Diets A-Z: The little black dress diet

The Little Black Dress Diet

Week 1
Day 1
Breakfast

Two slices of mixed grain seedy bread, toasted, with reduced fat olive spread and a teaspoon or two of high fruit jam.

Snack
Carton of fruit juice and an apple.

Lunch
Ready-to-go soup - any vegetable or lentil/bean soup is fine as long as it isn't creamy. We like Celeriac mash, Chilli beef, Malaysian chicken, Sausage hotpot and sweet pepper from Pret a Manger but your local should have other good options too.

Snack
Low fat probiotic yoghurt

Dinner
Spicy veggie chilli:
Put four level tablespoons of brown rice on to boil - this will take about 40 minutes to cook while you make the chilli.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add a small chopped onion and two cloves of garlic and allow to soften. Add a sliced courgette, a handful of mushrooms and a small pepper, cut into chunks. Drain a tin of chickpeas, rinse well and add to the pan, along with a stock cube, a small tin of tomatoes and spices - a good pinch each of chilli powder, cumin, coriander and turmeric, more if you fancy. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Serve half of the stew with half of the rice.

Store the rest in an airtight container and pop it in the freezer as soon as it's cold. This will save you cooking on a busy night. (Be sure that when you reheat frozen and defrosted food, and especially rice, that is it piping hot.)

Day 2
Breakfast
Pop a small banana, a big handful of strawberries, a pot of low-fat natural yoghurt and the same volume of skimmed milk in a blender. Whizz until smooth and frothy.
Two toasted crumpets with reduced fat olive spread

Snack
Bag of mini-pretzels (Count on Us at Marks & Spencer are good).

Lunch
Spread a flour tortilla with a tablespoon tomato salsa (from a jar), and fill with a cooked chicken fillet (you can get these ready-cooked in any supermarket), two tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese and lots of crisp salad.
Fruit portion.

(Keep two of the tortillas in a Tupperware container or sealed bag. Wrap the rest, in twos, in cling film and pop in the freezer for another day).

Dinner
Ready meal - look for any meal with less than 400 calories, and add salad or green veggies. Glass of wine.

Day 3
Breakfast
Two slices of mixed grain seedy bread, toasted, with two tablespoons of cottage cheese and a teaspoon jam if you fancy.
Glass of fruit juice.

Lunch
Mix a tin of tuna (in brine or springwater, drained) with a tablespoon of low-fat mayo. Add onion, peppers or celery if you fancy. Use half of this mixture to fill a wholemeal pitta and top with lots of mixed salad leaves.
Fruit portion.

Afternoon snack
Mince pie.

Dinner
Pesto pasta:
Boil 40g dried pasta as directed, omitting any added oil or salt. While this is cooking, microwave two balls of frozen spinach for two to three minutes and squeeze out excess water with a fork. Heat a small tin of cannellini beans for around two mins in the microwave. Stir the drained beans and spinach into the pasta along with a dessertspoonful of pesto or stir-in pasta sauce. Any Sacla sauce is good. Top with a tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese.
Glass of wine.

Day 4
Breakfast
Skinny latte with yoghurt and granola combo - we like the Honey and Granola Pret Pot from Prêt a Manger.

Lunch
Ready-to-go sandwich or roll - look for anything with less than 400 cals.
Fruit portion.

Dinner
Steak fajita:
Season a small steak with Cajun or taco seasoning. Cook under a preheated grill or on a griddle pan until cooked to your liking. Heat two flour tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Fill the tortilla with steak slices, tomato salsa, two tablespoons guacamole (from the chiller cabinet in the supermarket) and salad.

Snack
Low-fat yoghurt and fruit portion.

Day 5
Breakfast
Bowl of Special K with skimmed milk and strawberries.

Lunch
Have the rest of tuna mayo from day three between two slices of seedy bread with salad.
Fruit portion.

Snack
Vegetable crisps such as Parsnip Crisps from Prêt a Manger or Exotic Vegetable Crisps from Sainsbury's.

Dinner
Friday night takeaway. Read the rules!

Day 6 Breakfast
Two toasted crumpets with a small tin of baked beans

Lunch
Tin of soup. Go for a vegetable or lentil/bean soup

Snack
Portion of fruit and small fromage frais

Dinner
Favourite restaurant for dinner. Read the rules!

Day 7
Brunch
Fruit salad or juice (even a Virgin Bloody Mary would be fine), eggs or fish or other smart choice (read the rules).

Snack
Low-fat yoghurt and portion of fruit.

Dinner
Pork stir-fry:
Heat a teaspoon olive oil in a large non-stick pan or wok. Trim the fat off a pork chop and cut into strips. Cook quickly in the oil, keeping the heat high. Add 1/2 a sliced onion, a crushed clove of garlic and a centimetre of grated fresh ginger if you have it, 1/2 a sliced pepper, some mushrooms and a handful of mangetout or sugar snap peas. Turn the heat down slightly and cook for a few minutes. Add a couple of tablespoon teriyaki sauce (or other stir-fry sauce) and then tip in an individual pack of straight-to-wok noodles. Combine to heat through and then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds.

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