lexiepiper Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I know quite a few of us on here are dieting/trying to lose weight, and I know some members cook a lot of meals from scratch, so I'd thought I'd create a thread for members to share recipes and tips for foods to eat to keep healthy or lose weight. I've been trying to find some cheap, normal meals (aka not fancy) from recipe websites, but haven't come across anything very good so far, any help is gratefully received! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Hi Lexie, Good luck! I can't cook but I found a site that might be helpful Click here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCee Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 The tomato soup I make (and had for dinner tonight) is low fat and very healthy. It is store cupboard soup and I will often leave out the herbs if I haven't got fresh or I will substitue for thyme or parsley if that is all I have. Also, the milk or creme fraiche just give it a nice colour and make it a bit more fullfilling. It is also my husband's favourite soup! 2 small/1 large carrot, diced small 1 large onion, diced small 1 stick celery, diced small 2 small/1 large clove garlic 2 14oz cans tomatoes a handful fresh basil or fresh oregano (or if you haven't got it, leave it out) 1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil (as desired) teaspoon of vegetable stock granules or one cube water 2 dessertspoons half fat creme fraiche OR milk poured into one of the cans to measure half way up the can salt and pepper and pinch of sugar parmesan shavings (optional to make lower in fat but they taste very nice!) Heat the oil and added the carrot, onion and celery. Cook with the lid on about 5 minutes till the onion is soft and the celery and carrot are beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes, but don't let anythig brown. Add the toms and about half a can of water with the stock granules. Simmer about 20 minutes or so till the veg is soft. Chop the herbs and add about half to the pot about 5 minutes before it is done. Take the pot off the heat and blitz everything (I use a hand held blender but if you are doing in a normal blender or processor you need to do it in batches). Put back on a very low heat and if it is too thick add a bit more water. Taste and season with salt, peper and pinch of sugar. Stir in the milk or creme fraiche and heat - don't boil if using milk. Check the seasoning again and serve with shavings of parmesan. Oh yeah and it is a really cheap meal too so won't break the bank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 My problem with sites light that is they require some cooking ability, and really weird ingrediants. Today I had a pile of lettuce with my pasta...the mixed leaves kind, and it was lovely. I can't eat pasta on it's own, even with meat, and sauces can be filling, but I adore lettuce so I plonked equal amounts lettuce and pasta on with chicken and red onion and twas delish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCee Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 My problem with sites light that is they require some cooking ability, and really weird ingrediants. Today I had a pile of lettuce with my pasta...the mixed leaves kind, and it was lovely. I can't eat pasta on it's own, even with meat, and sauces can be filling, but I adore lettuce so I plonked equal amounts lettuce and pasta on with chicken and red onion and twas delish. I do that! I LOVE lettuce, especially the packets of all sorts of different leaves. I will stir them into pasta with a bit of balsamic vinegar and a bit of grated parmesan. Sounds weird but it is really yummy! Well yummy if you like lettuce and balsamic that is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 It's great, isn't it?? I could eat lettuce on it's own with a salad dressing on it, though, so... it IS great though. Lettuce rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCee Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Oh me too! I would call it my favourite vegetable but my OH thinks that is really weird. I have even had lettuce sandwiches before and loved them. I have a friend who swears iceburg lettuce is the perfect hangover remedy though I am not so sure myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I've had lettuce sandwiches too. Lettuce and stuffing, when I've not had chicken. Tastes practically the same anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I make a roasted tomato and red pepper soup that, under Weight Watchers, is ZERO POINTS: 1 large carton cherry tomatoes (or tin of tomatoes or jar of passata if you prefer) 1 large onion (pealed and cut in half) 2 large red peppers (de-seeded and cut in half) 2 large cloves fresh garlic (pealed) salt, black pepper, basil and oregano (to taste) stock pot/cube (vegetable, chicken or ham all work very well) spray oil water - Pre-set oven to 200C - Spread the tomatoes*, peppers and garlic cloves on a large baking tray and spritz with spray oil - Pop in the oven for about 30 mins (till the garlic is soft, and the tomatoes, peppers and onions all lightly roasted) - Whack the whole lot in the blender and whiz till smooth - Stick it all in a large pan, add the same amount again of water drop in the stock pot/cube - Add salt, black pepper, basil and oregano to taste (you can also add spices if you fancy - a srinkle of chilli is lovely!) - simmer for about 10-15 minutes - serve * if you're using tinned tomatoes or passata, obviously don't put them on the baking tray! This should make 2-3 generous servings if you're using a carton of cherry tomatoes, and 3-4 if using a tin of tomatoes or jar of passata. It's easy to adjust the amounts if you want to make a larger or smaller amount and you can even freeze batches of it for future use if you like! If you leave out the water and stock pot/cube, this makes an excellent pasta sauce too! You can also use this as a base for adding other items to the soup, e.g. kidney beans, chickpeas, bacon, chorizo, etc; whatever you fancy really (chickpea and chorizo is a favourite combo of mine!). Also, this is a lovely, warming soup in cold weather OR you can eat it chilled in the summer as it works particularly well as a chilled soup - it's a winner all round and a regular in our flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Lettuce is a good one I love lettuce and tomato sandwiches. Otherwise I eat a lot of jacket potatoes and low fat cottage cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 I make a roasted tomato and red pepper soup that, under Weight Watchers, is ZERO POINTS: 1 large carton cherry tomatoes (or tin of tomatoes or jar of passata if you prefer) 1 large onion (pealed and cut in half) 2 large red peppers (de-seeded and cut in half) 2 large cloves fresh garlic (pealed) salt, black pepper, basil and oregano (to taste) stock pot/cube (vegetable, chicken or ham all work very well) spray oil water - Pre-set oven to 200C - Spread the tomatoes*, peppers and garlic cloves on a large baking tray and spritz with spray oil - Pop in the oven for about 30 mins (till the garlic is soft, and the tomatoes, peppers and onions all lightly roasted) - Whack the whole lot in the blender and whiz till smooth - Stick it all in a large pan, add the same amount again of water drop in the stock pot/cube - Add salt, black pepper, basil and oregano to taste (you can also add spices if you fancy - a srinkle of chilli is lovely!) - simmer for about 10-15 minutes - serve * if you're using tinned tomatoes or passata, obviously don't put them on the baking tray! This should make 2-3 generous servings if you're using a carton of cherry tomatoes, and 3-4 if using a tin of tomatoes or jar of passata. It's easy to adjust the amounts if you want to make a larger or smaller amount and you can even freeze batches of it for future use if you like! If you leave out the water and stock pot/cube, this makes an excellent pasta sauce too! You can also use this as a base for adding other items to the soup, e.g. kidney beans, chickpeas, bacon, chorizo, etc; whatever you fancy really (chickpea and chorizo is a favourite combo of mine!). Also, this is a lovely, warming soup in cold weather OR you can eat it chilled in the summer as it works particularly well as a chilled soup - it's a winner all round and a regular in our flat. That sounds lovely! I know you cook a lot of fresh food, do you get recipes from cookbooks or just make them up yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 That sounds lovely! I know you cook a lot of fresh food, do you get recipes from cookbooks or just make them up yourself? I'm the queen of mish-mash - I just pick a load of ingredients I think will go together and give it a bash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie2008 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 I love the sound of that soup but don't have a blender. Thinking I might have to invest to make soups in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 I love the sound of that soup but don't have a blender. Thinking I might have to invest to make soups in the future. If you like a chunky soup, you can always just cut up everything finely (or roughly if you like it really rustic!) and add a tin of tomatoes for extra tomato-ey-ness with the stock. I just like a smooth soup/sauce base and add extra chunks to it - I'll often add another sauteed onion and some mushrooms to the soup, and perhaps some extra peppers and courgette too if I'm having it as a sauce. Yummy! Or, if you have the patience, you can push it all through a seive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 This is such a good thread! I've been at weightwatchers for about 6 weeks now and I'm getting bored of the same old thing for tea every night. I buy fish in a parsley sauce (which is frozen and takes 5 mins or so in the microwave) and add it to pasta and vegetables such as brocolli (about 4 - 5 points on the weightwatchers diet.) As I'm not a great cook myself I buy a lot of frozen veg and add it to most meals. Totally lost my mojo at the mo but hope to get it back asap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 If you like squid, try this recipie. 2 squids per person should do it. Clean squid, cut off tentacles, and chop the tentacles. Now you have the squid tubes which you can fill. For filling: Onions, chopped finely basil & mint chopped up capers, and green olives, hard boiled eggs (small one per tube) can of tuna per 2 tubes few slices of anchovies chopped up A tin of clams, or a handful of prawns. Half of the chopped up tentacles Fill up tubes with above mixture and secure with toothpicks. For sauce : Chop some onions and garlic, fry in a tablespoon of olive oil Add leaves of coarsly chopped fresh basil The other half of chopped up tentacles Add small glass of water Add a couple of diced potatoes Add some chopped up carrots Put in the stuffed tubes of squid Add a can of tomatoes, or passata Simmer till ready, and serve with crunchy bread to dip in the sauce. Low fat and delicious. Let me know if you tried it and loved it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babe*With*Brains Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 You can easily whip together a super-healthy salad and completely reap the health benefits by adding things such as chickpeas,aduki beans, avocado or even a handful of nuts and seeds (flax/linseed is great for digestion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 Last week I made my favourite dish which is a tuna pasta bake. I'm a lazy cook so I love this because it takes little time to make and lasts me a week. I use a large tin of tuna and cook up about a kilo of mixed vegies - I've worked out the frozen stuff is just as nice as fresh and there's no prep time involved - and then I throw in some pasta and mix it all up with a jar of creamy tuna pasta bake sauce. I then sprinkle cheese on the top and throw it (not literally) in the oven to melt the cheese. It's really delicious. Now I've decided I should try to make it a little healthier. The first thing to go will be the cheese, but I don't want to get of the sauce, even though I know white creamy sauces aren't as good as, say, tomato-based sauces, but I don't think that'd go well with my tuna and vegies. Does anyone have any ideas/recipes for a healthier sauce (white or not) that I can use for this dish? I know I should probably also get rid of the pasta and potatoes because they're carbs, but I'll have to think about that. Maybe I could just reduce the amount. And I'm also going to start having my main meal at lunch time so I will have more time to burn off those carbs anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted May 21, 2010 Share Posted May 21, 2010 what if you substitute the veggies for more mediterranean type veggies like Peppers and Onions, this should work well with a tomato based sauce then if you like add olives and capers and fresh basil, you can get frozen mixed peppers too if you don't want the hassle of chopping them yourself. I generally work under the proviso of what goes well together so tomatoes, peppers tuna should be a great combo. If you still want to add cheese then add some low fat mozarella on the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CornflowerBlue Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 My favourite soup is parsnip and apple, roast two-three parsnips in a tiny bit of olive oil. Fry a small onion in as little oil as possible, add a couple of cloves of garlic, sliced. Add one Bramley apple, cubed. Chuck the lot in a blender with enough water to make a thick soupy consistency. Once blended, season to taste, heat through, and eat. It's an amazing soup, the flavours are far more complex and subtle than you'd expect. I usually season it with a bit of bouillon powder rather than salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 I've had a god old look through here and I've made some notes in my cook book. I'm looking forward to trying a few of these recipes. I've also managed to get some good ones from the BBC Good Food site as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Two of my favourites are as follows (both serve 2 people) Mushroom Stroganoff 1 carton chestnut mushrooms 1 medium onion olive oil 1/2 small carton soya cream 1/2 mug vegetable stock 1/2 glass dry white wine chopped dill wash and desstalk the mushrooms. slice thinly. peel and chop the onion fry both in a little olive oil until brown add the vegetable stock, soya cream and wine and simmer until most of the sauce has evaporated, stirring continuously. spirnkle liberally with chopped dill serve with brown rice and vegetables of your choice Stuffed Courgettes 3 medium sized courgettes 3 cherry tomatoes goats cheese black olives chop ends off the courgettes, slice in half lengthways and scoop out the flesh fill with halved cherry tomatoes, black olives and goats cheese bake at gas mark 6 or 200 degrees for about 20 minutes serve with white basmati rice, fresh corn cobs and basil leaves. Yum ! Veggie kebabs of course are also good - use whatever you fancy - peppers, onion, tomatoes, mini corn cobs, fennel, mushrooms - whatever. Great with rice and salad, with lot of coleslaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 This is what I had this evening.... Hearty pasta soup 1 tbsp olive oil 2 carrots , chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped 1l vegetable stock 400g can chopped tomatoes 200g frozen mixed peas and beans 250g pack fresh filled tortellini (we used spinach and ricotta) handful of basil leaves (optional) grated Parmesan, to serve Heat oil in a pan. Fry the carrots and onion for 5 mins until starting to soften. Add the stock and tomatoes, then simmer for 10 mins. Add the peas and beans with 5 mins to go. Once veg is tender, stir in the pasta. Return to the boil and simmer for 2 mins until the pasta is just cooked. Stir in the basil, if using. Season, then serve in bowls topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan and slices of garlic bread. Yummy Yummy Yummy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kezlehan Posted July 30, 2010 Share Posted July 30, 2010 I love this chilli con carne recipe. It's cheap to make, and low cal at only 387 cals per serving. I make it as per the recipe, except I don't add the chocolate, and I add a lot more chilli powder and paprika and cumin. It tastes delicious! Very nice over a plate of brown rice. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3228/chilli-con-carne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Just wanted to come in here and highly recommend Kell's Tomato and Pepper soup. O's has made it this afternoon and it's wonderful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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