Should We Give Up Chocolate?
April 7, 2009 by Ros1e
Filed under Dieting and Weight Loss
That has to be the million dollar question. Especially with Easter coming up we are faced with the dilemma of filling our faces with chocolate or trying to avoid it and stay healthy.
Are we being unhealthy by eating chocolate, well thankfully no we are not. If we are eating it in large amount then it doesn’t take a genius to work out that it is going to be unhealthy for us. Basically if we don’t go overboard we can pretty much fit any food into a healthy eating plan!
The really big key to you and your diet is portion control. By doing this you are able to control your calories and therefore allowing yourself the unhealthier items into your eating plan.
If you are struggling and finding that you are eating a bit too much chocolate or even just generally overeating then visit our dieting and weight loss review page where you can get further information on products that will reduce your fat intake and also help you to lose weight.
A Recipe For Healthy Chicken Casserole And Dumplings
With the weather getting colder, we are looking to eat food that warms us up and nothing does that quite like a stew. You may think that stews are heavy, full of fat and calories. This is not the case you can have a healthy stew and not pile on the pounds.
Serves: 5
Nutritional information:
340 calories
7.4g fat
45g carbs
Ingredients:
2tsp Olive Oil
3 Sliced Chicken Fillets
1 Chopped Onion
1 Sliced Pepper
1 Crushed clove garlic
2tbs Plain Flour
2tbs Paprika
400g Tin of tomatoes
2tbs Tomato puree
2tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2tsp Brown sugar
1 pint Vegetable stock
1 Bay leaf
1tsp Dried Mixed Herbs
3 Medium parsnips
4 Carrots
Pepper to Season
300g Frozen green beans
Dumplings
100g Plain flour
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Mustard powder
50g Reduced fat Cheddar or Edam
75ml Skimmed milk
2tsp Mixed herbs
Pepper to Season
Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and gently brown chicken fillets.
2. Add the onion, pepper and garlic and cook until softened. Sprinkle over plain flour and paprika and cook briefly.
3. Stir in the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, vegetable stock, bay leaf and dried mixed herbs.
4. Add parsnips, carrots, season with pepper, cover and simmer for around 35 minutes. Add a little more water or stock if necessary.
5. For the dumplings, sieve the flour, Add a pinch of salt, baking powder and mustard powder into a large bowl.
6. Then stir in cheese and season with black pepper and mixed herbs. Pour in 75ml of skimmed milk and combine all the ingredients with a fork to form a soft dough. Transfer this to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly for a few minutes.
7. Divide into 10 and roll each portion into a round dumpling.
8. Add 300g frozen green beans to the casserole, top with the dumplings and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until the dumplings have risen.
9. Finally serve topped with a spoonful of low fat natural yoghurt.
Here Is How To Stick To Your Diet!
If you want to stick to your diet this year and reach your target weight, then these tips will help you. Easy to do yet very effective.
1. Start your New Year Diet by cutting out one small food item per day, rather than cutting out everything straight away. DOn’t look for quick fixes you won’t be able to keep it up. By slowly building up day by day you will become stronger and able to lose the weight you want.
2. Don’t use a tape measure to take your measurements. Instead use a piece of ribbon or string and at the end of a few weeks re-measure yourself and cut off the excess.
3. If you are feeling bored with the food you are eating, be adventurous alter the recipes to make them more interesting. Alternatively, choose one of your favourite recipes and make it more healthy. Don’t be afraid to try out healthier recipes that are not all dull.
4. With any diet the weekend is the time that is the hardest. When going out at the weekend with friends and family don’t make food the focal point try and find other things to do for example shopping or bowling. Alternatively eat before you go out and meet friends later after they have eaten.
5. If you can speak to friends and family about your diet, you don’t have to go it alone! If there is no-one you can or want to talk to then join a weight loss club.
Remember you Will get to your ideal weight!!
Realistic Weight loss Targets For Your New Year Resolution!
1. Be realistic, set yourself goals that are not going to be out of reach. Have smaller manageable goals that you are able to achieve.
2. Be patient. Weight gain doesn’t happen overnight so you are not going to lose it within 24 hours.
3. Don’t ditch your ‘old habits’ without first replacing them with ‘healthier new ones’. You are never going to stick to any type of weight loss if all you are thinking about is what you would rather eat.
4. Be flexible and don’t completely cut out certain food groups. Place too many restrictions on yourself and you will be heading back to your old ways before you know it.
5. Plan what you eat and when you exercise. If you have something to follow and keep your mind occupied you are more likely to succeed, rather than making it up as you go along.
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