Asado, in simple terms, is a stew and there are many different versions depending on the country or region. This one is not a million miles away from a Filipino asado. The richness of flavour in this recipe comes from slow cooking the beef until it becomes really tender in a tomato sauce infused with star anise, ginger and bay leaves. This is extraordinarily simple to make but does require some time as it will take about 1 and ½ to 2 hours to complete. I’ve added potatoes to the dish but you could certainly leave them out and serve it over brown rice or with salad instead. It keeps well and serves 6 which makes it a perfect meal prep recipe if you’re prepping for the week. It is suitable to do in a slow cooker if desired but I find it more flavoursome if you prep it in a large pot over the hob instead, I don’t know why it’s just one of those things! This serves 6 people and the Macros per serving are 344Cals P33.7 C30.5 F9.5 or Smartpoints 7 and free on No Count Here’s the skinny: Continue reading
Tag Archives: smartpoints
Sweet Sesame Chicken with Broccoli and Brown Rice
Last Night’s dinner was quite popular on my Instagram feed so I thought I’d pop it up here on the blog as well as in the comments for ease of future reference. This really is an extremely quick & easy, healthy throw together meal, it only took me 12 minutes to prepare! You don’t even have to prepare the rice or pre-boil the broccoli, I just used pre cooked rice & steamed the broccoli how easy is that! We all need those quick go to dishes that you can fire together at a minute’s notice on a busy evening & this is exactly that! Continue reading
Chinese Pepper Steak with Wholewheat Noodles
This is beautifully quick & easy to throw together, it literally takes minutes making it a great contender for a mid week dinner. I sometimes eat different meals from my family due to my fitness and protein consumption goals and I made this just for one, you can double it up if you need to serve more people. I used what I had available to me which is realistic for us all so if you’re steak is slightly larger, smaller or a different cut of meat just adjust your macros or Smartpoints accordingly. I always cut my meat against the grain before cooking it and it makes for a much more tender softer piece of meat, trust me it makes all the difference. To cut against the grain simply look for the grain (natural lines across your steak) and cut it in strips going in the opposite direction. Macros 589Cal P43 C66 F17 Smartpoints 13. Continue reading
Glorious Spicy Lean Taco Fries
Glorious Spicy Lean Taco Fries, all the flavour of this takeaway favourite without any need to wait until cheat day to indulge in this healthy version. I’ve made this recipe before (it’s here on the blog somewhere but this is an updated improved version) and had made the fries myself with potato rather than sweet potato and you can most certainly make the fries yourself using plain potato or sweet potato but these strong root frozen sweet potato fries are so so handy and I can never get my home-made sweet potato fries that divinely crispy. This recipe serves four and the taco mince mixture freezes well once cooled if you’re doing meal prep, just use 130 g of the frozen fries per serving as required. This is quite spicy well for my taste anyway, if you want it less spicy just dial down the amount of the spices you put in, if you like it hot hot hot use hot chilli powder instead of mild. The macros on this per serving are 479Cal P40 C37 F17 Smartpoints 13 Continue reading
Melting Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with Tomato, Bacon & Sweet Basil Sauce
I absolutely adore meatballs I definitely don’t think it’s the first time I’ve mentioned this nugget of information. Pasta is one of my all-time favourite foods to eat. I rarely make meatballs the same way twice, I always adapt them and adjust the ingredients to come up with different flavour combinations and variations. These are stuffed with gorgeous reduced fat mozzarella that melts in the centre and oozes out when you cut into each juicy meatball. This recipe serves 4 people at 12 Smartpoints a serving or Macros per serving 492Cal P46 C49 F11 Continue reading
Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Pea Risotto
Me & Risotto are bessie mates, so much so that I can knock it out midweek with my eyes practically closed. It has a real reputation for being a tricky & difficult dish to make but it’s really, really not. It’s a little time consuming with all the stirring but that’s the only taxing part & it’s ready in just 20 minutes so really not that taxing after all! I get asked every time I post a recipe for risotto if you can use different rice or ordinary basmati rice and the answer is unfortunately no you definitely can’t, you need to buy the special risotto rice as the dish only works with a short grain rice, it’s all about the creaminess with risotto and other rices just don’t have the same starch content to create that effect. Arborrio rice is the most common risotto rice & it is widely available in all main supermarkets and it’s really not that difficult to source so good news there! This serves 2 at 9 Smartpoints or Macros 395Cal Protein 35 Carbs 54 Fat 4 Continue reading
Banana Protein Pancakes with Protein Yogurt, Bananas & Summer Berries
Stack ’em up! Banana Protein Pancakes with Protein Yogurt, Bananas & Summer Berries ‘cos it’s Saturday & that’s just how I roll! The healthiest pancakes you can ever eat, took me a couple of batches to perfect my recipe but it was worth it, the macs on these are on fleek. I’m off to the gym to train have a great day x 4 Pancakes for 1 serving Macros for 4 cakes are 225cal P30 C17 F5 Smartpoints for 4 pancakes are 3sp (without fruit & yogurt garnish). Recipe makes 8 pancakes. Here’s the skinny: Continue reading
Cheats Healthy Creamy Chicken & Bacon Carbonara
You might have noticed the recurring theme this week is quick, easy and healthy. It has been one of those weeks it really has! But don’t worry we all have those kinds of weeks & I’ve got you covered with quick & easy tasty meals to make your life a little simpler if you’re having a hectic week too. Tonight’s dinner honestly couldn’t be more easy to throw together in a hurry. This serves 1 person at 11 Smartpoints (2sp no count) or Macros 573cal, P79, C45, F8. Continue reading
Cadburys Easter Treats
Here’s a quick glance at all your favourite Cadburys treats if you’re planning on indulging in a nice Easter Chocolate treat this weekend. I hear so many people remarking that Chocolate is too high in points now since the change to Smartpoints last January, Chocolate is in truth basically pure sugar when it comes right down to it, you only need to look at the nutritional values to see that & it is not encouraged in large amounts on any healthy eating plan or lifestyle that I know of – weightwatchers or otherwise. Treats should be just what their name implies – occasional treats, something to look forward to, savour and enjoy rather than daily indulgences if you are looking to change to a healthier, happier lifestyle for life. Yes you can still enjoy your treats & incorporate them where you can, after all it’s all about a healthy balance and enjoying the small joys in life and that’s why educating yourself on the best options available when you do decide on a treat is important too, so you can get the best value for your Smartpoints. Instead of focusing on how much Chocolate has increased in Smartpoints consider how much other items have reduced significantly in Smartpoint values like high protein foods which allows you to save more points for your treats and really appreciate and enjoy them when you do plan to indulge. I know I’m looking forward to my Chocolate fix at the weekend and I will savour every last piece! I hope you find the list useful whatever you choose to have and I hope you have a lovely Easter too. I
Deliciously Spicy & Tender Szechaun Beef Served With Fluffy Wholegrain Basmati Rice
A gorgeous healthy Friday night dinner treat to rival your local take out with beautiful tender spicy beef, spicy sticky szechaun sauce & heaps of comforting steamy rice to accompany it. This is super quick & so easy to make it will be on your table feeding your family & friends in no time flat, guaranteeing happy bellies all around! This serves 4 people and comes in at 10 Smartpoints per serving (1 Smartpoint on the No Count Plan). Continue reading
Skinny Jeans and the Inbetweens 