The 5-2 Diet, Meal Planning and Leftovers
Back to the 5-2 Diet for me this week with a 5-2 fast day today and on Saturday. One of the biggest challenges for me at this time of year if I’m trying to lose weight is that my fridge and store cupboard tend to be overful with Christmas leftovers. I know, for example, there’s a whole box of stollen in the cupboard, a LOT of smoked salmon in the fridge and even chocolate!!! And, I suspect that one of the reasons the 5-2 diet works for me is that it lets me work through leftovers of nice things just taking a couple of days out a week for 5-2 diet fast days.
Although I am not normally keen on meal planning, on 5:2 diet fast days I do find it helps a LOT to work out what I am going to eat (and at roughly what time!). The last of my family left after the Christmas break today and so I had a fairly late start at my desk. I seldom eat breakfast and I certainly have no intention of starting on a 5:2 fast day, unless I happen to be feeling particularly hungry. Today I wasn’t…so the morning was nothing more that coffee. Mid morning I was firmly reminded that I needed to get back on track with the 5:2 diet when my pre-Christmas order from Holland and Barratt arrived. I’ve bought more of the shirataki noodles I tried a month or so ago…and a ‘rice’ substitute made with the same yam (a large portion of ‘rice’ for 7 calories!). But today was already half planned out in my head this morning.
I’ve made a spicy tomato and lentil soup but cut the lentils down to 15g and included an extra stick of celery. I also used dried chilli flakes because I didn’t have a fresh one, and added a bit of smoked paprika. Using low calorie vegetables to thicken your soup is a very good way to fill up, increase the amount of fibre you are eating and reduce the calories a bit more. Reducing the amount of lentils should have cut 10-15 calories per portion from the soup, although I did end up eating a couple of bowls (total 120-130 calories) for lunch.
Today’s 5: 2 diet supper is an attempt to use up some of the smoked salmon I had over Christmas. Now, while smoked salmon isn’t really a low calorie fish, it’s quite rich and just a little can work very well in conjunction with the right flavours. I made a lovely fennel and smoked salmon pasta dish last year and I was keen to see if I could make a low calorie version, using courgettes sliced to make a healthy ‘pasta’ (that’s courgetti to you!)
5:2 Warm Salad of Fennel, Smoked Salmon and Courgetti
Print recipe | Serves | 1 |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 10 minutes |
| Total time | 20 minutes |
| Meal type | Main Dish |
| Misc | Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 1 bulb Fennel
- 1 small Courgette
- 50g Smoked Salmon
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil (Best possible quality. )
- 1/2 Lemon
Optional
- 1-2 sprig Mint
- 1 small New Potato (60-80grams weight)
Directions
| Make the courgetti by topping and tailing the courgette, then shaving fine ribbons using a potato peeler. Place in a jug or bowl of chilled water | |
| Slice the fennel as thinly as possible and remove the core. Save any fronds for garnish | |
| Zest the lemon and squeeze the juice | |
| Cut the potato into small segments. | |
| Place the fennel and potato in a steamer and cook over boiling water for about 8 minutes | |
| Drain the courgetti | |
| Heat the oil in a non-stick wok, then add the courgetti and stir gently till they start to go translucent | |
| Add in the potato and fennel and stir through. Then add the salmon, torn into bite size strips if necessary | |
| Stir in the lemon zest and juice and season well with salt and pepper | |
| Allow the mixture to cool just a little and the flavours blend. Serve garnished with mint and/or fennel fronds |
Note
A small potato will add texture and depth to the dish. Depending on the calories you have left you can add more than one (allow 75cal per 100g)
Tonight’s supper totals about 250 calories with one small potato and 50g of salmon. It is reasonably filling and leaves me enough calories for a bed time snack or even another bowl of soup!
I’m looking forward to getting Michael Mosley’s book The Fast Diet which I’m hoping will help with the meal planning. And to trying some more recipes with the Shirataki noodles I’ve got.
And, just for laughs, I’m going to review a restaurant on Monday which serves a three course menu with a calorie count under 500!
If you need more help with the 5-2 diet and menu planning, please do check out my 5-2 diet tips and for more recipes, check the 5-2 diet recipe section of London Unattached
Thanks once again for a lovely recipe. Simply does it best!
I’m no good at complicated;)
you have some great recipes. I just don’t see me eating all the ingredients but the photos are very enticing
thanks stevie. The 5:2 ones are all low calorie and would work on any low calorie diet
This is such a great blog; thanks for sharing your recipe ideas. I am beginning the 5:2 diet on Monday and will be blogging throughout. Hope to link to your tips and recipe ideas.
good luck anna
Happy New Year, Fiona! I love that you share your wonderful low cal creations with us. I’m back on my healthy eating plan too. I did manage to weather the holidays without any weight gain, but that was mostly from the pneumonia and fever so I didn’t really feel much like indulging, LOL.
one of my friends actually lost a stone with pneumonia last year. Not the best recommendation for a diet! but, glad you are back with us now Cindy
looks very tasty
well you know it’s back to that lovely fennel and smoked salmon salad you made…!
I have to admit, Fiona, most of your 5:2 meals don’t seem that appetizing to me. I’m a bit of an eater.
This one looks delightful, though. I love almost anything with salmon in it.
I just started the 5:2 today, having thought about it since the TV programme last year. I’m about 1st overweight but my aim is to reduce my waistline by 3 inches – that’s where most of the extra is! I’m not as mobile as I’d like to be but I don’t sit about a lot and hope to walk more, even if it is fairly gentle. I’ve found your ideas and recipes so helpful in planning some meals, expecially the 500 cal ones, so thank you very much for the encouragement.
I was doing the every other day diet basically the same principle but as the name says you fast with under 500 cals every other day, to say I did not stick to it so hopefully the 5/2 diet should be better suited to me. Thanks for the meal ideas.