Beef & Butternut Squash Stew

This beef and butternut squash stew is a fantastic tomato based dish.

Packed with veg, but low on carbs, this stew is ideal as a warming dinner or even better the day after as a filling lunch. 

Great served on it's own or with some crusty bread, you could also serve the stew with some Mashed Potato to make it go a bit further.

Garlic Roasted Potato & Butternut Squash

Winter's back! It was getting nice for a few days there but we knew it wouldn't last. Wrap up warm and  banish any residual winter blues with this delicious veggie dish!

Potatoes and butternut squash gently roasted in garlic and herbs is a great accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish. The veg can be left chunky or alternatively can be mashed with a little low fat milk and butter for a creamier consistency.

Kofta Kebabs

Kofta kebabs are a traditional Persian dish made with minced meat, delicately spiced and served in warmed pitta bread. They are usually made using a mix of minced beef and lamb, this recipe uses turkey mince to keep the calories down.

The kebabs are served with whole meal pitta breads and can be topped with low fat mayo, fat free yoghurt, sweet chili sauce or even a little ketchup. The meat mixture can be prepared and shaped in advance, then refrigerated and grilled when you need them. They would also work well served with some rice or couscous if you wanted to make a more substantial meal.

Cinnamon & Nutmeg French Toast

French Toast is a classic breakfast/brunch recipe that is perfect for a weekend. Eggy bread, sweetened and seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg served with honey on top!

To keep the dish on the healthy side, I recommend you use brown whole meal bread. French toast is also great with some fresh fruit such as blueberries or strawberries on the side. A little 0% Fat yoghurt would also be very nice. 

Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

I've posted before that there are lots of stir in pasta sauces available but many of them are quite bland and can be full of salt and sugar. 

This is another healthy alternative that is ready in no time and will keep in the fridge on standby for a couple of days.

The recipe used roasted peppers. Jarred peppers work just fine, but you roast your own if you have a little more time.

Wontons

Wontons are a classic Chinese starter that consist of meat or vegetables cooked in filo pastry and served with an Oriental Dipping Sauce.

Following on from the Oriental Meatball recipe previously posted, these wontons use the same Oriental meatball mix, which is added to the filo wrappers and baked in the oven.

These are great served with a dipping, soy or sweet chili sauce.

Oriental Meatballs

The third bout of meatball goodness! We go even further east for these delicious Chinese style meatballs. Ginger, garlic and coriander are the classic Chinese combo that come together in this dish.

Unlike the previous meatballs recipes, these meatballs are done in the oven, not the pan,  facilitating the slightly looser mixture. The meatballs are great served on their own with a little soy, Oriental Dipping Sauce or sweet chili sauce. Alternatively, they go great with a vegetable stir fry with some soy or oyster sauce or simply served with noodles.

Mushroom & Cheese Omelette

Omelettes are a great option for breakfast when trying to loose weight, especially at the weekend when you have a little more time. They are a good source of protein and will keep you going till lunch time and beyond.

You could add some extras to your omelette if you want to make it go further. Chopped tomatoes or a spring onion would go well. Alternatively, you could meat it up with some chopped ham or turkey or a slice or two of grilled bacon would also work. 

Beef & Bean Goulash

This beef and bean goulash is a fantastic tomato based stew. Beef, cannellini beans, mushrooms and peppers are combined and simmered gently with paprika and cayenne to give a warm smoky flavour. Potatoes are added towards the end of the cooking to bring the stew together and thicken it slightly.

Great served on it's own or with some crusty bread, you could also serve the stew with rice to make it go a bit further.

Mushroom & Chickpea Curry with Brown Rice

This Indian style curry is delicately spiced and can be as hot as mild as you like by simply adjusting the strength of the curry powder used. Mushrooms and chickpeas are combined with spices and potato to gently thicken into a delicious sauce.

The recipe calls for onions, garlic and ginger to be liquidised to a pulp. The easiest way to do this is with a hand blender or food processor. If you don't have this equipment, simply grating them would also work.

Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

Peppercorn or pepper sauce is a fantastic accompaniment to grilled chops, burgers, or is simply at it's best served with a steak! 

Alternatively, you could stir in some cooked chicken, prawns or fish and serve it with rice or couscous on the side for a tasty dinner or lunch. It would also go great served with potato wedges.

It's usually available in sachets and tubs but this recipe is a lower fat version that costs very little to make and it will last in the fridge for a couple of days too. 

Spaghetti Carbonara

Spaghetti Carbonara is a classic Italian recipe that combines bacon, cheese and cream with pasta to make a creamy sauce. Needless to say, this healthy alternative has no cream, but manages to maintain basic flavours of carbonara, but without the calories!
If you prefer, you can substitute the cooked bacon for cooked chicken, cooked prawns, smoked salmon or even mixed veg or mushrooms. 

Tomato Pesto

There are lots of stir in pasta sauces available but many of them are quite bland and can be full of salt and sugar. 

This healthy alternative is ready in no time and will keep in the fridge on standby for a couple of days.

The recipe used roasted peppers. Jarred peppers work just fine, but you roast your own if you have a little more time.

Carrot & Swede Soup

Another winter warmer up today with Carrot & Swede Soup! These two are a great combination and will really fill you up. This recipe calls for only half the soup to be blitzed, which gives a great creamy consistency, but you still have lots of chunky veg to enjoy.

Serve with a slice or two of Weight Watchers whole meal bread and a little low fat butter, or 2 slices of wheaten bread such as Mc Cambridges. A couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative.

Creamy Spinach Soup

Another winter warmer ideal as a filling lunch or a great starter. Spinach is a great ingredient that is packed with lots of vitamins, iron and anti-oxidants that keep us ticking over. This soup retains the goodness as half the spinach is added just before serving.

Like the other soups I've posted, this is great served with a slice or two of Weight Watchers whole meal bread and a little low fat butter, or 2 slices of wheaten bread such as Mc Cambridges. A couple of Ryvita crisp bread also go very well as an alternative.

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Vegetable spring rolls are a big favourite from the Chinese take away, but as they're deep fried, they come with tones of extra calories. It's actually a pity they deep fry them as the ingredients are surprisingly healthy and low in fat.

In this dish, you can bake or fry the spring rolls in a little spray oil which maintains the taste, but cuts out the extra fats. 

They are a little fiddly for the fist couple, but you'll be surprised how quickly you improve.

Vegetable Chili & Brown Rice

Another veggie favourite up today. This dish is a vegetable chilli that's made with a blend of ground coriander, ground cumin, chili flakes, and cinnamon. Packed with veg, the kidney beans  and chick peas  are a great background against the spiciness of the chili.

This dish would freeze and reheat very well and any left over chili would go great served on a baked potato.

Smoked Mackerel & Coriander Fish Cakes

These fish cakes are fantastic for a starter on their own, or served with a side salad or Spicy Potato Wedges to make a great midweek dinner. The ingredients can be combined beforehand and then simply shaped and fried when you need them. 

The recipe uses Panko breadcrumbs which are Japanese dried breadcrumbs available in most Oriental supermarkets. Home made bread crumbs would work well, but remove the crusts before blitzing for a lighter crumb.

You can also substitute the fish if you prefer. Any other cooked fish would work well including tinned tuna or salmon.

Chicken & Lentil Curry with Brown Rice

This Indian style curry is delicately spiced and can be as hot or mild as you like. Fantastic as a weekend dish, you could easily make a little more and freeze it for a mid week treat!

The recipe calls for onions and apples to be liquidised to a pulp. The easiest way to do this is with a hand blender or food processor. If you don't have this equipment, simply grating them would also work.

If you like, you can also add a little more veg to the curry. Some chopped courgette and sliced pepper or a handful or two of spinach would all work well.

Lamb Hot Pot

Another fantastic winter warmer! Lamb this time, simmered gently with thyme and parsley.

Lamb, similar to pork and beef is a meat you can still enjoy in moderation when trying to lose weight. It's best to chose leg meat as it tends to be leaner and remember to remove any visible fat, before cooking.

Egg Fried Rice

Egg fried rice is a simple delicious dish that is a great accompaniment to almost any Chinese sauce. This version is a lower fat option, but still has an authentic taste.

The dish would work well with either white or brown rice and is a great way to use up any left over rice. You can add additional veg such as sweet corn, sugar snap peas or cooked mushrooms. You can also meat it up by adding cooked chicken, prawns or ham.

Prawn Masala Curry with Brown Rice

Most Indian curry recipes call for gallons of butter, needless to say not this doesn't, yet still maintains the base flavours! This delicious blend of onion, garlic and spices can be as hot or mild as you like.

The recipe asks for onions to be liquidised to a pulp. The easiest way to do this is with a hand blender or food processor. If you don't have this equipment, simply grating them would also work.

Lunchtime Salmon

Tinned salmon is tasty lunchtime filler that can be teamed with lots of different things. It's also a great standby cupboard item that goes great with a pasta and rice. Available in standard pink or red varieties, it's another great source of Omega 3 oils that sort you out! Both are great, but keep an eye on the salt content when deciding.