Lunch Options This really couldn’t be simpler. The first thing that must always spring to mind when preparing any meal with my method is ‘Where’s the protein?. Protein keeps you full, keeps your metabolism ticking over efficiently, helps to stabilise your blood sugar levels and helps your body hang onto and build beautiful muscle as your body fat levels plummet. It keeps the ‘fat burning tap’ drip, drip, drip, dripping. I follow this very simple formula: 1 Protein Portion + heaps of veggies and salad + 1 tablespoon of fat + lemon/vinegar/lime juice The protein can be anything lean – chicken, white fish, tuna, calamari, prawns, lean beef, salmon, cottage cheese, reduced fat mozzarella (once per week), pulses (once per week or daily if you are vegetarian) or edamame beans. The salad should be varied and really try to make it interesting by trying different combinations of leaves (lambs lettuce, spinach, pea shoots, watercress, rocket, cos) and then add a couple of portions of cold veggies from last nights supper. I tend to add French beans, asparagus, tender stem broccoli, artichoke, mange tout, broad beans, peas, red and yellow pepper. About twice a week I line a baking tray with peppers, courgette and red onion, spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and bake on a high heat for 15 minutes and add a small handful of roasted veggies to my boxes too. Then you need to add some good quality fat. I tend to choose olive oil, walnut oil, and Udo’s oil, which I keep at the office so that salads don’t go soggy in transit. Then I add half a lemon or lime to the box, ready to squeeze at lunchtime. This adds some acidity for taste and a lovely dose of Vitamin C. If you’re in a fat loss phase, then you needn’t add any more low GI carb but once you’re at goal, we add maybe some more lentils or pulses (half protein, half carb), roasted butternut, brown rice, quinoa and lots of other lovely ingredients which help us add in more variety again. But it’s a teeny dose and if you’ve fat to lose, don’t go there for now. I only add these in now on days when I train like an athlete but if I’m in office girl or mummy mode, then I don’t bother. It needn’t be any more complicated than that and what you have is a highly nutritious, filling meal that will provide you with lovely gentle energy throughout the afternoon. If you are not ready to do this step yet, you will see a few convenient options that you can buy from any of the well know eateries. I’m really advising you not to do this on a daily basis however, as there are only so many Pret tuna salads a person can eat, before you get seduced by the meatball wrap and 400kcal granola bar. Every client always assumes they’re the exception; they do the Pret thing, and then two weeks later its ‘You’re right’. I am right – try practicing my personal strategy for lunch and you’ll never get bored. You’ll look forward to lunch so much more, enjoy what you eat and that way, it’s much more likely to really stick beyond a 90 day programme. Do not forget – every habit we pick up, we want you to keep – forever. This is not a ‘diet’, it’s a plan that’s going to give you impressive results, but it’s one that needs to last a lifetime. You have to change your lifestyle if you want to be consistently fit and thin. So now you know how to put the combinations together, here are a few of my mini-recipes (they’re always a short list of ingredients and super quick to throw together). If you think these are complicated, then you have to question if you’re willing to put in enough time to get results, both in the long and short term. Please don’t expect a transformation of how you look and how you feel, without putting some time into it. Here are some of my favourite #FigureMagic style lunches: Oak Smoked Salmon, Dill and Cucumber Salad Cut 1 whole cucumber into strips with a vegetable peeler, leaving the inner seeds. Combine with 1 little gem lettice, finely chopped. Crumble 75g of oak smoked salmon. Dress with 1 tablespoon of Total 0% Greek Yoghurt, juice of ½ lemon, chopped fresh dill, salt and pepper. Dice 1” cucumber finely and add. Skinny Nicoise Combine 1 baby gem lettuce, handful of cooked green beans, 1 soft boiled egg, ½ a tin of tuna, 6 black olives, handful of cherry tomatoes, 2 inch’s of cucumber, handful of cooked broccoli florets. Dress with ½ tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tsp of Dijon mustard and juice of ½ a fresh lemon Chilli Chicken and Peanut Salad Combine the following: 1 cooked chicken breast, 4 handfuls of young leaf spinach, 4 radish, 4 tomatoes, 3 inch cucumber and ½ tbsp of chopped peanuts. Dress with 1 tbsp sesame oil and juice of ½ a lime and ½ red chilli (optional) Smoked Mackerel Pate and Crudités Blend 2 smoked mackerel fillets, juice of ½ lemon, ¼ cup of Total 0% Greek yoghurt, ¼ cup of low fat cream cheese, pepper. Stir in chopped flat leaf parsley. Single portion is ½ cup, served with generous crudités of cucumber, red and yellow peppers, celery and sugar snap peas. Grilled Calamari Add 1 packet of M&S ready cooked calamari rings to a M&S Santini Salad. Add 1 small packet of sugar snap peas and ½ of the packet of salad dressing provided, adding extra lemon juice if you wish. Three Bean Salad Mix together ¼ cup of cannellini beans, ¼ cup chic peas, ¼ cup black eyed beans with 3 tomatoes, 1 spring onion, ¼ cup of peas, 1 tbsp good balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of lemon 1tsp reduced fat pesto and salt and pepper Broad Bean, Pea and Feta Salad Combine small packet of pea shoot salad with ¼ cup of cooked broad beans, ¼ cup of peas, ¼ pack of good feta cheese, 3 inch cucumber, 1 spring onion, handful of cooked broccoli. Dress with 1 tbsp of olive oil mixed with 1 tsp of reduced fat pesto. Enjoy!
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:55:02 +0000