Low Calorie Vegetable Soup

This is a super yummy, very low calorie soup, that is perfect for me right now because I have a cold! But my diet-bet is starting tomorrow, so I need to be on the ball!

Ingredients are below. In a large saucepan fry the carrots, onion and leek, then add the tin of tomatoes, puree, stock and frozen peas. Bring to the boil then add the dried pasta shapes and simmer for a further 15 minutes :)



Ingredients (Makes 4)
2 chopped carrots
1 onion chopped
1 chopped leek
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1tsp tomato puree
1 litre vegetable stock
80g dried pasta
40g frozen peas
Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Nutritional Info
106 calories
0.8g fat
3.1g fibre
3.9g protein
94.2% vitamin A

Vegetable Pasta Bake

This is a very yummy pasta bake, it's full of vitamins (200% your GDA of vitamin C) it also has your entire recommended daily allowance for fibre (though I tend to aim for 20g, per serving this has 14g). It's very easy to do, and requires very little effort, which is ideal for me, what with being a student and all :).

Ingredients (to serve 2)
3 handfuls of dried pasta
1 courgette
1 red pepper
2 tomatoes
1 onion
1 crushed garlic clove
handful of frozen green beans and peas
200mL vegetable stock
some grated cheese

Boil your pasta, and while that's going, chop up your onion, courgette, pepper and tomatoes and grate some cheese. Then fry your onion and garlic until soft, before added in everything but the cheese. Simmer for about ten minutes, then drain you pasta and mix with your vegetables before adding to an oven proof dish. Cover with cheese and bake for 30-35 minutes.

I used full fat cheese, because I think it melts nicer, but you could use low fat cheese to reduce the calories. Also, if you dry fry your ingredients you'll reduce the calories too. But you need a little fat in your diet, so I generally cook using just a little bit of oil.

Nutritional Info (per serving)
475 Calories
25.7g total fat
14g fibre
24.3g protein
116% vitamin A
274.4% vitamin C

Raspberry Smoothie

This was so yummy, but a bit seedy, good for brekkie though :)

Ingredients
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tinned pear
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup raspberry/cranberry juice
1 tablespoon wheat bran
1 peach yogurt pot

Nutritional Info
219 calories
2.9g fat
37.4g total carbs
8.0g fibre
8.3g protein



For lunch I found this amazing recipe on the Be Food Smart app and made it for me and Rob.
2 slices of brown toast, 1 onion, green pepper and tomato chopped and grilled. Then top the toast with the grilled veg, add a little cheese and grill again :D. 207 calories per portion.

I also went to the gym today, cycled for 20 minutes, did some interval walking/running on the treadmill then did a ton of weights. Then me and Rob went for a 30 minute walk.

And I weighed myself. I've lost another 4lbs :)

Sausage Casserole

I'm going to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show tonight at Sunderland Empire, and I'm so excited! I have my costume - Columbia - which I made myself. Plus it's been cold lately, so me and Rob wanted something warm, but filling, so we wouldn't want to snack in the theater.

This recipe is something I've come up with myself, taking inspiration from a few recipes on the Be Food Smart website, but adjusting them accordingly for what we have in our cupboards and coming up with this :).

Ingredients for 2 people
4 reduced fat sausages
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion - chopped
1 crushed garlic clove
1 apple cored and chopped (keep the skin on)
Can of chopped tomatoes
Can of haricot beans
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
pinch of black pepper

Cook your sausages under the grill, and in the meantime, heat up a pan with the oil in and fry the onion and garlic, until the onion is tender.
Then add all the other ingredients and cook through for about 15-20 minutes - or until the sausages are cooked under the grill.
Chop up the sausages into quarters then add to the pan and cook for a further few minutes.
We served ours with sweet potatoes.

Nutritional Info (per portion)
480 calories
12.6g total fat
65.4g total carbs
15.9g fibre
28.4g protein
438.9% vitamin A
48.4% vitamin C
6% calcium
7.4% iron

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Afternoon. I've just spent 2 hours cleaning my flat in preparation for people coming over to see if they want to rent it. It is now spotless, and I'm intending for it to stay this way.
Rob's gone to his exam, and the snow's started again - yippy.

Need something warm for my lunch, so I'm having a dabble at a home made soup. Like all these smoothies, I'm making it up as I go, unless I say where I got the recipe from - so everything on here is my own.

Ingredients
1 carrot - peeled, chopped and boiled
1 onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
Little bit of Worcestershire sauce
Bit of salt and pepper for taste
and as much boiling water as you want

Pop the chopped tomatoes and onions on a baking tray and slam in the oven on high until all nice as soft/roasted. While they're cooking, boil the carrot. Then shove all of it into the blender with a little Worcestershire sauce and blitz until smooth.
Then add however much water you want until it's as thick or smooth as you like :D

I also had two slices of bread with mine, so that's included in the calorie count.

Nutritional Info
255 Calories
9.2g Fibre
10.2g Protein
199.2% Vitamin A
54.8% Vitamin C
6.6% Iron