amounts of protein and fibre. The taste lets it down a little but it is what you would expect, ranging from okay to edible depending on personal preference.

 

More importantly, do they work? Well, yes. Our reviewer lost about a pound a week. They are a good diet aid, and good for people who are busy too, making the 5:2 diet manageable and without compromising on getting all of your nutrients. It doesn’t taste nice and you will yearn for real food, but it makes things easier. Available from Superdrug.

 

What do you think?

 

 

Staying Motivated When Dieting

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STAYING MOTIVATED

By Alison Clark, independent nutritionist and spokesperson for Europe’s no 1 healthy eating plan, Eurodiet.co.uk

The New Year is a great time to set positive goals and make resolutions, and many of us use this time as an opportunity to try and embrace a healthier lifestyle. Making these plans is the easy part but sticking to them can be more difficult! Follow these tips to stay motivated and make 2012 the year that you achieve your health goals.

1. Team up

Changing old habits that may have been ingrained for ten or twenty years can be hard and having the support of friends and colleagues will help you to stay focused.

* Share tips and test new recipes with friends, family and colleagues. Online communities can be hugely helpful here, Eurodiet has a Facebook community.

2. Get organised

Try to plan ahead, jot down which ingredients and products you need. This will make it easier for you to stick to your eating plan and less likely to pick up unhealthy options when you are on the go.

* Try cooking larger amounts and freezing portions for the days when you don’t have enough time to cook.

3. Clean out your cupboards

Having tempting foods in the house or in your desk will make it much more difficult for you to resist eating them.

* Give away any post-celebration goodies which are still lurking around the house – if they are not there you won’t be able to eat them!

4.Don’t be defeated on ‘Difficult days’

It is normal to have days where you find it more difficult to stick to your resolutions. The important thing is not to let these days get you down and stop you from continuing with your good work – draw a line and stay positive. It’s what you do most of the time that counts!

* If you have a sweet craving try one of the low calorie sweet options available on the Eurodiet.co.uk eating plan – like gooey vanilla caramel chocolate bars or apple crumble.

5.Identify your triggers

Next time you have a hard time resisting a second helping or you skip an exercise class, think about why it happened. Try to identify the feelings that triggered your behaviour, for example hunger, fatigue or stress. How could you change the outcome next time?

* Control your hunger by eating regular meals and ensure you have enough protein in your diet. Protein is essential for sending signals to the brain to say, “Thank you, I’m full”. Introduce healthy snacks if needed like cereal bars or fruit.

6.Make it fun!

Write a list of milestones you expect to pass on your journey towards your final goal and find ways to reward yourself as you reach each one. This will encourage you to stay on track and make the challenge more enjoyable too!

* Treat yourself to a massage, enjoy a spa day, take a new class, buy a new dress, try a new sport.

* Stay positive!

Sophie Mitchell Tweet Yourself Thin: Sunday

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Frost hopes you have enjoyed the week of ‘tweet yourself thin’. Lots of healthy eating, and hopefully you lost a few pounds.

Best Breakfast Burritos
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

Small handful of fresh coriander leaves
3 spring onions
1 tbsp of pickled jalapenos
2 tomatoes
100g tinned beans (like pinto or borlotti)
8 eggs
100g grated cheddar
4 wholemeal or seeded tortillas

Chilli sauce to serve with chicken

1. First add the coriander leaves, jalapenos and spring onions to a blender and blitz until fine. Then
transfer the mix to a bowl.

2. Lay the tortillas on a clean work surface and spread a spoonful of the coriander mix on each one.
Then sprinkle over the cheese.

3. Whisk the eggs together and season. Dice the tomatoes, then heat up a frying pan and add the
tomatoes and beans, cook for 5 minutes in a little olive oil, then add the eggs, stirring occasionally
cook the eggs for about 5 minutes, do not overcook them.

4. Divide the eggs between each tortilla and then roll up the tortilla. Heat a large frying pan up and
fry on each side, then serve.
Barbecued Lemon and Oregano Chicken Legs with Green Olive and Basil Salad
Serves 4
Prep time 20 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients

5 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons
100ml white wine
1 tsp dried oregano
8 chicken legs and thighs
Salad;
1 tin of artichoke hearts
100g pitted green olives
2 heads little gem lettuce
Small handful of shredded basil
Dressing;
75ml olive oil
25ml white wine vinegar
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp honey
Sea salt and pepper

1. Mix the white wine, garlic, oregano, olive oil and then mince the garlic and also add. Cut the
lemons in half, squeeze in the juice and chuck in the lemon skins as well. Mix then add the chicken
legs. Cover and leave for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220C or get the BBQ ready.

2. Pour the chicken marinade and the lemon pieces in a roasting tray, season and place in the oven.
If barbecuing, season the legs and thighs and then place on the barbecue, brush with some extra
marinade occasionally. They will take about 30 minutes in the oven (or basically just cook until
golden brown with clear juices). On the barbecue they should take about 20/30 minutes, just make
sure you turn them.

3. While they are cooking make the salad. Drain the artichokes off and pat dry with some kitchen
towel. Then cut in half and add to a large bowl, then cut the olive in half and add. Take the little gem
and trim the base, then break into the natural leaves. Mix together with the olives and artichokes.

4. To make the dressing simply whisk all of the dressing ingredients together, then drizzle to
personal taste over the salad.

5. When the chicken pieces are cooked, pile up on plates with some of the lovely salad on the side.

Spiced Pollock, Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad
Prep time 15 minutes
Cooking 10 minutes
Ingredients

4 fillets of OCADO Pollock
1 tbsp tikka masala paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 packet of Waitrose butternut squash peeled slices (350g)
250g rocket leaves
1 lemon
150g chickpeas
1 tsp mango chutney
100ml natural yoghurt
1 tsbp of chopped fresh mint

1. First place the fillets of Pollock into a bowl and spread in the spice mix, make sure it gets all over
the fish on both sides, then preheat the oven to 250C.

2. Pop the butternut squash on to a tray, drizzle with oil, season and roast for 20 minutes, until
golden round the edges.

3. While the squash is cooking mix the chickpeas, mango chutney, yoghurt and mint together and
season.

4. Heat the grill up and place the fillets on a baking tray, season and then grill for about 6/8 minutes,
depending on the thickness, until cooked throughout.

5. Pile up the squash, salad, and then fish, top with a big scoop of the chickpea mix and serve.

Sophie Mitchell Summer Recipes: Saturday

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Rye crepes with super fruit salsa and Greek yoghurt
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes + 30 minutes resting time
Cooking time 8 minutes each crepe
200g rye flour
50g plain flour
2 eggs
500ml milk
Pinch of salt
150g blueberries
100g raspberries
100g pomegranate seeds
½ grapefruit
250ml Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp of runny honey
1. Pour the flours in a bowl, add the salt and mix. Whisk the milk and eggs together and they mix
into the flours, stirring at the same time, to make a lump free batter. Then cover and leave in the
fridge. This can be made the night before too.
2. Segment the grapefruit and mix with the berries and pomegranate.
3. Heat up a large non-stick frying pan and add a little oil, then when hot enough add a ladle of the
batter bad spread thinly. Cook for 2 minutes then flip over, repeat with all the batter and then serve
with the fruit, yoghurt and honey.

Tuna Teriyaki burgers with red radish sprouts and cucumber
ribbon salad
Serves 4
Prep time 20 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
800g of fresh tuna steaks
4 spring onions
1 tbsp pink sushi ginger
2 tsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
Sea salt and pepper
Splash of veggie or sunflower oil
For the salad;
2 cucumbers
1 red chilli
200g red radish sprouts
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
1. Cube the tuna into medium sized cubes and place in a blender. Then slice the spring onion,
roughly chop the ginger and add with the rest of the burger ingredients. Blitz until fine, with a little
texture. Then take out and shape into 8 patties of equal size.
2. Finely chop the chilli and mix in a bowl with the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Then using a peeler, peel the cucumber into strips into the bowl, finally add the radish sprouts and
mix well.
3. Heat a frying pan up and add a splash of oil, then cook the tuna burgers for 4 minutes on each
side, season as you are cooking.
4. Then serve the burgers and salad together. This is also great with steamed rice and for a more
indulgent dish mix some wasabi and mayonnaise together and serve on the side as well.

Chicken, peanut and sugar snap and basil stir-fry
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
1 tsp of natural oil (like veggie oil, but peanut oil is great here too)
4 chicken breasts (approx 180g per breast)
4 spring onions, roughly sliced
1 red pepper, cubed
1 tsbp un-salted peanuts
250g sugar snap peas
200g tender stem broccoli, cut into 2” pieces
Small handful of basil
Stir-fry sauce;
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp fruit sugar
Pinch of chilli powder
Juice of 1 lime
1. Cube the chicken and the peppers and then heat up the oil. Add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes
on a high heat, and then add the peppers, the peanuts, the sugar snap peas and the broccoli.
2. Cook on a high heat stirring occasionally for 8/10 minutes, it is fine to get a good colour on the
ingredients.
3. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and pour over the stir-fry, along with a tbsp of water.
Continue cooking till the sauce is thick (about 5 minutes) then add the basil and serve with some
steamed jasmine rice

Sophie Mitchell Summer Recipes; Tweet yourself thin: Friday

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Pancetta, cherry tomato and ricotta frittatas
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
Makes 12 mini frittatas
12 slices of pancetta
6 cherry tomatoes
200g ricotta
25g watercress
10 eggs
100ml milk
Sea salt and black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Oil a 12 cup mini muffin tray or a 6 cup larger one.
2. Line each muffin cup with a slice of pancetta. Then halve the cherry tomatoes and add one half to
each cup. Divide the ricotta between the cups as well.
3. Whisk the eggs and milk together, then season. Roughly chop the watercress and mix in with the
eggs. Pour the mix between the muffin cup and pop in the oven 10 minutes, until just set.
4. Then cool slightly, remove from the tray and serve.

Wholemeal linguine with crab, chilli and white wine
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
400g wholemeal linguine
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 dried chilli
2 lemon, zest and juice
Small handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
400g of white crab meat
1. Place a large pan of water on to boil, when at a rapid boil, add salt and then the pasta.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil up in a large frying pan. Add the garlic, then crumble in the
chilli, fry for a couple of minutes, but do not get any colour on the garlic.
3. Add the crab, lemon and parsley then season well.
4. When the pasta is done (this should take about 20 minutes, but read the individual packet
instructions and cook al’dente) Then drain off the pasta, retaining about 1 tsbp of pasta water and
add both to the frying pan. Cook for another 5 minutes and then serve with an extra drizzle of
olive oil.

Pan Fried Salmon with fennel shavings and saffron aioli
Serves 4
Prep time 15 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
4 skinless salmon steaks (about 200g each)
2 bulbs of fennel
1 tbsp capers
1 red onion, sliced
Juice of lemon
2 tsp olive oil
Saffron aioli;
1 clove of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 free range egg yolk
1 pinch of saffron
100ml olive oil
1. Firstly trim the fennel and then cut it as thinly as possible (I use a mandolin for this) then mix with
the lemon juice, capers and onions finally add the olive oil and season. Do this about 1 hour
beforehand if possible.
2. Then make the aioli, place the garlic in a blender with the egg yolk and saffron, then blitz for 2
minutes. Then very gradually pour the olive oil, while the machine is still on. It should become pale
and thicker. Season and add some lemon juice.
3. Heat griddle pan or a frying pan up hot and then add a little oil, season the salmon and cook for
about 4 minutes each side then serve up with the salad and a drizzle of aioli.

Sophie Mitchell Summer Diet Recipe: Wednesday

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Frost is doing a recipe everyday for Sophie Mitchell’s Tweet yourself thin summer diet. Happy cooking.

WEDNESDAY

Smoked salmon and avocado rye toasts
Prep time 5 minutes
Cooking time 5 minutes
Serves 4
4 slices of rye bread
2 avocadoes
4/8 slices of salmon
1 lemon
Black pepper
1. Toast the bread and then top with the slices of avocado and smoked
salmon.
2. Finish off with a squeeze of lemon and black pepper

Beetroot, goats cheese and mint Quesadillas
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
200g cooked chicken breast (optional for meat eaters)
4 spring onions
200g goat’s cheese
150g cooked beetroot
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
4 soft tortillas (I love the wholemeal ones or seeded kind)
250g salad leaves (rocket is great here)
Lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
1. Shred the chicken and finely slice the spring onions and beetroot. Lay a tortilla flat on a board or
clean surface, and spread half of each tortilla with some of the goat’s cheese (divide between the
four)
2. Then sprinkle with mint and spring onions, and lay on the sliced beetroot, chicken and fold over.
3. Heat a frying pan up to a medium heat and lay a tortilla in the pan, with no oil. Cook slowly until
it’s golden and crisp, and then flip over. Repeat with all of the tortillas, and keep warm in the oven if
wanted.
4. To serve cut the Quesadilla in half, dress the rocket with the lemon and oil and then plate.

King prawn and Asparagus rice
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
400g cooked wild and basmati rice mix
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
300g cooked king prawns
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
25g butter
1 lemon
Sea salt and pepper
1. Cook the rice according to the instruction on the packet. As a rule I cook rice with one and half
times the liquid, covered until the water has evaporated, but wild rice can take longer (so therefore
needs more water) and can vary more.
2. When the rice is cooked, cool it. Bring a pan of water up to the boil and then blanch the asparagus
for 3 minutes, and refresh under cold water.
4. Dice the onion and mince the garlic, fry both off in the olive oil, you can get colour at this stage,
but do not burn. This should take about 8 minutes. Then add the prawns and the asparagus and cook
for 4 more minutes.
4. Add the butter, melt, then add the rice, cook until

Sophie Michell & Ocado- Tweet Yourself Thin-recipes for summer: Tuesday

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TUESDAY

Coconut, Mango and banana smoothies

Makes 4
Prep time 5 minutes
300ml of natural coconut juice (like Vita coconut)
1 ripe mango
3 ripe bananas
1 lime
1. Peel and roughly chop the mango and bananas.
2. Place the fruit and the coconut juice into a blender and blitz until smooth,
then add the lime to taste and serve!
Sweet chilli and soy chicken wrap
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 1o minutes
3 chicken breasts (approx 180g each)
1 tsp soy sauce
2 step sweet chilli sauce
½ cucumbers
2 spring onions
2 carrots
Handful of rocket
4 flour tortillas
1. Cut the chicken breasts into strips and then mix with the soy sauce and a table spoon of the chilli
sauce. Leave while you prep the veggies.
2. Cut the cucumber into strips, and then do the same with the spring onions and the carrots.
3. Heat up a frying pan and then pan fry the chicken strips for about 10 minutes, turning
occasionally. Make sure the chicken is cooked throughout.
4. Then build the wraps, by piling up some veggies, chicken strips and rocket, in a tortilla with an
extra drizzle of chilli sauce if wanted.

Pecorino, Pear and watercress salad with char grilled turkey breasts
Serves 4
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
4 turkey breast steaks (approx 180g per steak)
4 ripe pears
2 celery sticks
150g pecorino cheese
150g watercress leaves
50ml olive oil
Squeeze of lemon
Sea salt and pepper
2 tsp thick balsamic

1. Heat a griddle pan up very hot and then oil and season the turkey steaks. Then lay each steak
down on the griddle and cook for about 5 minutes each side.
2. Finely slice the pears and the celery (on an extreme diagonal looks great) then using a peeler add
shavings of the cheese and add the watercress. Mix with the lemon and the olive oil, and then
season.
3. Pile up the turkey breast and salad on the plates then drizzle with a little balsamic

Sophie Michell and Ocado: Tweet Yourself Thin – Summer Recipes

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Sophie Michell will be doing recipes every day for Frost. Perfect if you have to fit into a bikini or some swimming shorts soon. Yum!

MONDAY

Bircher Muesli with Almonds and Agave Syrup
Serves 4

Prep time 10 minutes, plus overnight soaking

Ingredients

200g rolled oats
400ml apple juice
100g natural yoghurt
1 green apple
1 tbsp Agave syrup
Handful of almonds (that have been soaked overnight in water, as well then washed clean)
Handful of raspberries
1. Mix the oats and the apple juice together, then cover in clingfilm and leave overnight.

2. When you are ready to eat it, coarsely grate the apple and mix in along with the yoghurt. Add more apple juice at this point if you want the mix looser.

3. Then spoon into individual serving bowls and top with the raspberries, almonds and a little drizzle of agave syrup.

I soaked the almonds overnight to neutralise the enzyme inhibitors. This makes the nuts easier to digest and the nutrients easier to absorb.

Char-grilled Halloumi, Aubergine and Courgettes with Tomato Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients

250g halloumi
2 courgettes
2 medium aubergines
2 tbsp olive oil
Dressing;
2 ripe plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
75ml extra virgin olive oil
25ml white balsamic
1 pinch of caster sugar
1 tsbp of chopped fresh mint

1. Slice the halloumi, aubergine and courgettes into ½ cm slices. Then switch the oven on at 180C. Heat up a large frying pan and add some of the oil (approx a tbsp full) and then season the aubergine and courgettes. When the oil is very hot, fry the aubergine and courgettes off, until golden brown in batches, make sure the aubergine in particular are cooked well. Then take out of the oil and place on a baking tray in the oven while you cook the rest.

2. While the veggies are cooking, make the dressing. To do this, add the garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, mint, sugar and seasoning to a blender and blitz until quite smooth, but with a little texture.

3. Then heat up a griddle pan and oil the halloumi on both sides. When the pan is smoking hot, lay the halloumi slices on the griddle and cook for 3 minutes each side. Then plate the courgettes,
aubergine and halloumi on to 4 plates and drizzle with the dressing.

Parmesan, Paprika and Cornmeal Chicken escalopes with French Bean, Avocado and Cherry Tomato Salad
Serves 4

Prep time 30 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts (approx 180g per breast)
250g fine cornmeal or semolina
50g finely grated parmesan
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp dried oregano
2 eggs
20ml milk
100g flour
Salad;
300g trimmed French beans
250g cherry tomatoes
4 spring onions
1 hass avocado
1 clove of garlic, minced
Small handful of de-stalked fresh coriander
1 juicy lime
1 tsbp olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

1. Take the chicken breasts and cut in half width ways. Then take two large bowls. Mix the egg and milk in one bowl and the cornmeal, parmesan, paprika, celery salt and oregano in the second one.

2. Dredge the chicken through the egg wash, dropping off any excess and then through the cornmeal, patting the extra on to the chicken. Than place them on a plate and repeat with all the
pieces of chicken. Preheat the oven to 180C.

3. Place a saucepan of water on to boil, when boiling rapidly add the French beans and cook for 4 minutes, then drain off and refresh under cold water. Pat dry, then adds to a large bowl. Halve the
cherry tomatoes and add to the same bowl, along with sliced spring onions, and the peeled and diced avocado. Then add the minced garlic, whole coriander leaves, squeeze in the lime and season.
Trim the little gem lettuce and break into its natural leaves and arrange on a platter, arrange the French bean salad in the middle.

4. Heat up about 2 tsbp of olive oil in a large frying pan and then fry the chicken breasts off in batches, for about 4 minutes each side or until crisp and golden. When done, pop in the oven for 5
minutes, and then serve.

I often serve this with sweet potato wedges and chilli cornbread for a more substantial meal.

‘Tweet Yourself Thin’ with @sophiemichell for @ocadoUK