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Claire Molloy
Claire Molloy, who hosts Slimming World classes in Tralee, has some magical meal solutions for slimmers this Halloween…
Eating healthily needn’t be scary this Halloween – and slimmers can even save money this fright night!
Anyone watching their weight can whip up a delicious, guilt-free meal with the leftovers from their Halloween lanterns.
At Halloween lots of us love to hollow out pumpkins to make scary faces, whether it’s for parties, decoration or as a fun family activity.
Very often we throw the flesh in the compost or the bin without a second thought, but anyone doing that is wasting a healthy and filling food that could be the basis of a spookily great family meal.
From pumpkin curry to pumpkin soup, there are loads of tasty meals you can create with chunks of pumpkin. My favourite is a delicious and filling Pumpkin, bacon and sage tagliatelle, though, and my whole family loves it too.
This recipe, below, is based on Slimming World’s Food Optimising healthy eating plan, which allows slimmers to satisfy their appetite on a wide range of healthy, filling foods like fruit and veg, lean meat, fish, pasta, rice, eggs and more. It means they can lose weight without going hungry.
Traditional Halloween goodies can be enjoyed by Slimming World members, too. When people join our groups they soon realise that we’re not about dieting and deprivation.
Instead our members make life-long changes to the way that they shop, cook and eat and learn how to make healthy choices so they can still enjoy treats, like chocolate, sweets, wine and more, in moderation as well.
RECIPE
Halloween menu:
Pumpkin, bacon and sage tagliatelle
Serves 4
Ready in about 25 minutes
Ingredients
1.5kg pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into small pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Low calorie cooking spray
450g dried tagliatelle
300g back bacon rashers, all visible fat removed, cut into small pieces
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
8 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped, reserving some to garnish
Mixed lettuce leaves dressed with the juice of 1 lemon, to serve
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Put the pumpkin pieces on a baking tray.
Season, spray with low calorie cooking spray and roast for 10-12 minutes, or until soft and browned at the edges.
Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle according to packet instructions, then drain well.
Place a large frying pan sprayed with low-calorie cooking spray over a high heat. Add the bacon and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the pumpkin, chilli and most of the sage, and stir-fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
Add the tagliatelle to the pumpkin mixture, season and toss well. Divide between 4 bowls, garnish with the reserved sage and add a twist of black pepper. Serve with the mixed salad.
• To find out more about Food Optimising or join Claire’s Slimming World group, which is held every Thursday @ 9.30 & 11.30am 5.30 & 7.30pm and Fridays @ 8.00 & 10.00am call Claire on 0871207989 or simply pop along at any of those times. For more delicious recipes and ideas visit www.slimmingworld.ie.
