Chicken Pesto Penne
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Way Too Easy Chicken Pesto Penne

Please forget the rubbish you’ve heard about pasta being a no no for fat loss.

You absolutely CAN include pasta in your diet (and any other food you love, for that matter).

The trick is portion control and ensuring your meal is still balanced – with plenty of protein and veggies.

Remember our guide to building a balanced meal: half a plate of veg, a palm size portion of protein, a fist size portion of carbs and a thumb of healthy fats.

Our pasta dish fits the bill!

This one’s quick and easy to throw together on a week night.

We used a higher protein pasta to up the protein content of the meal (remember, protein and fibre helps you feel satisfied and fuller for longer).

Ingredients (to serve 2)

150g (dry weight) Vetta Smart High Protein Penne (or any penne will work)

40g pesto (we used Barilla)

200g chicken breast, cubed

100g broccoli

200g mushrooms

100g spinach

Method

  1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to packet instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, cook chicken in a frypan over medium-high heat. Remove and set aside.
  3. Add broccoli, mushrooms and spinach to the pan. Saute, stirring, until broccoli for a few minutes.
  4. Return chicken to pan with mushrooms and add pesto.
  5. Drain pasta, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Add pasta and cooking water to pan and toss to combine, allowing sauce to reduce.
  6. Serve sprinkled with parmesan.
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Healthy Breakfast Ideas
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Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast has become a confusing point of contention in the health and fitness world, especially when it comes to fat loss.

And no wonder! On one hand we hear about the benefits of intermittent fasting and think we should skip breakfast. Other “experts” tell us that breakfast is essential and our metabolism will stagnate without it.

The truth is, neither eating nor skipping breakfast are magical acts on their own.

If you’re really not hungry in the morning and have plenty of energy for your daily activities, it’s reasonable to skip breakfast. My experience with many clients is that eating a good, balanced breakfast sets them up well for a healthy day of eating.

The structure that works best for most people and helps stop erratic eating is 3 meals a day with 1-2 snacks. This style of “mechanical” eating is helpful for planning and for setting your hunger and satiety signals.

Eating breakfast, in and of itself, will NOT help you burn more fat. However overcompensating later in the day for a skipped breakfast, or grabbing junk in a ravenous mid morning moment, will definitely keep you from your fat loss goals.

So what are some good breakfast options?

The best breakfast that will keep you going until lunch is:

  1. Easy to prepare quickly

  2. High in protein

  3. High in fibre (preferably with heaps of veggies)

Some great options include:

  • Eggs on soy and linseed toast with sauteed spinach/mushrooms

  • YoPro yoghurt with oats and fruit

  • Protein smoothie made with protein powder, your choice of milk, berries and half a banana

  • Frittata (cook up a big one on the weekend packed with veggies and slice for breakfasts)

  • All bran with milk and sliced banana

What about cafe options?

A lot of the seemingly “healthy” options like acai bowls are actually packed with calories and sugar. Your best bet if ordering from a cafe is to stick to simple options.

  • Poached eggs on toast with veggies

  • Avocado on toast (ask them to use half the amount of avocado – ¼ avocado is enough for anyone)

  • Greek yoghurt with fruit and oats

Just watch your portion sizes when eating out!

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