The new year is the perfect time to change our habits, lose weight and start eating more healthily.

With this in mind, we asked for some advice from Sally Symonds, a leading fitness expert and healthy life mentor in Australia. She has also written several weight loss books and is the creator of the unique online weight loss coaching system, Love Your Weight Loss.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did, and it gives you the motivation you need to keep going with your healthy eating resolution.

Fast and Healthy Foods for Weight Loss by Sally Symonds

Losing weight and keeping it off isn’t about dieting—you can eat healthily for successful weight loss and still enjoy your food! Best of all, making healthy recipes doesn’t mean spending time and money you don’t have. My favourite dishes are fast, filling and packed with nutrients, and they’re guaranteed to help you win your weight loss war. Here are three of my favourites:

Pumpkin Soup
Serves one

300g pumpkin
3 tablespoons low-fat ricotta
2 tablespoons low-fat milk
Few sprigs fresh rosemary
Cracked black pepper to taste

Cook pumpkin in microwave until tender.
Place pumpkin, ricotta and milk in a blender.
Add rosemary and pepper and blend until smooth.
If necessary, reheat in the microwave for 1–2 minutes.

Baked Salmon with Cauliflower Skordalia
Serves two

2 salmon fillets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Juice of ½ lemon
Handful fresh coriander
Cauliflower Skordalia
1 medium cauliflower head
½ cup low-fat ricotta
Cracked black pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Place salmon on an oven tray lined with baking paper.
Spread garlic, lemon juice and coriander over each salmon fillet.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile steam/microwave cauliflower until cooked.
Combine cauliflower and remaining ingredients and blend with a stick blender until smooth.
To serve: spoon skordalia on a plate and top with salmon.
Add a serve of steamed green vegetables such as asparagus or broccolini.

Mango Smoothie
Serves one

½ cup natural low-fat yoghurt
½ mango peeled, seeded and pureed
½ cup chilled mineral or soda water
Nutmeg
Sprig of mint

Blend ingredients together and serve.

Thanks again to Sally Symonds for these delicious recipes. If you would like further information, you can find her weight loss books here, and details of the online program, Love Your Weight Loss, here.