Hi all,
Thought I'd share my lunch time meals to give you all some ideas on effective and cheap meals to help weight loss. I'd preface this with saying I've lost over a stone in 2 months eating like this + exercising and it has worked well for me, but we're all different and hey, you may not like it, or may have dietary requirements that I do not, so take it with a pinch of salt
(but only a pinch
)
Here's my favorite lunch meal:
It has a very nice balance of protein (lean turkey), carbs (sweet potatoes), fats (butter/margarine and olive oil) and nutrients (mmmm broccoli), is actually tasty, is under 350kcal per tub and more importantly - VERY filling. It's also very cost effective, costing no more than £8 for 5 days worth of lunch!
Lean Papprika and Cayenne fried Turkey, Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli
I prepare my meals every Sunday for the coming 5 day week, here's what you'll need:
1 bag sweet potatoes (5 medium size preferable)
2 large broccoli heads
1 large 500g or > pack of Turkey Breast Steaks (£4-5 at ASDA or Tesco)
Spices + additional ingredients:
Paprika (smoked or unsmoked)
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Olive oil
Butter (or margarine)
How to cook each component:
Turkey Breast:
1. Leave the breasts intact and brush them with olive oil
2. Season pre-cooking with paprika and cayenne pepper (if you like a small amount of heat)
3. Place into a medium-heat frying pan or grilling pan (ensure it isn't too hot or it will burn the outside before the inside is cooked)
4. Cook on medium for roughly 15-20 minutes, turning the pieces half way through until they're evenly cooked
5. Portion out into containers
Sweet potatoes:
1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly under hot water
2. Pierce them with a knife of fork to their center (this allows the air in to cook them)
3. Place on an oven tray or in a cooking dish
4. Place in a 200C (400F) oven for 45 minutes
5. Once finished, cut in half and season with a teaspoon of butter and a pinch of salt
6. Add 1 whole (cut in half) potato to each container
Broccoli: (I boil, but steaming is also a healthy way to cook veg)
1. Cut the broccoli heads into small portions and place in a boiling pan
2. Add boiling water to the pan and leave to boil for 8 minutes
3. Strain the contents of the pan and portion out the broccoli into your containers
Storage (IMPORTANT):
Once complete do not seal the tubs and put them straight in the fridge/freezer, doing so can cause pockets of bacteria to develop and you could get sick from ingesting it. Instead, leave the tubs slightly open and allow time to cool before cooling further or freezing.
Cooking:
2:00-2:30 in any modern microwave and you're good to go! (from cooled, double from frozen)
Alternatively, just fine cold too.
I hope this is helpful to someone and you enjoy this recipe as much as me!
Regards,
Matt
