For the month-long plan, you should follow the five-day plan and mix and match
the choices for the Saturday and Sunday afterwards. Similarly, for the
following three weeks, you can choose any of the breakfasts and lunches from
the five-day plan and mix in with the lunch suggestions below. And in
addition to the five dinner recipes in the five-day plan, we are adding ten
more recipes below. These could make the basis for all your dinners for
weeks 2 and 3, and then you might want to revert to the five-day recipe plan
for week 4.
Over the one-month plan you can expect to lose 5lb in the first week and a
good 2lb for the following three, giving a total loss of at least 11lb. For
men following the four-week plan: if you get really hungry during weeks 2-4,
have a larger serving of carbohydrate with your meal. For example, a
slightly bigger serving of pasta or potatoes, an extra slice of sourdough
bread and some extra fruit such as a banana between meals to keep you going.
During the four weeks, all slimmers should still watch salt intakes and be
careful to avoid adding salt at the table and sticking where possible to as
few processed meals as you can.
On any day you can substitute any of these lunches with a baked potato with
reduced salt and sugar, “healthy eating”-style baked beans and a large mixed
salad, or an open sandwich using one slice of multigrain bread topped with
mustard and any roasted, lean, cold meat and slices of tomato and cucumber.
LUNCH
Avocado prawn wrap
A hunk of sliced iceberg lettuce
A tortilla wrap
100g small cooked prawns
60g peeled, chopped avocado
1 tomato, chopped
A spring onion chopped
Balsamic glaze
Place the lettuce in the middle of the wrap and lay on the prawns and avocado;
top with the tomatoes and onion and drizzle with the glaze; fold in the
sides of the tortilla and roll, cut in half and serve.
Pasta and tuna salad
70g of pasta twirls
100g tuna canned in spring water, drained
A tomato, diced
A small red onion finely chopped
A small, deseeded chilli (optional)
1tsp olive oil
1tsp balsamic glaze
Pinch of herb salt
In a pan of salted boiling water cook the pasta twirls according to packet
instructions.
Drain, run under cold water, drain again and set aside. In a bowl mix together
the tuna, tomato, red onion and chilli (optional).
Add the pasta, olive oil, balsamic syrup and season with herb salt. Mix again
and serve.
Salmon and potato salad
150g cooked new potatoes, drained, cooled and halved
½ red onion, thinly sliced
100g cooked salmon
1tsp olive oil
1 dessert spoon balsamic glaze
Freshly chopped parsley
¼ tsp medium-hot chilli sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly chopped parsley
In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, parsley, chilli sauce and
black pepper.
Combine potatoes, onion and salmon in a larger bowl. Pour over the dressing
and serve.
Chicken and spinach salad
75g washed baby-spinach leaves
1 tomato, chopped
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 small carrot, grated
Pinch of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic glaze
100g cooked, skinless chicken breast, sliced
1 slice sourdough bread
1 clove cut garlic (this is optional)
Mix the spinach, tomato, red onion and carrot and seasoning plus a little
balsamic glaze.
Mix in the chicken and set aside.
Grill one side of the sourdough bread until golden and rub lightly with the
cut side of clove of garlic.
Serve with the salad.
Gazpacho with multigrain bread
400ml gazpacho soup
Slice of multigrain or sourdough bread
Some reduced-fat mayonnaise
100g lean roasted chicken or turkey
Serve the soup and eat. Follow with a slice of granary or sourdough bread
spread with a little reduced-fat mayonnaise and topped with slices of lean,
roasted chicken or turkey.
DINNER
Steamed lemon sole fillet and sautéed bean sprouts
160g skinless lemon sole fillet
Salt & pepper
2 slices lemon
90g sprouting beans
2 cloves crushed garlic
1tbsp balsamic syrup
100g bean sprouts
1tbsp chopped parsley
150g new potatoes
1tsp freshly chopped mint
In a saucepan of boiling water cook the potatoes until done to your liking.
Once cooked, drain and place in a bowl with a little butter. Using a fork,
roughly mash them and then add a little sea salt, black pepper and finally
the mint. Set aside.
Bring a pan of water to the boil and either place a colander or sieve on top
or use a steamer. Season the sole with salt and black pepper, top with lemon
slices. Wrap the sole in tin foil and place the parcel into the steamer or
colander. Cover with lid and steam for 5 mins.
Meanwhile, place a large frying pan on a high heat and brush the pan lightly
with oil. Add the sprouting beans and sauté quickly, adding the crushed
garlic and balsamic syrup; add the bean sprouts and continue to cook for a
minute. Add chopped parsley. Serve on plate topped with the unwrapped sole
fillet and garnished with the crushed potatoes.
Beef stir-fry
140g of cubed lean beef
1 small crushed garlic clove
1 small chopped green chilli
Big handful of steamed broccoli florets
1 small carrot cut into matchstick size
40g peas (cooked according to the packet instruction)
1 portion of boil-in-the-bag wholegrain rice (62.5g)
Soy sauce
1 dessert spoon freshly chopped coriander
In a wok add 1 dessert spoon of olive oil and sauté the beef and carrots over
a medium heat. After 5 mins add the crushed garlic clove, chilli and the
broccoli florets. Continue to sauté for a further 7–10 mins. Meanwhile, boil
the rice according to the instructions. Once cooked, set aside. Add the rice
to the stir-fry along with the peas, and mix together for a few minutes and
then add a little soy sauce, mix together for a further 2min and finally add
the coriander and serve.
Chicken thighs roasted with shallots
150g skinless chicken thighs
1tsp coarse-grain mustard
1tbsp Worcester sauce
1 small crushed garlic clove
1 peeled garlic clove
1 small bay leaf
Herb salt
4 red onions, peeled and quartered
80g frozen broad beans
Preheat the oven to 200C. Make a marinade with the mustard, Worcester sauce,
peeled garlic, bay leaf, and herb salt. Put your chicken in the marinade and
leave for 1 hour. Place the onions in an oven-proof dish and lay the chicken
on top. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 25 mins. Then remove
foil and cook for a further 10 mins or until fully cooked and the juices run
clear. While the chicken is at the last stage of cooking place a nonstick
frying pan on a medium heat. Add a tbsp of olive oil and the clove of
garlic. Sauté the crushed garlic until it starts to brown. Remove from the
oil. Then add the frozen broad beans. Sauté the beans until the water has
evaporated. Season to taste. Serve with the chicken along with crisp iceberg
lettuce drizzled with some balsamic glaze.
Lamb cutlet with roasted apple rings
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into rings
160g lamb steak
1tsp herb salt
200g washed baby spinach
1 clove garlic
1tsp of lemon juice
1 slice rye bread
Rub the apple rings and lamb with a little olive oil, then place the apple
rings in a nonstick oven tray. Place the lamb on top and sprinkle with the
herb salt. Place tray in a preheated oven set at 200C for 12 mins or until
the juices run clear. Once cooked, set aside loosely covered with some foil.
In a saucepan add 1 dessert spoon of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the
garlic over a medium heat. Once the garlic begins to change colour add the
spinach and cover tightly. Cook over a low heat for 3-4 mins. Remove the
lid, season and add the lemon juice. Turn the heat up and sauté for a
further 2 mins stirring continuously. While putting the food on a plate
lightly toast or char-grill the rye bread and rub with a little garlic.
Serve alongside the lamb and spinach.
Slow-roasted salmon with cucumber dill salsa
For the salad:
¼ cucumber
1 pinch salt
120g low-fat plain yogurt
1tsp roughly chopped fresh dill
Pinch sugar
½ tsp finely grated orange zest
Pinch cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
For the fish:
120g salmon fillet, skinned
Pinch of ground turmeric
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
70g uncooked tagliatelle
2tsps extra virgin olive oil
1tsp lemon juice
1 dessert spoon of freshly chopped basil
For the salad: quarter the cucumber lengthways and remove the seeds, but leave
on the skin. Thinly slice the cucumber and mix with the salt in a colander.
Set in the sink for about 1 hour to drain. Meanwhile, place the yoghurt in a
coffee filter-lined strainer and set over a bowl to drain for about 1 hour.
Rinse the cucumber with cold running water. Press down on the cucumber to
extract as much liquid as possible and pat dry. Toss the cucumber with the
drained yoghurt, dill, sugar, orange zest and cayenne and season with pepper
to taste.
Lightly sprinkle the salmon all over with a pinch of turmeric and rub in
slightly to coat evenly. Season salmon with salt and pepper and place on a
very lightly oiled oven-proof nonstick pan. Roast the salmon in preheated
oven set at 130C, turning the pieces carefully with a spatula after about 10
mins, until just cooked through – about 20 mins in all. (Slow-roasted salmon
looks bright orange when done and will be luscious in the centre.) While the
salmon is approximately 15 mins from being ready boil a saucepan of salted
water and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Once
the pasta is cooked, drain and put it in a bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon
juice and basil to the pasta and mix together.
Serve the cucumber salad on a plate topped with the salmon and garnished with
the pasta.
Chilli prawns with sugar snap peas and noodles
120g uncooked king prawns
70g precooked noodles
60g sugar snaps peas
1 spring onion, cut into 4-5cm lengths
1 dessert spoon sweet sherry
1 small deseeded, sliced red chilli
1 small crushed garlic
1 lemon wedge
1 dessert spoon extra virgin olive oil
In a large frying pan or wok heat the oil over a medium to high heat and add
the sugar snap peas and chilli. Sauté for 2-3 mins stirring continuously.
Then add the crushed garlic and the prawns. Cook for a further 2 mins and
then add the sherry and stir fry for about a minute before adding the
noodles and spring onions. Make sure the noodles have heated through, which
will take another minute on a high heat. Serve with some lemon juice
squeezed over your noodles.
Roasted asparagus with bacon and egg
6 asparagus spears (English when in season), broken by hand into 3-4 cm pieces
2 rashers of either smoked or unsmoked lean bacon
1 large boiled egg (not completely hard, 6-7 mins)
70g drained and rinsed butter beans
75g mixed leaf lettuce
Balsamic glaze
Preheat the oven to 225C. Brush the asparagus with olive oil and season
lightly with sea salt and black pepper. Place in a small oven-proof dish and
roast for approx 6 mins, until they are cooked but still retain a bite.
While the asparagus is in the oven, grill the bacon and cut into smallish
pieces and set aside. Remove the shell from the egg and cut into pieces
carefully. To serve, arrange your lettuce in a pasta bowl then add the
bacon, eggs and asparagus. Before adding the beans, put them into the dish
in which you roasted the asparagus, add just a touch of extra virgin oil and
stir around, just to take the chill out of the beans. Then add to the salad,
drizzle some balsamic glaze over the top and serve.
Scallops and broad bean salad
100g scallops
50g broad beans
50g peas
1 sliced spring onion
6 chopped mint leaves
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 slices Parma ham
Juice of half a lemon
Boil the peas and broad beans according to the instructions on the packet.
Once cooked, refresh in cold water and drain any excess water and peel the
broad beans. Mix together in a serving dish with the spring onion and
chopped mint leaves, add the olive oil, season with sea salt and black
pepper and arrange on a plate. Brush a nonstick frying pan with olive oil
and cook the scallops over a high heat, also add the Parma ham cut into
small pieces. Once the scallops have caramelised on both sides, which should
take about 45 secs each side, depending on how big they are, season and
arrange on top of the salad. Add the bits of Parma ham and drizzle over some
of the lemon juice and serve immediately.
Roasted red peppers stuffed with breadcrumbs, anchovies, black olives,
chillies and garlic
4 large firm red peppers
150g breadcrumbs
3tbsp flat parsley
9 salted anchovy fillets
2tbsp capers (rinsed)
1 green chilli with stem removed
2 small cloves of peeled garlic
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
120g whole pitted black olives
25g grated parmesan cheese
Place all of the ingredients in a blender, pulse for five secs and repeat 2–4
times to get a texture that is still coarse and not completely pulsed. Each
pepper must have the core removed. Do this by cutting a 1cm circle around
the top of the stalk. Remove “lid”. Scoop out the seeds carefully from the
inside without puncturing the pepper wall. Divide breadcrumb mix into four
and carefully fill each pepper. Replace pepper “lid”. Rub with olive oil and
place upright on a baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 160C for 50
mins. Check pepper is soft and then remove. Leave to cool to room
temperature. Serve with a big green salad.
Sweet potato mash with garlic, chilli, olive oil and fried egg
3 medium-sweet potatoes
2 eggs
Large bunch of flat parsley, stems removed, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 green chilli, finely chopped
20ml olive oil
Rub the sweet potato with oil, wrap each one in foil and cook in a preheated
oven at 200C for approximately 50 mins or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, gently heat a dessert spoon of the oil in a very small pan. Add the
garlic as the oil is heating. As soon as the garlic starts to go golden
brown, remove immediately from the heat and set aside. When potatoes are
cooked, peel and scoop the insides into a serving bowl. Put the remaining
oil in a nonstick frying pan and fry the chilli and eggs. Mash the sweet
potatoes with a hand blender. Add the garlic plus the chilli and fried eggs
and using a knife and fork, roughly cut up the egg mixture to break them
down. Add 90 per cent of the chopped parsley and with hand blender mix
again. Serve garnished with remaining parsley, ideally with a side dish of
tomato and onion salad dressed with just a little balsamic glaze.
www.amandaursell.com
EXERCISE
Weight programmes of 30 to 40 mins and circuit classes four days a week over 4
weeks, will change your shape. Variation is key to maintain motivation, so
substitute some days with press-ups and a run from home. The most obvious
changes will be on your stomach and in your face.
Rochelle Healy, trainer
