<300 calorie full meals that aren't

[StokeySue]

Lee, if you wan to do a big gratin like that, I find a good way is to layer up the veg, seasonings and stock and par-cook in the microwave (covered)

When about 2/3 done, uncover, add creme, and cook in a conventional oven to gratinate

The par-cooking stops you ending up with a raw centre and overdone outside, which can happen if you oven cook the whole thing

I do this with almost any mixture of root veg and leeks or even onions

[Riocaz]

I was actually planning on doing exactly that Sue. I have pyrex round covered casseroles that I thought would work for it, maybe a bit deep & I was going to give them about 10 minutes in the microwave before adding the boiling stock and creme. then finishing in a hot oven for 30minutes or so. (or until brown and crusty whatever happens first).

The recipe is a mash-up of 2 I've seen online. The stock/creme comes from Rosemary Conley and the leeks come from london unattached

[StokeySue]

Anther odd one

The bean sprouts the greengorcer sells claim to be 69 calories per 100g

Every other source says 31 cal/100g

The nutritional breakdown on the packet I have doesn't look as if it woudl add up to 69 - so I think someone can't add up! Or they gave the cals per US cup which would be about 69

[Riocaz]

Okay:

1500g celeriac (2 quite large) - finely sliced - (288cal)
120g leek (1 leek)- finely sliced - (33 cal)
100g phily lightest - (96cal)
2 oxo chicken stock cubes - (34cal)
2 garlic cloves crushed - (10cal)
Salt and black pepper to taste

I also added the separated stock from our roast chicken.

The celeriac was nuked in a covered casserole for 8 minutes (stirred every couple of minutes. So it's hot and softened)
The leeks were finely sliced.
Half of the celeriac was put in the dish then the leek, then the rest of the celeriac with seasoning between each layer.
I boiled 600ml of water and stock and added the stock cubes, crushed garlic and philly. This was them poured over the celeriac and baked at 150c for an hour, then a further 30 minutes at 180c.

The celeriac was perfect I loved the texture. However the dish was vastly too wet, I would in retrospect add 3 times the ammount of leeks and only half the liquid. And I would leave out half the chicken stock cubes (or just use the separated stock from my roast chicken).

I loved the texture of the celeriac. It was a bit wet and overwhelmed by the strength of the chicken stock. And this amount could have served me 4 times. So any normal person would get 6-8 portions from it.

461cal total!

[StokeySue]

Interesting

I pour the stock over the layered veg before i nuke 'em, so the stock soaks into the veg, and i thinkI'd use a lot less than 600 ml - I pour in enought to come perhaps 1/3 of the way up the stack of veg, then cover for the first cooking, i aim to have no free unabsorbed juice when finished.

[Riocaz]

I don't think i could have fitted that quantity into my microwave in one go Sue I was cooking for me and my parents (and typically made enough for 10). It did firm up significantly overnight in the fridge.

Unfortunately it seems that Celeriac and I do NOT get along. Which is a real shame as I absolutely loved this dish. Mum has explicitly banned me from ever consuming it again.

[Riocaz]

This is dinner tonight, the weights/cals are rough until I actually weigh stuff out.

Turkey Breast: 212 g - 212cal - Sliced into thin strips.
Mushrooms:350 g - 56cal - Sliced thickly (about double that of the turkey)
Onions: 2 medium - 92cal - Sliced into strips about the same as the mushrooms
Sweet Red Peppers: 1 large - 43cal - Deseeded and sliced into strips
Yellow Sweet Peppers: 1 large - 50 - Deseeded and sliced into strips
Courgette: 1 medium - 31cal - Sliced into strips
Garlic: 15 g - 22cal - Crushed
Frylight: 5 sprays - 5cal
1/2tsp cumin
1/2tsp mild chilli powder
1/2tsp smoked paprika

Tesco Hot Salsa Dip: 50g - 14cal
Heinz BBQ Sauce: 2 Tbs 30g - 42cal
Water: 3tbs - 0cal

Round Lettuce (whole leaves only about 3 whole lettuces): 300g - 42cal (Save the hearts for salad or cut them up thinly and add to your wraps for extra crunch.)

1, Fry the mushrooms with a little frylight until they have browned and stopped shrinking & reserve.
2, Nuke the onions and for 4 minutes.
3, Coat the turkey strips in the spices and stir-fry with the frylight while the onions are softening.
4, Add the peppers and garlic to the onions and nuke for a further 3 minutes.
5, Combine the salsa, BBQ sauce, and water.
6, Add vegetables to the turkey and combine. Add the sauces and allow to reduce until it glazes the veggies & meat.
7, Allow people to make their wraps themselves as the lettuce will begin to wilt with the hot vegetables.

Serve with extra salsa, yoghurt and/or guacamole. (Don't forget to calorie count your additions).

Total: 609cal and should serve 2 at least, maybe even with enough for a leftovers lunch. (At least that's my plan)

[Riocaz]

Slight change when I got home. I decided to make them without the turkey.

And I made WAY too much, so I have leftovers for the week.

On the plus side it was very very good. And it's very low cal:

600g Peppers
450g onions
3 courgettes
20g crushed garlic
1kg mushrooms
75g BBQ sauce
15g siriacha sauce
100g hot salsa
2 beef stock cubes & 100ml water
frylight

lettuce for serving:

1, Slice the onions into wedges and nuke for 8 minutes.
2, Slice and fry off the mushrooms until browned and have stopped producing liquid.
3, Slice the peppers and courgettes and add to the onions with the garlic and nuke for a further 5 minutes.
4, Add the sauces to the mushrooms & simmer until the water has almost evaporated and the sauce is more of a glaze.
5, Stir-in the veggies and serve with the lettuce.

I ended up with 1900g of fajita veggies, of which I had 550g last night and I've split the remainder into 4 lunch sized portions. Yesterday's dinner was about 350cal, and the lunch portions at about 230cal.

[Riocaz]

Okay...

So I've been a bit slack about sorting out this website. But I have had other stuff going on splitting my attention.

Last night as some of you will be aware I was finally able to acquire the domains I needed to really get this started...

And as such http://www.menu52.com now exists with a fresh wordpress install. But there isn't much in it yet.

Now if I can only get the user database from HERE to sync with the user database there I would be a lot happier.

Once I have I'll add a section to the board for the new site.

[suffolk]

[StokeySue]

Website looks great

Ok, here’s last night’s dinner, doesn’t sound like much but made a nice plate full of food, and surprisingly filling
Smoked Haddock on Cauliflower Mash
1 frozen smoked haddock fillet (135 g including ice glaze, 100 cal approx.)
225 g cauliflower (85 cal)
60 g NuMe 0% fat Greek style yogurt (38 cal)
Salt, pepper, & nutmeg to season
To serve: 1 pack Birds Eye Single Steamers Classic Garden Mix (peas, carrots, green beans, 55 cal) but you could of course use any fresh veg you like, I just had one hanging round

Cook cauli florets in boiling salted water
Microwave haddock fillet, in a bowl tightly covered with cling film
While veg are steaming in microwave according to package instructions, blitz cauli with yogurt and juices from the haddock, seasoning to taste
Put mash onto plate (heated under steamer pack while cooking ), top with haddock, and fill plate with steamed veg.
Total: approx. 280 cal

[suffolk]

This is all going to be handy - we did start 5:2ing, but what with never knowing which shifts OH was doing, and where I was going to be workwise, it all got into a muddle and we let it slip. Once I'm retired it'll be much easier to get into a routine and to plan meals. I like planning a week's menus in advance - I always did that when I was at home all the time and I'm looking forward to being able to do it again. And I like low calorie days - I function very well when I'm empty