Quick and easy dinner !

Firstly apologies for my long absence, it's been a while.... 2 months to be precise.

I will be honest, my head hasn't really been in "the zone" for the last month or so and I've been losing and gaining the same 5lbs. But enough is enough. I am now 25lbs lighter than I was on January the 1st and I KNOW this is a trigger time for me. It seems that I get to a stone and a half off and then get stuck. I've done 2 stone before but never more. I am DETERMINED to beat that this time, so I need to get my bum in gear.

This is what we had for dinner tonight. We were running late and the original meal plan would have taken just too long. In the end this worked out much better, it was fresh, light and zingy - just right the the vaguely summer like weather that we have (fleetingly I'm sure) at the moment.

I can't really say that this is a recipe, it's more of an assembly job but SO worth making and a very reasonable 11pp per serving, less if you use light or extra light mayo.

SWEET CHILLI CHICKEN SALAD
serves 2 @ 11pp per serving

1 pack of Uncle Bens Spicy Mexican Rice
1 pack of Waitrose Sweet Chilli Mini Fillets
Assorted salad - whatever combination you like
Corn on the cob (these are mini cobs so 1pp each)
2tsp mayonnaise (I have used full fat Hellmanns here but any would do)
2tbsp sweet chilli sauce

As I said - this isn't even really a recipe. It involves chopping some salad, heating the rice, opening the packet of chicken and arranging it on a plate !!
Drizzle the mayo and sweet chilli sauce over and tuck in.

For me, this is a lovely combination of flavours and really hits the spot when you want something healthy and slightly spicy but just CBA to cook !!

Ooops !

Well the diet hiccup lasted longer than that Friday sadly. It lasted a whole week and I paid the price with a huge gain on the scales yesterday. I had fun though and so it's not all bad.

Reading some posts on the WW forum I have found a new quote that I need to concentrate on more which is "don't focus on the week just gone but focus on the week ahead". I've not had a great few weeks but over the last 14 weeks I've lost 14lbs in total which isn't bad - not quite what I'd have liked but it's still a stone gone forever !

I have some photos and recipes to be uploaded so watch this space.

A diet hiccup...

but a very tasty one I must say. Out shopping today and I was so hungry I could have chewed my arm off. Not the best choice but I only ate the bottom half of the bun and half of my chips.

A "giraffe" burger - thankfully not of the long necked kind but a cheese and bacon

 burger at our local branch of Giraffe.

Philly stuffed chicken in parma ham

I have had a long busy week at work, the Husband has been off with the boys (gotta love being married to a teacher) and we're both flagging. I got home from work last night on my knees to find my lovely husband had made me a yummy low point dinner - he really is fantastic !!

This was served with jacket potatoes which added another 8pp by the time I'd added some extra cheese *blush* but I had them to spare. Normally I'd serve these with 150g new potatoes (3pp) and either veggies or salad.

PHILLY STUFFED CHICKEN WITH PARMA HAM
serves 2 at 7pp per person

2 medium chicken breasts
2 tbsp garlic & herb light Philadelphia or whatever flavour you like
4 slices of parma ham

Make a slit in the side of the chicken.
Stuff with the philly then wrap the parma ham around the chicken
Wrap in a foil parcel and bake at about 200C for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Because the chicken is cooked in it's own juices and steam it comes out lovely and juicy with a great pre-made sauce when you open the parcel (take care doing this as steam comes out which can burn your fingers !). Don't forget to use that as you've pointed it already !!

Sausage casserole

I'm a few days behind at the moment due to a spectacular BT fail. We've been without broadband and a landline since Wednesday morning. Luckily it all came back on today but it's been a very strange experience.

This is one of my favourite comfort food meals. It's like a tarted up jacket potato with beans really but it's so much more than that. Again the PP values can be tweaked depending on what you have to play with. I still have quite a few PP to play with so I can be more generous but you can use lower PP sausages or just fry light (shudder) if you wish to reduce values further.

SAUSAGE CASSEROLE
serves 4 at 8pp per serving

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 clove of garlic crushed
250g mushrooms sliced thickly
8 reduced fat sausages (I have used both Waitrose extra lean and Tesco Butchers 1/2 fat for 5pp per 2)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Good shake of mixed herbs
Squirt of tomato puree
1-2 cans chopped tomatoes depending how much sauce you like. I always used two cans.
S&P to taste
400g can baked beans

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the vegetables. Cook until soft and remove to a bowl.
Add the sausages to the pan and brown, then add the veg back to the pan.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, herbs, puree and tomatoes and simmer until the sauce is thick and reduced.
Season to taste and add the beans for the last 5 minutes.

I served this with a a 250g raw weight baked potato for 5pp and 20g of Cathedral City light cheese for another 2pps

Pizza !

I love pizza in all it's cheesy gooey-ness. I love it's versatility but I hate the amount of points it usually comes with.

I've been trying and tweaking this recipe for a while now and this is the best I've managed. Even the Husband said it was the best pizza I've ever made. It IS still quite point heavy but if you're careful the rest of the day then it's perfectly manageable. I use my breadmaker to make the dough which is simplicity itself but it's perfectly ok to beat the hell out of it yourself if you prefer !

Apologies for the most SHOCKING photo ever but this was son no2's pizza which looked like a cat and he didn't want to eat as it was so cute !

PIZZA
Serves 4 with the basic dough/sauce/cheese worked out at 12pps (add toppings on separately)

So I started by making a basic tomato sauce - very simply onion, garlic, celery and carrot slowly sauteed in a tablespoon of olive oil, chopped tomatoes, oregano, a pinch of sugar, worcestershire sauce and some tomato puree. All slow cooked for an hour or so with a bay leaf. That worked out at 1pp a serving but to be honest probably negligible for the amount you'd need on a pizza.

The dough for 4 people was

5g Dove's Farm yeast
300g strong white flour
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
170ml lukewarm water

I put this on my pizza setting for 45 mins, knocked back and then proved in a warm place for another 30 minutes. Split into 4 and then rolled out to the thickness you like.

Then it's easy ! Splodge on some tomato sauce, add toppings of your choice (I had red onion, mushrooms and sliced courgette with some chorizo) and the add 60g of grated mozzarella per pizza. Bake at 200C for about 10-15 minutes.

ENJOY !!

Teriyaki tuna

This recipe came about through a catalogue of errors really. Firstly it was meant to be a salmon recipe but the Husband came back from the shops with only 2 salmon fillets and a random reduced tuna steak. So, the kids had the salmon as I know they'll eat it and we had the tuna.

I've made this recipe before and it's very yummy. I can't take credit for the idea as it's off the WW website but I have tweaked it little. Spicy and more veggies than you can shake a stick at. It would have been even better if the Husband hadn't thrown away my dish of marinade before I added it back to the pan. Told you it was a catalogue of errors !

TERIYAKI TUNA NOODLES

serves 2 at 13pp per serving

3 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp chilli powder or chilli flakes

350g tuna steak cubed

1 tsp olive oil / spray oil

1 cloves garlic

4 spring onions

Variety of stir fry veggies - I used baby corn, sugar snaps, pak choi, 1/2 a pack of mixed stir fry etc

2x150g packs straight to wok noodles

150ml chicken stock

Coriander to serve

Marinate the tuna in the lime juice, teriyaki sauce and chilli

Fry the veggies in the oil until soft. Remove from the pan and add the tuna. Stir fry for a couple of minutes

Add everything back to the pan with the noodles, reserved marinade and add the stock - enough to give as much of a sauce as you wish.

Heat through and serve with the coriander.

Tarragon chicken

A few weeks ago on the Weight Watchers forum, a fellow poster asked me if I'd consider posting up some of my recipes. As I also have my other food blog Sugar & Spice (badly neglected I might add) I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. My plan is for April that I will photograph and blog about every main meal I eat - if there is a recipe to post then I will post that too along with the relevant PP values. It may even spur me on to blog on a more regular basis !

So for tonight's offering I present you tarragon chicken

TARRAGON CHICKEN
serves 2 and is 6pp per serving

1 tsp olive oil

2 medium chicken breasts cut into strips

1 onion chopped

Handful of mushrooms sliced

1-2 cloves of garlic

1/2 a Knorr chicken stockpot or a splash of chicken stock

2 tbsp of half fat creme fraiche

Large handful of chopped fresh tarragon

Heat the olive oil in a large pan

Add the chicken breasts and brown. When nearly cooked then add the veggies and cook until soft.

Then add the stock and creme fraiche, season to taste.

Add the tarragon reserving some for finishing the dish

Simmer until the sauce is reduced.

I served this with 100g of new potatoes (2pp) and some green beans and broccoli

A weight loss update

So far so good. Well I am now 17lbs lighter than I was at the beginning of the year. It was 18.5lbs but a shock gain this week scuppered my 1.5 stone aim by the end of March. I'm still pleased with that though, slowly and steadily and hoping with that slow loss my skin will have chance to catch up and I won't have too much of the dreaded loose stuff !

The other front page news is that I'm exercising. Now this for me is a BIG deal. I am the girl that used to hide in the woods doing cross country at school and hoping the teachers wouldn't notice I'd only been round once ! I hated it at school and because I wasn't a natural athlete the sadistic PE teachers used to make fun and well - it was never going to be a recipe for success. Now however I am doing 30 mins of cardio on the cross trainer and the exercise bike which earns me a massive 10APs (activity points) per session !

So while I did fall off the wagon the last 48 hours, I'm back on it again and pushing for those last 4lbs for my 1.5 stone off !!

My first stone

is gone forever - WOOHOOO !

I am very please about this as it's a major milestone both for weight loss but also psychologically. It has taken longer than I'd have liked but I'm there. Bizarrely not managed my 5% though which I am 0.2lbs short of so I will have done that next week.

My weight loss has slowed down over the last few weeks. My first month I lost 10lbs but the last 4 weeks has averaged a pound a week. Frustratingly slow but it's working. I'm also tantalisingly close to dropping my first dress size too which I can't wait to get into those smaller jeans.

On the 31st March (so 4 weeks away now) we're going to see some old family friends who I've not seen since Christmas. I would dearly love to be 1/2 a stone lighter and into that new dress size so I've got a good goal to aim for.

My cross trainer arrives on Tuesday so hopefully that will help me tone up and lose inches too. It's all very exciting.

A change of attitude.

The ups and downs of losing weight I suppose.

Now I've lost nearly a stone, I'm finding my jeans are beginning to get a little baggy and two pairs are positively falling down. So on a whim I went off and bought a new pair of jeans in a size smaller.

I was SO close, so very very close. I can get them on AND I can get them done up but they're just too tight on the legs *sigh*. I am not taking them back though, I'd hope that in a few weeks time I'll be able to get them on comfortably. Usually when this has happened before I'd have lost heart and thrown myself at the chocolate, but this time I'm sure that I will get them on in a few weeks time !

The other change in my attitude is towards exercise. I am a confirmed exercise-phobe. I think it stems from years at school being humiliated by the PE teacher and made to run around in tiny PE skirts in the freezing cold. Since I left university I've had a few gym flirtations and actually I don't mind it. It's still not my favourite thing to do but I really don't mind it. I'm never going to be a runner or into team sports but swimming is ok and I quite enjoy cycling - when I've broken my bum in that is !

As I've said previously it was my birthday at the weekend and instead of eyeing up a new handbag or some jewellery what have I bought with my birthday money ? A cross trainer ! I'm not sure whether I need congratulating or a referral to a shrink. Anyway I'm quite looking forward to it arriving next week so I can get started.

I think I need a lie down now !

My poor neglected blog

This time there are no excuses apart from that real life thing getting in the way.

A quick update on the weight loss and I'm pleased to report that 7 weeks in I've now lost 12.5lbs :o) I was rather hoping to be at my first stone by now and therefore my second mini-goal but I will have got there by next weigh-in !

I suppose the good thing is that I'm still here and still motivated - even at the point of considering buying a cross trainer *faints* so I can get some regular exercise. I have realised in the last few weeks that if I am going to do this then this is the time. I am 37 years old tomorrow and staring 40 in the face and for me it's really important to have this done and dusted by then.

I have also made some yummy things while doing the plan in the last few weeks. I will blog about some of these in the not too distant future.

The menu for this week is

S: Spaghetti carbonara - using some weeklies for this
S: Sea bass with new potatoes and salsa
M: Gammon, egg & homemade chips
T: Tuna teriyaki with noodles and stir fried vegetables
W: Stuffed mushrooms
T: Beef casserole
F: Tuna & courgette pasta bake

The eve before weigh in

A quiet week for me this week. I've been super busy at work and not been feeling too good to be honest.

But the good news is that I've stuck to my points religiously and pointed everything that I've eaten. I've not gone over my weeklies and I'm really hoping for a good result. The only down point is that I seem to be retaining water which may count against me.

I haven't really found this week a struggle particularly but I have had a few days when I've wanted to munch my way through the biscuit tin and tonight has been especially hard. I've not had a good day and I'm trying suppress the desire to comfort eat !

Will let you know how it goes tomorrow...

The things keeping me going

Well, the motivation is still riding high and I'm still enjoying the plan. Normally by now I'm beginning to wain and bit and cheats and treats are beginning to sneak in.

So the things that are keeping me going are

1. I need life insurance. Unless I get the weight off my premiums are going to be astronomical

2. We have a trip to Centre Parcs in the summer which means me in a swimsuit. I'd rather Greenpeace weren't called !

3. I want to be buying my first pair of "off the shelf" boots next winter. Nothing fancy, just some knee high boots like most normal people buy every year. Sadly my rugby player calves have never let me do this.

4. My fear of heart disease.

So, thats enough to be going on with I think !

Week 1 and the result is....

3lbs off !

I'm quite pleased about this really as it was TOTM and I'd eaten a (pointed) chinese the night before. I suppose secretly I was hoping for more but 3lbs is a respectable weight loss.

So, with motivation riding high here is the menu for next week

Saturday : M&S dine for £10 deal. High points but worth it !
Sunday : Stuffed cabbage parcels with mash and broccoli
Monday : Cajun chicken and rice
Tuesday : Butternut squash and boursin risotto
Wednesday : Spicy prawn stir fry
Thursday : Pizza and salad
Friday : Steak and chips

My mini goals

Having sat down and worked out just how much I need to lose I very nearly ran away in panic. 


Just how important it is to me to lose weight however has just been brought into sharp focus by an insurance form that has just arrived for me to fill in. Now, I'm in pretty good health *touch wood* so it really is just my weight that is going to count against me. The feeling I had looking at that form really made me think that this HAS to be done.


So my main aim is such


* I want to lose this weight and for once in my life - well since I was a kid anyway - I want to be a normal weight. 
* MY DH is 40 next year and I have a major birthday treat lined up for him. That gives me 18 months to get to within a reasonable distance of my goal.


I need to break this down into smaller goals for my own sanity and also to make it seem I am achieving something. My goals are as follows


1. A new stone value - this will make me very happy as it will take me under an important psychological barrier.
2. Next is my 5%. Because of my weight at the moment, this is about a stone off.
3. Dropping into the next stone bracket would be my next goal after that
4. Then is my pre-pregnancy weight


If I can get past those 4 then I will have lost 2 stone and I will be a happy bunny !

My Foodie Diet Rules

So far so good. Ok yes so I know it's only day 2, but it's baby steps you know !! Yesterday wasn't a struggle at all in the way Day 1 of a new diet usually is. I wasn't hungry, too busy at work for that, but I ate good - non "diet" food too.

This is one thing I struggle with with Weight Watchers (and other diet plans for that matter) is the substitution of proper food for "diet" alternatives. I have also learnt from other diet plans that I've followed that protein really does fill me up more than cereal or toast for breakfast.

I love my food and I love GOOD food - which is probably why I'm here in all truthfulness. I don't want  to deprive myself of decent food and I also don't want my kids to think that sugar stuffed diet alternatives are the right way to eat. So, in this respect here are my Foodie Diet Rules

* I will most likely sacrifice a few more points here and there for proper oil. I genuinely cannot stand the hideous Fry Light and I am sure Fry Light can't boast the same healthy properties as good olive oil.
* I will eat proper cheese and real mayonnaise but just less of it.
* I will not use sugar substitutes or sweeteners, honey aside that is but that's natural.

Not too dramatic but over all my aim for this diet is to cook good food, proper food which the whole family can enjoy. I don't think that living off diet microwave meals can be all that healthy and to be honest I can make more nutritious and filling meals for the same amount of points.

So I'll get off my soapbox now and post our menu for week 1

Grilled mackerel fillets with roasted tomato sauce, new potatoes and broccoli
Aubergine parmigiana with salad and ciabatta
Spicy root vegetable & lentil casserole
Creamy mushroom pasta
Chinese takeaway - I have been saving my weeklies for this !
Green chilli

Here I am again

Ok, so new year blah blah blah.....I know everyone says the same things year after year. I am exactly the same and have been saying the same things over and over again for the 10 - yes 10 years that I've been dieting, or rather pretending to be dieting. In my defence there were 3 pregnancies in there !

Anyway last year kind of fell apart after my last entry. First thing was that I got a new job, a very important new job actually. I am now right at the top of my career - all very scary and very new. Even though I've been doing the job for a few years now, there is a whole new side that I've had to learn. It's been exciting, scary, fun and overwhelming all at once.

Secondly we sold our house after it had been on the market for 14 months 2 weeks before I started this new job. Luckily it all went through fairly smoothly and we moved mid-August into a lovely new home.

Shortly after that my youngest started school which I found harder than he did ! Then, within 6 weeks of each other we lost both my father and my father in law.

As I am sure you can imagine in all that dieting was the last thing on my mind and so I have gained weight. Not as much as I had feared but still more than I would like.

So, after the huge highs and crashing lows of last year I am hoping this year is a little more settled. I also feel now that I'm done having babies, my career is sorted and I have a lovely home where I am very happy - it's time to focus on me.

I am back on weight watchers from tomorrow. Tonight I have eaten cheese and the last of the HUGE box of chocolates my Mum bought us for Christmas. I have planned, pointed and planned some more and my lovely husband is on board too.

Hold on for the ride....