5:2 Diet, Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe, Meal Plan Ideas and Calorie Counters

Fresh Fruit Kickstart (5:2 and Weight Watchers)

5:2 Diet,

Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe,

Meal Plan Ideas and Calorie Counters

I posted my low-calorie soup recipe yesterday, 5:2 Diet, Fast Days & Feast Days and Roast Tomato & Garlic Soup Recipe (70 Calories), which is what I eat on my low-calorie (fast days) and I have done for many years……and is suitable for the 5:2 diet, as well as Weight Watchers too, so today I am sharing my fresh fruit salad recipe, Fresh Fruit Kickstart (5:2 and Weight Watchers), which is very simple and can be adjusted (with different fruit varieties) to taste. I always makes a batch of this up along with my soup recipe in readiness for my two low-calorie fast days, as it’s all prepared and ready to snack on, as well as making a GREAT fruity kick-start breakfast for the start of the day. The calorie count is higher than my soup, but what I normally do is make up a batch enough for four portions, and if I need it to last two days, I add the banana as I serve it (a quarter of a banana per serving), as they have a tendency to go soft and soggy when sliced up and kept for two days! I have added the individual calories to the recipe, next to each fruit, so you can tailor make this salad to taste, and reduce the calories if needed, but I tend to have two bowls, which is 388 calories, and then I have two bowls of soup which is 140 calories, so the total for the day is JUST over the recommended 500 calories for the day. However, a little tweak here and there, can reduce the calories substantially, and I often do that if I am being VERY strict with myself, or I just have ONE bowl on a fast day, in order to add a bit more variety into the day’s meals.

Fresh Fruit Kickstart (5:2 and Weight Watchers)

Although I have added the calorie count next to each piece of fruit in my recipe, I am posting  a handy chart below, so you can see at a glance what the calories are per each unit of fresh fruit, and I will also add some meal plan ideas with calories later on in my post. 

Calories in Fruit:

Apple raw, with skin, 100g = 1 small, 52

Apricot raw, with skin, 100g = 3 apricots, 48

Banana 1 medium, 94

Blueberries raw, 1 cup, 81

Grapefruit 1 medium, 82

Grapes 1 cup, seedless, red or green, 114

Kiwi fruit 1 medium,  no skin, 46

Lemon 1 medium,  17

Nectarine 1 medium, 67

Oranges 1 large,  86

Peaches 1 medium, 42

Pear 1 medium, 98

Pineapple 1 cup, diced, 76

Plums 1 medium,  36

Raspberries 1 cup, 60

Strawberries 1 cup,  46

Watermelon 1 wedge, 92

Fresh Fruit Kickstart (5:2 and Weight Watchers)

 I will be sharing many more 5:2 recipes over the next few weeks, as well as my NORMAL every day recipes and Baking recipes too, as well as some food charts to help out, which will be handy for me, to have them all in one place too. One method that helps me on Fast days, is to substitute Quorn for meat, as it is FAR lower in calories, and tastes just as good I think; for example, a NORMAL BEEFBURGER is 120 calories and a QUORN BURGER is only 73 calories. Fish is also a GREAT option for low-calorie fast days, I LOVE fish anyway, so it’s NO hardship to eat more of it. For example, 5 small fresh scallops are only 26 calories, and I LOVE scallops, so I often treat myself to them, and with such a low-calorie count, I can afford toe at TEN of them! A 100g fillet of fresh haddock is only 88 calories, and half a tin of tuna in brine (93g) is only 105 calories. Fruit is also low in calories and I always eat LOTS of salads with a little salad dressing; 100g of lettuce is 14 calories, which means you can treat yourself to some salad dressing which is about 20 to 30 calories (1 tablespoon) for the fat-free and low-calorie dressings, and surprisingly Hellman’s Dijonnaise is only 32 calories per tablespoon, French mayonnaise style dressings flavoured with Dijon mustard are much lower in overall fat and calories than conventional mayonnaise, which is a GREAT tip! There is a VERY handy and useful Good Salad Dressing Guide online here: Good Salad Dressing Guide.

Wild Purslane Salad with Olive Oil and Lemon Dressing

 Cheese, contrary to popular opinion, is the Dieter’s friend too! 

Cheeses are packed with nutrition and are a valuable source of calcium, so they play an important part in our diet.

There is a bewildering choice of wonderful cheeses available to us; and not just from the supermarket dairy and deli counters, but from glorious Continental market stalls and even whole shops devoted to just cheese.

Be Sparing with the Portions
Pay attention to the portions you are eating and aim to eat no more than 45-60 grams of the reduced fat varieties (two ounces). On the occasions when you are using full-fat cheeses, cut down the portion size.
Types of Cheese
The calorie and fat content of cheeses varies considerably. Use the following guides for a few of the most popular cheeses. With the exception of Parmesan, the figures all relate to a serving of 28 grams (1oz).
Camembert cheese is delicately flavoured and softens as it matures, oozing when it is cut open. Camembert has 89 calories and a fat content of 7.1 grams.
Cheddar is a high calorie, high fat cheese with 124 calories and 10.3 grams of fat. Use reduced-fat cheddar at around 74-98 calories and 3-4 grams of fat.
Cottage Cheese is a fresh curd cheese. It is very low in fat (0.5 grams) and has only 29 calories.
Moist, crumbly Greek Feta cheese has grown in popularity. It is medium-fat (6.1 grams), made from either goat’s or sheep’s milk and is a low-calorie 75.
Fromage Frais is a light, fresh French cheese with the consistency of thick yogurt, and a refreshing, slightly tart taste. Use low-fat varieties for healthy, low-calorie sauces, salad dressings and dessert toppings. It has 34 calories and 2 grams of fat.
Italian Mozzarella is one of the best soft cheeses for cooking as it melts so easily. It has 87 calories and 7.5 grams of fat.
Hard, strong-tasting Parmesan is ripened for two years before it is sold, which is why it is more expensive. Use only a little, however, and buy it in a fresh block if possible. The values for this cheese are for 1 teaspoon only, and are 23 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.
Use soft, fresh Ricotta in cooking for savoury and sweet dishes. It has 43 calories and 3.3 grams of fat.
Stilton, the English blue cheese, crumbles easily for whisking into white sauces or dressings. It has a high 133 calories and 10.6 grams of fat respectively.

(Low Calorie Recipes Co Uk)

Some of my low-fat and low-calorie recipes:

Fish on Friday: Low-Fat Cumin Scented Plaice Goujons with a Panko Crumb

Fish on Friday: Low-Fat Cumin Scented Plaice Goujons with a Panko Crumb 

Fish on Friday – Chilli and Garlic Blackened Salmon Fillets

Fish on Friday – Chilli and Garlic Blackened Salmon Fillets

Not so Naughty Cranberry Rock Cakes/Buns for a Healthy Baking Challenge

Not so Naughty Cranberry Rock Cakes/Buns for a Healthy Baking Challenge

A Large Slice of Baguette with my Breakfast Club Detox Fruit Salad

 Breakfast Club Detox Fruit Salad

That’s all for today, I will be back with my belated meal plan later, as well as all my usual posts too…..have a GREAT day – today is my fast day number one for the week, as my sister has just left after staying with me for a few days, I NEED to detox! Karen

Fresh Fruit Kickstart (5:2 and Weight Watchers)

Fresh Fruit Kickstart (5:2 and Weight Watchers)

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Serves	4
Prep time	5 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Breakfast, Dessert, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish, Snack, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A wonderful fruit salad that is perfect for fast days, as well as a healthy breakfast or dessert dish on non fast days.

Ingredients

• 2 apples, cored and cut into wedges (104 calories)
• 2 oranges, peeled and sliced (160 calories)
• 2 peaches, cut into wedges (84 calories)
• 2 nectarines, cut into wedges (134 calories)
• 2 kiwi fruits, peeled and sliced (92 calories)
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced (94 calories)
• 1 x 125ml orange juice (110 calories)

Optional

• fresh mint leaves

Note

Eat within one day, makes 4 portions at 194 calories per portion.

Directions

Step 1	Toss all the prepared fruit into a large bowl or container with a lid and add the orange juice, mix well and chill. Eat within one day, makes 4 portions at 194 calories per portion.
Step 2	Add some fresh mint leaves as an option.

Fresh Fruit Kickstart (5:2 and Weight Watchers)

Have you got any favourite Fast Day recipes to share?

Are you considering starting the 5:2 diet?