Category: Recipes

Recipes

Trick or treat? ..

Dr Nancy P

Trick or treat? ..🎃🍫

It’s pumpkin season and there’s a multitude of pumpkin spice snacks out there. Pumpkin is often promoted as a health food (pumpkin itself does indeed have many health benefits) and there are lots of snack bars out there that are marketed to imply that they are a “healthy” choice. This is a perfect example – this bar definitely looks like it’s a healthy choice. It’s got nuts and pumpkin seeds in it – great for good fats, vitamin A, and a host of other benefits.

So you might decide to reach for this rather than reaching for a pumpkin spice caramel chocolate square thinking it was a better choice. Well that may not always be the case.

It does contain a good range of nutrients (and fat and sugar) and is definitely a good snack to give you energy and keep you full and will cost you 202 cals. But you could actually have 2 of these chocolate caramel squares for fewer calories. So if you were trying to lose fat/weight and looking for a snack, then rather than reaching for a “healthy” snack bar when you don’t fancy it, you’d be better off just going for a snack you actually want – like the chocolates if that’s what you fancy. And if you do want the ‘healthy’ bars then be sure to read the labels carefully as some are extremely high in calories.

Ultimately, if you’re trying to lose fat or weight, it comes down to calories. So enjoy a balanced diet overall and just be mindful of the calories in what you’re having.

Happy Hallowe’en 🤗
xxx

Recipes

Quick and easy Cinnamon Bagel French Toast

Dr Nancy P

This super simple, low calorie French toast is perfect for a weekend brekkie or brunch or a light lunch!

The mixture will do 2-3 bagels. If I’m just making one I keep the remaining mix in the fridge for a few days.

You can use whatever milk you like and any sweetener – I used almond and went for a granulated sweetener. The calories come in at appox 250 cals – obviously this will vary a little depending on sweetener/sugar or milk but it’s still a brilliant low calorie yet tasty option.

You will need:

1 Cinnamon and Raisin Bagel thin (Warburtons)

1 egg

50ml milk of choice (I used almond)

1 tsp sweetener of choice (I used a granulated sweetener)

Cinnamon to taste

Cinnamon and sugar/sweetener mix to top

Berries or fruit to serve

1 cal oil spray for cooking

Crack the egg into a bowl and beat with a fork until mixed. Add the milk, sweetener and cinnamon and mix well.

Soak the bagel halves in the mix for approx 30 secs for each half, turning to ensure it’s coated.

Heat up a pan with a little oil spray until hot and then add the bagels. Cook for a few minutes – turning to ensure both sides are nice and crispy.

Whilst warm drop into a bowl of cinnamon and sugar mix (or sprinkle over if you prefer)

Serve with your fruit of choice! Also works brilliantly with stewed fruit!

Enjoy! 🙂

Recipes

Veggie ‘feta’ roasted veg pasta

Dr Nancy P

I’m sure many of you have seen the posts on social media of the feta and tomato pasta hack. This is my version of it – using a dairy free (vegan) feta! I wanted to see if it would work and it does! Obviously you can use a normal feta if you prefer. I also pimped it up a bit with mixed peppers, mushrooms, spinach and basil.

This serves 5-6 and comes in at around 380 cals per portion.

You will need:

500g pasta

1 200g block ‘feta’ (I used Violife Greek white cheese)

600g cherry tomatoes (1 punnet)

2 small peppers

5 mushrooms

100g baby spinach

Fresh basil

Salt, pepper, mixed herbs

1 cal oil spray (I used the olive oil version)

Preheat the oven to 200 C.

Chop the peppers and mushrooms into chunks. Spray a roasting dish with oil spray and pop the block of cheese in the centre, and throw the cherry tomatoes and peppers around it. Season and spray with oil.

Pop in the oven for 10-15 mins to start with.

While it’s in the oven cook the pasta to your taste. Drain and pop to one side.

Check the oven after 10-15 minsand if the tomatoes are just starting to split a little then add the mushrooms and pop back in the oven for 10 mins or so. Timing will depend a little on how ripe your tomatoes are so check and see if they are soft and that the juices have run into the dish. The feta will have melted too.

Using a wooden spoon stir the veg and feta together and gentle squish the tomatoes.

Add the spinach a little at a time, stirring in each time. Pop back in the oven for 3-5 mins.

Remove from oven Once the spinach has wilted and stir in a handful of fresh basil leaves.

Stir in the pasta

Then serve with a little sprig of basil!

Enjoy! 🙂

Xx

Recipes

Cinnamon Oat Baked Apples

Dr Nancy P

This is a really easy option for a warming winter dessert. Delicious as it is or even better with a scoop of Greek yoghurt or ice cream! I make a batch and then I can reheat them for pudding or even have one for a snack or brekkie! Bramley apples work best but you can actually use any apple you like.

This recipe makes 4 portions (half an apple) at approx 77 cals per portion (this will vary with apple size).

You will need:

2 Apples

50g Oats

10g sugar (I use half spoon – as it gives sweetness with fewer calories)

20g light spread (I just used a normal anchor light spread)

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)

Preheat the oven to 180 C

Mix the oats, cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

Add the spread and use a fork or your hands to mix it into the oat mix. Leaving clumps.

Cut the apples on half and use a spoon to remove the core and create a little hollow.

Pop the apples on a baking dish and pack the oat mix into the hollow and across the top of each apple half.

Add a tbsp of water to the dish, cover lightly with foil and bake for 25 mins. Then remove the foil and bake for a further 10 mins.

Serve as is or with ice cream/ yoghurt

Enjoy! 🙂 Xx

Recipes

Biscoff Berry Porridge

Dr Nancy P

As it gets colder I am drawn to warm, comforting food and porridge ticks the bill for me!

This combo of biscoff and berries works really well! It comes in at around 350 cals (using water not milk) for a portion so a good hearty brekkie or even a lunch option.

You will need:

50g porridge oats

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

Water (or milk if you prefer to use that for porridge)

Handful of berries (I used blackberries, raspberries and blueberries)

20g Biscoff spread

20g Berry jam (optional – I used the low calorie skinny jam – available here)

Mix the cinnamon with the oats and then prepare your porridge using water (or milk) as you normally would. I often use boiling water from the kettle for speed but you can use a saucepan of course.

Once at a consistency you like transfer to a bowl and add the blackberries (or whatever berries you have), mix them up a little to release the juices.

Then add the other berries and biscoff spread. If using the jam add that too.

Pop in the microwave for 1 min (optional – this just helps to melt the biscoff and release the fruit juices – you could also do all this in a pan on the hob)

Enjoy! 🙂

Xx