5-2 Diet Update – and Asian Noodles

So my efforts at the 5-2 Diet continue.  Yesterday I was overindulging again thanks to the Potato Council who treated me to an eight course potato tasting menu at L’Atelier de Joel Robouchon.  So, today I decided to go hard core with the 5-2 diet and try consuming nothing but green tea and miso soup till dinner.  Now, there are two schools of thought on how the 5-2 diet should be done.  The hard core version of the 5-2 diet involves trying to fast for 24 hours.  That’s achieved by not eating from when you last had a full non 5-2 diet meal until the same time the next day.  The softer option which is what Michael Mosley did on Eat Fast and Live London. It’s also what I am still doing most of the time is to eat a small meal at breakfast or lunch and then make the calories up to your allowance of 500 or 600 calories with supper.  You only really start eating again the next morning.

Anyway…this 5:2 diet recipe was a bit of a hybrid but I did eat rather less during the day than I have to date.  And, by the evening, I wanted a warm spicy comforting meal.  I suspect most people have their own version of this dish.  Mine is simple, easy to adapt depending on what you have in the fridge and store cupboard and only really needs a few key ingredients.  Noodles, Ginger, Chilli, Garlic, Soy and Coriander (or Cilantro if you are American).  After than, you can make a vegetarian version of this dish or you can make it with beef, chicken or seafood.  To make sure it is a low calorie dish, just use a tiny amount of oil for the initial frying and stick to  the vegetarian, chicken or seafood version.  The calories will vary depending on the ingredients you use, but should be somewhere between 300 and 400 cals. I worked out my chicken version was 320 calories per portion.

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Asian Noodles with Chicken for the 5-2 Diet

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

Total Time

13 mins

 

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: 2

Author: Fiona Maclean

Ingredients

• 1 Nest of dried thin egg noodles
• 200 g Chicken Breast sliced into ribbons along the grain of the meat
• 1 piece Ginger Peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic Peeled and finely chopped
• handful Green Beans topped and tailed
• 100 g Chinese leaf or similar Finely shredded
• 150 g Courgettes sliced into batons
• 1 Red Chilli De-seeded and finely sliced (adjust to taste...use less if you want a milder version
• 2 teaspoons Low Salt Soy
• 1 teaspoon Sunflower or Sesame Oil
• 1 handful Fresh Coriander
• 300 ml Chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon Coconut cream

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in the wok and cook the garlic, shallot, ginger and chilli for a minute or two
2. Now add the chicken and seal on all sides.
3. Add the courgette batons and cook for a minute or so.
4. Add the remaining vegetables and stir fry for a minute
5. Add the soy and stock, then stir through the noodles.
6. Cook until the noodles are soft (about 3 minutes) and then stir through most of the coriander and the coconut cream if used
7. Serve garnished with the remaining coriander leaves.

I’m quite enjoying the 5:2 diet.  For me the weight loss is quite slow, but I definitely feel less bloated and so far I’ve lost 2.5 kilos.   And, with my current lifestyle, the 5:2 diet is the most practical way for me to at least try to slim down a bit.

Here are a few more ideas for you!

Tomato Soup with Roasted Garlic for 5:2 – this is a summer/autumn soup, best made when tomatoes are fresh!

5:2 Diet Chilli Beef – the chilli is a great way to raise your metabolic rate and burn even more calories

5:2 Diet and Celeriac – Watercress and Celeriac Soup Celeriac – a secret ingredient for the 5:2 diet

Livorno Fish Stew for the 5:2 Diet – more fish – it’s one of the easiest ways to keep to a low-calorie diet!

Tarragon Chicken Parcels for 5:2 Diet simple, tasty and something you can serve to the whole family – 5:2 diet friendly

Galician Hake the Low Calorie 5:2 diet way!  A lovely warming dish that I could eat whether or not on a diet

Fish and chips for 5:2 Diet Fish and Chips low-calorie low-fat recipe for the 5:2 diet

Lemon and Coriander chicken for the 5:2 diet low fat, low-calorie chicken Curry recipe for the 5:2 diet

Tuna, Courgette and Aubergine Sicilian style Sicilian Tuna with Aubergine and Mint for the 5:2 Diet – low calorie, low fat and lots of flavour