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...