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.
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Friday, 6 April 2012
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 !!
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 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
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
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
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 !!
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 !!
Monday, 2 April 2012
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.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
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
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 !!
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 !!
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