Weigh in - Week 1 - Success!

After Twinkie-filled nightmares on Sunday night, I approached my 6:30pm weigh in with considerable trepidation. Let's face it - I wasn't really hungry all week, didn't really feel like I was on a diet and even had a slice of lemon cake! I couldn't have lost, could I?

The scales disagreed, registering a 6 lb loss! Secretly I hoped that I'd get results like this, but I never really believed I could. I know it's early days but this is a great outcome and gets me off to an excellent start.

I'm going into this week focused and aiming for the 1/2 stone mark next Monday. That's a 1 lb loss. Any more is a bonus.

To help me on my way, I'm thinking about trying out this syn-free lemon curd recipe this week:

Syn-free lemon curd

3 tbsp powdered sweetener (I prefer Splenda)
1 lemon, juiced with its rind grated
2 large eggs
2oz extra low fat fromage frais

Whisk together your lemon juice and eggs in a medium-sized bowl..
Mix in rind and sweetener.
Place bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until thickened.
Remove from heat.
Whisk in fromage frais until smooth.

Store this in the fridge in a jar to keep fresh. Since it has eggs in it, I'd recommend using within 3 days.

This also makes a great base for a cheesecake filling. When cooled, just add a whole tub of Quark and mix well. 

Start the day off right: Slimming World breakfast ideas

Are you stuck for Slimming World breakfast ideas? It's easy to fall into a same old, same old routine at the start of the day... and it's uninspiring to say the least. Sticking to a 'diet' is hard enough, but combatting boredom could be the thing which pushes you off the proverbial wagon!

So... start as you mean to go on and try some of these ideas:

A syn-free bacon sandwich

I love bacon sandwiches on a lazy Saturday morning. So I've swapped mine for a syn-free twist on it! I roast off 2 beefsteak tomatoes with frylight, balsamic vinegar and italian herbs. I serve this on a large slice of wholemeal toast (HeB) with 2 rashers of turkey bacon on the top. When I'm feeling really decadent I add grated low fat cheese (HeA) and/or a poached egg.  Yum!

Luxury banana yoghurt
Chop up some bananas and mix with Total 0% fat Greek Yoghurt. Add a dash of cinnamon.   Options: honey, flaked almonds (3.5 syns), granola (HeB)

Cheese-y scrambled eggs on toast
Scramble some eggs in the microwave. Add in a low fat cheese triangle (HeA) and serve on toast. 

Apple cinnamon porridge
1 Oats so simple original packet (HeB) with grated apples and cinnamon 

Syn-free Frittata
Morning's can be really hectio in my house. So it helps to be able to just grab something quick from the freezer and microwave it. Frittatas are perfrect for this... and you can put whatever you want in it, too! This week mine had: 8 eggs, boiled potatoes (sliced), 50 g low fat cheese, sliced mushrooms, onions, peas, cherry tomatoes and spring onions. After cooking I cut it into 6 wedges and froze them. Now all I need to do is take one out of the freezer the night before and microwave for two minutes in the morning. 


 

Slimming World Chili Risotto Recipe

This chili risotto recipe takes less than 20 minutes to make - perfect for a quick dinner after work.

Ingredients:

Fry Light

1 onion, chopped
4oz mushrooms, sliced
2tsp dried paprika
3 tsp chilli powder
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
4oz chopped tomatoes
4oz frozen peas
14oz sweetcorn, drained
14oz kidney beans, drained
2tsp artificial sweetener
1/2pt stock
1 packet Batchelors Savoury Rice
Salt & pepper to taste.

Spray pan with fry light and cook onions and mushrooms for two to three minutes.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until liquid has absorbed.
Season to taste.

Syn-free curry sauce recipe

The key to losing weight on Slimming World is your intake of superfoods. Recipes like this syn-free curry sauce are one way of keeping your diet varied and focused on these filling foods which have zero syns.

Ingredients:
Fry Light
1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 tsp finely grated ginger
1 tbsp hot or med curry powder
400g tin chopped tomatoes
57ml veg stock
2 tbsp sweetener
57g natural yoghurt or fromage frais

Spray frying pan with fry light and place on medium heat.
Saute onion, garlic, and ginger for 1-2 mins.
Stir in curry powder and cook for two more minutes.
Add tomatoes, sweetener and stock and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.
Blitz mixture with hand blender and return to heat.
Remove from heat.
Stir in yoghurt or fromage frais.
Can be frozen for future use.

Couscous burger recipe

Couscous burgers or fritters  (serves 4)


These yummy burgers are easy to make and can be eaten hot or cold. They contain a fair bit of cheese, so you could have 1 serving and allow it to count as your HExA option. Using a lower fat cheese could reduce sins if you wanted to eat a bit more at one sitting.
150g couscous
200ml vegetable stock (hot)
2 eggs, well beaten
1 bunch spring onions, shredded
100g cheddar cheese, grated
Fry Light sunflower oil

Place couscous in bowl and pour over hot stock. Cover with plate and stand for 15 minutes until fluffy.

Use fork to fluff up grains. 

Stir in onions, cheese and eggs.

Shape into 8 cakes.

Spray non-stick frying pan with FryLight and put onto medium heat.

Cook burgers for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Remove and drain on kitchen towel. 
Serve with a crisp salad.

Preparing a Slimming World shopping list

Tomorrow is my first Slimming World meeting and weigh-in, so I'll be kicking off my SW adventure on Tuesday morning. My only issue today (apart from getting excited) is that I need to prepare a shopping list! I'd like to have everything in order so there isn't too much rushing about on day 1. I think preparation is key!

The Extra Easy plan will be explained to me tomorrow, but I've been having a sneak peek at some recipes today. Two have caught my eye as potential lunch and dinner for Tuesday.

Lunch:

Jacket Potato with Coronation Chicken and crispy salad


Slimming World Coronation Chicken (1 syn) - Serves 1

1 chicken breast, grilled and cooled
1 Muller Light yogurt - Apricot
2 tbsp Hellmans Extra Light Mayonnaise
Curry powder to taste
Optional extras:

71g semi-dried apricots (Hex B)
28 g sultanas (4 syns)
1 tbsp flaked almonds (4.5 syns)

Mix yoghurt with mayonnaise until creamy.
Add curry powder to taste.
Add in optional extras.
Cube chicken and stir into mix until well coated.


Dinner:

New Yorker Chicken - Serves 2

Fry light
2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp syn-free bbq sauce (recipe below)
4 medallions of smoked bacon
Low fat grated cheddar

Preheat oven to 180.
Bake two chicken breasts for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven (but keep oven on!)
Spoon a tablespoon of syn-free bbq sauce over the top of each chicken breast.
Place 2 medallions of bacon on top of the chicken breast.
Sprinkle cheese over the top.
Bake for a further 10 minutes.


Zero syn BBQ sauce - Serves 4

Fry light
1 roughly chopped onion
1 tsp mild chili powder
227ml passata
3 tbsp Splenda
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp mustard powder
salt/pepper

Spray a pan with fry light and saute the onion and chili powder - over a low heat - until soft (approx. 5 minutes).

Stir in the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

Can be frozen.

Strawberry, banana and vanilla smoothie

When it comes to my favourite food smells vanilla tops my list every time. This smoothie recipe will give you two hearty servings which are 4 ProPoints each.

150 g frozen strawberries
1 ripe med.  banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 g low-fat, plain yoghurt
500 ml skimmed milk

Blend until smooth in a blender or with a hand-held electric whisk.

Smoothie of the day: Banana & Raspberry smoothie

Perfect for breakfast or even a sunny afternoon's treat, this banana and raspberry smoothie is yummy and totally guilt-free. It's only 2 ProPoints.


200 g frozen raspberries (or strawberries if the mood takes)
1 banana (you may find that a frozen banana gives a nicer texture)
150 ml fat-free yoghurt

Blend together and enjoy!

Sensational peanut butter and banana smoothies!

One of my short-term goals is to keep my tastebuds happy with foods that I've always regarded as a bit indulgent or comforting.  That's why I treated myself  to a peanut butter and banana breakfast smoothie... for dinner! 
After all, one can't live on salad alone!

As a milkshake afficianado, I have to say it was hard to resist putting ice cream in (or a Snickers!), but it sure was out of this world!

Ingredients

1 large, ripe (or even overripe) banana (NB: using a frozen banana gives a nice texture to the smoothy)
2 tbsp. peanut butter (smooth)
1 tbsp. honey
8 oz skimmed/0% fat milk

I'm on the lookout for other winning smoothie combos. If you have a good recipe, please post it here! I'm particularly looking for a gingerbread one :)

Can chocolate be healthy?

 As part of the NLP, I underwent chocolate aversion therapy. It put an immediate end to my naughty cravings for chocolate bars, chocolate chip cookies... and well, anything chocolate that is unhealthy. It's worked a treat, but I do have a longing for little healthy treats which I can have every now and again.
Nakd bars are one way I've managed this. These raw food treats are out of this world and come in flavours like ginger bread, pecan pie and cocoa delight. They are quite dear, however, so I've been looking for a way to cook (or not in this case) something similar up at home.

And I discovered the most amazing blog - Chocolate-covered Katie. She's a goddess of healthy goodness :)  Some of the ingredients are hard to find on the high street in the UK - but luckily ingredients like Artisana coconut butter can be sourced easily via Amazon for just over £10.

 

Recipe of the Week

Like anybody food posessed, I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. But I don't think I'll ever be completely ready to hang up my apron. Which is a good thing as it was not cooking that made me fat... It was cooking the wrong foods (and eating too much of them).

By studying the weight watchers points lists - including the all important zero point foods - I hope to put together some great breakfasts, lunches and dinners which won't break even the tightest points balance.

From time to time I hope to post my successful recipes on here. They might not fall into haute cuisine but they will be low fat, low calorie and low point foods.

Today's recipe, Butternut Squash and Carrot soup is a true winter warmer. What's more, it creates an inexpensive but incredibly healthy and filling lunch or dinner for just 3 points.

Feeling Dippy

Working up a sweat in the garden has left me hungry - for both lunch and a way to utilise all the veggies that will be harvested in the months to come. Over the course of the next few months, I will trawl through recipe books and the net and experiment in the kitchen and post recipes worthy of being attempted again!

These dips are fabulous with toasted pitta bread and are a great way to work towards your 5-a-day!

Zero Point Roasted Veggie Dip (4 servings) Points: 0
1 med courgette, sliced
1 med yellow squash, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Pop your courgette, squash, bell pepper, onion and garlic on a baking tray. Spray with nonstick spray; season with salt and cayenne.
Roast vegetables until tender - turning once. Approximately 15 mins per side.
Transfer to blender or food processor and puree.
Transfer to bowl and serve warm, or refrigerate, covered until chilled, at least 2 hours.


Spinach Dip (Serves 24) Points: 1
10-oz. frozen chopped spinach - defrosted
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 cup non-fat sour cream
3 spring onions, chopped
1 pk Knorr vegetable soup mix
Drain the spinach and squeeze dry.
In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Add spinach and mix well.
Refrigerate 3 hours before serving.

Dill-Cucumber Dip (serves 6) Points: 1
1 large onion
2/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
8 oz fat-free cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dill, fresh or 1 tsp dried
2 large cucumbers, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes
Chop onion in a food processor or blender. Add yogurt, cream cheese, salt, pepper and dill; whirl until well combined. Fold in cucumber; chill overnight.