Simple Swaps

The Challenge to The Challenge

I must cook at least 300 times a year.  And yet, somehow, after more than 4 years (over 1,400 days), I have still not managed to complete my Challenge to cook from AND blog about every one of my 100+ cookbooks.  In fact, I have only managed to write about 19 of them.  Although I will certainly have cooked from more of them, that's not the Challenge!

The reason for my failure is due in part to circumstances: moving house; getting married; renovating our new home; moving house again; and other less exciting time pressures.  And of course I keep moving the target by acquiring more books!

However, another major contributory factor is the (ubiquitous) Diet, which, almost halfway through 2017, I will begin again in earnest and with gusto.  It is a challenge in itself to be faithful to the sumptuous recipes in my books and yet eat within the constraints of healthy living.

If I've learned anything from dieting, though, it's that the best way to keep your weight down is through sustainable lifestyle changes.  It is about making achievable adaptations to your approach to food that will then become habitual.

And in the spirit of both development and transformation, I have decided that the only way to be true to both my Challenge and The Diet is to allow revisions, where necessary, to minimise the unhealthier elements of the recipes.  Of course, flavour should not be sacrificed, so a balanced approach needs to be taken.  And, as successful diets are not about denial, a treat every now and then is allowed.

Weight Watchers

For a number of years, I have been a member of Weight Watchers - currently using their Smart Points system - and have been successful when I have followed it, failing when I get caught up in eating out and over-indulging.  But it always helps me get back on track after a blow out.

The concept of Smart Points is that each food has a points value calculated based not only on calories but other nutritional factors, such as sugar content, and further weighted to encourage healthier choices.  For example, almost all vegetables and fruits are 0 points.  In addition to making the right (healthy) choices for my Challenge, recipes can be adapted to cost fewer Smart Points, for example by reducing portion sizes, bulking up with vegetables, or swapping high point items (such as cream) for lower point items (such as light creme fraiche).

I have a daily Smart Points allowance of 30 points.  These points don't roll over - if I don't use them, I lose them.  In addition I have a weekly allowance of 28 points, which resets each week.  I can use these either to top up my day, or save them up for a day I know is going to be particularly pointerific.  And, finally, I can earn Fit Points through exercise, which can be used to bolster my allowance.

Simple Swaps

So, for my first adapted meal, I start with 'SIMPLE: effortless food, big flavours' by Diana Henry.  The principle of the book is "not...quick food, but a book of low-effort food".  Being a busy household, both Dave and I frequently working long hours, we have less time during the week to put a lot of prep time into our dinners.  But that doesn't mean that we need succumb to the ease of takeaways, ready meals or ill-conceived dishes thrown together from the remnants of whatever may be in the fridge.

We had such a glorious weekend, it felt fitting to chose the Warm Salad of Squid, Bacon, Beans & Tarragon.  Squid is an excellent base of a dish due to it being so lean.  The original recipe would have been 18 points.  However, with a few simple changes - cutting back on the olive oil, swapping double cream for half fat creme fraiche and lardons for bacon medallions - I was able to reduce this to 8 points, giving me a bit of space for a nice glass of white wine to go with my simple supper.  I also bulked the meal up with some tasty (and seasonal!) char-grilled baby gem lettuce.