5:2 Day – Smoked Haddock, Spinach & Poached Egg

17th July 2013

On Monday I was feeling in need of nutrients. I had a flick through ‘The Fast Diet Recipe Book’, and decided on Smoked Haddock with Spinach and Poached Egg.

B vitamins, iron and protein. All good. Even if you don’t follow the 5:2 diet (500 calories or less on 2 days a week), I recommend this recipe book. It has lots of good ideas for healthy meals and if you’re not restricting calorie intake you can just scale up the portion sizes.

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I’m relaxed about diets – I think that everybody needs to find their own way to be healthy. I have found so far that 5:2 has made me more aware of what I eat, prevents me overeating in general, and results in me eating loads more vegetables (which can’t be bad). And of course, with a little planning, you don’t have to cut out restaurant dinners or your favourite treats – like cupcakes!

J came over for dinner, so I was cooking two portions. The doubled up recipe is as follows-

200g baby spinach leaves
150g skinless smoked haddock fillet
480ml semi-skimmed milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp half-fat crème fraÎche
1 spring onion, finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper
Nutmeg

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The fish came as 240g, so I weighed my portion and served the extra to J.

Wilt the spinach in a pan with a splash of salted water. Season it with nutmeg and pepper to taste.

Poach the fish in the milk for about 10 minutes, and check it’s cooked through.

With poached eggs, I like to play it safe. These poach pods are brilliant, and well worth buying to avoid faffing around with vinegar, swirling water or cling film. You can buy them here (and get ready to feel smug next time you make Eggs Benedict).

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