Back On Track!

As the title of my post says I am back on track and had a good day yesterday as well as today (so far), although I haven’t been doing much exercise. That is unless you count the fact that I spent all of today assembling a table and 6 chairs. The table weighed a ton and I was impressed I actually managed to move it around and flip it over etc.

Yesterday I decided that I needed to do an actual food shop and this alone has helped me stay on track. Before yesterday we were trying to make do until payday. This was alright, until the point where you have nothing left and you have the nibbles. It is at that point where you end up making toast and butter. But now I’m stocked up with plenty of fruit and veggies, lean meat and some cupboard essentials like chopped tomatoes and baked beans.

Actually have food in the house meant we could have something for dinner that wasn’t made up of the spot based on what we have left in the cupboards. So we had a yummy scrummy chicken dinner.

My lovely chicken dinner

It was just what the doctor ordered.

This morning I had a good start with a fruit salad for breakfast and surprisingly enough it actually filled me until lunch!

Fruit Salad

I’ve decided that I just eat way too much high starch food. Generally I have a bowl of Fruit and Fibre for breakfast, some sort of pasta based food for lunch and then my dinner in the evening usually always had potatoes. Plus I might have cereal bars during the day which is another added carb filled item. So for a week I have decided to try to reduce it down a little and swap it out for more superfree foods. Hopefully this will help my weightloss a little bit.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to trying this pancake recipe that I have found. I’m going to use the porridge as a healthy extra and this will make the pancakes free!

Magic Pancakes

Syn free on Extra Easy if you use the porridge as a healthy extra B choice.

Ingredients

• 35g porridge oats or 1 sachet of Oats So Simple
• 1 vanilla Muller light
• 2 eggs
• Approximately 4 tablespoons Sweetener (this is a case of trial and error and can change depending on taste)
• Fry Light

Method

1. Mix together the porridge oats and the Muller Light and leave in the fridge overnight.
2. Once you have taken the oats and yoghurt mixture out of the fridge, add the eggs and stir in well.
3. Add the sweetener and stir in well.
4. Spray Fry Light onto the frying pan and heat through well.
5. Put circular cutters into the pan and pour the mixture into the centre of them. Wait for them to brown then take the cutter off. Finally flip the pancakes and wait for them to brown on the other side.

To make the pancakes more interesting you can serve them with fruit or honey and even change the flavour of the Muller Light to add another twist. How about toffee pancakes, strawberry pancakes or even banana and custard pancakes.

Sausage Casserole

I have  gone slightly off track in the last couple of days. My trouble has been the little bits here and there that soon add up, it’s been a couple of biscuits here, some dried fruit there and then that slice of toast for supper when I’m feeling nibbly before bed. My meals have been fine but my little extras haven’t. So I thought I would post up the sausage casserole recipe. Although this is something I made up as I went along using what I had in the cupboard and taste as a measurement. To be honest, even though it was using what I had in the cupboard it tasted lovely.

Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 chopped Tesco healthy living sausages (4 syns)
• Chopped onions
• Sliced mushrooms
• Sliced carrots
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tin of baked beans
• Tomato puree
• 1 beef stock cube
• Worchestershire sauce
• Tabasco sauce

I basically put it all into the slow cooker in the morning, mixed it up and let it cook all day and then served it with Slimming World chips and veggies. It made for a cheap and easy meal and as there was only 2 of us eating it we were able to have it over 2 days.

 

I will have a low syn day today

Yesterday I went slightly ‘off track’. I had a good days synage by having chopped fruit (FREE) and Mullerlight (FREE) for breakfast with more fruit as a mid morning snack. For lunch I had grilled bacon, baked beans and a fried egg with FryLight (FREE). I then had an afternoon snack of more fruit (FREE) and a Rocky road bar (0.5 HEB). Not too bad I thought apart from missing my HEA and half of HEB I didn’t think I had done to badly. Then it got evening and due to bad planning we didn’t have very much in and I didn’t fancy yet another bowl of pasta, so off to the chinese we went…OOPS! We did make do with one portion of Special Chow Mein and Prawn Crackers between us (would have had a picture but I ate it too quickly…it didn’t stand a chance).

Today will be different though. Today will be very Slimming World friendly. That is once I have taken a walk into town to stock up on a few bits and bobs. I figured that if I wrote down my food plan I might actually stick to it. So here it is:

• Breakfast – Chopped fruit (FREE) with a Mullerlight
• Snack – Cup of tea with sweetener and milk (FREE +HEA) and Rocky Road bar (0.5 HEB)
• Lunch – Chicken and Herb Supernoodles (FREE) and mixed veg (FREE) 2x satsumas (FREE)
• Snack – Cup of tea with sweetener and milk (FREE + HEA) and Rocky Road bar (HEB)
• Dinner – Homemade shepherds pie (2 syns) with mixed vegetables (FREE) and Mullerlight (FREE)

So there it is. That should make up for the chinese syns last night. ..fingers crossed.

 

Weigh In Success!

Well, I have been AWOL for a week and I thought it was about time I got my bum back on here and updated everyone with my progress for both this week and last week. Last Thursday I lost a whopping 0.5lb. I will admit that after all of the effort and exercise I did I was disappointed and as a result I can honestly say I have not tried as hard this week. In fact I had another Indian and also then went to an all you can eat buffet last weekend…OOPS. Although to be honest I will say that as soon as it hit Monday I was back on it and had virtually syn free days (made easier due to my my hubby to be being at a conference in Germany) but only went to the gym once. This led to a 1lb loss this week. I am thrilled with that. I am now 9st 1lb and have a BMI of 24.8. I am now below 25! I have never been below 25. So this week I am going to have a brilliant week and maybe with some luck I can knock my weight into the 8st’s…fingers crossed.

Spiced Plum Clafoutis

Taken from the Slimming World magazine October 2012.

Serves: 6

Ready in about: 45 minutes

Syns: 4 syns all choices

• Fry Light
• 500g fresh plums, halved and stoned
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of ground cardamom seeds
• A large pinch of ground allspice
• 6 tbsp sweetener
• 2 eggs, separated
• 3 level tbsp plain flour, sieved
• 1 level tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 70ml skimmed milk
• 1 level tsp icing sugar, to dust
• Fat-free natural fromage frais, to serve

1. Preheat your oven to 18oc/fan 160c/gas mark 4. Lightly spray a shallow 20cm-diameter baking dish with Fry Light.
2. Put the plums, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and 2 tbsp sweetener in a mixing bowl and toss well. spoon the mixture into a baking dish.
3. put the egg yolks and remaining  sweetener in another bowl and beat, using an electric hand whisk, until pale and fluffy. fold in the flour, ground almonds, vanilla extract and milk.
4. put the egg whites in a clean glass bowl. beat with an electric hand whisk on a medium speed until they form soft peaks when the blades are lifted. fold the egg whites gently into the batter.
5. Spoon the batter over the fruit and bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the batter is puffed and golden. Allow the clafoutis to cool slightly, then dust with the icing sugar and serve immediately with a dollop of fromage frais.

My First Slimming World Friendly Baking Experience!

Today I have done my first bit of Slimming World friendly baking since I started slimming world in February. I do enjoy baking and always find it difficult to watch programmes like the Great British Bake Off without drooling and wishing that I too could bake such amazing cakes that contain that amount of butter without getting fat. Alas, I cannot. In fact, while we are on the subject, why is it that you have these slim celebrity chefs cooking plenty of fatty delights but still manage to stay slim? I am convinced that they must not eat the food they cook! This is something I do not have the determination for. It just isn’t an option for me. If I have spent an hour or two slaving away in the kitchen making some sort of baked delight you can bet your bottam dollar that I WILL be trying it!

Anyway I have done my first bit of baking today and I must say it was a success. I made the yummy looking Spiced Plum Clafoutis from the most recent Slimming World magazine. It really was scrummy and the best thing about this lovely pud is that it is only 4 syns a slice! Yes you heard right..4 syns a slice! Don’t mind if I do! If you too would like to make this little delight you can find the recipe in the most recent Slimming World magazine or HERE on my blog.

It wasn’t too hard to make and the instructions were so easy that even me (who NEVER bakes apart from the really simple stuff :-p). The only thing I struggled with was trying to describe my eggs as pale and fluffy. No matter how much I beat them and whisked them they did not look pale and fluffy so I gave up and went to the next step. It doesn’t seem to have made a difference though.

Anyway, to the important numbers. Todays diet diary is as follows:

Breakfast Fruit and Fibre (HEB + 1 syn) Milk (0.5 HEA) Mango (SUPERFREE)

Lunch Chicken and Herb Low Fat Supernoodle (FREE) Sardines (FREE) 2x peaches (SUPERFREE) Muller Fat Free Greek Style Lemon Yoghurt (0.5)

Dinner Left Over Sichuan Pork (1 syn) slimming world (FREE) 1 slice of plum Clafoutis (4 syns)

Total syns = 6.5 syns

As I have had a few syns today and yesterday I will be going to the gym with my partner once he finishes work. It is much more interesting going to the gym when you have someone to go with. Not that we have the same routine 😛  .

Classic Beef Burger

Taken from the Slimming World Extra Easy Cookbook.

Serves: 4

Syns: Free on Extra Easy, 8.5 on Original, 13 on green

Ready in about: 40 minutes

• 794g extra lean mince beef
• 8 tbsp very finely chopped shallots
• 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1. Place the minced beed, shallots, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in and bowl an,d using your hands, combine the thoroughly.
2. Season well, divide into four and shape into flat burgers.
3. Spray the burgers with low cal spray, place under a hot grill (or BBQ 😉 and cook to your liking.

Tandoori Chicken

BBQ Tandoori Chicken

This recipe is taken from the March/April 2012 Slimming World magazine and uses lamb instead of chicken.

Serves: 4

Ready in about: 40 minutes, plus overnight marinating

Syns: Free on Extra Easy, Free on Original

• 1kg chicken cut into chunks
• 200g fat-free natural yoghurt
• 6tbsp tomato puree
• 4tbsp tandoori curry powder
• 1cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1tsp hot chilli powder
• 3tsp sea salt
• 3tbsp lemon juice

1. Put the lamb chunks in a dish in a single layer. Mix together the yoghurt, tomato puree, curry powder, ginger, chilli powder, 2 tsp of sea salt and lemon juice.
2. Rub the mixture onto the chicken pieces.
3. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 4 – 5 hours, or overnight if time permits.
4. Preheat your oven (or bbq 😉 to 220c/200c fan/gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Thread the chicken onto skewers and place on a baking tray.
5. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the chicken in cooked.

It Sunday and it’s sunny so lets have a BBQ!

The weather has been beautiful today and as such we have had a lovely relaxing morning just sitting in the garden and reading while waiting for a friend to come over to have a BBQ lunch, Slimming World friendly of course. As I had Fruit and Fibre for breakfast as my HEB I didn’t have a cob but to be honest I didn’t feel like missed out. To help me stick to my syns I used a couple of my tried and and tested recipes that I know I love. The first on was Tandoori Chicken Skewers.

They are amazing and my other half thinks they are the best thing ever, in fact whenever we have a BBQ these are always requested. The best thing is that if you do not tell people they are Slimming World friendly they simply don’t know. They are just that good. Even better than that is that they are FREE!!!! I really would recommend that you try them and you can find the recipe HERE.

Another thing that I made is homemade burgers, unfortunately they looked and tasted so good that I completely forgot the take a picture, but you can find the recipe HERE. These are also FREE.

Alongside this I had some very juicy and tasty mushrooms (so juicy in fact that the juice burnt my lip 😦 ) and our friend brought along some Pork and Sweet Chilli Sausages. These I worked out and 5.5 syns and as I had such a good rest of the BBQ I allowed myself 1 without a cob. All in all it was a very good syn friendly BBQ.

In other news I also went to see my very first ice hockey match and I absolutely loved it! I’m really not one for watching sports like football (it annoys me when players roll on the floor for every minor injury) or rugby (I get annoyed by the stop and start play) but ice hockey is so quick! I was also strong and didn’t give into the temptation of burgers and hotdogs and chocolate and sweeties. Instead I just made do with…a diet coke. YAY for me!

So today has been an OK diet day again. I has better get a good weight loss this week.

Breakfast Fruit and fibre (HEB + 1 syn), semi skimmed milk (0.5 HEA), banana and a nectarine

Snack Muller Light Greek Style Yoghurt

Lunch 2x burgers (FREE), Tandoori Chicken (FREE) Pork and Sweet Chilli Sausage (5.5 syns) Mushroom (FREE) Sauce (2 syns)

Snack Mullerlight Banana and Custard

Dinner Mango

Total syns = 9 syns

Tomorrow I will be going to the gym and making sure I have another low syn day to make up for it. In fact I have some of that yummy scrummy pork from yesterday so that will make a lovely low syn meal for tomorrow evening. YUM YUM!