Perfect your wedding diet with this weekly schedule from Slimming World

Looking to shed a few pounds for the big day, but don’t want to go on a wedding diet that will leave you starving? Get your bridal bod in order with these filling Monday-Sunday recipes from Slimming World!

Monday – Paprika pork

Serves 4, ready in 50 minutes

Ingredients

• Low calorie cooking spray
• 2 large Spanish onions, cut into thin wedges
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 500g lean pork fillet, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp paprika • 300ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 6 tbsp fat free natural fromage frais
• Salt and ground black pepper
• A handful of roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Spray a large frying pan with low calorie cooking spray. Add the onions and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the pork and cook for 4 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle over the paprika and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil, then cover with a tight- fitting lid and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir most of the fromage frais into the pork mixture and heat gently for 2 minutes.
3. Season to taste, garnish with the remaining fromage frais and parsley, if using, and serve with boiled rice and vegetables of your choice.

Tuesday – Oven-baked meatballs

Serves 4, ready in 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 500g lean minced beef (less than 5% fat)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sweetener
• 400g passata with basil
• 150ml hot vegetable stock
• 2 medium courgettes, trimmed and cut into chunks
• 1 medium aubergine, trimmed and cut into chunks

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
2. Put half the chopped onions in a bowl with the beef, oregano, garlic and some seasoning, then mix well and divide into 20 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and chill until ready to use.
3. Mix together all the remaining ingredients except the pasta in a large roasting tin and season well.
4. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven for 50 minutes. Stir in the meatballs and bake for a further 40 minutes.
5. Serve with your favourite pasta.

Wednesday – Chunky bean burgers with Cajun wedges

Serves 4, ready in 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 400g can haricot or cannellini beans, drained
• 400g can kidney beans, drained
• 1 small onion or shallot, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 1 small red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• Bunch of spring onions, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• Low calorie cooking spray
• 4 large baking potatoes
• 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 6 tbsp fat free natural Greek yoghurt
• 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

Preparation

1. Place the beans, onion, garlic, chilli, red pepper and half the spring onions into a food processor and whizz to chop roughly. Transfer to a bowl, season to taste and stir in the beaten egg.
2. Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and shape into burgers. Place on a baking tray sprayed with low calorie cooking spray and chill for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
4. Cut the potatoes into wedges and toss with the Cajun seasoning, then arrange on a baking tray, spray with low calorie cooking spray and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
5. When the wedges have been cooking for about 10 minutes, put the burgers on the oven shelf below the wedges. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.
6. Meanwhile, mix the yoghurt, tomatoes and remaining spring onions in a bowl and season to taste.
7. Serve the bean burgers with the wedges, chunky sauce and your favourite salad.

Thursday– BBQ chicken with apple & dill coleslaw

Serves 4 , ready in 1 hour and 10 minutes, plus marinating

Ingredients

• 8 chicken drumsticks, skinned
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 4cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp barbecue seasoning
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 4 medium baking potatoes

For the coleslaw

• 1 red apple
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1⁄2 red cabbage, shredded
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• Small handful of chopped fresh dill
• 2 level tsp horseradish sauce
• 6 tbsp fat free natural fromage frais

Preparation

1. Make a couple of cuts in each chicken drumstick and season with salt and ground black pepper. In a large dish, mix together the ginger, garlic, barbecue seasoning, soy sauce and vinegar.
2. Add the chicken, stir to coat well, then cover and marinate for 1 hour or overnight if you have time. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
3. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and arrange on a baking tray. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bake for about 1 hour.
4. Line a baking tray with foil and arrange the drumsticks on the foil. Roast underneath the potatoes for the last 30-35 minutes of the cooking time until sticky and cooked through.
5. While the chicken is cooking, make the coleslaw. Quarter the apple, core, thinly slice and toss in the lemon juice. Drain and place in a bowl with the cabbage, carrot, lemon zest and dill. Mix together the horseradish and fromage frais, season to taste and stir into the coleslaw to coat everything well.
6. Serve the chicken with the coleslaw and baked potatoes.

Friday – Mediterranean fish roast

Serves 4, ready in 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1kg new potatoes, unpeeled, halved or quartered if large
• Low calorie cooking spray
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 2 large courgettes, trimmed, halved lengthways and sliced
• 12 pitted black olives in brine
• 4 frozen skinless white fish fillets (cod, haddock or basa), thawed
• 1 lemon
• 6 tbsp hot fish stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Small handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley, to garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
2. Cook the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and tip into a large roasting tin.
3. Meanwhile, spray a frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and sauté the onion for 5 minutes or until softened and beginning to colour.
4. Scatter onion over the potatoes, with the tomatoes, courgettes and olives.
5. Arrange the fish fillets on top of the vegetables. Cut four slices from the lemon and place one slice on each piece of fish, then squeeze the remaining juice over the fish. Pour over the stock, spray with low calorie spray and roast for 20 minutes.
6. Season, scatter the parsley, and serve with your favourite vegetables.

Saturday – Hearty beef stew with beans & vegetables

Serves 4, ready in 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

• Low calorie cooking spray
• 500g extra-lean stewing steak, all visible fat removed, cut into chunks
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 large parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 500ml beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 large potatoes
• 1 swede
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4.
2. Spray a large heavy-based casserole dish with low calorie cooking spray.
3. Heat gently then brown the beef in batches, setting each batch aside on a plate once it has browned. Add the onion, carrots, parsnips and garlic to the casserole and cook for 5-6 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, sprinkle over the thyme and pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Bring to the boil, cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Stir in the butter beans, then cover and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and swede and cut into chunks. Cook in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pan over a low heat to remove excess moisture. Remove from the heat and crush with a fork.
5. Season to taste and serve with the chunky beef casserole, scattering parsley over the top.

Sunday – Sweet potato pasta bake

Serves 4, ready in 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 350g dried macaroni
• 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 300g low fat natural cottage cheese
• Small handful of finely chopped chives
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 tbsp quark
• 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 30g reduced fat Cheddar, grated

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
2. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, adding the broccoli and sweet potato 4 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Meanwhile, mix together the cottage cheese, chives, eggs and quark and stir well.
3. Drain the pasta, stir in the cottage cheese mixture and tomatoes and tip the pasta into an ovenproof dish. Scatter over the Cheddar cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Check out Slimming World for more great recipes and weight loss tips, or visit our Health and Lifestyle section for more fantastic advice on how to get wedding ready!