Stir-Fry ‘s are generally quite healthy. A mixture of fresh vegetables fried in a little oil with a flavorful sauce and some protein thrown in for good measure. They can be low calorie as well, you just need to use a non-stick pan, and the  smallest amount of oil. 

This recipe has cabbage, carrot and onion that will need more cooking than the scant teaspoon of oil can deliver, so I’ll add some chicken stock to the pan and steam the veggies for a minute or two to soften them up a little bit. I’m cooking this ahead of time for lunch tomorrow, so I’ll undercook it slightly so it’s perfect once heated up in the Microwave oven at the office. 

On these 5:2 diet days, we usually split the calories per meal as 200 for Lunch, and 300 for dinner. Megan has Monday’s off, so she cooks dinner, and I cook the Monday Lunch on a Sunday. It’s easier knowing how many calories you have to work with before you start to plan a meal. 

With only 200 calories to work with per serving, it’s sometimes easier to stick to all vegetables, but today I wan’t to throw in a little bit of chicken. It  feels more like a meal to me if I have a little bit of meat in there somewhere, but feel free to leave it out if you wish – you’ll get a bigger portion.

I’m using  Chicken tenders because they tip the scales at only 85 calories per 100 grams. The rest of the vegetables are also low on the weight to calorie scale. Per 100 grams Cabbage is only 25 calories , Carrot 41 calories, Onion 40 calories, Bell Pepper 20 calories, and mushrooms 15 calories. 

You can use any combination of veggies you have in the fridge, most are low in calories. You need good sauce to finish it off. I like to use Kecap manus (a sweet soy sauce), or Oyster sauce mixed in with chicken or veggie stock, and some cornflour to thicken it up.  Throw in some fresh or dried chili flakes for a kick if you like. 

While there is a recipe here, I’m really trying to suggest that if you minimise the oil in a stir-fry, you can have a pretty decent meal for very few calories. This recipe serves 4 and at around 250 grams for less than 200 calories it 

Low calorie chicken and red cabbage stir-fry 

Ingredients – serves 4

140 grams Chicken Tenders sliced into thin strips
70 grams sliced Onion
2 cloves garlic
100 grams cleaned sliced button Mushrooms
100 grams thinly sliced Bell Pepper
200 grams thinly sliced Cabbage
50 Grams Carrots Julienned
1 Cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Kecap Manus
1 tsp Cornflour

Method

Add the onion and garlic to a  non-stick frying pan over a medium/high heat, and fry for a few minutes until lightly browned.
Increase the heat to high and add the carrot and cabbage, pour in 1/2 of the chicken stock, and steam for 1 minute or so, remove the lid.
Add the chicken and mushrooms and stir into the rest of the ingredients. Cook for another 3 minutes.
Add the Kecap Manus and the cornflour to the remaining Chicken stock and mix together and add to the frying pann
Pour the sauce into the pan and stire unti the sauce thickens. Add salt and a good grind of fresh pepper.
Serve hot.