Balanced Diet Help?

newlywed

sali_mali wrote: »

Could anybody suggest some low fat sauces I could maybe use to make 'meat and two veg' type dishes more interesting? I could make a parsley sauce for white fish, but what could I use for chicken or salmon etc?

White sauce can be quite nice over salmon. I find with the roast veggies especially with cherry toms, you don't need too much sauce.

You could use soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and runny honey heated up over salmon, that's quite nice (roughly equal parts of each). I use similar for a stir fry sauce also, sometimes with a touch of ginger or chilli added.

For white fish I sometimes do a tomatoey type sauce, chopped onion fried to softened, tinned tomatoes or passata, soy sauce or worc sauce and touch of sugar. That kind of thing would go with the chicken too.

As for chicken - OH is a bisto lover so usually go for that with the veg

Nix143

Carbs are good! We need carbs as part of a balanced diet - but what are bad are refined carbs - pasta, bread, rice etc.
I've swapped out for wholegrain alternatives as much as possible if I am eating any of the above and key thing is low GI. You're looking to swap out as much as possible e.g. Porridge v. cereal/toast, Quinoa (which even tho is high in carbs is a complete protein as well, has all your essential amino acids in it) v. pasta/couscous


We generally use carbs for the 'full up' sensation and bulk of our meals and that threw me a little when I started eating healthily. Now I try to maximise my protein intake which is difficult if you are on a budget - lean white meat, quinoa, cottage cheese etc are good. Max out on veg - even though veg has carbs in it you can eat a shedload for very little calorie intake and this time of year is ideal for having lots of lovely appetising food on your plate. Last night I had oven baked salmon, steamed asparagus and mangetout, griddled courgettes and a big rocket salad. I was stuffed but that was a very healthy carb option.

If you do end up having pasta etc - WEIGH IT! Wooooooo, I had no idea how much I was actually eating until I started weighing everything out. If you have bread make sure it's wholegrain. Low GI carbs release their energy over a long period of time, high GI carbs will give you spikes of energy release and leave you craving more in a far shorter time after eating them.



I went off on that one a bit, didn't i? LOL. I'd give quinoa a bash purely because of the protein content, I think MrsM again has posted some recipes for using it. Also check out the weight loss thread as there are some great recipes on there (again MrsM is a bit of a star!)

Glad you're not cutting carbs completely though, we need them for a healthy, balanced diet. It's just knowing which carbs are the good lil carbs can make a heck of a difference

Good luck!

moanymoany

I've been thinking about this - mash is such a 'comforting' food - it doesn't need to be potatoes. A mix of mashed root veg and butternut squash will look and feel filling. Leave a little boiling water to use instead of milk or butter.

This can also be used for shepherds or fish pie.

I thicken sauces and stews with cornflour. Doesn't add too much in the way of carbs and calories. I really don't like thin runny sauces or gravy.

sallyrsm

I am currently doing a version of Atkins but without all the sat fat... if I want some "mash" I mash cooked cauliflower with a little creme fraiche, pepper and a spot of nutmeg... you can't taste the cauli taste hardly and it is filling.... My mum has a recipe for slimming world shepherds pie that uses mashed swede, but it's not as nice as mashed cauli.
I eat about 30 grams of carbs a day and I find I don't get hungry if I get lean protein.

pavlovs_dog

balanced diet? thats a bottle of vodka in each hand isnt it ?

on the saucy front... you'd be surprised (no, wait fellow student, so you probably wont be surprised ) how nice a bit of tommy k, brown sauce, mayo etc can be.

if you want something more substantial, a tomato sauce is easy to whizz up, and you can ring the changes by addig chilli to make it hot. cheese sauce is another easy option. BBQ sauce is great with chicken. im guessing you could also do something with pesto? honey and mustard mayo style dressing. there are loads of salad dressing out there too.

you could also look into salsas as an accompaniment, and marinades as a sauce alternative.

10past6

moanymoany wrote: »

A mix of mashed root veg and butternut squash will look and feel filling. Leave a little boiling water to use instead of milk or butter.

This can also be used for shepherds or fish pie.

Hi MM

May I ask, what is root veg and butternut squash, and how do I make "mash"?

Thanks

pavlovs_dog

root veg - veg that grows in the ground at the root of the plant - potatoes, parsnips, carrots, swede etc.

butternut squash is related to the pumpkin family. it has pale orange skin, and bright orange flesh, like a pumpkin. its quite sweet, and is lovely roasted :drool:


to make mash - just like you would mash potatoes, wash and peel the veg, chop into chunks, boil in water for approx 30 minutes or until tender. drain away the water. add a knob of butter to the pan and a splash of milk, and 'mash' the veg to a pulp, until it is smooth and creamy in texture. add more butter for a creamy taste. some people like to season it - salt and pepper is common, or nutmeg is very nice with swede.