Five fasting days until Christmas but no gold rings, yet.

Chocolate truffles (fatten up your friends)

Here's a bit of fun for Christmas and a lot cheaper to make than buying them. You could even add chopped chilli to the chocolate and it would stop you doing too much 'testing'.

Ingredients

280g good-quality dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
284ml pot double cream
50g unsalted butter

Method

Chop the chocolate and tip into a large bowl. Put the cream and butter into a saucepan and heat gently until the butter melts and the cream reaches simmering point. Remove from heat, then pour over the chocolate. Stir the chocolate and cream together until you have a smooth mixture. Add any flavourings to the truffle mix at this stage (divide the mixture between bowls and mix in liqueurs or other flavourings, a tsp at a time, to taste. Try rum, Grand Marnier, coconut or the zest and juice of an orange), or leave plain. Cool and chill for at least 4 hrs.

To shape the truffles, dip a melon baller in hot water and scoop up balls of the mixture, then drop the truffles onto greaseproof paper. Or lightly coat your hands in flavourless oil (such as sunflower) and roll the truffles between your palms. You could also use a piping bag to pipe rounds onto greaseproof paper.

Coat your truffles immediately after shaping. Tip toppings into a bowl and gently roll the truffles until evenly coated, then chill on greaseproof paper. Try: crushed, shelled pistachio nuts; lightly toasted desiccated coconut; or roll a truffle flavoured with orange zest and juice in cocoa powder. To coat in chocolate, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Melt 100g milk, dark or white chocolate for 10 truffles. Allow chocolate to cool slightly. With a fork, pick up one truffle at a time and hold over the bowl of melted chocolate. Spoon the chocolate over the truffle until well-coated. Place on the baking tray, then chill.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 days, or freeze for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight. To give as presents, place 8-10 truffles in individual foil or paper cases inside small, lined boxes tied with ribbon. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to give them.

And this is what you have to look forward to. At least it makes a lot of noise.


Skinny spanner

Sometimes on fast days you need the kind of crunch you get from toast, a roast potato or a pie. With a good helping of creaminess and a huge herb hit into the bargain. Be generous with your handful of parsley, mint or chives. The filling is based on the spinach and 'salad' Greek cheese (low fat feta, but they are not allowed to call it that.) filling you find in Greek spanakopita pies. Wrapping the filling in pastry just adds calories, and it’s hard to avoid soggy filo on the bottoms without loads of fat. So in this recipe you get all the flavour and crunch, without the soggy bottoms. You can either make them in individual ramekins – for mini pies – or in a bigger soufflé dish for a family meal. So pretty and fresh; no one will realise they’re sharing a fast dish!

SERVES 4
Calories per serving: 199
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 26 minutes

100g baby spinach leaves or 110g frozen leaf spinach 25 cals
250g low-fat feta cheese, crumbled 300 cals
handful mixed fresh herbs, eg parsley, mint, coriander, rocket, chives, dill, chopped 5 cals
2 eggs, beaten 156 cals
4-5 spring onions, finely chopped 6 cals
grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and pepper
2 sheets filo pastry 88 cals
1-cal cooking spray

● Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 45 seconds (or in the microwave for the same time). Drain away as much water as possible, squeeze dry and then chop finely. If you’re using frozen spinach, cook and drain thoroughly according to packet instructions. Allow the spinach to cool.
● Mix the cheese, cooled spinach, chopped herbs, eggs and spring onions together in a bowl. Grate over the nutmeg then season with a little more salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into a dish or individual ramekins and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
● Take a filo sheet, tear it in half and scrunch it lightly, like tissue paper. Pop it on top of the pie dish so it fills roughly one quarter of the space. Repeat with the other half and then the other sheet of filo. Spray the top with 1-cal cooking spray (use 3 or 4 sprays to give a light covering). If you’re using individual ramekins, use half a sheet for each ramekin to cover the filling.
● Bake for 10-15 minutes until brown (keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn). This is so good served with steamed broccoli or sugar snap peas, and/or a fresh tomato salad.

Variations
The filling is also fantastic with grilled peppers. You can use the same crunchy filo idea for other ‘pies’; For a pie in red and green, make the egg, cheese and onion mix in a bowl, then add 50g spinach (13 cals) and a handful of herbs to one half, and a tablespoon of sun-dried tomato purée (10-15 cals) and 5 finely chopped black olives (25 cals) to the other half, mixing well. Put the red layer into the dish first, then the green layer and cook in the oven as above. The two layers may mix a little but it won’t affect the taste.



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Six fasting days until Christmas and loads of presents to present

Once all the Christmas shinnanigans are over, I'll tell you about how to do a homemade Christmas which doesn't smell of goats and involve hessian. I got all the inspiration from a trip around the North Laine in Brighton with Ruth. At the moment I'm surrounded by almost fantastic presents and a good sign is that I don't really want to give them away, but don't worry! I will.

In the meantime, how is the shrinking going? don't worry if you miss the planned day to fast, you can do it the next day or today? that's the good thing about the 5:2 diet. And in case your thinking 'this woman's obsessed' or 'she must be on commission', or both, I'm not. This is the first diet in thirty years that has worked.


Thai-green-red-yellow-curry

Reduced-fat coconut milk helps, but it is not as rich, so you need to use more spices to compensate. You can buy frozen Thai herbs, or jars containing blends of lemon grass, garlic, chilli and basil if you don’t have time to chop and grate. And don’t stress too much if you’re missing an ingredient. The method below is for a veggie version made with tofu, but the variations at the end of the recipe for prawns (as in the picture) and chicken also work brilliantly. Experiment with your favourite veg and aim for a mix of colours and textures. I cook and chop at the same time, adding the densest vegetable first (broccoli or cauliflower) and tipping more veg into the pan when it’s ready. Keep any leftover curry covered in the fridge overnight to eat the next day.

SERVES 3 GENEROUSLY
Calories per serving: 170 for the basic recipe
Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus marinating
Cooking time: 18 minutes

200g king prawns170-370 cals
1 tsp light soy sauce (or fish sauce for non-veggies) 3 cals
1 lime 20 cals
2 tsp grated fresh root ginger 5 cals
2 kaffir lime leaves
1⁄2 stick lemon grass, bashed
2 tsp Thai curry paste (choose from green, red or massaman; check the label for fish sauce if you’re vegetarian and you can have tofu) ( I'd not bother, just have more veg.) about 16 cals
1 red chilli, 1⁄2 finely chopped, 1⁄2 sliced into rounds 4-8 cals
1-cal cooking spray
5 spring onions, sliced 6 cals
2 cloves garlic, crushed 8 cals
125g broccoli, broken into florets 40 cals
1 yellow or red pepper, deseeded and sliced 30 cals
1 courgette, sliced on the diagonal 34 cals
75g shiitake mushrooms, any larger ones sliced in half 19 cals
200ml reduced-fat coconut milk (check the label) about 150 cals
small handful fresh basil or coriander leaves, torn or roughly chopped 5 cals

● In a shallow bowl, mix together the soy or fish sauce, the juice from half the lime (save the other half for serving), the ginger, lime leaves, lemon grass, curry paste and the finely chopped chilli. Add the prawns and toss lightly to coat in the marinade. Leave in the fridge for an hour, or overnight, for the flavours to develop.
● Heat a few sprays of 1-cal cooking spray in a large nonstick saucepan (or you can use half a teaspoon of coconut oil, which will add 21 cals but goes well with the spices). Fry the spring onions
over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat, add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Add the tofu and marinade to the pan and fry for 2 minutes.
● Add the veg. Fry for 1-2 minutes to coat the veg in the marinade.
● Pour in the coconut milk and mix gently. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the vegetables are tender (you may prefer to cook them for a little longer, depending on how crunchy you like your veg). Remove the lime leaves and lemon grass.
● Serve the curry with the remaining lime half cut into wedges. Sprinkle with the remaining chilli slices and garnish with a little basil or coriander.

Variations
Replace the prawns with small chunks of chicken breast (240 cals). Prepare and cook as above, but fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes before adding the vegetables, and make sure it’s cooked through before serving.





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Seven fasting days until Christmas and I'm surrounded by assassins

Bennisimo and Javier are at it again and I'm trying to Fast...

Bennisimo has been experimenting, all weekend, on creating the best chocolate ice cream whilst Javier has made the most delicious chocolate brownies. (Thanks for the recipe Chitra). And the plan is to combine the ice cream and brownies to make the most fantastic ice cream. And I have to come out of retirement to think of a better name than 'brown icecream'.



To keep on the brown theme (and chocolate for that matter, if you know your Mexican recipes), here's the seventh Fast day which is timed to perfection, given that snow is forecast. Go crazy, and chuck another chilli in.


It’s no wonder this Mexican dish is so popular, it’s perfect for wintry evenings – and this skinny version means you really don’t have to miss out on Fast days.

Weirdly though, Mexicans have overtaken Americans as being the most obese in the world. Must be all those fajitas and fries.

You can freeze individual portions of the following recipe for up to three months so this is a great dish for batch Fast cooking.

Skinny chilli con carne

SERVES 4
Calories per serving: 246
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
1-cal cooking spray
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 38 cals
2 sticks celery, finely chopped 12 cals
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped 34 cals
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 8 cals
2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped 8-16 cals
400g extra-lean minced beef 480 cals
1 tsp ground cumin 5 cals
2 tsp sweet paprika 10 cals
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped 32 cals
400g tin chopped tomatoes 72 cals
1 tbsp tomato purée 4 cals
200ml boiling water
1 cinnamon stick
1 fresh bay leaf
300g tinned kidney beans, drained and rinsed 280 cals

FOR THE GARNISH (OPTIONAL)
chopped fresh coriander leaves and low-fat soured cream or half-fat crème fraîche (a tablespoon of the soured cream will add 15 cals and crème fraîche 26).

● Spray a nonstick saucepan with a little 1-cal cooking spray. Add the onion, celery and carrot and season well. Add a splash of water to help the vegetables steam and cook over a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chillies and cook for another minute.
● Add the beef, mix together gently and fry for 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the spices and fry for a further minute.
● Stir in the fresh and tinned tomatoes and leave to cook down for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée.
● Pour over the boiling water and add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is beginning to thicken.
● Add the kidney beans and cook for 5-10 minutes to allow the beans to soak up the flavours.
● Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and serve scattered with chopped coriander and a dollop of soured cream or crème fraîche, if using, on the side.







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Eight fasting days until Christmas and mind the Gravity

Wow, yes it's got George Clooney in it, in 3D and yes it's Orange Wednesday and yes the credits last half an hour even though the film only has two actors in it.

But what you have to know is Sandra Bullock is fantastic and so is her body and SHE IS 49! So carry on with the diet and you too could have a body... worth maintaining. The old man took me out to see George, how kind is that? My body is nothing like Sandra's but I have lost a stone in weight and today's another fast day so...

And if we can't have the stars and you want a bit of inspiration to keep on keeping on the fast, try buying a rainbow of vegetables, that way you will be getting all the vitamins you require. This recipe has a lot of colours in it!

One-tray baked cod provençal

SERVES 2
Calories per serving: 247
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into wedges 30 cals
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into wedges 30 cals
1 courgette, thickly sliced 34 cals
1 red onion, peeled and sliced 38 cals
1-cal cooking spray
salt and pepper
2 x 150g cod fillets, skin removed 288 cals
100g cherry tomatoes 20 cals
30g drained and rinsed pitted black olives 40 cals
zest and juice of 1⁄2 lemon 9 cals
1 tbsp fresh oregano or thyme leaves 5 cals

● Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Place the chopped peppers, courgette and onion in a shallow baking dish. Spray with a little 1-cal cooking spray, season well with salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes.
● Place the cod fillets on top (halve them if you wish), season and spray with 1-cal cooking spray.
● Scatter the tomatoes, olives and lemon zest around the fish, and squeeze over the lemon juice. Sprinkle with the herbs, season again, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cod has just turned a denser white colour (this shows it’s cooked). Serve immediately.




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Nine fasting days until Christmas

Hopefully your clothes are feeling a bit looser? To be honest, I enjoyed a few too many roast potatoes yesterday so maybe I'll have to fast three times this week... This stew is a good recipe for this cold, wet weather.

Greek lamb stew


This dish this is still a great, low-calorie family meal. The secret is in the long, slow cooking, so that the lamb and vegetables melt in the mouth!

SERVES 4 (so you can freeze some if you want).
Calories per serving: 239 (don’t forget to add calories for any rice, couscous or green vegetables to serve)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes

2 small aubergines, cut into 2cm cubes 24 cals
1-cal cooking spray
salt and pepper
400g lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm cubes, seasoned well with salt and pepper 720 cals
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced 76 cals
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 8 cals
2 tsp ground cumin 10 cals
400g tin chopped tomatoes 72 cals
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tsp balsamic vinegar 3-10 cals
4 tbsp fat-free natural
yoghurt 32 cals
2 tbsp finely shredded fresh
mint 10 cals
rice, couscous or steamed green vegetables, to serve (optional)

● Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Scatter the aubergine cubes in a shallow roasting tray, spray with a little 1-cal cooking spray and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and set aside.
● Meanwhile, spray a little cooking spray in a large heavy-bottomed flameproof casserole pan (with a lid). Heat over a medium heat and fry the lamb cubes in batches for 4-5 minutes, until golden all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
● Spray the pan with a little more cooking spray and then add the onions, season with salt and pepper and fry for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cumin and fry for a further minute.
● Return the cooked lamb to the pan with the tomatoes, rosemary and vinegar. Bring to the boil, then cover with the lid and simmer in the oven for 1 hour. Top up with a little water if necessary; don’t let the pan go dry.
● Stir in the cooked aubergine, cover with the lid again and cook for another 30 minutes in the oven.
● In a small bowl, mix together the yoghurt and mint and season with salt and pepper.
● To serve, divide the stew among bowls and serve with rice, couscous or steamed green vegetables and a dollop of the minty yoghurt.




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Testing times

Along with all this fasting lark, last week I had a neurological assessment. For two hours. Try reading the above aloud as quickly as possible, but say the actual colours, not the word.

And that was one of the easy exercises. The rest was something between an English A level and double maths. I had to remember phone numbers which were spoken to me and I had to repeat them, but backwards. Aaagggghhhh!

Although I have to wait for my exam results, the neurologist highlighted my problems with planning, organising and assembling. Yup, the old man could have told them that. I am untidy. At least now I can say it's not untidy, just cognitive impairment.

The solution, I have to 'work through a step-by-step problem-solving strategy.' So crosswords it is then. However, I like the idea that it's my 'executive junctions' which have gone off the rails.



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Ten Fasting days until Christmas

Butternut squash soup with chilli & crème fraîche

Sorry, but its just too cold for salad, so heres an alternative which will warm your cockles as well.

See, on my diets you can cheat and lose weight!

At 264 calories a pop you could have two bowls, I won't tell.

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, about 1kg, peeled and deseeded
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 2 mild red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 850ml hot vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche, plus more to serve

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the squash into large cubes, about 4cm/1½in across, then toss in a large roasting tin with half the olive oil. Roast for 30 mins, turning once during cooking, until golden and soft.

While the squash cooks, melt the butter with the remaining oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions, garlic and ¾ of the chilli. Cover and cook on a very low heat for 15-20 mins until the onions are completely soft.

Tip the squash into the pan, add the stock and the crème fraîche, then whizz with a stick blender until smooth. For a really silky soup, put the soup into a liquidiser and blitz it in batches. Return to the pan, gently reheat, then season to taste. Serve the soup in bowls with swirls of crème fraîche and a scattering of the remaining chopped chilli.

Eleven Fasting days until Christmas

Smoked chicken and mango salad

This mango and chicken dish is an inspired combination. The sweet, luscious mango and herbs really complement the smoked chicken, while the toasted sesame seeds add texture and a nutty flavour.





SERVES 2
Calories per serving: 237
Preparation time: 15 minutes




Finely grated zest and juice of 1⁄2 lime 10 cals
1⁄2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 2-4 cals
2 tsp toasted sesame oil 90 cals
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves 10 cals
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves 10 cals
1 tsp clear honey 20 cals
salt and pepper
1 large little gem or small romaine lettuce, leaves separated 15-25 cals
1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped or sliced
(about 200g flesh) 120 cals
150g smoked chicken, thickly sliced 165 cals
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 32 cals

● To make the dressing, whisk together the lime zest and juice with the chilli, sesame oil, basil, mint and honey, then season well with salt and pepper.
● Place the lettuce leaves in a large bowl, add the chopped mango and sliced chicken, pour over the dressing and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

There's soup next time, cos you can make a whole heap and freeze some if you want and it is good for inclement weather.





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Twelve (Fasting) Days until Christmas!

Start your fast today, and by Christmas Day you will have lost half a stone! Just two days fasting a week and five 'normal' days. I fast on a Monday and Friday which is easy, infact hardly noticeable. If you want to change a day, no problem but it's easier not to fast on consecutive days.













Hot smoked salmon and watercress linguine

A really luxurious treat for one if you’ve fasted all day and want to savour your calories in a single fast day dinner!


SERVES 1
Calories per serving: 464
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

90g linguine 317 cals
50g watercress 13 cals
grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon and a squeeze of juice 4 cals
2 tbsp natural virtually fat-free fromage frais 15 cals
salt and pepper
50g hot smoked salmon flakes 115 cals

● Cook the linguine in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain (reserving a cupful of the cooking water), return to the pan and set aside.
● Place half the watercress, the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice, and the fromage frais in a small blender. Season with salt and pepper and blend together until smooth.
● Stir the watercress sauce through the cooked linguine, adding a little of the reserved cooking water, as needed,to loosen the sauce. Gently mix in the reserved watercress and the smoked salmon flakes.

This way, you can enjoy Christmas, look and feel better.



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