Went for a potluck dinner gathering at Charles‘ place this weekend. I initially wanted to make a sweet potato mash dish but decided to go for a Fish Au Gratin dish instead. It sounds really fancy, but it is actually really easy to make. From time of preparation to completion of baking – only 20 mins. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to the traditional creamy fish Au Gratin recipes, do check out my modified one below. It’s still creamy but relatively guilt free 
In the meantime, here are some pictures of the wonderful food and my outfit for the evening. (We were so engrossed in eating and chatting that we forgot to take more pictures!)
Fish Au Gratin Lightened Up
By Published: May 20, 2012
- Yield: Servings (3 Servings)
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Ready In: 20 mins
A baked Fish Au Gratin recipe that is lightened up, tasty and very easy to make.
Ingredients
- 3 Fillets Frozen Sutchi Fillet Any white fish can be used.
- 3/4 Cup Natural Plain Yogurt
- 1/4 Cup Low Fat Mayonaise
- 3/4 Cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
- 1 Cup Breadcrumbs I used this Korean brand - Ottogi. It seems crispier.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Lemon-Pepper Seasoning
- Olive Oil
- White Pepper
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven - 175 Degrees Celsius / 350 Degrees Fahrenheit
- Prepare the sauce - Mix the Yogurt, Mayonaise, Cheddar cheese and 1 teaspoon of lemon-pepper seasoning together. I used a spoon to stir.
- Briefly rub the fish fillets with some sea salt, white pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon-pepper seasoning.
- Grease the base of a baking dish/casserole with olive oil.
- Lay the fillets on the baking dish and drizzle more olive oil, white pepper and lemon-pepper seasoning over them.
- Spoon the sauce to cover over the fish fillets.
- Toss the breadcrumbs with some olive oil and sprinkle over the top of the sauce.
- Bake uncovered for 10-11mins.
- Turn up the heat to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for 30 seconds to brown the breadcrumbs.
- Optional - if the dish is going cold, just bake it in the oven at 175 degrees Celsius for 3 minutes to warm it up.
Decided on a hearty brunch today. As I woke up late, I chose to have both my breakfast and lunch at the same time since I have the extra calories. People sometimes ask me if I find it tiring to count calories and if it is very restrictive on my diet.
My answer is Yes, it is pretty tiring to key it into my iPhone via the MyFitnessPal app but what I realise is that when you count for a long enough period of time, you sort of have a mental gauge of how much calories you consume a day and you can skip the actual counting itself because you kind of know how much you have chalked up instinctively.
As for diet restriction, on the contrary, I find that my diet is much better these days. I get to eat anything that I want, albeit in smaller portions. I do have a preference for healthier food but when I have those insatiable cravings for cakes, sweets, icecream, fatty stuff, I know that I can eat those as long as I keep within my calorie budget. The best thing that came out of this calorie restriction diet is that I can really eat freely and guilt free. You know sometimes you have that, “oh damn it, I have eaten way too much today and I feel so terrible” thoughts which makes you feel really lousy and guilty? With my calorie budgeting method, I find that I do not have such thoughts that often anymore and I actually ENJOY my food.
So, back to the main topic today – Peanut Butter and Banana toast on a diet. Yes, you can enjoy your high calorie sweet stuff even when you are trying to lose weight. Just make sure that your daily intake does not go past your budgeted calories.
For those who are interested in the caloric count of this particular brunch that I made for myself, let me share the recipe and calories below:
Peanut Butter and Banana Toast
By Published: March 13, 2012
- Yield: 1 Servings
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Ready In: 15 mins
Simple PB and banana toast recipe that's jazzed up with grilled tomatoes and a sunny side up!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter 100 calories
- 2 Slices Gardenia Whole Wheat Bread 166 calories
- 1 Piece tomatoes 36 Calories
- 1 Large eggs 92 Calories
- 1 Medium Banana 105 calories
- 0.5 Tablespoon Olive Oil 40 calories
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Instructions
- Heat up the pan. Prepare the ingredients - slice up tomato and slice up the banana.
- Once pan is hot, place bread on the pan and toast. Flip over after 1 minute or so to toast the other side.
- Remove toast once they are done and heat up olive oil. In the meantime, spread the peanut butter over the toast and place banana slices on it.
- Once oil is heated up, place the tomatoes, sliced side down on the pan and crack your egg to cook it sunny side up.
- Once both are cooked, remove from pan and plate your food.
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Breakfast
- Skill Level: Child Friendly
Tadah! Really simple and the entire menu costs you approximately 550 calories. Not bad for a hearty meal 
Decided to cook myself a nice dinner of scallops and peas today. Very simple 10 minute dinner that you can fix for yourself. Low in calories and yet very very yummy.
Preparation
Set a pot of water to boil. Pat dry scallops with kitchen towel and sprinkle sea salt to season. Set aside. Melt the butter in the saucepan.
Cook the peas
Pour frozen peas into boiling water. Bring water back to boil then remove the peas and drain.
Pan sear the scallops
When pan is very hot (test by dropping a drop of water and it immediately sizzles), use the tongs and place the scallops on the pan. Do not be tempted to lift the scallops to check as you will lose heat and lose the browning of the scallop. Sear for approximately 2 minutes then flip over the other side and cook for approximately 1 minute.
Make the pea puree
Sprinkle sea salt on the peas to bring out the flavour. Using a food processor or a fork if you like, mash up the peas
Plate your food
Place puree at the middle of the plate and place your scallops on top of the puree. Drizzle olive oil & balsamic vinegar on top of scallops and pea puree for extra flavour.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 10 large scallops
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Sea salt to taste
- Optional: Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Hope you’ve enjoyed this simple recipe. Bon Appetit!
Made broccoli soup for dinner over the weekend. Love how it is so creamy without milk and cream. Check out the recipe here.
I made Pandan Chiffon Cake today. I must say that for a first attempt, I have done well. Now it is just to figure out how to make the cake fluffier and more moist as well as prevent the middle portion from collapsing too much. I <3 these radioactive looking cakes!
