Diets A-Z: The little black dress diet

Week 3
Day 1
Breakfast
Toasted bagel with two teaspoons high fruit jam and cottage cheese, extra light cream cheese or natural yoghurt.

Snack
Fruit juice or smoothie.

Lunch
Supermarket salad bowl with wholegrain or granary roll.

Dinner
Goulash:
Heat a teaspoon olive oil in a non-stick pan. Brown around 150g steak pieces, turning over to seal on all sides. Once browned, remove from the pan.

Put four level tablespoons brown rice on to boil. This will take about 40 minutes.

Add a small sliced onion to the meat pan, along with two crushed cloves of garlic and allow to soften. Add a teaspoon paprika, a small tin of tomatoes and the meat and stir well. Season with freshly ground black pepper and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary. Cut a pepper into strips, add to the goulash and simmer for a further ten minutes. Serve half the goulash with half the rice (store the rest in a Tupperware container in the freezer or refrigerate until tomorrow night) topped with a tablespoon natural yoghurt if you wish.

Day 2
Breakfast
Bowl of Special K with skimmed milk and a handful of dried fruit.

Lunch
Mix together a teaspoon mustard and a teaspoon reduced fat mayo. Spread on two slices of wholegrain bread and fill with two slices of honey roast ham and a sliced tomato.
Fruit portion.

Snack
Mince pie

Dinner
Ready meal such as M&S Steam Cuisine.

Day 3
Breakfast
Skinny latte with a plain croissant or wholegrain muffin. Read the labels. Muffins can have up to 600 calories so be careful!

Lunch
Mix a small can tuna in brine (drained) with a teaspoon natural yoghurt. Use to fill a wholemeal pitta pocket along with two tablespoons mixed beans, diced cucumber, tomato, spring onion and salad.

Snack
Bag of Rispinos or Snack-a-Jacks.

Dinner
Ravioli with ratatouille:
Boil two handfuls of fresh pasta such as spinach and cheese ravioli in plenty of water as directed on the packet, omitting any added fat or salt. Meanwhile, heat half a can of ratatouille. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, stir in the ratatouille. Top with a tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese.

Day 4
Breakfast
Pot of Greek yoghurt, a cupful of strawberries or raspberries and a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup.

Snack
Raisin and chocolate cereal bar.

Lunch
Mix together 1/2 tablespoon each reduced-fat mayo and tomato ketchup. Stir in around 20 prawns and use to fill a wholegrain pitta pocket with lots of salad.
Portion of fruit.

Dinner
Chicken salsa with potato wedges.
Cut three small potatoes into wedges, coat with two teaspoons olive oil and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. Meanwhile grill or griddle a chicken fillet for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. Serve with two tablespoons tomato salsa, two tablespoons sweetcorn and plenty of salad or green vegetables.

Day 5
Breakfast
Two slices of mixed grain seedy bread, toasted, with reduced-fat olive spread and a teaspoon or two of high fruit jam.

Lunch
Supermarket salad bowl with pasta, rice or couscous.
Fruit portion

Snack
Low-fat yoghurt or fromage frais.

Dinner
Bangers and mash with onion gravy:
Heat one teaspoon olive oil in a non-stick pan and add a finely sliced onion. Allow to brown slightly and then cover the pan with a lid and cook to soften completely. Stir in one to two teaspoons plain flour, and gradually add 70ml chicken stock and 70ml red wine. Uncover and allow to simmer. In the meantime, boil two small-medium potatoes and grill two top quality sausages. Once the potatoes are boiled, mash with a splash of milk and a teaspoon grainy mustard. Serve with lots of green vegetables and a glass of red wine. (If you don't want to make your own gravy, just make up granules or buy a jar.)

Day 6
Breakfast
Combine a third of a teacup of porridge oats with a teacup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for two to three minutes, until thickened or pop in the microwave for about the same time. Top with a splash of skimmed milk and a tablespoon of apple sauce.

Lunch
A small tin of baked beans (go for the reduced sugar/salt variety) on two slices wholegrain toast.
Fruit portion.

Snack
Two Ryvita with extra light cream cheese and a sliced tomato or cucumber.

Dinner
Takeaway and a glass of wine. Read the rules!

Day 7
Breakfast
Pour a small glass of orange juice, a splash of apple juice and a handful of raspberries (tinned ones are fine - use about half a tin) into a blender. Whizz until smooth.
Two toasted crumpets with a little reduced-fat olive spread.

Lunch
Couscous salad:
Cover 30g couscous (bulgar wheat would also work) with water or stock and set aside to swell. After ten minutes, drain off any excess water and fork through the couscous to fluff the grains. Mix in two tablespoons cooked chickpeas, 1/2 tablespoon raisins, the zest of half a lemon or a tablespoon lemon juice (or a preserved lemon if you have any), two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and a handful of chopped herbs - parsley, mint, coriander, whatever you have. Serve with a salad of rocket and watercress.

Snack
Packet of lower-fat crisps.

Dinner
Aromatic lamb:
Put one and a half tablespoons brown rice on to boil for 35-40 minutes. Mix together three tablespoon natural yoghurt, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 cardamom pods, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and a pinch of cloves. Use this to marinade a lean lamb loin chop for 30 mins. After 25 minutes, cook the lamb either on a griddle pan or under the grill - this will take around 10-12 minutes. Meantime, boil or steam green vegetables and serve with the rice and lamb.