Healthy dinner ideas

As the weather gets colder, we all tend to reach for the comfort food. Big bowls of creamy pasta, rounds of hot buttered toast, bar after bar of chocolate… It’s no wonder so many of us put on weight over the winter. But your waistline doesn’t have to suffer just because you want something warming and satisfying for supper. Make a few simple dinner swaps and you can have your favourite comfort food, but without all the calories…

1 SWAP CREAMY CHICKEN SOUP FOR VEGETABLE SOUP

Creamy soups are wonderfully comforting, but you can pay a heavy price on your hips. A hearty vegetable soup has the same warming feeling, but without calorie laden cream it’s much easier on your figure. This soup swaps animal protein for low calorie vegetarian protein from lentils. 

Red pepper and lentil soup
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Half a small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 deseeded roasted red peppers
2 sticks of celery
500g plum tomatoes
1 tin of lentils
400ml vegetable stock
1 chilli
1 tbsp creme fraiche

Method
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, fry the onion, garlic and celery until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes, puree with a hand blender until smooth. Garnish with creme fraiche and serve.

2 SWAP THICK-CRUST PIZZA FOR PIZZA OMELETTE

Thick-crust pizza is a calorie nightmare. Not only is there a mountain of saturated fat in the cheesy topping, the crust is a major carb attack. Swap it for a pizza omelette and you halve the calories, while the eggs will stabilise your blood sugar, making it less likely you’ll crave more sugar later.  

Pizza omelette

Olive oil cooking spray
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper
Cherry tomatoes
Sliced vegetables of your choice (onions, peppers, courgettes) pre-cooked 
25g grated cheese

Method
Spritz a non-stick frying pan with olive oil spray. When it’s hot, put in the eggs, salt and pepper and make an omelette. Don’t flip over. Spread the omelette with the tomato sauce, veg and cheese. Put this under a warm grill until the cheese is bubbling hot.

3 SWAP A TAKEAWAY KORMA FOR LOW FAT THAI GREEN CURRY

Curries can pile on the pounds, especially if you choose one with a creamy sauce and add a pile of rice. Swap your usual takeaway for a home-made curry and stay in control of the ingredients. 

Low fat thai green curry

1 cooked chicken breast
1 pack supermarket stir-fry vegetables
1 can low-fat coconut milk
2tsp green curry paste
2tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Thai fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime

Method:
Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan, then simmer until the coconut milk is reduced by a third. Easy!

4 SWAP SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE FOR VEGGIE PASTA

Spaghetti Bolognese is classic comfort food, often because we were fed it as children. However, the sauce can be very high in fat and it is easy to overdo the spaghetti. By swapping normal pasta for ribbons of courgette, you slash the calories and carbs. Changing minced beef for a low-fat cheese sauce also reduces the saturated fat.

Veggie pasta with spinach, basil and cheese sauce

2 large courgettes, cut into thin ribbons
Olive oil cooking spray
1 garlic clove, crushed
Half bag fresh spinach
Pinch nutmeg
50g low-fat cottage/cream cheese
Salt and pepper
Handful of chopped fresh basil, pus whole leaves to garnish

Method
Plunge the courgette ribbons into boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and keep warm. Spray a non-stick frying pan with olive oil spray, fry the onion and garlic. Add the spinach, cheese, salt and pepper. When it has made a sauce, turn off the heat, stir in the basil and the courgette pasta. Garnish with basil leaves. 

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