When you need to try a little harder.

We all have times when life puts more barriers in our way and either will power or circumstances result in us having too much of what we like and not enough of what we need.

This is not the end of the world but we do then need to redress the balance.

This is the point when reducing or eliminating certain food types, for a short period of time, can help you get back on track.

Key to this is carbs. We all need carbs in our diet but we don’t always need as much. We can also do without them for a short while.

We can also, for a short time, do without the treats we still allow ourselves normally. This is the bit I find hardest of all.

This dish is a good example of a dish that gives you plenty of good stuff with an alternative to pasta being used. Also rather than using my allowance of cheddar (another vice) I have used zero fat cottage cheese on top.

Finally the main mixture in the dish, because I have used cottage cheese with plenty of protein, can do without meat . The cheese does have.a small amount of carbohydrate but also has the bonus of increased amounts of calcium compared to full fat cottage cheese.

Now don’t run away if you are not a fan of cottage cheese. I was the same but have learned to like it. You can allow yourself a little regular cheese but ask yourself if this is a price you are willing to pay for a short period of extra gain.

This is vegetable lasagne, using thin slices of courgette instead of pasta.

The sauce is made of good fibrous vegetables that are slower to digest and therefore help speed up the redressing of the balance (onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, pasatta and herbs.

The topping is just zero fat cottage cheese with chives

I layered courgette on the bottom followed by two layers of veg mix and courgette with the cottage cheese on top.

The whole dish was then baked in an oven as you would a lasagne.

The final dish was then served with a salad dressed with lemon juice.

Tasty, filling and good for the waistline and overall health.