GUEST BLOG @livthepositivefooodie: How to fakeaway like a boss

Hey guys! My names Liv, and I run a food page called @livthepositivefooodie on IG. The amazing guys over at Bounce UK have kindly asked me to do a little blog post, all things to do with non restrictive, sustainable weight loss and of course… FAKEAWAYS!

I am so passionate towards the idea that you do not need to restrict yourself in order to lose weight. I’m over a stone down, and I achieved this by eating pizzas, curries, burgers, Chinese, pasta, garlic bread (lots of garlic bread) you name it.. I ate it! Losing weight does not need to be restrictive. You don’t need to miss out on social events, you do not need to cut out carbs, you do not need to cut out chocolate and snacks. I achieved this by sticking to a calorie deficit, which the guys at Bounce UK explained in the previous blog post (if you missed it, check it out here)

I definitely would not have been able to stick to my weight loss if I had to cut out all the foods I love. I know for a fact the reason why I managed to stay on track and not binge is because I never restricted myself once. If I craved a burger, I would have a burger within my calories and macronutrients. If I fancied a pizza, I would make a pizza! I found my favourite foods and looked at how I could recreate them in a lower calorie, homemade version that fit perfectly into my calories and macros. The main reason why people find losing weight so hard is because they’re cutting out all of the foods they love. They think they won’t be able to go out and enjoy time with loved ones because they need to have an on plan meal. This is absolutely not the case! If it was, I definitely wouldn’t have lost over a stone!

With that being said, I’m going to give you two of my most favourite fakeaways ever using the infamous ‘Two Ingredient Dough’. This dough is amazing, you can make it as little calories as you wish and it only includes 0% fat Greek yoghurt and self raising flour!! And trust me.. it tastes amazing. I’ve made so many different things using this dough because it tastes so good. Losing weight can be FUN! I bet you never heard that one before.

First up, we have the Stuffed Crust Pizza. This is one I make A LOT. It really does taste, and I don’t say this lightly, BETTER than the ones you get from a takeaway! Here’s how I make it. The serving is for one person so you can alter and change it for more if you need to!

Ingredients:

85g Self Raising Flour

95g 0% Fat Authentic Greek Yoghurt

Pizza Sauce (tomato purée & seasoning works wonders!)

40g Mozzarella

Two cheese strings

Garlic

10g Butter

Parsley

Toppings of your choice!

Step one: Mix the yoghurt and flour in a bowl with a spoon until it looks like popcorn- you’ll know what I mean when you do it!

Step two: Form into one big dough ball with your hands. It should not be too sticky or dry,  but if it is just add more flour and yoghurt accordingly. Roll out with a rolling pin into your desired pizza shape!

TIP: Make sure you roll it out as big and thin as possible, as you use a lot of dough for the crust!

Step three: Cut your cheese strings up into small pieces and line them around the outside of the dough, leaving room to fold dough over. This is your stuffed crust! You then need to fold the dough over the cheese to form a crust. Make sure all the cheese is nicely covered!

Step four: You can then add your pizza sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you fancy! I normally add pepperoni. Once you’re happy with your toppings, sprinkle with some parsley.

Step five: Get your butter, garlic purée and parsley in a little bowl and microwave for a couple of seconds. Once melted you can wash your crust with the garlic butter.. it is an absolute GAME CHANGER!

Step 6: You can then put this straight into the oven for around 15-20 minutes at about 190 degrees. You’ll know it’s ready when the crust has gone a nice golden brown and the cheese is bubbling!

Second of all.. we have the Meatball Marinara Calzone! This again is a recipe for one serving so adjust as needed!

Ingredients:

85g Self Raising Flour

95g 0% Fat Authentic Greek Yoghurt

Four 5% fat meatballs

Tomato passata

Tomato Purée

40g Mozzarella

Red pepper

0.5 red onion

Garlic

Salt, pepper, basil, oregano and paprika for seasoning.

10g butter

Step one: Start by making your dough. This is exactly the same as the pizza dough, again making sure you fold it out as long and thin as possible as you’re going to be folding half of it over the top!

Step two: Cook your meatballs, either pan fry or oven cook. Whilst meatballs are cooking, add oil to a pan and add garlic, onion and red pepper. Fry until softened then add your seasoning.

Step three: Once your vegetables are softened, add your pasatta and two tsp of tomato purée and stir through until you create a sauce. The tip is to not make it too runny as meatball marinara sauce is a thicker sauce!

Step four: Once your meatballs are done you want to add them to the pan with the sauce, stir them all through and then fill one half of the dough with the mixture. Don’t put the mixture too close to the edge of the dough, as this is where you will be joining the dough together.

Step five: Fold the other half of the dough over the top of the meatball mixture and then flatten down with your fingers to create a crust and secure the dough inside.

Step six. Melt butter, garlic & parsley in a small bowl and wash over the entire top of the calzone! I then place this into the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown around 180 degrees. Once it’s nearly done, I take it out and pour some passata over the top of the calzone and around 30g of mozzarella cheese. I then put that back into the oven for it to melt and it’s done!

I hope you enjoy these recipes, they’re definitely two of my favourite fakeaways to make, just due to the fact they taste so naughty but are so low in calories! Remember, restricting yourself when losing weight is not sustainable. It can lead to endless binge and restrict cycles and it’s not something that’s easy to stick to. Incorporating fakeaways and all the foods you love into your weight loss means you aren’t cutting anything out and are still eating in a healthy, sustainable deficit! You can still have the satisfaction of the takeaway without the extra calories!

Who’d of thought you can have your cake, and eat it as well?!

Thanks for reading guys! You will smash your  journey!

Lots of love!

Liv xxx