Friday 29 March 2013

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.

Tuesday 26 March 2013

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. 

Monday 4 March 2013

Day 16

Brunch - 211 calories

1 Itsu Spicy Tuna Maki box - 151 calories
Half a pot of Itsu Miso Soup - 60 calories

Dinner - 287 calories

Mushroom Risotto - 

   - 100 grams of Mushrooms (16 calories) 
   - 50 grams of Onions - (21calories)
   - 40 grams of Basmati Rice, uncooked (163 calories)   
   - 13 grams of Parmesan (52 calories)
   - 350mls of Chicken Stock (35 calories)




Grand Total - 498 calories

Exercise - 40 minutes Personal Trainer session

And how did it go?

After declaring my undying love for Itsu and claiming to be able to do all sorts of exercise during a fast day, in comes the universe to prove me wrong! I had a lesson with my great Personal Trainer at lunchtime, which I had to run to after getting stuck at a meeting, which was quite lucky, given that he was hellbent on killing me that day and I only had to drag myself through it for 40 minutes, instead of the usual 60. I didn't feel good, I'll tell you. No nearly fainting or anything, but better not to have any more heavy exercising on an empty stomach! 

The Itsu Tuna Maki set is still a definite favourite, but I wasn't a fan of their Miso Soup. I guess they tried to elaborate on the normal Miso Soup and have added more things to it, but I was not a fan and couldn't finish it.  The bright side is that I had a bit more calories for the evening and was able to add a bit more rice to the recipe. As you can see, the risotto was a big hit and I couldn't wait to repeat it. Must be the Italian genes!