THE BEST HEALTHY "FAKE"AWAY RECIPES

Hello everyone! I know i am not on my own when i say that they love a good takeaway from time to time, but don't love the calories that they contain. Ever since switching up my lifestyle and the way i eat, i barely eat takeaway or eat out in general and since doing so i have discovered a ton of different recipes on Pinterest, that are great healthy alternatives to our favourite takeaway food choices. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you a selection of my favourites, as they are not only a lot better for you but they also work out a lot less expensive in the long run than getting a takeaway would...

1. pizza

Pizza is one of my favourite foods ever and it just something i can't go without having on a regular basis, whether that be eating out or at home. Pizza can be super calorific (especially a naughty Domino's or Pizza Hut) but this doesn't have to be the case, so much so i have been having homemade pizzas at home for years now and i enjoy them so much more.

vegan caprese pizza - click for recipe

three ingredient sweet potato pizza base - click for recipe

easy healthy tortilla pizza - click for recipe

2. burger

Second close favourite in cheat meal favourites for me is a good burger and fries, especially if it contains cheese. It is quick and easy to head to McDonald's and get a heavy in calorie burger that won't fill you up but it won't be as satisfying as making your own at home for more than half the calories and will keep you full up for longer.

mushroom burgers with chickpeas - click for recipe

sweet potato quinoa burger - click for recipe

halloumi burger with sticky chilli sauce - click for recipe

3. indian and thai food/curry

I love nothing more than a good Indian takeaway from time to time and for me the spicier the better, but i do also love the classic tikka masala with a yummy naan bread to dip. Just like pretty much all restaurant/takeaway foods even these run high in calorie, which can be avoided by making your own at home.

chicken tikka masala - click for recipe

thai butternut squash red curry - click for recipe

thai noodle salad - click for recipe

sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry - click for recipe

4. mexican

A restaurant favourite of mine (Italian food aside) is definitely Mexican food, anything from fajitas to enchiladas and burritos which all happen to include tortilla wraps. Tortilla wraps if eaten more than one at a time can bump your calories up a fair bit, as most contain anything from 90-150 calories each. That being said limiting yourself to one or two over four, is a lot better.

shrimp sheet fajitas - click for recipe

mexican street style corn stuffed peppers - click for recipe

one pan mexican rice - click for recipe

cilantro lime shrimp tacos - click for recipe

xo.

AUTUMN RECIPES | HEALTHY DINNER IDEAS

Hello everyone! So when it comes around to this time of year, there is nothing better than having something warming yet delicious to eat for dinner. That being said just because it isn't summer anymore and you are going to want something a lot heartier, it doesn't mean it can't be healthy still because it can. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you some of my personal favourite healthy dinner ideas for autumn...

1. butternut squash and chickpea curry

So i recently picked up a copy of the October Slimming World magazine, not because i follow Slimming World unlike i know a lot of people do but because i have seen so many people create yummy syn friendly/free meals created by Slimming World and i wanted to give them a go. One recipe from the magazine that really caught my eye, is this delicious butternut squash and chickpea curry. Curry is a favourite of mine as i love anything spicy and it is perfect for autumn time, with some wholegrain rice or even lentils/bulgur wheat.

2. squash, spinach and walnut linguine

Next up is another squash inspired dish and actually a recipe from a blog post of mine from almost two years ago, still a firm favourite of mine during autumn/winter. This recipe is super simple yet super tasty and packed full of all the good stuff, the only thing i would say is if you are following a certain strict diet switch the olive oil up for a tiny amount of spray oil (which is what i now do also). 

3. one pan healthy sausage and roasted vegetables

This is a recipe that can be done with regular sausages or vegetarian sausages and definitely a favourite of mine, all year round not just autumn time. This can literally all just be thrown into one pan or a baking tray and be left to roast in the oven until cooked, not many dishes to wash afterwards either. Roasted veggies always have this beautiful taste to them, unlike when you would just boil them or steam them which makes them a lot more enjoyable to eat therefor you can get more veggies inside of you. 

4. sicilian-style salmon with garlic mushrooms

Fish dishes are another one of those perfect for autumn time, especially this salmon dish from the BBC food website which is paired with autumn style veggies and yummy garlic mushrooms. This dish is super quick to throw together, doesn't contain many ingredients but is still full of beautiful flavours and full of goodness. 

5. sweet potato + kale chilli

Just like curry to me chilli screams warming/hearty autumnal food, especially this delicious sweet potato and kale chilli inspired from Pinterest. I love how full of autumnal colours this dish is, with the orange of the sweet potatoes, green of the kale and deep red of the kidney beans. This is another one of those dishes that could be either served alone, with some rice or bulgur and if you have any left overs eaten alone is perfect for lunch time.

6. broccoli pasta bake

Two things i love to eat a lot are pasta and anything cheesy and i definitely limit the amount i have so much more than i would of in the past. That being said if you do cut down the amount you eat, a little once in a while will do you good as you do need some of the benefits from the two. Broccoli pasta bake is such a simple yet delicious meal that can be made/tweaked to your own specific diet. Cutting back of cheese and adding maybe some nutritional yeast as a substitute or even just bread crumbs, or a mixture is a great way to cut back on the calories yet you are still getting the same crusty topped effect. 

Want to finish your evening off with a low calorie/syn friendly snack/dessert? Catch up on my recent blog post sharing some of my favourites: here

xo.

SUMMER RECIPES I WANT TO TRY

Hello everyone! For today's post i am back with a food related post, more specifically to share with you some of the recipes i am excited to give a go this summer. I have done a similar style of post to this before, which you can catch up on here, if you didn't catch it first time round. Also whilst we are on the subject of food, i was thinking about doing a "what i ate in a day" post sometime soon, as i haven't done one for a while...

1. vegan roasted cauliflower bowl with tahini dressing

First up is this super quick summer perfect roasted bowl style dinner, which is full of veggie goodness and can be made in just 30 minutes. This is definitely one of those recipes, where you think how yummy it looks but then you discover there are one or two ingredients you don't like. That being said i think i would switch out the cauliflower and replace it with broccoli, as i hate cauliflower and i am also not a fan of avocado.

2.  satay sweet potato curry

As well as anything pasta related, i am also obsessed with curry/rice dishes and anything chilli flavoured in general. This particular curry from the BBC good food website looks like the perfect flavoured curry for the summer months, as it is a beautiful vibrant colour and it also has the coconut flavour to add to the mix. One of my favourite bases to have in curry is definitely potato or sweet potato, as well as spinach and chickpeas. Another great thing about this curry is that it comes in at under 400 calories, perfect if you are like me and are counting/watching those calories.

3. sun-dried tomato pesto pasta with roasted asparagus

Of course there was going to be a pasta dish on my to try list, especially as this is a pesto based pasta dish. This is definitely one of those recipes perfect for when you are pinched for time, as it is pretty much the case of just roasting the asparagus for 20 minutes just a little over the time it takes to boil the pasta and add all the ingredients together.

4. grilled spicy lime shrimp kebabs

When it comes to summer we can finally turn on the grill/barbecue and these spicy lime shrimp kebabs sound so good, especially if you served them with maybe some wraps, salad or even with some quinoa and veggies. This recipe is so straight forward as easy, as well as the cooking time being quick as shrimp/prawns don't take long to cook at all. This recipe would also work well with just veggies coated in the mix, or even chicken.   

5. spiced sausage hot pot

This is one of those dishes that sounds as if it should be a more winter style dish, yet to me the ingredients scream summer, especially because of the bulgur wheat base. This is also one of those dishes that could be tweaked to suit you, maybe by replacing the sausage with veggie sausages and the chicken stock pot for a veggie one. This is definitely on my high to try list, along with the satay sweet potato curry.

6. grillable veggie burger
Finally something that i love to eat all year round and that is veggie burger, yet the difference is that you can grill this one and still get that "barbecued burger" taste without the meat. This particular recipe looks super simple to make, as well as it being full of nutritious ingredients as one of these burgers contains 14g of protein. I also want to try out a falafel burger recipe, as i have had regular falafel's and loved them so burger form in bound to be just as good if not better.

 Catch up on a similar post HERE...

xo.