Crunch Time

Weight loss is 70 per cent diet and 30 per cent exercise, so if you are ready to take charge of your kitchen – and your health and weight at the same time – it’s time to get cooking!

Here’s a sneak peek of her latest book, Crunch Time Cookbook.

Meal plan 2

Beans are a super food – packed with protein, low-GI carbs and vitamins. Use the extra beans from Sunday’s brekkie to make beans on toast for Monday’s lunch.

MONDAY
Breakfast Cottage cheese toast with tomato and rocket 283cal
Lunch Lentil, leek and mushroom loaf 261cal
Dinnner Mixed vegetable stir-fry with oyster sauce 239cal
Total cals: 783

TUESDAY
Breakfast Bran and mixed berries with banana 340cal
Lunch Tuna mornay 317cal
Dinnner Kangaroo with watercress, chickpea, tomato and basil 341cal
Total cals: 998

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast Spiced pear and ricotta toast 353cal
Lunch Smoked salmon and avocado wrap with watercress 318cal
Dinnner Mixed vegetable and tofu stir-fry 291cal
Total cals: 962

THURSDAY
Breakfast Fruit and muesli 359cal
Lunch Chicken and vegetable soup with silverbeet 317cal
Dinnner Roasted vegetables and tofu with rosemary 343cal
Total cals: 1019

FRIDAY
Breakfast Oat porridge with berries 268cal
Lunch Salad sandwich 310cal
Dinnner Spaghetti Bolognese 422cal
Total cals: 1000

SATURDAY
Breakfast Whole-egg omelette with corn, spinach and dill 389cal
Lunch Cauliflower, spinach and ricotta bake 244cal
Dinnner lamb shanks with green beans and mushrooms 329cal + Baked pears and ricotta with honey, sultanas and cinnamon 107cal
Total cals: 1069

SUNDAY
Breakfast Beans on toast with fried egg 360cal
Lunch Spicy stir-fried prawns with snowpeas, asparagus and wombok (also known as Chinese cabbage) 291cal
Dinnner Ratatouille 247cal
Total cals: 898cal

Recipes

Pumpkin soup

Serves 4
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
227 cal per serve

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1.8 kg butternut pumpkin, seeded, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cups (500 ml) salt-reduced chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper
1⁄3 cup plain low-cal yoghurt
coriander sprigs, to garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium. Cook the onion and garlic stirring for 5 minutes, until soft and transparent (not coloured).
2. Stir in the pumpkin and cumin and cook for another minute until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken stock and 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender.
4. Cool slightly and puree in batches, using a food processor or handheld blender. Season with pepper to taste.
5. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and garnish with coriander.

Tips

• This soup makes 8 cups – 2 cups per serve.

• I’ve made the soup quite thick. If you prefer it thinner, just add another cup of water when cooking.

• This soup also freezes well. Remember to label and date your containers.

Mixed vegetable stir-fry with oyster sauce

Serves 2
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
239 cal per serve

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 bunch broccolini, stems quartered lengthways, cut into chunks
2 medium carrots, halved lengthways and sliced on the diagonal
150 g mixed mushrooms (shiitake, Swiss brown, enoki), sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 shallots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
400 g wombok (Chinese cabbage), coarsely shredded
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon salt-reduced soy sauce

1. Heat half the oil in a non-stick wok over high heat.
2. Stir-fry the broccolini for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and stir-fry for another 3 minutes until just tender. Remove the vegetables from the wok.
3. Heat the remaining oil and stir-fry the mushrooms, garlic and half the shallots for 2 minutes until the mushrooms have browned.
4. Return the broccolini and carrot to the wok with the wombok and sauces. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the cabbage has just wilted.
5. Garnish with the remaining shallots to serve.

Tip
If you can’t get wombok, try using choy sum or bok choy.

For the whole 12-week menu plan, exercise tips and more grab a copy of Crunch Time Cookbook by Michelle Bridges, (Penguin, $34.95).

Tip
To see Michelle cook some of the recipes from her book, visit www.penguin.com.au/michellebridges/