Sliced Beef

Lots of shops and supermarkets offer frozen meat and one of the most common is ready cooked, sliced beef in gravy, which is generally boiled in water in it's own bag (or microwaved) until it's defrosted, warmed through and ready to eat.

There are many different varieties of this sliced beef, from supermarket own brands to big name brands, all with differing quantities of calories and ProPoints.

One of the lowest we've found is this 'Sliced Beef & Gravy' from the Morrisons Savers range. At only 87 calories per pack (working out at 2 ProPoints) and costing only £1 (at time of writing), you get the chance to have beef with your Sunday Lunch instead of chicken.  In fact, if you have two packs (4 ProPoints) per person/serving, that would be the same as having a medium sized chicken breast!

Don't expect top quality roast beef; it does, however, make a nice change to chicken! You could also use it in a casserole, sliced up a bit finer.

Corned Beef Hash

A rustic style, corned beef hash made with lean slices of corned beef, butternut squash mash and finely chopped vegetables, served with home made barbeque beans.

A satisfying meal on a cold, wet evening that is easy to make and great value for money, as well as being low in fat, carbs and ProPoints.

Serves 4 | 4 ProPoints/210 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
To make the hash:
2 butternut squash
1 onion (large)
2 carrots (medium)
2-3 sticks celery
6-8 slices corned beef

To make the beans:
2 cans Haricot beans (300g cans) 
1 large onion
Garlic (2-3 cloves)
1-2 tspns smoked paprika
2 tspns tomato purée
2-3 tspns malt vinegar
1 tspn Worcestershire Sauce
1 tspn dark soy sauce (optional)
1 can tomatoes (400g can)
Salt and pepper

Method
1) Make a batch of barbeque beans according to our recipe (ingredients also listed above).

2) Peel, deseed and chop the butternut squash into 1-2cm cubes. Place on a baking tray and squirt on a few sprays of 1Cal oil. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and black pepper then mix thoroughly so all the cubes are coated. Bake in a preheated 180 Celsius oven for around 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft and beginning to crisp at the edges. Turn the cubes at least once during cooking.

3) About 5-10 minutes before the squash finishes cooking, finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and chopped garlic and gently fry in a large pan or wok with a couple of squirts of 1Cal spray oil, until soft.  Add a dash of water if the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

4) Remove the warm butternut squash from the oven and transfer onto a chopping board. Chop roughly with a large knife, using the side of the blade to occasionally mash down any bigger chunks. Don't chop/mash too much - the squash needs to be quite chunky and rustic.

5) Add the mashed squash to the pan of onion, carrots and celery and mix thoroughly. Break up the slices of corned beef, add to the pan and stir through the mash.

6) Serve each person with a quarter of the mash and a quarter of the beans.

Notes/Ideas
Different brands of sliced corned beef contain different amounts of calories. Check the brand you buy. We used Asda 'Chosen by You' Lean Sliced Corned Beef, which contains 5 slices and equates to 7 ProPoints.

When making the beans, leave out the paprika for non-barbeque tasting beans!

If you don't fancy the mash so chunky and rustic like us, mash it further or use a hand blender to purée it into a smoother mash, before adding the corned beef.

Use swede instead of butternut squash, or a mixture of the two! No change to the calories/ProPoints.

 

Corned Beef

After a recent spell of good weather, it's turned horrible again so we've been thinking of healthier ways to make some of our 'cold and rainy outside, winter-almost-spring' type dishes and after rooting around the different supermarkets, came up with corned beef slices!

One of our favourite cold weather dishes used to be corned beef hash, but with a pan of mashed potato with butter, a couple of cans of corned beef and a few cans of beans as a side, this belly buster would rack up the calories and fat content quite quickly.

These pre-packed corned beef slices (we've pictured a product from Tesco here, but all major supermarkets do a version of them) come with around 5-6 slices of corned beef in the packet and generally weigh in at around 70-80 calories (2 ProPoints) a slice. They seem to be lower in fat, protein and carbs than the tinned variety too, as long as 'value' versions are avoided - more fat than meat in them, it seems, than the 'mid-range' variety.

We used these slices, along with some onions and a rustic style butternut squash mash to make a lower fat/carbs corned beef hash, with a side serving of home-made barbeque beans or maybe some spicy tomatoes.

See our recipe here...

 

Pasties

Our low fat version of the traditional pasty, made with chicken, butternut squash, mushroom and onion, wrapped in a calorie controlled tortilla wrap.

Fantastic for lunch and a great way of using up the bottom half of the butternut squash after making the roasties in a Sunday Lunch or Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie.

Makes 4 Pasties | 4 ProPoints/200 Calories per pasty (approx)

Ingredients
4 calorie controlled wraps
1 chicken breast (medium size, skinless)
1/2 butternut squash
1 onion
4 mushrooms (diced)(optional)
2-3 cloves garlic
Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper

Method
1) Place the chicken on foil (or into a roasting bag) and top with a pinch of mixed herbs and some salt and pepper.  Wrap the foil around the chicken into a parcel (or seal the roasting bag) and bake in a 180 Celsius oven for around 30-35 minutes.

2) Peel, deseed and chop the butternut squash into small cubes. Finely dice the onion and garlic and slice the mushrooms into desired sized pieces. Use 1Cal spray oil and gently fry the squash, onion, garlic and mushrooms in a large pan or wok until the squash is soft. Allow to cool.

3) Once the chicken is cooked, dice into small cubes and add to the squash, onion and mushroom mixture, along with plenty of pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir gently to mix thoroughly. Divide into 4 equal portions.

4) Soak the wraps in water for at least 2-3 minutes to make them soft and pliable.

5) For each pasty, place a quarter of the chicken/squash mixture in the centre of each wrap, fold the wrap over in half and crimp the outer edge to seal the pasty (watch a video of how to do the crimping on the BBC Food site here). Stab the top of each pasty with a knife and brush on some skimmed milk to help them brown.

6) Place the pasties on a non-stick sheet on a baking tray and bake in a 180 Celsius oven until golden brown. Either eat straight away or allow to cool before storing in the fridge. Eat within 2 days.

Notes/Ideas
We used Weight Watchers wraps here for 3 ProPoints each.

For similar calories/ProPoints, it is possible to use filo pastry, instead of tortilla wraps. This will give a thinner, lighter and crispier casing, albeit less 'substantial'.

Instead of a chicken breast, use between 50-100g of lean turkey breast mince for the filling. The calories/ProPoints should be about the same.

Use carrots in the filling also!

For some extra flavour and spice, add 1/2 a teaspoon of both coriander and cumin powder to the chicken, squash and onion mix.

Use 150g of potato instead of butternut squash, but this will add another 120 calories/3ProPoints across the 4 pasties.

 

Ham and Mushroom Linguine

A linguine 'style' dish, made using Udon Noodles instead of pasta, in a deliciously creamy, garlic sauce, with ham and mushrooms. Serve with a side salad as part of a main meal or without as a light lunch.

Extremely quick to make and great value, making it a fantastic mid-week meal for those on the go.

Serves 4 | 6 ProPoints/250 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
375g Udon Noodles
Mushrooms (sliced, enough for 4 people)
2-3 cloves garlic 
12 slices wafer thin ham
Bisto White Sauce
4 tspns low fat cheese spread (see notes at bottom of page)
Flat leaf parsley (fresh, finely chopped)(optional)
Salad selection (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, etc.)

Method
1) Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and reduce to a simmer, ready for the noodles. Also, boil the kettle ready to make the white sauce.

2) Slice the mushrooms and garlic and gently fry in a large pan or wok with a few squirts of 1Cal spray oil.

3) When the mushrooms begin to turn golden, slice the ham and add to the pan and continue cooking for a minute or two.

4) As the mushrooms and ham are cooking, make up the Bisto White Sauce, using about 300ml of boiling water and 4 teaspoons of white sauce granules - don't worry, the sauce will look too runny, but will thicken later on! Add the sauce and the cheese spread to the pan with the mushrooms and ham and stir well. Allow to gently simmer so the sauce thickens.

5) Add the noodles to the saucepan of boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes. Use a splash of the noodle water to 'loosen' the sauce in the other pan, if it starts to become too thick while the noodles are cooking.

6) When soft, drain the noodles and add to the pan of mushrooms, ham and sauce. Mix thoroughly so all the noodles are coated with sauce. Portion between four people using tongs. Garnish with finely chopped flat leaf parsley and serve with a side salad, if required.

Notes/Ideas
Other brands are available, but we use Philadelphia Light as our soft cheese spread. Our calorie/ProPoints calculation uses this product as a basis. Actually, you can have 30g of spread for just under 50 calories/1 ProPoint, but we use less than that in our recipe above!

For an extra touch of luxury, top each serving with 10g of low fat grated cheese, for an extra 1 ProPoint, depending on brand used.

Use gammon grills, cooked and diced, instead of wafer ham, for a more substantial meal. Adjust the calories/ProPoints accordingly.

You can, of course, use real linguine pasta, but the calories/ProPoints would increase quite a lot. Check the packaging of the brand you buy.

Similarly, you can use another brand of packet white/cheese sauce, but calories/fat varies and will tend to be higher than the Bisto Range. If you make a 'traditional' white sauce yourself with flour, butter and milk, calories will be much higher again!

Turkey Burgers

Deliciously moist, low fat turkey burgers, topped with a chunky sweet chilli, tomato and onion salsa, served with paprika potato wedges and home made coleslaw.

Makes a great Friday or Saturday night, takeaway style meal.

Serves 4 | 9 ProPoints/420 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
350g lean turkey breast mince
1 tspn mustard seeds (optional)
1/2 tspn nutmeg (optional)
2 sticks celery
2 large onions
2-3 garlic cloves
3 large red chilli (medium heat)(optional)
40g porridge oats
1 egg white
Coriander or flat leaf parsley (large bunch)
4 baking potatoes (700g total weight)
1 tspn paprika
1/2 cabbage 
2 large carrots
2-3 tbsp low fat/fat free mayonnaise
2 large tomatoes
1 tspn oil (olive or rapeseed)
1 tspn artificial sweetener
Salt and pepper
 
Method
Note: Below, we provide recipes for the individual parts of the dish. Time the preparation/cooking according to your cooking equipment, so that all the parts are ready for serving at approximately the same time.

Turkey Burgers:
1) Very finely chop 1 onion, the celery, 2 red chilli and the garlic cloves. Add to a large pan or wok, along with the mustard seeds and a few squirts of 1Cal spray oil. Gently fry until the onions and celery are soft (if they start to stick before they soften, add a dash of water). Add the porridge oats and continuing frying for another minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.

2) Once the onion, celery and porridge oat mixture is cool, add the turkey mince, nutmeg, chopped parsley or coriander, a pinch of salt and pepper and egg white and mix thoroughly with your hands until well combined.

3) Split the mixture into 4 portions, form into balls in your hand, push gently into patties (but not to thin) and place on a non-stick mat on a baking tray.

4) Bake in a 190 Celsius oven for around 30 minutes, turning half way through.

Potato Wedges:
1) Cut each potato in half length ways. Cut each half in half again and half once more if the wedges are still too thick. Place in a bowl of salted water and allow to stand for around 15 minutes to remove excess starch.

2) Drain the wedges and pat dry with kitchen paper. Return to the bowl, along with the paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper and a few squirts of 1Cal spray oil. Mix thoroughly so all the wedges are coated.

3) Place the wedges on a baking tray and bake in a 190 Celsius oven for 30-35 minutes until the wedges are soft inside and beginning to crisp on the outside. Turn the wedges once or twice during cooking.

Coleslaw:
1) Finely chop 1/2 an onion, carrots and cabbage - it may be easier to use the 'shredding plate' attachment of a blender, if you have one.

2) Place the chopped vegetables in a bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper and the mayonnaise and mix thoroughly.

Salsa:
Chop 1/2 an onion, finely chop 1 chilli and cut the tomatoes into small chunks. Add everything to a small bowl, along with the oil, finely chopped parsley or coriander, artificial sweetener and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. The salsa should be quite chunky.

Serving:
Serve each person with a burger, topped with some salsa, a quarter of the wedges and a quarter of the coleslaw.

Notes/Ideas
You can of course serve the burger in a bread roll. We prefer small, round, wholemeal rolls. Adjust the calories/ProPoints accordingly. Often, we slice the tomato and onion to serve in the roll with the burger, instead of making the salsa.

For a slight Mexican style twist to the burgers, leave out the nutmeg and add 1/2 tspn of both cumin and coriander powder instead. You can add the same to the wedges also, leaving out the paprika.

Check the different brands of mayonnaise in your local shop/supermarkets, as some are lower in fat than others.  We used the low fat 'Be Good to Yourself' mayonnaise from Sainsbury's.

Substitute the potato with butternut squash, cooked the same way, for a lower calorie/ProPoint meal.

Use lean mince beef instead of turkey mince. This will increase the fat content, calories and ProPoints though.

Lasagne Sheets

The problem with pasta is that high carbohydrate means high calories. We overcame this in our spaghetti bolognese recipe by using Udon Noodles in place of proper spaghetti. However, we've been fancying a lasagne recently and since noodles can't really be used in this case, we had to find an alternative.

We were thinking of using courgette or other vegetables in place of lasagne sheets, but we really wanted more of an 'authentic' dish.

Sainsbury's to the rescue!

We have been looking at many different brands of lasagne sheets from different supermarkets and have settled on 'Sainsbury's High Fibre White Lasagne Sheets'. These are not quite the lowest calorie pasta sheets we have found, but we were attracted to them because of the high fibre content.

After poking around in a calculator with all the nutritional figures, we have worked out that using 2 sheets in a portion would result in approximately 140 calories, or 3 ProPoints. Add in some lean turkey mince bolognese, some Bisto White Sauce and a small portion of cheese and we think we can do a decent sized portion of fresh, homemade lasagne for around 300-350 calories, or 7-8 ProPoints.

Look out for our recipe coming soon!

Sausages in Onion Gravy

Low fat sausages in an onion gravy, served with Colcannon style butternut squash mash.

Makes a great alternative to Sunday Lunch or eat on those cold, wet autumnal days.

Serves 4 | 6 ProPoints/250 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
2 large butternut squash
16 sausages (Weight Watchers, any flavour)
1 onion (medium)
1 leek (medium)
1/4 cabbage (small)
Gravy granules (made per packaging)
Water (boiled from the kettle)
1/2 tspn garlic powder/granules
Salt & pepper

Method
1) Peel, deseed and chop the butternut squash into 1-2cm cubes and place into a saucepan of salted boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the butternut squash is soft.

2) Finely slice the leeks and cabbage and place into another saucepan of salted boiling water. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until soft.

3) The Weight Watchers sausages are best cooked under the grill on full power, for a couple of minutes per 'rotation' until browned all round.  Be careful, because they will start to burn if left too long. Once cooked, keep them warm at the bottom of the grill after switching off.

4) Peel and slice the onion and gently fry in a pan with 1Cal spray oil until soft, golden and sticky - the natural sugars in the onion will begin to caramelise and cause the stickiness, but take care the onions don't burn. Add a splash of water if this starts to happen.

5) In a jug, make up enough gravy for 4 people according to your gravy package instructions, using boiled water from the kettle (check notes below for advice on different brands). To keep the calories low, make the gravy runnier than usual. Add the gravy to the pan of onions and simmer for a few minutes - the gravy will thicken because of the stickiness of the onions and will become flavoured by the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the sausages in the onion gravy to make sure they are warmed through.

6) Drain the butternut squash and mash with a potato masher or hand blender. Add plenty of black pepper. Drain the leeks and cabbage, add to the squash mash and stir through until combined into a Colcannon style mash.

7) To serve, portion out the Colcannon between 4 people, along with the sausages, then ladle over the onion gravy.

Notes/Ideas
Although we have used Weight Watchers sausages here, you can use any low fat sausages. However, calories and ProPoints will increase according to the brand used.

Reduce the number of sausages served to reduce the number of calories/ProPoints per portion.

Leave out the leek and cabbage and serve plain squash mash, if desired.

Check the various brands of gravy as some are much lower than others. We actually used 'Knorr Beef Gravy Pots' which work out at around 15 calories per portion if you dissolve 1 pot in 300-350ml of boiling water.

Popcorn

Put on a film, put up your feet and eat some popcorn!

For around £1.50 (at time of writing), you can by this multi-pack from Sainsbury's, which contains 6 x 11g packs of smoked paprika, cheese & chive and salt and vinegar flavour popcorn.

At only 53 calories per pack, or 1 ProPoint, these little bags are great for a treat during the evening or even as a replacement for crisps with lunch. Beware! This is the multi-pack; don't buy the 'family' sized bags or other flavoured single pack varieties by mistake because the calories are different!

Don't go expecting huge bags of toffee/sugar drenched popcorn like the huge cartons you get at the cinema; do expect tasty little packets of guilt free pleasure on those days where you don't want to overdo the calories.

And if you are watching that film on a Friday or Saturday night, push the boat out and empty 2 bags into cone made out paper and munch away for 100 calories (2 ProPoints)!

Casserole

A hearty, chicken casserole with chunky seasonal vegetables, served with roasted butternut squash, rustic style mash on the side.

A great value, low fat/calorie recipe, perfect for those dark, cold winter days. A good alternative to Sunday Lunch also!

Serves 4-6 | 5 ProPoints/300 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
2 large butternut squash
4 chicken breasts (medium size, skinless)
1 tsp mustard seeds (optional) 
2 bayleaves (optional)
4 leeks (large)
1 swede (small to medium)
4 carrots (medium to large)
1/2 cabbage
2 stock cubes (chicken or vegetable)
1 tspn mixed herbs
Water (boiled from the kettle)
1/2 tspn cayenne pepper
1 tspn garlic powder/granules 
Salt & pepper

Method
1) Peel, deseed and chop the butternut squash into 1-2cm cubes. Place on a baking tray and squirt on a few sprays of 1Cal oil. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and black pepper then mix thoroughly so all the cubes are coated. Bake in a preheated 180 Celsius oven for around 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft and beginning to crisp at the edges. Turn the cubes at least once during cooking. If the squash finishes cooking before the rest of the meal, turn the oven off, then turn back on for 5-10 minutes to warm back through when everything else is ready.

2) Finely slice the leeks, having removed any tough leaves, and gently fry in a large saucepan (make sure you have the lid!), along with the bayleaves (optional) and mustard seeds (optional), until the leeks begin to soften. Add a dash of water if the leeks start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

3) Cut the chicken breasts into 2cm cubes and add to the pan of leeks and continue frying gently until the chicken begins to brown slightly, stirring occasionally.

4) Peel the swede and chop into 1cm cubes. Wash the carrots, and cut into circles. Chop the cabbage into thin shreds. Add all the vegetables to the pan and stir. Add the 2 stock cubes to the pan and pour over boiling water from the kettle until the water covers the chicken and vegetables. Add the mixed herbs and stir thoroughly. Bring to a gentle simmer and place the lid on the saucepan. Cook for about 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want the casserole thicker, remove the lid about 20 minutes before the end of cooking.

6) Remove the warm butternut squash from the oven and transfer onto a chopping board. Sprinkle on the garlic powder/granules, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Chop roughly with a large knife, using the side of the blade to occasionally mash down any bigger chunks. Don't chop/mash too much - the squash needs to be quite chunky and rustic.

7) To serve, portion out the butternut squash mash between 4 people, then ladle the casserole onto each plate - remove the bayleaves if you used them!

Notes/Ideas
This recipe makes more than enough for four and there should be some casserole left for a small second helping and even some for the next day! Invite some friends! Why not freeze it for another day?

Instead of making butternut squash mash, you can peel, deseed and chop the squash into 2cm cubes and add to the casserole with the rest of the vegetables.

If you want to add more carbohydrate to the meal, leave out the butternut squash completely and peel and cut 100g of potato per person into 2cm cubes and add with the rest of the vegetables. This will add another 80-100 calories or 2 ProPoints per person to the meal.

Use lean pieces of beef instead of chicken. Cooking time will increase slightly, as well as calories and ProPoints. Refer to the beef packaging.

Paprika Chicken

Smoky, Hungarian style, paprika chicken with vegetables, served on a bed of spiced, roasted butternut squash, rustically mashed.

A great value, low fat/calorie recipe that makes enough sauce to turn into a virtually fat free soup for lunch the next day!

Serves 4 | 4 ProPoints/300 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
2 large butternut squash
4 chicken breasts (medium size, skinless)
1 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
1 tspn smoked paprika (good quality, heaped)
1/2 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn cumin powder
2-3 medium onions
2 bell peppers (any colour)
Garlic cloves (to taste)
2 bayleaves (optional)
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
Mushrooms (whole buttons)(optional)
Salt & pepper

Method
1) Peel, deseed and chop the butternut squash into 1-2cm cubes. Place on a baking tray and squirt on a few sprays of 1Cal oil. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and black pepper then mix thoroughly so all the cubes are coated. Bake in a preheated 180 Celsius oven for around 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft and beginning to crisp at the edges. Turn the cubes at least once during cooking. If the squash finishes cooking before the rest of the meal, turn the oven off, then turn back on for 5-10 minutes to warm back through when everything else is ready.

2) Finely slice the onions and garlic and cut the peppers into thin strips and gently fry in a large saucepan (make sure you have the lid!), along with the bayleaves (optional) and mustard seeds (optional), until the onions are translucent. Add a dash of water if the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

3) Add the cans of tomatoes, filling one of the empty cans with water and adding to the saucepan also. Add the smoked paprika and stir, bringing the sauce to a gentle simmer.

4) Score the chicken breasts with a knife, taking care not to cut all the way through. This will help the chicken cook quicker and absorb some flavour from the sauce. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the sauce and gently push the chicken down into the sauce with a spoon. Place the lid on the saucepan and leave to cook for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. You may want to stir gently once or twice during cooking to make sure no sauce is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

5) About 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the saucepan lid, add the button mushrooms and carry on simmering to thicken the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6) Remove the warm butternut squash from the oven and transfer onto a chopping board. Sprinkle on the coriander, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Chop roughly with a large knife, using the side of the blade to occasionally mash down any bigger chunks. Don't chop/mash too much - the squash needs to be quite chunky and rustic.

7) To serve, portion out the butternut squash mash between 4 people, serve a chicken breast on top of the bed of squash and then ladle over some sauce.

Notes/Ideas
This recipe makes plenty of sauce for four and there should be plenty left over. We liquidise the remaining sauce and keep it in the fridge and use as a virtually fat free soup for lunch the next day!

Make sure you use a good quality smoked paprika. Although supermarkets sell their own brand of smoked paprika, often they're quite 'weak' tasting and this dish really needs a good smoky kick! Something like 'La Chinata Smoked Paprika', bought in small cans is good. It is more expensive, but a can will last quite a long time because you need to use less of it in your dishes.

Chicken Shish Kebab

A Friday night classic, with marinated and grilled chicken, served with a selection of fresh vegetables and salad in a pitta bread, with a side of butternut squash French Fries.

Serves 4 | 9 ProPoints/470 Calories per portion (approx)

Note: ProPoints/Calorie value may vary depending on brand of pitta/flat bread.

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts (medium size, skinless)
150g Onken Natural Yogurt (or similar)
1 tspn paprika
1 tspn cumin powder
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper
1 tspn garlic powder/granules
1 tspn onion powder/granules
1 tspn oil (olive or rapeseed)
1 lemon (juiced, or 4-6 tpsn of bottle lemon)
Salt and pepper
Salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber)(enough for 4 people)
Vegetables (onion, red cabbage, bell peppers)(enough for 4 people)
1 butternut squash
4 pitta breads or wraps (low calorie)
Sauce/Mayonnaise (shop bought, your choice)(see notes at bottom)

Method
Note: Below, we describe the the best preparation and cooking process we have found for the dish, instead of providing a full recipe.

Chicken (Marinade):
Cut the chicken breasts into equal sized cubes and place in a bowl, with the yogurt, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder/granules, onion powder/granules, oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Stir so all the spices blend with the yogurt and fully coat the chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the bottom of the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Chicken (Cooking):
Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and place in an oven proof dish. Do not pour the excess marinade back over the chicken; discard it. Cover the dish and place in a 180 Celsius oven for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Once cooked, either remove the foil and continue cooking until the chicken begins to brown, or remove the chicken from the dish and cook in a large hot frying pan (or griddle) until the chicken begins to char.

Butternut Squash French Fries:
Peel and cut the butternut squash into slightly oversized French Fries - they will shrink during cooking! Soak in a bowl of lightly salted water for 20 minutes, then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place on a baking tray (with non-stick mat) and use a couple of sprays of 1Cal oil. Lightly salt, then mix around the fries so they are all coated with oil and salt. Bake in a 180 Celsius oven for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally. Finish off under a hot grill to crisp the fries more.

Salad and Vegetables:
Chop and dice the salad and vegetables into desired size pieces.

Pita Bread/Wraps:
Rub a little cumin/paprika onto the pitta bread/wraps and place on a baking tray in a 180 Celsius oven for about 5 minutes until the bread is warm. If using pitta bread, carefully run a knife along one long edge to 'open' a pocket in the bread.

Serving:
Serve all the fresh and cooked items separately (as per the photo to the right) and let everyone help themselves! The only item that needs portioning is the chicken; a quarter of the total chicken for each person.

Notes/Ideas
We have not included any sauce in our recipe. We prefer to use shop bought low fat/fat free sauces and mayonnaises, instead of making our own. The photo shows 'Colman's Hot Chilli Tequila Sauce', a portion of which is only 23 calories! Most low fat/fat free sauces and mayonnaises are between 15-25 calories for a portion, not even registering 1 ProPoint. Choose and buy your own carefully!

Different brands of pitta bread/wraps can contain varying amounts of calories/ProPoints. Again, choose and buy carefully. Ours were about 250 calories per pitta, or 4 ProPoints. Weight Watchers do their own versions for 3 ProPoints, but are smaller.

Of course, you could leave out the bread completely, serving the chicken on a bed of salad/vegetables, for an ultra low calorie/ProPoint meal!

Instead of chicken, the same recipe can be used for lamb. Obviously, the calories/ProPoints would increase accordingly.

If you're wondering about our calorie/ProPoint calculation - the oil and yogurt would be about 1 ProPoint each, but these are shared between 4 portions, making it difficult to calculate. We have therefore not counted these calories/ProPoints. We calculated approximately 250 calories (4 ProPoints) for the bread, 200 calories (4 ProPoints) for the chicken and 20 calories (1 ProPoint) for any sauce. Brands differ, please check yours!

Fish Pie

A warm and hearty, very low fat Fish Pie, made with butternut squash mash, served with seasonal vegetables, if desired.

A great value for money, budget meal if frozen white fish is used.

Serves 4 | 5 ProPoints/220 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
800g white fish (200g per person)
2 butternut squash (large)
1 head of broccoli (medium)
2 small carrots (medium)
200ml Bisto Parsley/White Sauce
1 tspn English Mustard (optional) 

Method
1) Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and dice into small cubes. Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil, with a pinch of salt.  Simmer until the butternut squash is soft.

2) Peel the carrots and cut into circles about 4mm thick. Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. with a pinch of salt.  Simmer until the carrots are soft. Do the same for the broccoli, making sure you have removed any 'tough' stalks from the florets. Alternatively, steam the broccoli in a steamer over the carrots.

3) Wrap the white fish fillets in foil (with a splash of water and a pinch of salt and pepper per fillet) and bake on a tray in the oven for 25-35 minutes, if frozen; fresh fish will only take about 10-15 minutes. Once the fish is cooked, remove from the foil and flake into a oven proof dish.

4) In a jug, make up 200ml of Bisto Parsley/White Sauce as per the package instructions. Add a teaspoon of English Mustard if desired, stirring through the sauce.  Pour over the flaked fish. 

5) Drain and place the broccoli and carrot amongst the flaked fish and sauce.

6) Drain the butternut squash and mash until all lumps are removed. Spread over the top of the fish/broccoli/carrots. Use a fork to 'score' the top of the mash, then place under a hot grill until the mash begins to go brown and crisp. Serve each person with a quarter of the pie.

Notes/Ideas
We have deliberately left the type of fish used here vague, only describing 'white' fish. You can buy different types of white fish such as cod and pollock, either frozen or fresh.  To keep the cost low, we used frozen pollock in our meal for the photo.  Avoid fish such as salmon or smoked haddock, as these contain more calories/ProPoints.

Substitute one of the butternut squash with 200g of potato to increase the carbohydrate in the meal. This will add approximately 40 calories/1ProPoint per portion.

For an extra 50 calories/1ProPoint per person, you could make up another 200ml of Bisto Parsley/White Sauce to pour over the top of the pie once served.

Although the recipe makes enough for 4 servings, you may also choose to add some extra vegetables as a side, as we have done in the photo.

Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie

Our low fat, low calorie, Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie, served with roasted butternut squash and a selection of vegetables. Makes a nice family meal on a Sunday or, of course, any day of the week!

Serves 4 | 7 ProPoints/300 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (medium size, fresh, skinless)
2 gammon grills
2-3 garlic cloves
2 shallots 
Rosemary (fresh or dried)(optional)
2 butternut squash
2 large leeks
200ml Bisto White Sauce (made per package instructions)
Parsley (fresh or dried)(optional)
2 Jus-Rol Filo Sheets 
Vegetables (fresh, seasonal selection) 
Salt and pepper
 
Method
Note: Below, we describe the the best cooking processes we have found for individual items instead of providing a full recipe. You will need to time each item according to your cooking equipment.

Chicken (for the pie):
Wrap the chicken in foil (or into a roasting bag) with a pinch or salt and pepper and bake in a 180 Celsius oven for around 30-35 minutes.  Once cooked, dice into desired sized chunks.

Gammon Grills (for the pie):
Place the gammon grills on a baking tray and place in a 180 Celsius oven; they should cook in around 15 minutes, turning half way through.  Alternatively, place the gammon under a hot grill and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning half way through.  Once cooked, cut into desired size chunks.

Butternut Squash Roasties:
Peel and cut the top half of each squash into 2-3cm (1 inch) chunks.  Place on on a baking tray and squirt with a few sprays of 1Cal spray oil.  Roughly chop the shallots and garlic and place amongst the squash for flavour, along with some rosemary.  Sprinkle some onion powder on the squash - optional, but adds flavour and helps the outside of the squash crisp. Cook for about 45-55 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp on the outside but soft inside.

Vegetables:
Avoid parsnips and peas/pulses as these contain lots of starch/sugar/carbohydrates that turn into sugar, thus more calories.  Carrots, cabbage, sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and sliced green beans are our favourites.  We tend to steam our cauliflower and broccoli to retain flavour. Generally, the other vegetables should be brought to the boil and simmered for 10-15 minutes so as not to lose their colour, flavour and goodness.  We sometimes roast our carrots as per the squash above.

Pie:
Wash and chop the leeks into desired sized pieces.  Gently fry the leeks in a large pan or wok with a couple of squirts of 1Cal spray oil, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once the leeks are soft, make up 200ml of Bisto White Sauce in a jug and pour onto the leeks in the pan, adding some parsley if desired.  Add the previously cooked chopped chicken and gammon and stir through the leeks and sauce - if there are any juices from cooking the chicken, add this too for extra flavour! Transfer the leeks, chicken, gammon and sauce to an oven proof dish and cover with 2 sheets of Jus-Rol Filo Pastry. Brush a small dash of milk on the filo sheets to help to colour and bake the pie in an oven for 15 minutes, or until the filo pastry turns golden.

Serving:
If the meal is cooked as per the list of ingredients for 4 people, each serving will consist of:
1/4 of the pie
1/4 of the butternut squash roasties
Selection of vegetables 

Notes/Ideas
If you like gravy on your vegetables, use instant granules to make some, using the package instructions; remember to add any additional calories/ProPoints. You could use gravy in the pie filling as well, instead of white sauce. Again, adjust the calories/ProPoints as necessary.

Use swede, instead of butternut squash, for the roasties.  Or a mixture of both!

To reduce the calories/ProPoints further, use only 1 sheet of filo pastry.  You get less pie 'crust', but save some calories for another meal during the day.

For just chicken pie, leave out the gammon grills and add another breast of chicken instead. Calories/ProPoints stay approximately the same.

To save wasting the bottom half of each squash (the bit with the seeds) we make homemade pasties at the same time as making the pie.

Scotch Eggs

Low fat, homemade scotch eggs with heart healthy scrambled egg filling, perfect served with a salad. Make the evening before and store in the fridge for lunch the next day.  A value for money recipe too!

See notes at the bottom of the page for variations and flavours.

Makes 4 scotch eggs| 3 ProPoints/150 Calories per scotch egg (approx)


Ingredients 
8 sausages (Weight Watchers, any flavour) 
1 slice of calorie controlled bread
2 eggs whites
Dried mixed herbs
Salt and pepper
Milk (skimmed, small splash)
Salad (mixed leaves, tomato, cucumber, sliced red onion, etc)

Method
1) To make the scrambled egg for the filling, add the 2 egg whites and small splash of milk to a microwavable jug/dish, add a pinch of salt, pepper and mixed herbs and whisk vigorously until light and frothy.  Keep microwaving for 30 seconds at a time, whisking the egg to break up any large chunks that have formed after each 30 seconds.  Keep repeating until there is no liquid left in the jug/dish.  Do not cook longer than necessary or leave the eggs to cook in the microwave for a longer length of time, because the egg white will overcook, shrink and become tough.

2) Add the slice of calorie controlled bread to a blender and pulse until the crumbs are fine.  If desired, season the breadcrumbs with a little salt and pepper.

3) Split open 2 sausages, remove the meat, discard the casing and roll the meat into a ball (you may need to wet your hands to stop the meat sticking to your hands).  Repeat for the rest of the sausages, so you end up with 4 balls of meat.

4) Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius and prepare a baking tray with a non-stick baking sheet or baking parchment.

5) Place one of the balls of meat in the palm of your hand and press gently to form a patty. Place a quarter of the scrambled egg in the centre of the patty and mould the sausage meat around the egg until it is sealed.  Roll the ball of meat with egg gently in your hands to smooth the ball then sprinkle on the bread crumbs, continually forming the ball in you hands. Repeat for the other 3 balls of meat.

6) Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, turning half way through, until the sausage meat is cooked and the breadcrumbs begin to brown.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge.

7) When ready to serve, prepare a bed of salad, slice a scotch egg into half or quarters and place on top of the salad. Alternatively, just eat whole by itself as an 'on-the-go' lunch!

Notes/Ideas
Try adding small pinch of smoked paprika or chilli powder to the breadcrumbs, instead of adding mixed herbs to the egg.  This will darken the breadcrumb too.

Instead of mixed herbs in the eggs, try adding a small pinch of onion and/or garlic powder.

As well as mixed herbs in the eggs, add a small splash of Worcestershire Sauce too.

Once the scrambled egg is cooked, add a teaspoon of low fat or fat free mayonnaise and mix through.  Adjust the calories/ProPoints according to the brand of mayonnaise used.

Chilli Con Carne

A lighter version of a 'traditional' Chilli Con Carne, made using low fat turkey breast mince and chopped vegetables, served on a bed of crushed Udon Noodles instead of rice.

See notes below for alternative serving suggestions.

Serves 4 | 7 ProPoints/250 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients
1 medium onion
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 red bell pepper
2 chilli's (fresh, you choose strength)
2-3 cloves garlic 
340g lean turkey breast mince
1 tspn tomato purée
2 tspns chilli powder (hot or mild)
2 tspns cumin powder
2 tspns coriander powder
1/2 tspn smoked paprika (optional)
1 tspn dried chilli flakes (optional)
2 cans tomatoes (400g, good quality)
Worcestershire Sauce (splash)
Salt & pepper
375g Udon Noodles 

Method
1) Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, chilli's and garlic and gently fry in a large pan or wok with a couple of squirts of 1Cal spray oil, until soft.  Add a dash of water if the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

2) Add the turkey mince to the pan and cook until browned.  Stir through the tomato purée and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chilli, cumin and coriander powder (plus the smoked paprika for smokiness to the flavour, if desired) and cook for another minute or two until the powder disappears.  Add the chilli flakes if required, for an extra 'kick'.

3) Add the cans of tomatoes, stir again and simmer for 10-15 minutes. If more sauce is required, half fill one of the empty tomato cans with water and add to the pan.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add a splash of Worcestershire Sauce if desired.  Test the taste - if you want more heat, add more chilli powder and flakes.  Extra cumin powder may be required.  Make sure you cook for a couple more minutes if more powder is added.

4) About 5 minutes before the chilli finishes cooking, bring a pan of water to the boil for the Udon Noodles.  Smash up the noodles in a sandwich bag, then add to the boiling water and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

5) When ready to serve, drain the noodles, portion between four people and then ladle over the chilli.

Notes/Ideas
If you like beans in your chilli, add a 300g can of drained Haricot beans while the chilli is simmering. This will add an extra 55 calories/1 ProPoint per portion.

If there is some chilli left over, save it and have it for lunch the next day on a 150g baked potato.  Such a potato would be about 120 calories, or 3 ProPoints, then add the chilli calories/ProPoints.

Instead of using Udon Noodles, why not serve on a bed of savoury rice; use our recipe without the turmeric. This would increase the calorie/ProPoint count accordingly.
 
You can, of course, use lean beef mince instead of turkey, but this will increase the calorie count and ProPoints.

 

Barbeque Beans

Fantastically tasty, homemade, barbeque style beans, high in fibre and low in fat.  Can be served on toast as part of a light lunch or breakfast, or as a side with a main meal.  A value for money recipe too!

See notes below for variations and flavours.

Serves 4 | 2 ProPoints/105 Calories per portion (approx)

Served on calorie controlled toast   4 ProPoints/220 Calories per portion (approx)

Ingredients 
2 cans Haricot beans (300g cans) 
1 large onion
Garlic (2-3 cloves)
1-2 tspns smoked paprika
2 tspns tomato purée
2-3 tspns malt vinegar
1 tspn Worcestershire Sauce
1 tspn dark soy sauce (optional)
1 can tomatoes (400g can)
Salt and pepper

Method
1) Finely slice the onion and garlic and gently fry in a large pan or wok with a couple of squirts of 1Cal spray oil.  Once soft, add the paprika and tomato purée and stir through the onions, cooking for about 30 seconds.

2) Add the vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, soy sauce and canned tomatoes and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until thickened slightly.

3) Use a liquidiser or hand blender to make the sauce into the desired consistency - we prefer ours a little chunkier/thicker, but you can make it really fine and silky if required. Add a dash of water if the sauce is still to thick.

4) Drain and rinse the Haricot beans under cold, running water.  Add to the sauce and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the beans soften.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5) Lightly toast the calorie controlled bread and top with 30g of fat free spread per two slices.  Serve each portion with two slices of toast and a quarter of the barbeque beans.

Notes/Ideas
During the frying of the onion and garlic, add in 2 chopped chilli's for extra spiciness!

For plain baked beans in tomato sauce without the barbeque flavour, leave out the vinegar and smoked paprika.

Instead of smoked paprika, add in a couple of teaspoons of cumin and coriander powder for a slight Mexican style twist.

Even if you don't require 4 portions as per the above recipe, make a large batch of beans anyway and store in the fridge for a couple of days, to be used in other meals.  The beans also freeze well.