For the first time, the reality of the cold hit this morning when ice prevented my housemate from getting to work as normal. You’ve maybe been there… you’re in a rush, kiddos need to be dropped to nursery, you’ve got toast in one hand and the winter coat dragging by you in the other. Rush, rush, rush…
Then… ‘oh great’ – you are forced to sit in the car for 10 minutes waiting for the ice to defrost, twiddling your fingers and rubbing your hands together to get a small amount of warmth.
Last weekend we headed down to Cribbs Causeway where they’ve got the xmas an ice rink setup – pretty damn cool (and cold). Needless to say, I’m not very good at it but I gave it a good go. The fear of having my fingers sliced off by a speeding 4 year old always lurks in the back of my head. Talking of ice, have you been watching Frozen Planet on the beeb? How amazing is that show! Facebook goes crazy about dying baby penguins though – it’s one of the few shows that gets me away from my ipad when I’m sat on the sofa chatting to everyone on the facebook page.
Being held up by my friend's daughter when ice skating.... lol
Apparently the kids are meant to sit on these and be pushed! Strangely it didn't move much!
Still it was good fun and I hope you’re doing some exciting things for Christmas shopping. Of course, this is one of those times where snacking in a rush and on the go can lead to an overload of calories, so making informed choices when out in shopping centres is a must. Where other members of the family might want to hit some of the big chains, it’s important to make a split decision to be healthy or make healthier choices where you are. Just a gentle reminder 
Okay, so I’m constantly asked about ways to adapt The Lunch Box Diet – a lot of people ask whether you can have a hot lunch box and then others were asking about soups. I had a long hard think about it and decided that Lunch Box Diet: Slim Soups should be born. Why?
Well, it’s my intention to keep the diet plan along the same path as its always been – about eating little and often to balance blood sugar, so you’re not hungry and making it as easy and possible with no stress. Of course with more energy and no calorie counting etc. You won’t find me releasing or promoting anything that’s too extreme or doesn’t fall in line with the way I think about nutrition and fitness.
I figured that the same concept of the key groups to the Lunch Box Diet could be adapted to Slim Soups, ensuring you get the perfect combination of vegetables, protein and active carbs if you’re being more active, which of course, I hope you are.
Now, when would you use these soups? There are a couple of options I’ve also outlined in the ebook:
- As a replacement for your lunch box (for example, give yourself a 7 day Slim Soups detox from time to time, this keeps the diet more varied and will accelerate your fat loss)
- As an evening meal
- You could even replace your breakfast with a soup
- As a great weekend snack (I love soup on a Sunday, has always seemed to be something we did from a young age).
Of course there are loads of benefits of having soup as part of your diet plan, especially in this weather!
- Easily digestible, if you know someone who’s having health problems and finds it hard to chew, soups are a great option to assist with weight loss.
- Did you know that eating hot soup and breathing in the steam can help to decongest the respiratory system – so great for colds!
- Digested more quickly, so if you’re off to the gym or to exercise, you can have soup sooner and not have to worry about feeling bloated when you train.
I’ve listed three recipes from Lunch Box Diet: Slim Soups which you can get here or on kindle here below – there are 50 included in the ebook. Enjoy these winter warmers and keep your weight down, yey!
Happy cooking! If you like this sort of thing, please do show me you’re reading this on the comments, it lets me know what to give you more of and what to avoid, plus your opinions, ideas and thoughts are always really important to me. x
Chick Pea Siesta
Group A
160 g or 6 oz of fresh baby spinach
150 g or 1 cup courgettes
150 g or 1 cup mangetout
Group B
130 g or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
Group C
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 thinly sliced green onions
950 ml or 2 pints of low sodium chicken stock
2 cups water
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
30 g or 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Group D
170 g or 3/4 cup uncooked whole grain orzo or wild rice
Method: Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add garlic and onions, sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken stock and the water and bring to a boil. Add orzo or wild rice, lemon rind, chickpeas, courgettes and mangetout. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until orzo or wild rice is done. Stir in oregano and all other ingredients. Cook for another 3 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese (optional)
Earth Stew
Group A
1 large courgette – diced
2 medium carrots – diced
2 leeks chopped
300 g or 2 cups of mangetout peas
6 medium tomatoes – diced
1 small aubergine diced
Group B
440 g or 2 cups of cooked or tinned chickpeas.
75 gms 1 cup cooked Lima beans
Group C
1475 ml or 3 pints of s vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried herbs (parsley, basil or oregano)
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 large onion – minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
Group D
1 sweet potato diced
Method: Sauté onions, garlic and beans in oil. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add vegetables, rosemary and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Leave to simmer, stirring every 5 minutes. Add water if the soup gets too thick. Cook until vegetables are tender. Serve with cracked black/white pepper and croutons.
Chic Chicken
Group A
1 medium carrot sliced
1 medium turnip quartered and then sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
Group B
1 skinless boneless chicken breast cut in strips
Group C
1 spring onion
Water
Salt to taste
240 ml or half a pint of low sodium chicken stock
140 g or 1 cup of uncooked small whole wheat/grain/vegetable pasta or noodles of your choice
2 cloves garlic crushed
Chives to garnish.
Cooking spray
Group D
1 medium potato diced
Method: Spray stockpot with cooking spray and sauté chicken breast for 5 minutes or until opaque. Add chicken stock and vegetables. Grate the spring onion and add to pot with crushed garlic. Cover vegetables with water about 1/3 above vegetable level. Cover and let simmer on medium to low flame. Once the vegetables are half cooked, add pasta and continue cooking until pasta is “al dente”. If the water has evaporated too much add a little for your own desired consistency. Salt to taste and serve with chopped chives on top with a salad on the side.
Serves 3 – 4
Tags: Beeb, Blood Sugar, Calorie Counting, Calories, Causeway, Christmas Shopping, Diet Plan, Facebook, Fingers, Gentle Reminder, Good Fun, Hot Lunch, Housemate, Ice Skating, Intention, Ipad, Low Fat, Lunch Box, Members Of The Family, Penguins, Planet Ice, Planet Photos, Rush Rush, Shopping Centres, Silly Photos, Skating Photos, Sofa, Soup Recipes, Soups, Split Decision, Toast, Warmth, Winter Coat, Xmas
Leave A Reply (No comments So Far)