Whoops - I managed to post all this on the wrong thread, so am re-posting here:
I'd like to pick up on a comment that twinkle made on the last thread - she has stopped doing Bootcamp because she was getting bored of eating the same things all the time.
I've also noticed one or two others talk about eating the same thing regularly.
If you narrow down your food/meal choices like this, you will get bored and it's a surefire way to guarantee that you will give up!
It's also pretty pointless when you think of all the lovely foods that you can eat - think how much more restrictive a low calorie diet is compared with low carbing!
Here are some cheap/economic recipes from the recipe thread:
Asparagus Frittata (serves 2)
British asparagus is in season now, and it should be a little cheaper than it might normally be. However, if it's still too expensive, you can replace it with another green vegetable or a mixture of green vegetables, like broccoli or courgette. Similarly, if Parmesan/Pecorino is out of reach, use a mature cheddar instead.
250g/9oz asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2in pieces
4 eggs
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
225g/8oz spring onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
- Cook asparagus in boiling water until tender (7-10 minutes)
- Whisk the eggs and add the cheese and the spring onions
- Pre-heat the grill
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan that can go under the grill
- Put in the asparagus; stir-fry for a minute, then pour in the eaten eggs, moving the asparagus around gently to make sure the egg mixture gets right through, and that the grated cheese is well distributed
- Let the frittata cook over a moderate heat for a few minutes until the underside is cooked and lightly browned, then put the pan under a hot grill for a minute or two until the top is set and golden brown
5.5g carbs per serving
Recipe from Rose Elliot's "The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet Book"
Low Carb Shepherd's Pie (serves 6)
Mince is always good value, and it's usually on offer as well. This makes a really good family meal and is also very low carb
5 leeks (about the number you will get in a pack from Sainsbury) sliced
1/2 head of celery, sliced
500g beef mince
1 OXO cube
1 whole celeriac, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 Echalion shallots (Sainsbury's sell these - long and thin rather than round - but I guess ordinary shallots would be find - you need around 75g)
Grated cheese
- Fry your beef first, in olive oil in a large frying pan, and season with salt, pepper and when browned, crumble in the OXO cube
- In a large saucepan, fry the leeks and celery in butter with a splash of olive oil (Adding the oil helps to prevent the butter from burning)
- When softened, add the mince and then cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes, with the pan lid on
- After 30 minutes, take the lid off and reduce the amount of liquid (it needs to be reasonably dry - but do this to your own taste)
- While the meat is cooking, boil your celeriac in a large pan of salted water, till tender - this will take 20-25 minutes
- Drain and mash - either by hand or with a stick blender.
- Thinly slice the shallots and fry gently till nicely browned, in butter with a splash of oil, then mix into the mash
- Put the meat into an oven-proof dish and spread the mash on top of it. Top with the grated cheese and bake for around 20 minutes in a hot oven until the cheese is browned.
32g for the whole thing; 5.4g carbs per portion if serving 6 people.
Marinated Courgette with Mozzarella
Courgettes are often sold cheaply as 'Basics' in Sainsbury's. They tend to be slightly bigger than the ones that are sold loose, but they taste just as good. And you can also buy Basics mozzarella too, so the cheese element of this dish doesn't need to be expensive
4 medium courgettes (about 500g)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil
1 large clove garlic, finely slivered
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus a little juice
A handful of mint or basil, roughly torn
1 ball of buffalo mozzarella (about 125g), or other mild, soft cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Top and tail the courgettes, then cut them lengthways into thin slices, 1?2mm thick. Put them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the oil and use a pastry brush to get them all lightly coated.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a fairly high heat. Working in batches, sear the courgette slices for about 2 minutes on each side until tender and golden. Transfer them to a shallow dish.
Take the frying pan off the heat and let it cool down a bit. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the garlic and lemon zest. Heat very gently for a few minutes ? the residual heat in the pan may be enough ? you just want to take the raw edge off the garlic and infuse the flavours into the oil.
Pour the infused oil over the courgettes. Add some salt and pepper, a little squeeze of lemon juice and the mint or basil. Toss together, cover and leave for 1 hour at room temperature.
Serve with the torn mozzarella scattered over it.
(A River Cafe recipe)