Yesterday’s fasting day came and went without much fuss. I had a late coffee (nearly midday), drank a heap of black and peppermint tea, and didn’t eat lunch until 4pm. For dinner I tried a new recipe, and it worked out really well. In my household at the moment we’ve got three different diets to cater for, depending on the: 500 calories, LCHF (low carb high fat), and “22 year old boy give me carbs and meat”. So cooking on low calorie days tends to be a fun experiment in creativity! Here’s what everyone at last night:

• 500 calorie: roast broccoli and garlic zoodles with creamy carnation milk
• LCHF: roast broccoli, garlic and chicken zoodles with cream-based sauce
• 22 yr old boy: roast broccoli, garlic and chicken wheat past with cream-based sauce

Putting these meals together is pretty easy – firstly I prepare my own sauce in a different pan to everyone elses. I then pull out the required sauce for the pasta eater once it’s cooked, then add the zoodles to the pans of sauces to cook. I reckon it only adds 5 minutes to the total cooking time.

Creamy Roast Broccoli and Garlic Zoodles

Ingredients

• 200 grams broccoli (35 cal)
• 3 tsp garlic (15 cal)
• 100 ml Carnation Light and Creamy evaporated milk (98 cal)
• 1/2 cup Campbell’s Real Chicken Stock (20 cal)
• 250 g zucchini, spiralised (35 cal)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees (ish). Place broccoli florets on tray (give very light spray with oil if you have the extra calories available). Roast until soft, approx. 25 mins
2. Fry garlic on a medium heat in a pan until fragrant and soft. Add cooked broccoli and stir through gently.
3. Add Carnation milk and stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently for a few minutes until hot.
4. Add zucchini into pan, stir through and cook until soft and hot
5. Serve!

If you’re cooking for other diets:

LCHF: cook bite-sized pieces of chicken in the pan before cooking garlic. Remove the chicken and place aside, then cook the recipe as above. Use full-fat cream instead of Carnation milk. Add chicken back in when adding the cream and stock. Add a big handful of parmesan cheese at the end of the cook and stir through.

22 yr old boy: Cook required amount of pasta as per instructions on the packet. cook bite-sized pieces of chicken in the pan before cooking garlic. Remove the chicken and place aside, then cook the recipe as above. Use full-fat cream instead of Carnation milk. Add chicken back in when adding the cream and stock. Add a big handful of parmesan cheese at the end of the cook and stir through. Serve with sauce poured over the pasta in a bowl. Stir well.