Fat loss diets don’t have to be boring.
Eating high-quality, whole and minimally-processed foods will make you feel great, but only ever sticking to the same set of meals for weeks on end will lead to serious tastebud fatigue.
Adopting a ‘food is fuel’ mindset and rotating between a limited number of meals can work in the short-term. But, to sustain your results long-term, you need to enjoy and look forward to your meals.
And being a novice in the kitchen is no excuse either. Often, something as simple as pairing the right foods together or adding herbs and spices can transform an ordinary meal into a new favourite.
Here are our top five easy-to-prepare, transformation-friendly recipes for you to try out…
1. Smoked Salmon and Eggs
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There are so many ways to make ‘smoked salmon and eggs’ taste delicious – one of the most popular is a smoked salmon omelette which you can create using the recipe below.
If you’re nervous when cooking eggs, you can follow our easy cooking guide for perfect poached or scrambled eggs, every time.
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 egg whites, beaten
- 50g smoked salmon
- Fresh chives, small bunch
- 100g spinach, roughly chopped
- 50g rocket
- Fresh lemon to garnish
Method:
- Pre-heat the grill to 180C.
- In a pan, heat a little cooking spray.
- Whisk the eggs and egg whites together.
- Pour the egg mix into the pan and sprinkle over the chives and chopped spinach.
- Allow to cook for three minutes until the sides begin to rise from the pan.
- Place under the hot grill and finish cooking until golden brown on top.
- Plate and add the rocket and spinach to the centre of the omelette.
- Season with black pepper and fresh lemon juice, then fold over and serve.
Macros:
Calories: 259 Carbs: 1.2g Fat: 14g Protein: 30.4g
2. Chicken and Greens
Herbs and spices are key when it comes to making ‘chicken and greens’ taste great.
Top tip: Try adding a wedge of lemon, 1 tbsp of Greek yoghurt and 100g of wilted spinach to upgrade this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 120g chicken breast, diced
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp tamarind paste (optional)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
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- 100g cauliflower florets
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 10g coriander
Method:
- Combine all of the spices in a bowl.
- Spray the chicken breast with cooking oil spray and coat with the spices.
- Skewer the chicken and grill at 200C, turning constantly.
- If you prefer, you can cook the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes at 180C.
- In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients from the second list to create the cauliflower rice
- Pulse until it makes the consistency of rice, then cover with cling film, pierce, and heat in the microwave for three minutes.
- Serve the heated cauliflower rice with the tandoori chicken.
Top Tip: An optional wedge of lemon and tbsp of Greek yoghurt would make a great serving suggestion. I would also add 100g of wilted spinach.
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Macros:
Calories: 247 Carbs: 6.7g Fat: 5.3g Protein: 39.8g
3. Greek Yoghurt, Nuts and Berries
This recipe doesn’t really need explaining but there are many variations that you can explore with this meal.
Try using a combination of the following fruits:
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
Then, choose from the following nuts:
- Pecans (first choice)
- Walnuts
- Hazelnuts
- Almonds
- Peanut butter (occasionally)
- Peanut flour
Top Tip: Add 1/4 tsp of extras such as cinnamon, raw cacao, nutmeg or ginger for extra flavour.
4. Steak, Sweet Potato and Greens
A steak and sweet potato combination is a favourite for many of our clients.
You can be versatile with sweet potatoes and we’ve outlined five different cooking techniques here to keep your sweet potatoes tasting great.
Sautéed greens with garlic, lemon juice and black pepper are so simple to stir fry together and taste great. Use the following amounts to create delicious greens every time.
- 150g green vegetables
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Pinch of sea salt
- Optional 1/2 tsp fresh chilli flakes
Simply par-boil your greens for two minutes and then drain and add to a hot pan for a minute or two.
Add them straight to a stir fry or cook in a little coconut oil, grass-fed butter or just cooking spray depending on your calorie allowance.
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5. Omelette and Greens
When your meal plan simply reads ‘eggs and greens’ you need to get creative to make things tasty.
For example, try adding various vegetables such as broccoli, peppers, red onion, mushrooms, and tomato.
You can combine these with various herbs and spices to create a different omelette each morning, and you need to try this pizza omelette!
When preparing your omelette, you can use whole eggs or egg whites depending on your calorie allowance.
Top tip: try adding diced chilli for a little extra heat and flavour.