The Importance of Cooking with Weight Loss

Cooking – some people love it while others hate it! If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, you’ll quickly realise that cooking is central to your success.  Too often we are tempted to take the easy option and order take away or eat meals out which will make long term weight loss or weight maintenance very difficult.

So what is the answer? How do you make cooking less of a chore so that the excuses not to cook stop creeping in to your head?  The answer for most people who lead very busy lives is that it must be quick. But quick is not the only answer.  You must also find the motivation to get into a routine of cooking your meals each night and avoid the temptation of picking up a take away on the way home.  Finding the motivation to cook regular meals may not be easy but here are some things to think about which will help to make cooking easier:

• Make sure your meals taste good!
• Plan meals in advance so that you know what you’re making and don’t give yourself the option of having something else
• Be organised and have all the ingredients at home so that you don’t have to go to the shops on the way home
• If there are other people at home get them involved too. This will help to reduce the amount of time it takes to prepare and cook the meal
• Cook a large enough meal so that there are leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day
• Consider the health benefits. Who really knows how much or what type of fat is going into the Thai takeaway or pizza you’ve ordered
• Food portion sizes tend to be far larger when you order takeaway or eat out, which is not desirable for weight loss

Eating take-away or dining out regularly does not allow you to control your daily food intake.  You will find that your daily saturated fat, energy and salt intake will very quickly exceed your requirements which will of course lead to weight gain and other long term health problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.  Like most things, eating take away and enjoying meals out is fine in moderation.  However when take away meals, which are high in calories and served in large portion sizes, become part of routine weight loss, weight maintenance and long term good health are very difficult to achieve.

Try these healthy, quick and delicious meal ideas to stop you pulling in for mid week takeaways!

Classic Chicken Stir Fry

1. Stir fry chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. Use a spray of canola oil for cooking.
2. Once cooked, add red capsicum, snow peas and broccoli. Add 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and ½ tablespoon of soy sauce.
3. Remove from heat. Top with fresh basil leaves and bean shoots.

SAM: Steak, Avocado and Mushroom

1. Season steak with dried thyme salt and pepper and cook to your liking on the BBQ.
2. Spray a large field mushroom with cooking oil, cut a large red chilli in half and de- seed, then grill the vegetables on the BBQ. Trim green beans, boil the kettle and cover the beans with hot water.
3. Serve with a tablespoon of avocado, fresh coriander and a wedge of lime. 

Fish and Salsa

1. Cover fish with lemon, salt and pepper wrap in foil and bake in the oven.
2. Cut fresh basil, mint, large red chilli and spring onion and sprinkle over the fish once cooked.
3. Serve with broccolini and a side of salsa: diced tomato, cucumber, red onion + balsamic vinegar. 

Vietnamese Beef

1. In a food processor, mix one stalk of lemon grass, 2 garlic cloves, juice of 1 lime, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and ½ tablespoon of peanut oil.
2. Thinly slice strips of beef and coat in the marinade you’ve just made.
3. Mix together shredded lettuce, grated carrot, thinly sliced cucumber, fresh mint and basil leaves.
4. Cook the marinated beef strips, serve on top of salad top with fresh bean sprouts. 

Lamb with Vegies

1. Choose lamb back strap or another cut of lamb with all the fat removed, sprinkle with equal amounts of sumac, sesame seeds and thyme.
2. Cut zucchini into quarters, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill together with chunks of red capsicum.
3. Trim green beans, boil the kettle and cover the beans with hot water. Mix all vegetables together and sprinkle with 30g low fat feta cheese.
4. Serve as vegetables with the lamb.

A salad you won’t complain about!

1. Cook chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic + ½ a bacon round per person all fat removed in non stick pan. 
2. On a plate place lettuce leaves, snow peas, thin slices of red onion. Top with cooked chicken and bacon pieces.
3. Sprinkle with low fat ricotta cheese and crushed walnuts (3 per person) dress with balsamic vinegar.

Mexican Beef Cups

1. Cook beef strips in a frying pan using spray oil.
2. Add small pieces of broccoli and capsicum and stir in burrito mix (adding water to make it saucey).
3. Serve in lettuce leave cups with a dollop of low fat sour cream and topped with freshly diced tomato.  

Bon Appétit, send us through your favourite healthy recipes!