Month: January 2020

Fast Chicken Fajitas – TGI Fridays on a diet


Chicken fajitas

TGI Fridays was a regular destination for me when I lived in Sheffield, but as much as I loved the food it didn’t love my waistline or wallet! Fast Chicken Fajitas from the Hairy Dieters is about as close as I can get to re-creating the TGI effect when watching my weight and can be rustled up for around £2 per person.

This recipe is perfect for a Friday night when you’re fancying a ‘treat’ without resorting to a takeaway and only takes about 10 minutes to cook. I recommend prepping the ingredients in advance and then you can literally throw everything into the pan.

Fancying a Mexican love-in? Why not incorporate Breakfast Omelette Burritos and Chilli Con Carne into your weekly menu? Continue reading “Fast Chicken Fajitas – TGI Fridays on a diet” →

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Breakfast Omelette Burritos – burriliant!


Breakfast burrito

I haven’t got round to sampling many dishes from the Hairy Dieters’ most recent book, Make it Easy, but Breakfast Omelette Burritos caught my eye and has become a regular which my son Will absolutely loves.

At 447 calories per serving you might be better off having this as an occasional treat, or perhaps as a weekend brunch dish. Mustard with sausages and bacon? Well, why the hell not, it will certainly give your morning a bit of a kick!

As the instructions below outline, patience is definitely a virtue so do cook the egg very slowly otherwise your wrap will disintegrate when you come to lift it out of the pan. I’ve just about got the knack down to a tee now – perhaps I’ve made this too often? Continue reading “Breakfast Omelette Burritos – burriliant!” →

Pollo pasta with pesto – Friday night sorted


Pollo chicken

If I’m going to cheat on my diet then I’m most susceptible on a Friday night when I’m tired after work and can’t be arsed cooking. Pollo pasta with pesto from Justine Pattison is a great fallback option when I’m on the verge of calling Just Eat, can be on the table within half an hour and tastes fantastic. Even better, it costs just over a quid per serving to make!

Calories wise this recipe is quite high at 498, but you’ll save a few if you omit the single cream and remember this is still much better than scoffing a takeaway. I’ve always got chicken, mushrooms, pesto, pasta and sundried tomatoes to hand so this meal has become one of my favourite ‘store cupboard saviours’. Continue reading “Pollo pasta with pesto – Friday night sorted” →

Low-cal chicken tikka masala – worth stripping off for!


Chicken tikka

It’s January. I’m skint and that, combined with my need to sift some post-Christmas ‘timber’, means that Indian takeaways are firmly off the menu for now. Thankfully, low-cal chicken tikka masala from the Hairy Dieters is a brilliant ‘plan B’. In fact, it tastes so good that this could become ‘plan A’ going forward.

Do take the trouble to marinate the chicken overnight if you can as the flavours, particularly the ginger, intensify which makes the end result really satisfying. Personally, I left the salt out of this dish because I’m not a fan and I don’t think the recipe needs it but see what you think. Please note, the calories listed below DO NOT include rice or naan. A small piece of naan bread satisfies me when mopping up the sauce and the dish will still come in at under 500 cals.

Prep does take a while but this is a doddle to make. The only ‘health and safety’ precaution I need to make is to momentarily ‘strip off’ when blending the sauce with a stick blender as I tend to get it all down my top and up the walls if I’m not careful. It’s not just me, right? Continue reading “Low-cal chicken tikka masala – worth stripping off for!” →