Semolina and Spinach Congee

around 55 calories

Bring 2 cups water to a boil.
Add 1 cup finely chopped spinach (20 cal) and 1 tbsp well (dry) roasted semolina (35 cal), along with some grated ginger, green chilli, salt, asafoetida powder and simmer until semolina is cooked.
Drink it hot like a congee.

Carrot Coriander soup for breakfast or lunch : 57 calories

RECIPE FOR A 57 CALORIE CARROT CORIANDER SOUP
Equipment required: Small pressure cooker

85 gram sliced carrot (1 medium carrot, peeled)
65 gram diced pumpkin (2 medium slices of a disco pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed)
1.5 cups water
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped coriander
rock salt 
Pressure cook all of the above for 2-3 whistles.
Remove when cooled and blend with some more coriander leaves.
Add lots of black pepper and simmer with some more water
Makes a large 400 ml mug of soup


Calories 57
Fiber 4 g
Protein 1.4 g


You can reduce the coriander quantity if you wish, but it adds a ton of flavour in the absence of using any oil or butter. Quite a filling mug to tide over breakfast and lunch.
You can make double the quantity and drink a mug each during breakfast and lunch time - damages of 115 calories only, leaving you 375+ for dinner.

Zucchini and tofu stew - 5:2 recipe - 160 calories

100 gram zucchini-16 cal
75 gram tofu -100 cal
35 gram bell pepper- 10 cal
1 jalapeno - 4 cal
1 tbsp Splitz tomato paste - 20 cal
1 garlic clove 
1/4 tsp oil -10 cal

160 calories

Heat oil, fry garlic, add all ingredients and saute until tofu is golden.
Add salt, turmeric powder, pinch of red chilli powder, 1 cup water and simmer for 2-3 minutes 

Week 4 /Fast 7 - recipe for a vegetarian 220 cal dinner

Am quite looking forward to mondays - my day of healing, learning to love the hunger pangs and the (hopefully) shrinking waistline from it all :)

Morning-Afternoon 3 teas with 8 tsp milk in all (24 cal)

Drinking a lot of cucumber-mint-ginger flavoured water

Afternoon - Saffola Veggie Twist Masala Oats (157 cal) with 10 cal worth greens chopped up
(167 cal)

Dinner - Mung sprout sprout with mixed veggies on the side
 (Quite unbelievable at ~220 calories (actual calorie count comes to 208, but I added an extra 12 calories for misc spice powders etc.)

For the Mung sprouts pancake (Pesarattu) - 76 cals
Ingredients
100 grams Mung sprouts - 31 calories 
Ginger+ green chilli - 5 cal
1 tsp oil - 40 cal 


How to:

Grind the moong sprouts, ginger, chilli with some salt and water to form a pancake batter.

On a non stick skillet, make one large pancake-a few drops of oil on this side. After 3-4 min on medium flame, flip over the golden side and turn and cook the other side. 

Cook on both sides and serve warm.

Fat-Free Dry Mixed Veg Curry (73 cals) or  132 cals with yogurt-pomegranate 

Ingredients
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp each cumin seeds, mustard seeds
100 gram cauliflower -25 cal (broken into small florets- wash well and keep aside)

1 carrot small - 20 cal

1 cup chopped red cabbage  -28 cal

Coriander powder 1 tsp

Chili powder 1/4 tsp

turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Curry powder 1 tsp

salt
water

to Serve2 tbsp Yogurt -50 cal
1 tbsp Pomegranate seeds  - 9 cals

How to make curry

In a wok, dry fry the chopped garlic, cumin and mustard seeds, until mustard pops. 

Add the cauliflower, carrot and cabbage - spice powders, toss well.

Add 1/4 cup water - cover and cook on low flame until done and water has evaporated.

Garnish with fresh coriander or some crushed kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

I had this with a small dollop of yogurt topped with a few pomegranate seeds 

Count for the day is ~450 calories

Week 3 / Fast 6

Morning - 2 cups tea (2 tsp milk) 6 cal each - 12 cal
Coffee - 4 tsp milk- 15 cal
Homemade rasam - one mug - 60 cal
Afternoon - 1 cup tea with 2 Marie Biscuits (6+37) 43 cal

I have 370 cals left for dinner
YAY

REALLY SEXY VEGGIE-LENTIL-TOFU STEW
235 calories

100 gram Zucchini (17 cal) - diced
100 gram red cabbage (30 cal) -shredded
40 gram onion (1 small) 18 cal - sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste (15 cal)
100 gram tofu (75cal) - cubed
2 tbsp yellow split moong dal (75 cal) - wash well and drain
1 garlic clove - finely minced
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 Thai chillies
1 maggi stock cube (5 cal)

In a pan, dry saute cumin until it smells smoky. Add the sliced onion, chillies and garlic and dry saute on low flame till slightly soft. Add 2 tbsp water and salt, saute some more.
Add all the remaining ingredients, 2 cups water, cover and cook on a low flame for 15 minutes or until the dal is cooked.

A sample feast day

Yesterday's fast day clocked well under 400 cals! Am i pleased or what. Since I had started the fast around 5.30 pm on the previous day (having skipped dinner) - I could eat something as soon as I woke up in the morning.

6.30 am - slice of banana bread baked the previous day

7 am - ginger chai with 1 tsp REAL sugar :D

9 am- 2 Pesarattu with a bit of jaggery and milagai podi with oil

11 am - another chai - no sugar

1pm - lunch will be Beans usili, broken wheat, keerai -vendhaya kozhambu

Fast 5 / Week 3

Morning drink - green tea (0 cal)

Mid morning drink - ginger tea with 2 tsp milk (6 cal)

12noon - Knorr cuppa magic masala - 60 cal

1 pm - Very thin buttermilk - 25 cal

Afternoon: Coffee with 4 tsp milk - 12 cal
Green tea

My fast day dinner salad - 172 cal
2 boiled eggs -132 cals
40 gram rocket- 10 cals
1 tomato (60g) 10 cals
2 tbsp yogurt-mint-red wine-lemon vinegar dressing ~20 cal

Since I've had only 100 cal since morning, i had 400 calories available for dinner- wondering what to eat/drink now for leftover 228 calories  I feel so happy about this  

Jamie Oliver's recipe http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/zingy-fat-free-dressing - do try this dressing, it's fab for fast days, zero oil.

Fast 3/Week 2

TOTAL TALLY FOR THE DAY - 442 CAL plus ended up tasting some food i was cooking, so kept it 50 cal less than target 500



Morning tea: 15 cal

Late breakfast: 165 cal
My BIG bowl of breakfast today:
Mixed up 1 pack (40g) Saffola Plain masala Oats (152 cal)
1 chopped garlic (negligible)
Handful of lettuce chopped + 1 piece zucchini grated (10-15 cal)
Microwaved with 2 cups water for 3 minutes
Squeeze of lemon
SO DELICIOUS - okay may be a little over 160, but the lettuce and zucchini add so much bulk with negligible calories (lettuce 1 cup chopped is 8 cals) and 1 cup zucchini is 20cals
And garlic and lemon are flavour bombs- SO important to add a ton of flavour when you eating less and cooking with no oil. These ready flavoured Oats packets are lifesavers-but they are quite high on salt so making them into a soup with lots of water dilutes the salt effect considerably, also when you add in some chopped leaves/veggies.

Afternoon tea - 10 cal
Evening tea-10 cal

Munchies - 3 Monaco biscuits (salt crackers) 42 cal
Dinner: 225 cal
2 eggs - 66x2=135 cal
1 tsp oil=40 cal
Veggies (yellow cherry tomatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper sauteed with garlic) 50 cal

Fast 1/Week 1 - Indian vegetarian diet

TEA - 6 calories
Tetley Earl Grey tea in one cup boiling water. Steep for 2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons 3% milk  (60 cal/100ml) 

PRE WORKOUT - 10 calories
1 tbsp homemade skimmed yogurt plus 1 cup water, ice, black salt 

BREAKFAST - 165 calories

Saffola Masala Oats- Pepper Curry flavour (154 calories) with one chopped tomato (60grams) 11 calories 
Put the two together in a microwave safe bowl with 1.5 cups of water and microwave for 3 minutes. 
A soupy consistency means increased volume and also cuts down the very high salt content of this ready pack.

Coffee at lunch time with 4 tsp milk (12 cal)

Chai at chai time with 3 tsp milk (10 cal)

Sub 300 cal dinner - Mine is 263 calories

1 boiled egg(~46 grams) (66 cal) +
1 cuppa Knorr Mast Masala soup (60 cals) +
50 grams tofu (RK brand- 67cal) + 1cup carrot salad (50cals) with 2 tsp soy-honey-ginger dressing (20 cals)

TOTAL TALLY FOR TODAY 466 CALORIES :D