Takeaway substitute

liseloo79
liseloo79 Posts: 23 Member
edited November 9 in Recipes
Hi everyone

I'm currently trying to get back on track with MFP after being a bit lax last year,

My problem is Friday night is always takeaway night in our house (me. My hubby and 2 girls) and wondered if anyone had any recipes I could make instead ??

I live in north East England so our takeaways are either "parmos" ( a local dish with about a million calories, breaded chicken with bechamel sauce and cheese on top) or the usual pizzas, Chinese or Indian or fish & chips.
Thanks in advance

Lisa x

Replies

  • avoidtheclapp107
    avoidtheclapp107 Posts: 49 Member
    I made this ginger beef with mushrooms & kale (but the second time I used spinach and my friend used brocolli)--it's like fancy chinese food deliciousness. And I hate cooking...but it was super easy and SUPER delicious.

    http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/ginger-beef-mushroom-kale-stir-fry-recipe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+gimmesomeoven+(Gimme+Some+Oven)
  • MissHolidayGolightly
    MissHolidayGolightly Posts: 857 Member
    Bon Appetit has recipes for a variety of popular take out fare. The chicken tikka was delicious. Making them at home, you can control the ingredients, know what an actual serving is, and lighten them up if you wish.

    http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/15-takeout-recipes-to-make-at-home/?slide=1
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,965 Member
    If your town has a Thai, Vietnamese or Korean takeaway, these will be lower fat in general than Chinese. Just avoid anything deep fried, served with peanut sauce, or made coconut cream (such as the curries).

    Turkish can also be a reasonably low calorie takeaway, if you have chicken shish with no sauce (or yoghurt based tzaziki) and plain rice instead of pillau. The salads are typically only dressed with lemon.
  • Pootler74
    Pootler74 Posts: 223 Member
    edited January 2015
    Do you like doner kebab? There are some great recipes you can make at home using low fat lamb mince. Stuff it into a wholemeal Pita or tortilla and load it with salad, pickled jalapeños, gherkins, chilli sauce and a garlic sauce made from extra light mayo and garlic paste. Google Slimming World kebab for recipes.

    You can also do southern fried chicken in the oven, and chips too. Those are often also Slimming World recipes. Actually Slimming World is great for fast food recipes. It's tailored to typical UK tastes. :smile:
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,965 Member
    You can also customize pizza to be lower calories. If your local finishes with a drizzle of olive oil, ask for it to be omitted. You can order one with no cheese, or half the normal amount of cheese. Avoid fatty meat toppings like salami, of course.
  • Pootler74
    Pootler74 Posts: 223 Member
    Oh gosh if it's pizza you want, get a thin and crispy one from the supermarket. Half will usually be less than 400 calories and you can pad it out with salad. I've got one pre-planned in my diary for Wednesday with extra chicken for protein if you want an idea of what you can get.
  • Pootler74
    Pootler74 Posts: 223 Member
    Also, I made curry and rice the other day (Jan 2nd in my diary) using a jar of Lloyd Grossman bhuna and had it with Pilau rice from the indian takeaway and it was awesome and really low calorie. :smiley:
  • Pootler74
    Pootler74 Posts: 223 Member
    Oh and lovely M&S are doing some amazing things for under 500 calories. You could treat yourself to one of their ready meals. It would still be cheaper than takeaway too. The new range includes burgers, curry and pulled pork.

    (Ok, I'll shut up now. But this has been a huge problem for me in the past too - my ex used to have dinner and then order pizza and ice cream too. I got really fat by eating along with him so as not to feel left out.)
  • chloeelizabethm
    chloeelizabethm Posts: 184 Member
    The Hairy Bikers cookbooks have a 'fakeaway' section - I recently purchased this one and it has lots of really good options for a takeaway replacement and your day to day food :)

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0297870475/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=569136327&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0297869051&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1M455X56RA3RY7QDEP1W
  • Mrs_L_M
    Mrs_L_M Posts: 3 Member
    I sometimes do my own chicken kebabs, with chicken breast, pitta breads, salad, low fat garlic sauce and chilli sauce. Also, the fresh pizzas out of asda are about 500 calories for half. You could do a nice salad with it or if you have enough calories, garlic bread or garlic dough balls. We have slowcooker chicken thigh curry too and serve it with rice and poppadoms. Hope this helps. x
  • blueboxgeek
    blueboxgeek Posts: 574 Member
    I do this when I really fancy chinese take away but don't have enough calories spare for one.

    Chicken pieces
    2 tbls of honey
    2 tbls of light soya sauce
    1 tbls balsamic vinegar.

    Fry in a little oil (or fry light) the chicken until cooked through and add all the other ingredients. Keep stirring until the sauce goes all thick and sticky.

    You can add any kind of vegetables you want too.

    I just serve this with brown rice and it's very yummy, kind of sticky sweet chicken.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    liseloo79 wrote: »
    I live in north East England so our takeaways are either "parmos" ( a local dish with about a million calories, breaded chicken with bechamel sauce and cheese on top)

    I live in the South West, I've never heard of this. It sounds incredible. I'm moving.

    I second the Hairy Bikers recommendation. I also use the Wagamamas cookbook for healthier Asian-style meals. Sometimes I make pizzas out of pitta breads, tomato sauce, light mozzarella, chicken and veg.


  • liseloo79
    liseloo79 Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks so much everyone, some great ideas for me to try, just goes to show that with a little thought and pre planning it is much easier to stick with it :-)
  • liseloo79
    liseloo79 Posts: 23 Member
    @yesimpsonthey are absolutely gorgeous, but not so gorgeous for your waistline lol!
  • novembersuse
    novembersuse Posts: 77 Member
    I do a kind of makeshift pizza which is always yumcious! A tortilla wrap as the base, homemade tomato sauce, load it up with veggies or whatever you like, half-fat mozzarella and oregano. It's no Pizza Hut stuffed crust pepperoni, but it's a worthy substitute :)
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    edited January 2015
    Think Jamie Oliver has some nice versions of takeaway food. Some foods I enjoy;
    • Quesadillas with cheese and perhaps meat and a side of salsa and perhaps guacomole.
    • Fajitas - meat strips, taco seasoning, peppers, onions, and some sides like salsa/ sour cream/ guacamole, all served with some warm tortillas.
    • Big bowl of chicken curry, rice, and perhaps some naan if going Indian.
    • Burgers, make your own, and let everyone dress theirs as they like. Two large leaves of iceberg make a great bun substitute if keeping an eye on the calories.

    Want to try my own fried chicken at some point, and there's a lot of ways out there to do your own KFC-style feast with chicken and all the sides.
    I would also suggest pizza, but I just never felt I found a pizza dough I could make that sat well with my picky tastes, lol
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    Just thought of another one. Sometimes I make a fake Nando's at home with one of their spice sachets - usually have a chicken breast, sweet potato, and those chilli & mint smashed peas they do. That's pretty reasonable for calories, filling and tastes good!
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