5:2 Diet Creamy Saffron and Paprika Chicken with Vegetables

This is a quick and simple dinner that can be on the table in less than half an hour and for a 5:2 fast day dinner it's a winner. 

Admittedly it means scrimping on food for most of the rest of the day, but I tend to find it easier to have one big meal and then just graze on salad 

Chicken in cream with mushrooms is not unusual, but with the addition of saffron, paprika and sherry plus a host or peppers, chilli and spinach - this makes for a delicious dish with a slightly Spanish influence. 

The below makes enough for two people and it comes in at 421 calories per portion. Serve it simply in a bowl if you are dieting and it still makes for a filling and satisfying meal. If you're hungrier, serve with some crusty bread or some basmati rice. The chicken dish

1 large leek

1 clove garlic

1 red chilli

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

100g mushrooms

2 chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp sherry

100g creme fraiche

100g spinach leaves

Firstly pour in the olive oil into a pan or a wok and place on a medium heat. 

Slice the leek and chilli and crush the garlic and add to the pan to slowly soften and flavour the oil. 

Chop the peppers and add to the pan. Slice the mushrooms and once the peppers have started to soften, add to the pan for 2-3 minutes, turning with a wooden spoon or spatula to ensure they get the flavour from the oil all over.

Sprinkle in the paprika and stir to distribute. Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl for the minute.

Chop the chicken into small, bite sized chunks as evenly as possible and add these to the now empty pan. If it sticks you may need to drizzle in a little extra olive oil. Allow to sear on all sides, again moving around with a wooden utensil and once all sides are whitened, pour over the sherry. This will bubble up quite quickly so reduce the heat and allow to slowly evaporate and in the meantime return the vegetables to the pan.

After a few moments you should be left with a sticky looking slightly browned gravy substance. At this point add the creme fraiche and stir through generously.

Steep a pinch of saffron, only a little is needed, in a tablespoon of boiling water in a small bowl or cup, and then add to the pan and again stir through. Season generously too at this point.

After another five minutes of cooking, add the spinach to the pan - simply place on top of everything else, it will cook from the heat in a couple of minutes and then stir through and remove from the heat and you are ready to dish up.

5:2 Diet Pork Fillet with Bean Stew and Rice‏

When partaking on the 5:2 diet as I have been on and off for the past few months in an attempt to ditch the baby weight, I have found that the hardest part of fasting days is the boredom.

Sticking to 500 calories two days per week isn't particularly difficult especially with useful tools such as MyFitnessPal to calorie count for you. But coming up with different ways can be the hard part.

This meal was one I devised for a weeknight when I'd had a busy day and needed to feel substantially full on something other than salad or soup. It comes in exactly 400 calories and if you take it without the rice, just 314 calories according to packet information and using MyFitnessPal.

The pork fillet is cooked under a grill to save on some calories and I'd saved some calories by skipping breakfast so was able to add two tablespoons of ready cooked rice to the equation which significantly helped.

The meal below makes enough for 2 portions, I served a larger portion of the entire meal with rice to my partner for his dinner but you could just as easily freeze the stew and save it for another fast day. 

4 pork fillets weighing approx 200g in total (100g per person)
1 red onion
1 green pepper
1 tin butter beans
1 clove garlic
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
Ready Made Rice - I used Tesco Pilau Rice - once cooked 62g is sufficient for a Fast Day
Cooking spray (

Firstly place a saucepan on a low heat.

Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic, spray the pan and add the onion and garlic to gently soften.

In the meantime, chop the pepper into bite sized pieces and also add to the pan.

Add the tomatoes and drained butter beans and stir through. Now allow to cook for 20-30 minutes.

Pork fillet of this size, takes around 15-20 minutes to cook under a grill. I would generally place some foil on the grill tray to catch any fat, but as the fillet is a very lean part of the pig, this should be minimal. Turn the meat over after about 8 minutes of cooking, it should be getting nicely charred. Once cooked, allow to rest, wrapped in foil for 4-5 minutes.

If you are having rice, this is the time to cook according to packet instructions.

Finally plate up half of the stew first then add the pork fillet and rice and enjoy a filling meal on a fast day.

5:2 Honey, Ginger and Chilli Prawn Stir Fry

I've been doing the 5:2 diet on and off since January with some success on the weight loss front.

I've found that on fast days of only 500 calories, it's important to make friends with the best flavour-giving ingredients, such as citrus fruits, garlic, ginger, chilli, spices and fresh herbs, spices, oils and vinegars. They help to keep food tasting interesting and vibrant and avoid you getting bored of 'rabbit food'. 

This stir fry of prawns is absolutely delicious even when I've stripped off some of the quantities I would usually use to lower the calorie count. 

The frying of garlic, ginger and chilli in a tiny bit of sesame oil in a wok before adding the rest, gives the oil an amazing base flavour with a fiery heat running through and then the addition of honey towards the end gives a natural sweetness. The final flourishes of lime juice and some scattered coriander leaves just gives it a wonderful freshness and there's no way you could find this boring - fast day or otherwise. 

The below makes a dinner for two and each portion contains 297 calories which I've calculated using MyFitnessPal. (On the 5:2 diet, on two non-consecutive days per week your calorie intake cannot exceed 500).

• 140g raw prawns
• 1 red chilli
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 small green pepper
• 1 small yellow pepper
• 100g beansprouts
• 50g carrot
• 50g lettuce leaves
• 50g mushrooms
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 lime
• 2 tsp runny honey
• Few coriander leaves

Firstly crush the garlic and finely slice the ginger and chilli. 

Add the sesame oil to a wok and place on a low heat, adding the garlic, ginger and chilli to slowly soften and give the oil plenty of flavour whilst you get everything else chopped.

Slice the peppers. Peel and slice or grate the carrot and add these to the wok.

Slice the mushrooms and lettuce leaves and leave to one side. 

Roll the lime around a bit pressing down with the palm of your hand to release as much juice as possible and cut in half ready for squeezing over at the end.

Once the peppers and carrot have softened a bit add the mushrooms and prawns. Prawns literally take a few minutes to cook and please don't overdo it or you'll be left with horrible rubbery things as they are useless once overdone. They are easy to gauge anyway as they turn pink on each side once cooked through. 

Use a wooden spoon or spatula to turn the prawns over once cooked and keep everything moving in the wok. 

Once almost cooked add the honey and mix through, then add the beansprouts and lettuce and cook for a further minute and then remove the wok from the heat.

Squeeze over the lime juice and scatter over some coriander leaves and you're ready to dish up.
If you're making this just for yourself, simply half the quantities and if for two, and your dining companion isn't on the 5:2, serve with some rice or noodles.