Week 16

Well I ticked off another lb this week - so all is good.  I'd be quite happy to carry on losing 1 lb a week.  There was a lady in class who was so gutted as she thought she would get another stone award and was only lb away last week, but she maintained this week so was a bit peeved off.  People say 'oh I've only lost a pound' but sometimes losing a pound is so hard so I take nothing for granted now.  I was 1 lb away from my stone award a few weeks back and was sure I was going to get it the following week, well the following week I only lost 1/2 lb.  I was sure I was guaranteed it the next week - well I maintained!!  Then I wasn't at class the next week and finally the week after I got it - 4 weeks after assuming it was in the bag!  So it just goes to show that 'just a pound' isn't always that easy, so if I lost 'just a pound' every week I'll be more than happy! :)

It's getting colder now and the hall was quite chilly, I've been wearing the same clothes more or less each week so my weight doesn't fluctuate because of what I'm wearing.  I need to start wearing warmer clothes but they are too heavy! I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and just take the hit because it's getting too cold now lol

Sticky Honey & Garlic Glazed Turkey Meatballs

Meatballs are not my favourite thing in the world but oh my goodness - such yumminess in a meatball!!

These are quite high in syns - the recipe makes 12 meatballs (but they are biggish meatballs about 1-1.5 inch in size) and by my working out, they work out about 1.5 syns each.  I had 4 and was stuffed!  You could reduce the syns by making slimming world tomato ketchup (I don't have a recipe for that, but I know there is one out there somewhere!).  Also if you were to use the milk and breadcrumbs from your healthy extra allowances this would also reduce the syn value.

For the meatballs....

500g lean ground turkey mince

1 x 25g slice of wholemeal bread made into breadcrumbs (2.5 syns)

1 egg

100 ml skimmed milk (2 syns)

1/2 onion finely grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

frylight

For the sauce

Frylight butter spray

4 cloves garlic crushed

8 tablespoons tomato ketchup (8 syns)

4 tablespoons clear honey (4 syns)

2 tablespoons light soya sauce

2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I couldn't find a syn value - so free?)

dash of tabasco sauce

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C.

To make the meatballs, add your milk and egg in a bowl and mix.  Add the onions, salt and breadcrumbs and mix.  Add the turkey and mix with your fingers until all mixed through.

Line a baking tray with foil and spray it with frylight.  Spoon the meatballs onto the tray.  I used an icecream scoop then rounded them.  Mixture should make 12 big meatballs.

Pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until browned and cooked through.  

To make the sauce:

Spray a pan with frylight butter spray and fry the chopped garlic for a few mins then add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for 5 or so minutes to let it reduce.

Once the meatballs are cooked, spoon them into the mixture and roll them about to coat.  I coated half the meatballs at a time.  

Ready - yummy, yummy, yummy :) 

Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheesy Bake

Cook the cauliflower & broccoli and drain.  Mix some fat free fromage free with some grated cheese and stir through the vegetables.  Sprinkle some grated cheese on top and season with salt & pepper then grill until browned and cheese melted. 

I used my HExA so worked out syn free :)

I had this with last night's leftover chilli chicken  and homemade wedges...yum!

Hash Brown

One great big massive hash brown...all for me! 

I ❤ potatoes and I ❤ Slimming World!

This takes 15 mins either side on medium-low setting on your hob - if you aint got 30 minutes to let it cook - don't make it.

Grate 1 large potato, squeeze out all the water and season well with salt/pepper - you could add a little grated onion if you like.  Then cook in a frying pan sprayed with frylight.  Spread it all out and flatten it all down and push in the edges to form it all together - and then leave it! 15 minutes - then after 15 minutes, spray the top with frylight again and then flip it over - then leave it for 15 minutes. Turns out nice and crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside.  

I had mine with some scrambled egg and beans - but there was no room to add it on the plate! :)

All syn free :)

Chilli chicken

Think I've just had one of my favourite SW meals ever....everything together was just so yummy and my kind of food!

Chilli chicken - easy peasy!

I used chicken breast fillets enough for 4 people

Marinade the chicken for a few hours or overnight in 6 tablespoons light soya sauce and 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce and some garlic and I also added some chilli flakes for a bit of a kick - then grill.

1syn per serving

Week 15

Yay!  Happy, happy, happy!  FINALLY!!!  Oh my - how difficult it has been to get this, every week just a fraction closer, was beginning to think I was never going to reach it cause something always seemed to scupper my good intentions!  September was a particularly bad month for me as I had a lot on and beginning of October as I had a birthday and you've just got to enjoy haven't you!  Plus hubby was home - which I think hampered things for me. Don't get me wrong, he is very supportive and is behind me all the way, but he goes away for 5 weeks at a time so when he comes home, it's nice to do nice things and that normally means eating and drinking nice things!!  So he has gone back to work and I am off for 2 weeks holidays and I just seem to get on so much better, I can cook meals more suited to me and I am off out most days taking the dogs for nice big long walks in the woods so getting plenty body magic in, which definitely helps.  

The weight has came off quite slowly really as that's me been doing Slimming World for 15 weeks now and it's taken that long to get to this point, so on average you could say that I have only lost 1lb a week.  But to put a positive spin on it, I'd rather be the weight I am now 15 weeks on than be the weight I was 15 weeks ago.  So I now only have another 6 lbs to reach my 1.5 stone award - bring it on I say and let the battle commence!! lol

week 1  4 lb off
week 2  on holiday
week 3  on holiday
week 4  2.5 lb on
week 5  3.5lb off
week 6  3lb off (got my 1/2 stone award)
week 7  1.5lb off

week 8  2lb off

week 9  maintained

week 10 1.2lb off

week 11 ?

week 12 1lb off
week 13  maintained

week 14 ?

week 15 2lb off (1 stone award)

Twice Baked Potatoes

Love potatoes :)

Bake your tattie, cut in half, scoop out the flesh and mash it with some fat free fromage free, spring onion and some grated cheese.  Season with salt/pepper and spoon back into the potato skin.  Spinkle a teeny bit of cheese on top and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy.

Chicken & sweetcorn soup

Another quick and simple dish!  It's only 1 syn per portion and that's because cornstarch is added to thicken it.

Pint of chicken stock, 2-3 chicken breasts, spring onions, egg, garlic powder, salt/pepper

Cook the chicken in the stock, then shred the chicken.  Add creamed sweetcorn, spring onions and shredded chicken. Mix in the cornflour.  Drizzle in a beaten egg and mix.  I also mixed in about 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and some salt and pepper to season.

I drizzled some dark soy sauce on top and it was as simple as that! A really tasty bowl of soup!!

Potato Rosti

I love all things potato and especially love hash browns.  Proper american hash browns not the frozen creations you get here.  These are basically based on hash browns but instead of cooked in the frying pan they are cooked in muffin cases instead.  The ingredients are just grated potato (squeezed in a cloth to get rid of the water) mixed with grated onion.  Zapped in the micro for 2 minutes then mixed with salt and pepper and added to some silicon muffin cases, sprayed with frylight and cooked in the oven for 20-25 minutes - and they taste lovely - oh and they are syn free:)

Lemon Mousse (Syn Free)

I'm not really a dessert person but this was rather nice!  Kids liked it too.

Serves 4

Juice and grated rind of 3 lemons (I did cheat as I didn't have real lemons and just used 6 tablespoons of lemon juice)

6 tablespoons sweetener

4 eggs

1 tub quark

In a heatproof bowl mix your lemon juice, rind and sweetener.  Beat in the eggs.  Boil a small pan of water and sit your bowl on top.  Heat and mix until it thickens (custard like consistency) - this took me about 30 minutes.  Then add quark tablespoon at a time and mix.  Divide between ramekins and chill.  Enjoy :)

Chicken Fajita Cous Cous

I made this with last night's fajita leftovers - but you could add anything you like to it.

It makes a quick and easy lunch!  I based this recipe on one from youtube by a great girl called swjunky - she has a great channel and lots of recipe ideas. Go check her out :)

Add your cous cous to a bowl and sprinkle in half oxo cube (I used chicken).  Add boiling water (just enough to cover it), mix through and cover for 5 mins.

Once all the water has been absorbed, fluff up your cous cous and mix in a bowl with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, crushed garlic or garlic powder, black pepper and some dried chilli flakes.

Voila :)

Prawn Curry

Super quick and super easy!  Totally syn free!  My kinda meal!

Serves 4

can of chopped tomatoes

4 cloves crushed garlic

2cm piece of ginger peeled and grated

2 tablespoons of curry powder (I used mild)

1/2 teaspoon of sweetener

500g prawns

Add all the ingredients except the prawns to pan and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add the prawns and warm through for 5 minutes.

Voila!

Week 13

Well, well, well - my stone award appears to be so hard to achieve at the moment!  I maintained this week!  Which is a positive thing I suppose as it means I didn't put on!  I was actually quite good for most of this week but I did go out for a meal for my birthday and had tapas, which although was small, a lot was cooked heavily in oil etc which wouldn't have been good.  Also dessert!!!  I'm not mad on desserts, I much prefer savoury food - but I couldn't resist when I saw it on the menu - Turkish Delight Cheesecake - oh it was yummy and the topping was so thick and chewy just like a bar of turkish delight.  So I did over indulge - but it was my birthday I suppose!! Surely I will get this stone award next week!!!

So - my progress so far....

week 1  4 lb off
week 2  on holiday
week 3  on holiday
week 4  2.5 lb on
week 5  3.5lb off
week 6  3lb off (got my 1/2 stone award)
week 7  1.5lb off

week 8  2lb off

week 9  maintained

week 10 1.2lb off

week 11 ?

week 12 1lb off
week 13  maintained