Day 1
Breakfast
For today only, we're going to follow Claudia's lead and have just fruit until midday. So for breakfast make a fruit salad bowl of banana, kiwi and mango.
Snack
Dried fruit mix – 4 dried apricots, 2 figs and 2 tablespoons of other fruit of your choice, such as raisins or sultanas, cranberries, dates, prunes or more exotic fruit such as papaya.
Snack
Carton of fruit juice and an apple.
Lunch
Soup – any vegetable or lentil/bean soup such as Baxter's carrot and butter bean, Prêt a Manger's celeriac mash or Tesco's tomato and lentil. Wholegrain roll with olive spread.
Snack
Low-fat probiotic yoghurt.
Dinner
Spicy veggie chilli - Put 4 level tablespoons of brown rice on to boil – this will take about 40 minutes to cook while you get on with the chilli.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add a small chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic and allow to soften. Add a sliced courgette, a handful of mushrooms and a small pepper, cut into chunks. Drain a tin of chickpeas, rinse well and add to the pan, along with a stock cube, a small tin of tomatoes and spices – a good pinch each of chilli powder, cumin, coriander and turmeric, more if you fancy. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Serve half of the stew with half of the rice. Store the rest in a Tupperware and pop it in the freezer as soon as it's cold. This will save you cooking on a busy night. (Be sure that when you reheat defrosted food, and especially rice, that is it piping hot.)
Day 2
Breakfast
Demi might enjoy three bowls of bran a day, but many of us would actually find cardboard tastier! So today try a small bowl of Special K with 2 tablespoons All-Bran, chopped banana and skimmed milk.
Snack
Fruit smoothie, such as Sainsbury's strawberry yoghurt smoothie.
Lunch
Spread a flour tortilla with 1 tablespoon tomato salsa (from a jar), and fill with a cooked chicken fillet (you can get these ready-cooked in any supermarket), 2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese and lots of crisp salad. (Keep two of the tortillas in a Tupperware or sealed bag. Wrap the rest, in twos, in clingfilm and pop in the freezer for another day). Fruit portion.
Snack
Two rye crispbread with cottage cheese and tomato.
Dinner
Ready meal – look for any meal with less than 400 calories, and add salad or green veggies.
Day 3
Breakfast
Two slices of mixed-grain bread, toasted, with 2 tablespoons cottage cheese and 1 teaspoon jam. Glass of fruit juice.
Lunch
Mix a tin of tuna (in brine, drained) with 1 tablespoon low-fat mayo. Add onion, peppers or celery as you prefer. Use half of this mixture to fill a wholemeal pitta and top with lots of mixed salad leaves. Fruit portion.
Snack
Nicole's favourite 'frogs on logs' might not sound too tempting, but 2 tablespoons raisins mixed with sliced celery makes a nutritious snack!
Dinner
Pesto pasta - Boil 40g dried pasta as directed, omitting any added oil or salt. While this is cooking, microwave two balls of frozen spinach for 2-3 minutes and squeeze out excess water with a fork. Heat a small tin of cannellini beans for around two minutes in the microwave. Stir the drained beans and spinach into the pasta along with a dessertspoonful of pesto or stir-in pasta sauce. Any Sacla sauce is good. Top with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese. Glass of wine.
Day 4
Breakfast
Skinny latte with yoghurt and granola combo – we like the Honey And Granola Prêt Pot from Prêt a Manger.
Lunch
Ready-to-go sandwich or roll - look for anything with less than 400 cals. Fruit portion.
Dinner
Steak fajita - Season a small steak with Cajun or taco seasoning. Cook under a preheated grill or on a griddle pan until cooked to your liking. Heat two flour tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Fill the tortilla with steak slices, tomato salsa, 2 tablespoons guacamole (from the chiller cabinet in the supermarket) and salad.
Snack
Low-fat yoghurt and fruit portion.
Day 5
Breakfast
Bowl of Special K with 2 tablespoons All-Bran, skimmed milk and strawberries.
Lunch
Have the rest of the tuna mayo from Day 3 in two slices of seedy bread with salad. Fruit portion.
Snack
Vegetable crisps such as Parsnip Crisps from Prêt a Manger or Exotic Vegetable Crisps from Sainsbury's.
Dinner
Friday night takeaway.
Day 6
Breakfast
Two toasted crumpets with a small tin of baked beans.
Lunch
Vegetable omelette made with two eggs.
Snack
Portion of fruit and small fromage frais.
Dinner
Favourite restaurant for dinner.
Day 7
Brunch
Fruit salad or juice (even a Virgin Mary would be fine), eggs or fish or other smart choice.
Snack
Low-fat yoghurt and portion of fruit.
Dinner
Pork stir-fry - Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large non-stick pan or wok. Trim the fat off a pork chop and cut into strips. Cook quickly in the oil, keeping the heat high. Add ½ a sliced onion, a crushed clove of garlic and 1cm of grated fresh ginger if you have it, ½ a sliced pepper, some mushrooms and a handful of mangetout or sugar snap peas. Turn the heat down slightly and cook for a few minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of teriyaki sauce (or other stir-fry sauce) and then tip in an individual pack of straight-to-wok noodles. Combine to heat through and then sprinkle with ½ tsp sesame seeds.
Go to week two of the red carpet diet
Read more about the rules of the red carpet diet
