The platter looked so huge I thought we'd never eat it all, but I was WRONG, and of course we nailed it. Fancy something a little healthier? I'd never had a Nando's dessert before - and this was pleasant, if a little plain (vanilla is the basic bitch of desserts, don't @ me).
After promising myself I'd up the spice ante as the week progressed, I realised I'd stuck to Mango and Lime or Lemon and Herb sauce on all my chicken - so as a punishment, my husband suggested I do the 'Wing roulette' - where you get a load of chicken wings with your order, but each wing has a 'mystery' spice. I'm talking about the Fino platter, my friends - which comes with a whole chicken, and all the posh sides like sweet potato wedges and the greens and grains salad.
Just remember that whilst the cob itself totally counts as one of your 5-a-day, the tempting-looking pat of butter they serve it with does not. The coconut contains 157 calories, the chocolate is 145 calories and the vanilla is 161 calories, but coming in at a slightly less calorific option is the mango gelado, at 99. I was also getting annoyed at having to go out to get lunch and dinner every day (I know, I know cry me a river) - although, such is the love for Nando's in my circle, I could nearly always find a friend or relative to come with me.Basically, life is for living, Nando's is for eating, and what fun is going out to eat if you're not actually enjoying your food?After my absolute disaster of a Day 1 breakfast, I made a version of chicken breast, spicy peas and macho peas, using the Nando's-themed shiz you can buy in the supermarket.
Why the hell hadn't I been eating this before?At lunch, I got a takeaway and decided a veggie wrap and macho peas was a good plan for eating in the sun.
Add a chicken breast for a protein fix, and maybe even a quarter avocado for some additional healthy fats.Pulses are a brilliant source of meat-free protein, and although 500ish calories isn't bad for a main meal, you can cut them even further if you want by ditching the bun and filling the rest of your plate with veg. After swearing off fizzy drinks, I had some posh Rooibos drink which did not bloat me (yay!
Maybe don't go on some crazy ass diet if you've had a week of eating out, or once you're back from your all-inclusive holiday, and you really don't need to stress about counting calories or macros if you're away from home for a week or so - your body will reset itself after you go back to your normal eating ways.Day 1 of my Nando's diet, and I hit an immediate roadblock: what the hell was I going to have for breakfast? ), and I shovelled that down at around 4pm when I was in the midst of an afternoon slump.But, when I looked at before and after pics I did take in my gym gear, I didn't notice much of a difference to be honest.
Nando's, with its protein-packed grilled white meat, is often considered a decent post-gym dinner.
I'd never let my eyes reach the non-chicken section of the menu because, why - but this steak sandwich was actually amazing.
Rich in antioxidants like beta-carotene and lutein, which are good for your eyes, sweetcorn also contains high levels of vitamins B1, B5 and vitamin C, as well as a healthy dose of dietary fibre to boot.
I'd always looked at this item on the menu and thought - who the HELL orders that?
Even a spoon of Sainsbury's basics hummus couldn't improve it, and my mouth felt drier than the sahara.I guess maybe I cheated with this food challenge by eating somewhere that isn't too unhealthy to begin with - I mean you can make it reeeaallly unhealthy if you go ham on the hummous, drink bottomless refills till you're peeing all evening and knock back the creamy mash - but overall, Nando's isn't that bad.My mood was redeemed in the evening by takeaway Butterfly chicken, the creamy mash and macho peas. Going for chicken without a bun, pitta or wrap is an easy way to cut down on added carbs and calories - plus, it leaves more room on your plates for delicious, delicious sides.Peas are good; peas drenched in parsley, chilli and mint are better.
It's a ratatouille-style dish contains peppers, onions, courgettes and tomatoes, all vitamin-packed, low calorie vegetables that still come with a hit of peri-peri spice. ).Which was comforting - and I hope it serves as a reminder that sometimes it's OK to just chill the eff out with food.
I also got the salted caramel brownie as a mid-afternoon snack and oh sweet baby jesus you need to make room for that bad boy on your next Nandos trip.
I was going to need to wear stretchy culottes to my next Nando's trip.But while we are all pretty low key obsessed with Nando's, what would happen if you ate nothing but delicious, Peri-Peri-flavoured food for a week?I started to wonder if you could die from eating too much chicken, and while this was unconfirmed by any medical research or study, I decided to switch things up with a a Steak Prego roll for lunch. I almost certainly would have been retaining water though, because while Nando's is maybe healthier than your average takeaway, that food is SALTY - or saltier than the meals I make at home.