18 June 2012

Dinner plans

In order to lose weight, you can't just rely on any diet. As someone at the gym told me today, losing weight happens when you focus on what you shouldn't eat, and just don't eat those. (or as my grandmother used to say, every pound goes through the mouth. It's better in Dutch, it rhymes.) Now, I think there's far more to it than that (otherwise, dieticians would not exist), but it's a start. So I have decided that the first four weeks, I will focus on those things that I ate that I shouldn't, and simply not eat those things. No more crisps or bowls of peanuts at 11 pm, or second helpings of lasagna, or cleaning out the pans after dinner because throwing it away would be a waste. No open bags of M&M's within hand's reach when I'm behind the PC, especially when I'm working on a website or gaming. Those geeky hobbies of mine are killer on the thighs...

No, instead, I will be feasting on fresh food. Tomatoes, carrots, apple, cherries... Any craving I can't shrug off (I'm going to focus on that as well) I will quench with veggies and fruit.

But that's not the only adjustment I will make to my eating patterns. I want to focus on healthy cooking, low-fat and tasty without too much fuss so we can commit to it. Because I'm also cooking for my boyfriend, I want to make sure that I don't deprive him of his favourite meals (though I am hoping I can make him some new ones!), but I will make healthy adjustments to them. Add a salad to the lasagna, so instead of pigging out on cheese-covered pasta, I can feast on greens. Leave out the potatoes. Roast meat in the oven, instead of baking it in a butter or oil-laden pan.

I want to know what kind of difference a different eating style will make on my weight. So these next four weeks, I will mainly work on getting fit by reducing the amount of food, and the bad foods, I eat, or replacing them with healthy alternatives.

My first step has been made with tonight's meal: We had a delicious chicken rollatini and a green salad for dinner.


Chicken rollatini (makes 4 small rollatinis)
based on a recipe by Skinnytaste.com

2 chicken breasts
a handful of cherry tomatoes
1 ball of mozzarella (light, if you are so inclined)
3 sprigs of spring onion
salt
pepper
toothpicks
oil (olive) to spray or brush on

Preheat your oven to 175 C.
Slice your tomatoes into quarters, slice out the seeds. Slice your spring onions. Slice your mozzarella thinly, or shred it.
Take your chicken breasts and clean them up. Open them up (unfold it) and cut it, lengthwise, in two thinner cutlets. Pound them out until they are even in thickness and, if possible, size. Lay it on your cutting board, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and place slices of mozzarella, tomato and onions on top so it makes a thin layer. Remember, a little goes a long way, and you need to be able to roll or fold! Carefully roll up your chicken cutlets, starting from a smaller side and rolling halfway, then fold up the other end until it meets. Secure with toothpicks.
Place the chicken rollatinis on a lightly oiled baking sheet and spray or brush with a bit more oil. Sprinkle on some more salt and pepper.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes in the oven. And don't forget to take the toothpicks out before you eat!

I served this with a simple green salad.

2 comments:

  1. ok, i am probably going to comment on all your posts here - i hope this is ok! I find the topic very interesting and am keen to see what others are doing!

    I agree with not eating the crap - I'm trying to do that too. I don't buy anything in the weekly shop anymore. I have this problem of buying stuff just because it's on special. And I try to brush my teeth straight after dinner, because that dissuades me from eating anything after.

    The rollatinis look great - I am going to give them a go!!

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    1. Comment away ;) I hope to spark up some discussion because it's a diverse topic, and everyone's experiences are different.

      That brushing teeth after dinner thing is a great idea! I try to only drink water anyway, so I can still drink plenty, but that will stop me from eating anything. (or at least more than 1 thing, in case I forgot :P)

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