Potato and leek soup (Thermomix) - 196 cal

I love, love LOVE potato and leek soup, but I always figured it would be quite high in calories (and perhaps it usually is, depending on the recipe). I cobbled this together after looking at various recipes tonight and it's delish at under 200 calories without bread - a slice of bread would bring it in at just under 300 calories which would also be good. Not for accelerator days due to the potatoes of course, and for that reason I'll probably have it for light lunches during the week instead of dinners.

It serves three because that's the quantity that fits in the Thermomix. Calorie contents are taken from Calorie King.

Potato and leek soup

Ingredients
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1 large leek, chopped roughly (include as much of the green as possible)
1 small onion, halved
500g potatoes, peeled and cubed
10g olive oil
700mL water with 1tbsp vegetable stock concentrate (if you don't have this, use 720mL vegetable or chicken stock)
120mL milk (I used full-cream, you could use skim for even fewer calories)
Freshly ground pepper to taste


Method
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Place leek and onion in TMX, chop approx. 10 second on speed 7. Add olive oil and saute for 5 minutes at 100deg on speed 1.

Add potatoes, water & stock concentrate. Cook for 20 minutes at 100deg on speed 1.

Add milk. Turn dial from 1 to 8 for approx 30 seconds or until desired consistency.

Season with pepper to taste.

If you don't have a Thermomix, chop the onion and leeks more thinly to start with. Saute with olive oil in a pan until soft (10g is 2 teaspoons). Add stock & potatoes, bring to the boil, simmer for a while (LOL, I don't know, I never make soup on the stove top anymore, 30 minutes?). Remove from heat, add milk and blend with a stick blender or in a blender jug/food processor until desired consistency.

No-sugar, low-fat apple & cinnamon muffins

I adapted a 'normal' muffin recipe to make these, Emma wasn't interested (but is so rarely willing to try anything new), Evie ate one and Alastair ate three. Heh. They're not bad, if you're expecting a very sweet muffin they will be odd but they're pretty good for what they are. Using whole milk, as I do, it comes out at about 107 calories per muffin. If you use skim milk, it's about 103 calories. Why bother? ;) If you used a non-dairy milk, these could easily be dairy-free.

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Ingredients
4 Granny Smith apples (mine were small, approx. 100g each with skin/core)
160g self-raising flour
150g wholemeal spelt flour
2 eggs (I used large eggs)
50g honey (2tbsp for those not using a Thermomix)
180g milk of your choice
1/2 tsp baking powder
a generous sprinkle of cinnamon (good flavour and good for the blood sugar)

Method

PART 1:
Peel, core and slice apples. Cook with a small amount of water, and then puree. I did this all in the Thermomix, but whatever method works for you. A good fork mash would work okay too, if you're short on appliances.

I let this cool because I had to go out, but I don't imagine that's necessary.

PART 2:
Mix all ingredients in the Thermomix, approximately 20 seconds on speed 4, make sure you scrape the sides down. Otherwise, sift dry ingredients, combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then mix the two together.

Divide into 16 muffin tins - remember if you make larger ones it will affect the calorie count, if that concerns you. If it doesn't, then go for it ;)

Bake approx. 30 minutes at 180. I found these took a bit longer than my regular muffins, and sank a little in the middle after cooling, but they're cooked.

TIP: grease the muffin tins well, mine stuck a bit probably due to the lack of butter or oil in the mix. Or use paper muffin cases.

Greek-inspired lamb & feta salad

According to Calorie King this comes out at about 270cals each. I spread some home-made dukkah on the lamb before cooking, but just a smidgen - as it’s home-made I really can’t be bothered working out the calories for it so that is not included. I also just made it up with the salad veges I had on hand, so you could substitute, but the stuff I had on hand made me think 'Greek salad', hence the title.

Ingredients (serves 2):
200g lean lamb leg steaks
olive oil spray
half (90g) a large pack mixed leaf salad
1 lebanese cucumber, sliced in semi-circles
1/2 a yellow capsicum, sliced
a small amount red onion, diced
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
handful snow pea sprouts
60g reduced-fat feta cheese
juice of approx half a lemon
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Method:
Cook the lamb, either grill, or use an olive oil spray and cook in a non-stick frypan or chargrill pan, cook to taste (I did 3-4 mins each side) and rest.
Meanwhile, combine all the salad veges in a large bowl, crumble the feta over the top. Shake/mix lemon juice & vinegar together and dress the salad just before serving.

This felt really indulgent and even my partner really liked it (he usually wants everything to come with pasta, rice or potato). I didn’t measure my ingredients exactly (except the meat and cheese) so please give me feedback on the quantities I’ve written, if you try it. You could easily add more salad veges without upping the calorie count much.

And, like any salad, so quick!