Skint Starving Student

Apr 24

[video]

Apr 19

Salmon salad with lentils and broad beans. Quick, tasty and even quicker if you make the salmon ahead! You will need: One salmon fillet, cooked (I did mine on my George Foreman) Frozen baby broad beans, 80g Salad One can of green or black lentils (I used Organic Bijoux Verts) 100g drained Salad dressing If your salmon fillet isn’t already cooked, do this now! Remove the skin and break it up. Heat up your broad beans according to pack instructions, and your lentils if you like, or these can be eaten cold Throw it all in a bowl along with the salad, and drizzle with dressing So easy! Using canned lentils saves so much time. This works out at 363 calories using a small salmon fillet and 1tbs olive oil and balsamic dressing.

Salmon salad with lentils and broad beans.

Quick, tasty and even quicker if you make the salmon ahead!

You will need:

  1. If your salmon fillet isn’t already cooked, do this now! Remove the skin and break it up.
  2. Heat up your broad beans according to pack instructions, and your lentils if you like, or these can be eaten cold
  3. Throw it all in a bowl along with the salad, and drizzle with dressing

So easy! Using canned lentils saves so much time. This works out at 363 calories using a small salmon fillet and 1tbs olive oil and balsamic dressing.

Apr 18

“you won’t see any salads here” - Me, first post on this blog. Looks like I’m going to have to eat my words - and my salad. The thing is, recently I’ve been hopelessly reaching out for this girl who is out of this world, believe me having sandwiches every day for lunch and it isn’t like I love bread (except when I make it myself, but that is for another post) so I figured I could come up with some other lunches that don’t involve bread! I have to wear a tight, strapless dress for my brother’s wedding on the 27th so I’m going low-carb until then to get rid of the bloat. Anyway, I digress. This salad is super easy, surprisingly filling and won’t break the bank. It is just 1/2 and iceberg, 2 hard boiled eggs, a tin of tuna in brine/water, a pepper and a red onion. This is enough for 2 servings, or one if you’re really hungry.  Instructions: Place eggs in a pan of cold water with vinegar and salt, and leave to boil. Cut up the lettuce, drizzle with dressing (I use balsamic and olive oil) and place in the bowl. Cut up the red onion and pepper into thin strips and place on top of the salad. When the eggs have been boiling for 6 mins, run them under cold water and peel, slice and place on top, followed by a drained tin of tuna.

“you won’t see any salads here” - Me, first post on this blog.

Looks like I’m going to have to eat my words - and my salad.

The thing is, recently I’ve been hopelessly reaching out for this girl who is out of this world, believe me having sandwiches every day for lunch and it isn’t like I love bread (except when I make it myself, but that is for another post) so I figured I could come up with some other lunches that don’t involve bread! I have to wear a tight, strapless dress for my brother’s wedding on the 27th so I’m going low-carb until then to get rid of the bloat.

Anyway, I digress. This salad is super easy, surprisingly filling and won’t break the bank. It is just 1/2 and iceberg, 2 hard boiled eggs, a tin of tuna in brine/water, a pepper and a red onion.

This is enough for 2 servings, or one if you’re really hungry. 

Instructions:

  1. Place eggs in a pan of cold water with vinegar and salt, and leave to boil.
  2. Cut up the lettuce, drizzle with dressing (I use balsamic and olive oil) and place in the bowl.
  3. Cut up the red onion and pepper into thin strips and place on top of the salad.
  4. When the eggs have been boiling for 6 mins, run them under cold water and peel, slice and place on top, followed by a drained tin of tuna.

Apr 11

Smoked Salmon Spaghetti. You will need: Green beans, 1/2 pack Tesco Value smoked salmon slices, 1/3 pack Chilli puree, 1/4 tsp (same as used for chilli prawn spaghetti) Spaghetti, 75g Chives, chopped, one handful Zest of one small lemon Ground pepper Put your spaghetti on to cook for 10 mins Meanwhile, slice up your salmon, grate your lemon zest and chop your chives When your spaghetti has 4 mins to go, put the beans on to cook for 3-4 mins in a small pan of boiling water Drain your spaghetti when cooked and put back in the saucepan. Add the lemon zest, chilli paste, chives and salmon and stir until combined Season well with black pepper and serve with green beans. This dish is around 400 calories, most of which is from the spaghetti.

Smoked Salmon Spaghetti.

You will need:

  1. Put your spaghetti on to cook for 10 mins
  2. Meanwhile, slice up your salmon, grate your lemon zest and chop your chives
  3. When your spaghetti has 4 mins to go, put the beans on to cook for 3-4 mins in a small pan of boiling water
  4. Drain your spaghetti when cooked and put back in the saucepan. Add the lemon zest, chilli paste, chives and salmon and stir until combined
  5. Season well with black pepper and serve with green beans.

This dish is around 400 calories, most of which is from the spaghetti.

Mar 28

[video]

Mar 26

Baked cod with purple sprouting broccoli and sautéed new potatoes. This is adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe from the magazine, but I found it a little too oily and in a weird order, and not saucy enough! So I’ve changed it a little and made it my own. Sometimes it seems like you’ve got a lot to do at once but when you’ve done it once you’ll see how easy it is. I won’t lie, this is a recipe with quite a lot of washing up for this one! You will need: 250g small potatoes, quartered 1/2 pack purple sprouting broccoli 1/2 lemon, juice and zest olive oil, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp salt and pepper small handful of parsley 1 cod fillet (any white fish will do) 2 tbsp half fat crème fraîche This is around 350 calories, but depends on which fish you use and the size of the fillet. To prepare, finely chop the parsley leaves, grate the zest of half a lemon and mix this with the creme fraice and dijon in a small saucepan. Coat the fish fillet in 1/2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in an ovenproof dish. Place broccoli in a steamer and heat up the oven. All of this will save you time later! Heat oven to 180 fan/200C Boil the quartered potatoes for 12 mins, then drain Switch on your steamer and heat the sauce through until it is just bubbling, and leave to stand. Meanwhile, pop the cod in the oven in an ovenproof dish with a drizzle of oil and salt and pepper, pop the potatoes in 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, all for 10 mins. Squeeze the lemon over the fish, cover in sauce and serve with the potatoes and broccoli. This is a really nice and light but comforting dish, and is quickly becoming one of my favourites!   

Baked cod with purple sprouting broccoli and sautéed new potatoes.

This is adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe from the magazine, but I found it a little too oily and in a weird order, and not saucy enough! So I’ve changed it a little and made it my own. Sometimes it seems like you’ve got a lot to do at once but when you’ve done it once you’ll see how easy it is. I won’t lie, this is a recipe with quite a lot of washing up for this one!

You will need:

250g small potatoes, quartered

1/2 pack purple sprouting broccoli

1/2 lemon, juice and zest

olive oil, 1 tbsp

dijon mustard, 1 tsp

salt and pepper

small handful of parsley

1 cod fillet (any white fish will do)

2 tbsp half fat crème fraîche

This is around 350 calories, but depends on which fish you use and the size of the fillet.

  1. To prepare, finely chop the parsley leaves, grate the zest of half a lemon and mix this with the creme fraice and dijon in a small saucepan. Coat the fish fillet in 1/2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in an ovenproof dish. Place broccoli in a steamer and heat up the oven. All of this will save you time later!
  2. Heat oven to 180 fan/200C
  3. Boil the quartered potatoes for 12 mins, then drain
  4. Switch on your steamer and heat the sauce through until it is just bubbling, and leave to stand.
  5. Meanwhile, pop the cod in the oven in an ovenproof dish with a drizzle of oil and salt and pepper, pop the potatoes in 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, all for 10 mins.
  6. Squeeze the lemon over the fish, cover in sauce and serve with the potatoes and broccoli.

This is a really nice and light but comforting dish, and is quickly becoming one of my favourites! 

 

Mar 20

Vodka

Alright, so this isn’t a recipe but it is diet and student related (because all students are binge drinkers, right?)

Just a tip: when you go out on the LASH, alcohol has calories in. Fucking loads of them. Vodka is pretty low calorie, so that is usually my tipple of choice. HOWEVER, at 52 calories per shot (25ml) it’s still horrendous diet wise - even though, let’s be honest, most of those calories will be danced off later. I digress. One way to work out your calories without using the lid as a shot glass every time you want a drink is to measure/weigh out your drinks before you go off to prinks. I find the best way is to get an empty water bottle (do NOT use this for water the next day, VOM), place it on your kitchen scales, set the units to ml and pour in your desired amount.

Now, if someone could tell me how to be equally controlled when it comes to a Food Factory burger at the end of the night, that would be marvellous.

Feb 13

Girls. if you’re not being taken out for a slap-up meal tomorrow night, I suggest making one yourself. Because then you’ll be well trained in the fine art of being a girlfriend ready for next year realise you don’t need no man, etc. One thing that is super tasty but ridiculously easy to make is steak. Sure, it isn’t cheap, but it is a lot cheaper to make at home than to eat out. I got 2 fillet steaks from the butcher for a tenner, and you can pick up a decent sirloin for about four-five quid too. I serve mine with loads of veg and home made oven chips (cut up baking potato, put in oven with olive oil for 45 mins on 150. Simple). Technically, this isn’t a recipe I have actually written because, well, it is steak, and also I was just watching TV and was like “shit that looks good” so here is the source (Heston) http://www.channel4.com/programmes/how-to-cook-like-heston/4od#3296447 - starts at 1:55 For those of you too lazy to watch it, here’s what you need 150g (ish) fillet (or whichever cut you like/can afford) steak, aged in the fridge for 2 days then brought to room temperature salt, pepper, olive oil A timer that counts seconds (my nokia 3310 had one, no excuses) To cook your steak: Splash some olive oil in your pan - about 1-2 tbsp, and get it really hot. I don’t mean stir fry hot, I mean the fire alarm is about to go off hot. You’ll see why. Season the steak with salt and place it in the pan CAREFULLY - use tongs ideally and be careful of spitting oil! Flip the steak every 15 seconds, and continue for 3 mins 30 seconds for the perfect (rare) steak, or 4 mins 15 for medium rare. (Heston says use a meat thermometer but I’m a student not a housewife. Yet.) And if you don’t like rare/medium rare, stop being a little bitch and man the fuck up adjust times accordingly. Happy Valentines, love from yourself!

Girls. if you’re not being taken out for a slap-up meal tomorrow night, I suggest making one yourself. Because then you’ll be well trained in the fine art of being a girlfriend ready for next year realise you don’t need no man, etc. One thing that is super tasty but ridiculously easy to make is steak. Sure, it isn’t cheap, but it is a lot cheaper to make at home than to eat out. I got 2 fillet steaks from the butcher for a tenner, and you can pick up a decent sirloin for about four-five quid too. I serve mine with loads of veg and home made oven chips (cut up baking potato, put in oven with olive oil for 45 mins on 150. Simple).

Technically, this isn’t a recipe I have actually written because, well, it is steak, and also I was just watching TV and was like “shit that looks good” so here is the source (Heston) http://www.channel4.com/programmes/how-to-cook-like-heston/4od#3296447 - starts at 1:55

For those of you too lazy to watch it, here’s what you need

150g (ish) fillet (or whichever cut you like/can afford) steak, aged in the fridge for 2 days then brought to room temperature

salt, pepper, olive oil

A timer that counts seconds (my nokia 3310 had one, no excuses)

To cook your steak:

Splash some olive oil in your pan - about 1-2 tbsp, and get it really hot. I don’t mean stir fry hot, I mean the fire alarm is about to go off hot. You’ll see why.

Season the steak with salt and place it in the pan CAREFULLY - use tongs ideally and be careful of spitting oil!

Flip the steak every 15 seconds, and continue for 3 mins 30 seconds for the perfect (rare) steak, or 4 mins 15 for medium rare. (Heston says use a meat thermometer but I’m a student not a housewife. Yet.)

And if you don’t like rare/medium rare, stop being a little bitch and man the fuck up adjust times accordingly.

Happy Valentines, love from yourself!

Feb 07

200 calories of goodness! I’ve had a shit 3 weeks of dieting like an African child and being a gym nut like I’m a Christian and its church, but my weight hasn’t changed SO I’m going to start the 5:2 diet. Google if you’re interested. Today was a ‘fast’ day - I’m only allowed 500 calories - this was dinner. You will need: 100g cooked quinoa (see packet for instructions) 1 red onion, diced 1 courgette, diced 1 yellow pepper, diced 5 cherry tomatoes, halved Garlic, to taste (I use like half a bulb) Dried chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp Soften the red onion on a low heat until it is totally soft, then add the courgette, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and yellow pepper and cook for 10 mins on a medium heat, stirring regularly. Next, add the cherry tomatoes and quinoa and a little boiling water and cook for a further 5 mins. Add salt and serve.

200 calories of goodness!

I’ve had a shit 3 weeks of dieting like an African child and being a gym nut like I’m a Christian and its church, but my weight hasn’t changed SO I’m going to start the 5:2 diet. Google if you’re interested.

Today was a ‘fast’ day - I’m only allowed 500 calories - this was dinner.

You will need:

100g cooked quinoa (see packet for instructions)

1 red onion, diced

1 courgette, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

Garlic, to taste (I use like half a bulb)

Dried chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp

Soften the red onion on a low heat until it is totally soft, then add the courgette, garlic, chilli flakes, salt and yellow pepper and cook for 10 mins on a medium heat, stirring regularly. Next, add the cherry tomatoes and quinoa and a little boiling water and cook for a further 5 mins. Add salt and serve.

Jan 27

Anonymous asked: HAZARD a guess. not that you will work it out. but now you know I like football and/or mocking Chelsea fans.

Everyone who isn’t a Chelsea fan loves mocking us…agh.