Designing my diet – week two report
I’m pleased to report that the
first week of my diet plan produced a 2.1kg weight reduction. Great news,
though unfortunately that only puts me back at my pre-holiday weight. In fact,
looking at my (extremely intermittent) Fitbit record, since going 100% vegan my
weight has stayed pretty level, after the whopping 8kg loss. Yes, that’s what a
plant-based diet can do for you!
This week I was hoping to devise
a few extra-healthy main meal recipes, but my plan was thwarted. A thunderstorm
and consequent power cut defrosted all the carefully portioned batches of
chilli and pasta sauce. Result – our meals this week have alternated between
chilli and pasta. I did get off to a good start by devising a no-fat spag bol that
even with a good-sized portion of wholewheat pasta still comes in under 500
cals. I simply followed the WFPB China Study cookbook method of sautéing onions
and garlic in a little water, rather than oil. I don’t think it made much
difference to the taste, and Mr VV certainly did not notice.
As I didn’t have to prepare any
main meals, this week I focused on finding some (reasonably) healthy treats.
The freezer incident does demonstrate the value of having a load of extra
portions ready-to-go for when you are tired or busy. Anyway, I’ve managed to
ditch the tortilla chips habit, which could see us downing a 600+ calorie bag
in about half an hour. I’m convinced it was the salt that led me to crave more
and more once the packet was opened, coupled with my lack of willpower of
course.
I’ve programmed two snacks a day
into my diet plan, so I figured one should be a very healthy snack like an
orange (47 cals) or a bowl of carrot sticks (about the same). I actually do like carrot sticks. The second snack,
however, could be something, let’s say, a little more rewarding, with the
option to tag it onto the evening meal as a dessert or as an extra special
treat.
My Snack Plan
 |
| Olives make a great healthy low-cal snack |
Working on the choose one item
from list A and one item from list B basis, I select one from Group A and one
from Group B to eat at any time as a snack or tag onto a meal for an extra
course or treat. Calories in descending order of magnitude, though the three at
the top end of Group B should perhaps be reserved for a once-a-week treat.
Group A
Raspberries, half cup (32)
Blueberries, half cup (40)
Carrot sticks (2 carrots) (41)
Kiwi (46)
Orange (47)
Sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp (56)
Pumpkin seeds, 1 tbsp (57)
Green olives, 20 (80)
Apple (95)
Pear (100)
Banana (105)
Group B
Vegan mayo, 2 tsp (98)
One 25 cl bottle Leffe, or similar beer (110)
Small 75ml glass red wine (120)
Chocolate pouring dessert (Bjorg brand, 100g ~ quite a
good portion!) + half cup blueberries (120)
Four Brazil nuts ~ great for selenium (126)
Ben&Jerry’s vegan, 2 tbsp (161)
Two rice cakes spread with 1 tbsp peanut butter (164)
Home-made oat bar 1/16th recipe (202)
No-fat Spag Bol
You’ll need:
Half cup red lentils
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
Half cup grated carrot
2 tsp of dried herbs
Pinch chilli flakes
400g tin chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
75g spaghetti (dry weight) per
person
First, rinse the lentils and
place in saucepan, bring the boil and simmer until nearly cooked, then drain.
In large pan, add one tablespoon of water, bring to gentle boil then add the
onion and garlic and cook through, stirring so they don’t stick. Add the
mushrooms and carrot, place a lid on the pan and sweat until softened. Stir in
the herbs and chilli flakes, then add the drained lentils and tomatoes. Cover
and cook for half an hour or so, until thickened. Check the flavour and add
salt or pepper as you wish.
This recipe makes
four portions of about 4 tablespoons each, so if cooking for less than four
people, save and freeze the remainder, portioned up for the future
Comments
Post a Comment