Friday, 30-04--21

 Good morning.  

I've just opened an email that tells me my Hello Fresh box should arrive this morning.  I will be out but, fortunately, they very happy to leave it in a designated place and also it's a sunny morning but it's none too warm so it should be perfectly OK for an hour or so.  That's one advantage of living at the end of a cul-de-sac.  No random passers by!

Until I've opened it and assessed the contents, I don't really know what most of my plans are going to be so all I can say is that breakfast is fruit and yogurt.

More later (or tomorrow).  :-)

Thursday, 29-04-21

 Good morning.  I'm back after a few days away and need to get straight back on it again!  Tomorrow I have a Hello Fresh box arriving, a freebie via the lovely Cherie whose blogs I follow and enjoy.  Four free dinners for two can't be a bad thing so I'm looking forward to incorporating them into my meal plans over the weekend and into next week.

Today's plans:

B:  fruit and yogurt
I'm not feeling all that hungry so this is night and light but keeps me going.
SW:  speed and half a syn for the yogurt

L:  egg on toast, fruit
I have a swim booked for twelve with a gym session beforehand so I'll be ready for my lunch afterwards!
SW:  one healthy extra B, two syns for spread and the rest is speed/protein/free

D:  tiktok pasta, salad; yogurt
I so loved the pasta dish that I'm having it again this evening.  More tomatoes this time though!
SW:  two healthy extra As (the feta) but I am pretty sure the rest is free/speed because I will use spray oil.  Half a syn for the yogurt

Body Magic:  gym and swim plus some watering down the allotment

Summary:
two healthy extra As
one healthy extra B
three syns

Monday, 26-04-21

 Good morning.
This afternoon, I will be driving over to Dad's to stay for a few days as he needs me there.  As a result, I won't be posting tomorrow and, possibly, not Wednesday either but I should be back on Thursday.

What I ate yesterday.

Breakfast was an apple.

Lunch was absolutely delicious and it goes to show that you can have a roast dinner for one!  The sausage and pease pudding stuffing was great (definitely one to do again) and the gravy was actually a beef gravy, syphoned off from a can of M&S chunky steak and therefore free!  I decided to spend a few more syns on some cranberry sauce which finished off the whole plate beautifully.

I don't have a photo of dinner but it ended up as a cheese roll so that sorted out my healthy extras!

Today's plans:

B:  bacon, sausage, egg, tomato and mushroom

My usual 'full English'.

L:  tomato and red pepper soup, croutons; fruit

The soup is from the freezer and I will make the croutons in the actifry.

I don't know about the rest yet.  :-)

Sunday, 25-04-21

 Morning, everyone.
Well, I'm all scoffed out with a slightly muggy head and some very happy memories of a lovely family evening.  There are loads of leftovers but I am feeling strong and determined this morning so it will all go elsewhere rather than in my tum!
Time was, when I would have lived the next day on takeaway and frozen the rest for another day.  Not this time.

What I ate yesterday:

This looks totally 😈 but, in fact, it is 😇.
Blueberry pancakes made with wholemeal SR flour, strawberries and a strawberry coulis (ooooh, get me!) made with strawberries, lemon juice and some vanilla skinny syrup.  I wasn't totally sure it would work but it did, maybe not quite as nice as the full sugar one I made for the pavlova, but nice enough to definitely make again.  And no, I didn't syn the strawberries just because they were cooked and pureed.

I had a bit of chicken for lunch, just to get some protein inside of me, but I wasn't hungry in the least bit.

Here's the birthday 'cake' and it was lovely.  Not SW friendly but wow.  The meringue was crunchy on the outside and marshmallowey on the inside and it was just so good.

And here's the birthday feast - with apologies if it sets anyone off.

How I enjoyed it!

Back on the SW wagon again now with some really nice meals planned for today. 

Today's plans:

B:  fruit and yogurt

AT the moment I'm not feeling in the least bit hungry but by eleven I probably will be so I'm going to have a fruit platter.  I have strawberries, apples, oranges and pears so I can make a delicious breakfast from that choice

SW:  speed and half a syn for the yogurt

L:  a roast chicken dinner; fruit

I'm going to wrap a seasoned chicken breast fillet in bacon, wrap it in foil and bake it and I have chicken gravy in the freezer.  No roasties today be cause I have some Jersey royals and I love Jersey royals.  I will make a couple of stuffing balls from a Linda McCartney sausage, mixed with some pease pudding and have all that with assorted veg.  It should be lovely!

SW:  I'm allowing two syns for the gravy but the rest is all free/speed

D:  sausage and bean casserole, side salad; yogurt

I've been wanting to have a go at my own version of the Slimwell sausage and bean casserole and now's my chance.

I have some 'nicer' lower fat sausages that are two and a half syns each which is fine by me.  As you know, I prefer to spend my syns on flavour within my meals rather than sweet/chocolatey snacks outside of meal times.
So - start the sausages (two of them) off in the oven which will need to be on anyway.  In a pan that I can put in the oven, soften the onion and other veg (I will probably use mushroom, roasted pepper from a jar and the last few mange tout)  add chopped tomatoes and spices (the original has quite a kick so I think smoked paprika and chilli, maybe a bit of cayenne too), add the part cooked sausages and a drained and rinsed can of mixed pulses or maybe a can of pulses in a chilli sauce, that might be better and then I can cut the spices, cover the pan and bung it in the oven.

I'll give it a go anyway and see.

There will be enough for more than one portion except for the sausages so I can have something else with it tomorrow.

SW:  five syns for the sausages and half a syn for the dessert plus one healthy extra A for 30g grated cheddar to sprinkle over the top.

Body Magic:  at the moment I am singularly disinclined to do anything at all but, as Beth and I plan to go down the allotment later, that will do!

Summary:

one healthy extra A

eight syns

no Bs but as this is a 'getting back on track' day with things that I really, really fancy, I'm not fussed.

Saturday, 24-04-21

 Good morning, all.
Today is a special day.  Breakfast and lunch will be on plan but the evening will be very off as my family (the ones who live locally) are round here for a takeaway Chinese in the garden to celebrate my birthday!  Just one meal and it's straight back on plan on Sunday, I hope.

Isn't it funny how some days are 'hungry' days and some quite the opposite.  After fighting hungry days all week (and winning, I hasten to add), yesterday was a 'full' day and I didn't snack or even have any fruit.  Most unusual for me.

What I ate yesterday:

The eggy bread bacon sandwiches were just the ticket and very filling.  I didn't have the fruit I had also planned - no room left.

I can see why the Tiktok pasta has gone viral.  This was absolutely delicious and so very simple.
I used spray oil rather than the 'good glug' of olive oil.  I tossed some cherry tomatoes, some yellow pepper and some red onion in spray oil in a small, high sided oven tray and added some garlic granules, salt and pepper.  In the middle I put a lump of feta, just over 60g to make one and a half syns and gave the feta a spray of oil.  It went into the oven at 180C (fan) for half an hour by which time the tomatoes had burst and the onion and pepper were soft.  I added the leftover protein noodles and gave it all a good mix.  The feta went all gooey and sauce like, mixed with the tomato juices and all the flavours.
Oh, it was good and I can hardly wait to make it using fresh picked tomatoes from the garden.  It will be sublime.

I've had this Slimwell meal before and it's very nice.  However, I must make it from scratch as, like most tomato based ready meals, the sauce has that synthetic sweetness which just spoils it a little bit.  It can't be difficult!

I finished the day with a Mullerlight.

Today's plans:

B:  blueberry pancakes with strawberries and yogurt
. . . because it's my favourite.

SW:  one healthy extra B for the wholemeal flour

L:  some sort of chicken and salad; fruit.  

I have a cooked chicken breast that needs using up so I might just slice it, drizzle over some sweet chilli sauce and make up a big salad to have with it.  Nice.

SW:  one syn for the sauce

D:  Totally off plan.  

It's my birthday and I'll scoff if I want to
Scoff if I want to,

Scoff it I want to.
You would scoff too - if . . .

Beth and Alex (daughter and grandson), Dave and Anna (son and partner) are round for a takeaway Chinese (in the garden and appropriately distanced), more alcohol than any of us will be able to manage (Dave bought it round last night so I know) and a great big delicious strawberry pavlova instead of a cake.  I made the base yesterday.

Imagine this, topped with lashings of whipped cream and strawberries.  I might drizzle some chocolate sauce over it or maybe have some on the side with extra cream in case anyone wants it.

And I don't feel in the remotest bit guilty!  So there!

Straight back on plan tomorrow morning!

Body Magic:  Some weeding down the allotment

Friday, 23-04-21

 Morning, everyone.
Still not officially weighing but am happy with how things are going after the Easter gain and I'm definitely getting slimmer - some of the bulges are disappearing.  There's still a way to go but getting there s-l-o-w-l-y.
A plus is that I am fitter than I've been for a while.

What I ate yesterday

Scrummy breakfast frittata from the freezer with a mix of mushrooms, tomatoes and yellow pepper on the side.  Lovely!

Lunch was the beef pate, finger veg and toast.  Afterwards I had a plum.

Later on I had a plum, an apple and a satsuma.  The plums are all finished now.

Finally, dinner was really nice and I'm getting better at just making a sensible number of chips, I think.
I finished the meal off with a kvarg

I'm really loving my smaller plates and wish I'd bought three now, one for each meal.  Maybe I'll go back to HomeSense and see if there are any left. 
They make it look as if I have a real plateful!

Today's plans:

B:  eggy bread bacon sandwich; fruit
I really fancy this today.  It's a bacon sandwich and then the outside is soaked in beaten egg and seasonings and then browned off in the pan.  I have some very soft kiwis that need using up, hence the fruit as an after.
SW:  one healthy extra B and the rest is speed/free

L:  Tiktok pasta, side salad, fruit
I know - everyone is making this but it sounds SO delicious.  I will add some onion and pepper (and perhaps other bits and bobs too) to the mix, just because, and the noodles will be the plant based ones.
SW:  one healthy extra A for feta and one syn for the 'noodles'

D:  pork and red pepper sausage and bean casserole; yogurt
One of the Slimwell meals, I've had it before and it's nice.  Filling too.
SW:  six and a half syns for the casserole and half for the dessert

Body Magic:  an easy day today; I've done a lot this week.  I'll do some core exercises and a bit of rebounding and cycling

Summary:
one healthy extra A
one healthy extra B
eight syns

Thursday, 22-04-21

 Good morning:

What I ate yesterday

After an early start, I was hungry early so I had an apple - apples always fill me up a little bit.

Just dolloped into the bowl so not a pretty sight - strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and cherry flavoured yogurt.  It may look like a dog's dinner but it tasted great!

I had a plum when back from the gym.

I am DEFINITELY making this Swedish meatball recipe again but with maybe a bit of extra sauce.  It's so delicious and even better for being frozen - flavour and all that.
I followed it with an apple.

The 'naughty' meal - as far as SW is concerned.  I really enjoyed it and, yes, I did eat the other four slices as well.  It would have been rude not to, don't you think?

Followed by a kvarg.

Today's plans:

B:  breakfast frittata, tomatoes, mushrooms
The frittata is from the freezer and I am running out of tomatoes and mushrooms so must go shopping tomorrow.
SW:  All free, no syns

L:  Roast beef meat paste, toast, finger salad; fruit
The other half of the meat paste I made earlier in the week (really must be eaten today) with trimmings.
SW:  one healthy extra B and I'm being a bit cheaty and calling the soft cheese in the paste half a healthy extra A (it used to be) plus one syn

D:  salmon, peas and chips; yogurt
The salmon is frozen and I will add some sweet chilli sauce to the fish before wrapping it and baking it.  The chips will be actifried.
SW:  two syns for oil in the actifry, one syn for the sweet chilli sauce and half a syn for the dessert

Body Magic:  into town for some time in the gym on the machines plus a swim afterwards.

Summary:
half a healthy extra A
one healthy extra B
four and a half syns

Wednesday, 21-04-21

 Good morning.
Well, a swimming slot did ping through yesterday but too late for me to take it up, sadly.  Never mind, I have one booked for tomorrow and one can hardly say I am not exercising at the moment.

I seem to be accumulating a lot of freezer meals, mostly home made, at the moment so I'd better blitz them for a few days.

What I ate yesterday:

For breakfast, I skipped the egg and the tomatoes and had extra bacon in the muffin.  Very tasty with some bbq sauce top and bottom.

Later on I had a plum and a satsuma.

Lunch was a picky plate.  The roast beef pate (paste, really) was delicious.

I followed this with another pear and a plum.

And later on I had yet another pear and a plum - they did need using up!

A very tasty dinner.  The pease pudding pastry top was scrummy with its added cheese.  The top went crisp but underneath remained 'fluffy'.

I am now wondering what adding a bit of flour would do to the mix.  I might try that at some point.  It would then need to be synned, of course.

I had a little nibble of cheese for my second healthy extra 

Today's plans:

B:  fruit salad and yogurt
I have strawberries and blueberries that need using up and I might get some frozen pineapple out of the freezer too.
SW:  speed and free

L:  Swedish meatballs, plant based rice/noodles, side salad; fruit
The meatballs are from the freezer and should be perfect after a gym session.
SW:  one and a half syns for the meatballs and sauce ad one for the noodles

D:  pizza, salad; yogurt
Something both easy and tasty.  It will take me outside syns but not outside calories so I'm not worried.
SW:  twenty four and a half syns (482 calories) for the pizza and half for the dessert

BM:  Wednesday is usually personal training day but Lindsey is on a course so I will have a go in the gym with the scary machines.  :-)  I'm also going to Cressing Temple with a friend so that will be a nice, leisurely walk.

Summary:
no healthy extras, although there will be some cheese on the pizza - it kind of compensates for the horrendously high syns (given one syn = 20 calories, the healthy extras account for  eighteen syns/360 calories, more or less)
twenty eight and a half syns

Tuesday, 20-04-21

 Good morning, everyone.
Well, I survived my gym induction and now I have a series of 'things' to do up in the high tech gym.  The plan is to do half an hour or so before I have my swim.  That will be good, I think.

What I ate yesterday:

  I guess I ought to call this breakfast 'patriotic porridge' as it's all red, white and blue.
It was tasty too with butterscotch syrup in the porridge.

Lunch, a Count on Us curry, was filling and tasty.  I followed it with an apple.

Later on I had a pear and a plum.

This is pretty much what yesterday's dinner looked like but without the Yorkshire pudding.  Dessert was a yogurt.

I really enjoyed yesterday's food.  Delicious!!

Today's plans:

B:  egg and bacon muffin, tomatoes and mushrooms
Just what it says on the box.
SW:  one healthy extra B for the muffin and one syn for some bbq sauce

L:  beef pate, lo dough crispy triangles, side salad
Yesterday, I blended some cooked beef with 75g light soft cheese with cracked black pepper, two tbsp light mayo and all the horseradish there was left in the jar (very little).  That being so, I also added some Henderson's relish for a bit of ooomph.  Oh, and some salt and pepper.  The flavours should have developed overnight.
What I made is enough for two portions so I will freeze one portion, I think.
SW:  three syns for the soft cheese, half a syn for super-light mayo and half a syn for a little bit of horseradish (all that was left in the jar), two syns for the lo-dough

D:  beef pie, assorted veg; yogurt
The pie will be chopped up roasted beef, left over from Sunday, with some sort of sauce/gravy and the topping will be some pease pudding pastry
SW:  two syns for Bisto to thicken the sauce and half for the dessert.  I think the rest must be free.

Body Magic:  I am on the waiting list for a swim but, if that doesn't come through (it hasn't so far so I expect it won't now), I have to do some work down the allotment.

Summary: 
no healthy extra As but I do have the soft cheese in the pate that used to be an A choice (cheese, not pate)
one healthy extra B
nine and a half syns

Monday, 19-04-21

 Good morning!

What I ate yesterday:

Breakfast was my versions of coconut French toast with spiced roasted pineapple, very much adapted from a recipe of the same name on the BBC Good Food site.

It was a bit of a faff but very, very nice.  I had a bit of the coconut egg mixture left so I sort of omeletted it, rolled it up and that's what you can see over the pineapple with some maple syrup scrapings on top.

(I didn't need the whole of the pot of coconut kvarg I used so I polished that off afterwards)

I don't have any photos of lunch.  It was a slow roast beef dinner and, because I slow roasted it in the slow cooker, I have lots of lovely stock for another day - gravy, soup or whatever.  The beef came out very tender and melt-in-the-mouth and it all wend down extremely well.  I have leftovers for just one more roast dinner plus plenty of meat.
Thankfully, the new muffin tray did its best and the Yorkshires fell out effortlessly.  Phew.

This was tea.  Four long lettuce leaves spread with the sauce, then thin slices of roast beef, then dollops of sauce - it was too thick to drizzle.
The sauce was dollops of fromage frais, quark and super low mayo with grain mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  It was really nice although it would have been nicer made with creme fraiche.  

There was a little bit of fruit salad and foam left over so I finished that off instead of yogurt.

Later on (ooops), I had a plum and some satsumas.  Not too much of a disaster!

Today's plans:

B:  porridge and fruit

It's a bit misty this morning and porridge feels 'right'.  I have strawberries and blueberries to use up and will probably sweeten it with some coconut skinny syrup.
SW:  half a healthy extra A for the milk and one B for 40g oats

L:  Count on Us chicken tikka and rice; fruit
I have lunch more or less straight after a gym induction so I will probably be pretty hungry, hence this choice, from the freezer.

SW:  seven and a half syns (340 calories so I don't feel too guilty about it)

D:  Sunday leftovers dinner - roast beef, one little roastie, broccoli, roasted Med veg and gravy; yogurt

Synning this is hard because it's all small amounts of a much larger whole so it's very approximate.

SW:  two syns for the gravy, half a syn for the roastie (the oil used), one syn for a good dollop of horseradish, the med veg were done in spray oil and half a syn for yogurt,

Body Magic:  the gym induction which I am a bit nervous about but looking forward to at the same time.

Summary:

one healthy extra A - half for the porridge and I'll use the rest in cups of tea

one healthy extra B

eleven and a half syns

Sunday, 18-04-21

 Good morning!

What I ate yesterday:

Such a delicious breakfast.  I added a bit of Sweet Freedom syrup for a couple of syns.
I'm admitting nothing but it was tasty enough for one to be tempted to lick the plate afterwards
< cough >.

Lunch was coronation stuffed pitta and very tasty it was too.  I just had tomatoes and watercress on the side.

Later on in the afternoon, I had a plum.

To be honest, I really wasn't sure about the recipe for Swedish meatball pasta but you know what - it was delicious.  I am so glad there are three more portions nestling in the freezer.

If you have the SW magazine, do check it out.

I finished off the day with a kvarg.

Today's plans:
Lunch will be off plan.  Officially off plan anyway, although I think it will probably be SW friendly.  However, I can't be bothered to work it all out so am calling it off plan.  Just the one meal.

B:  coconut French toast with spiced roasted pineapple
This is adapted from a recipe in this month's BBC Good Food mag.  Sounds posh, doesn't it?  Fingers crossedingers crossed.
SW:  half a healthy extra B for one slice of bread, half a syn for coconut kvarg and one syn for 10 mls maple syrup

L:  roast beef, Yorkshires, roasties, veg, etc; fruit salad and fruit foam
Beth and Alex are round for lunch and I have a lovely piece of beef to slow roast in my enamel roaster.  It will go in very early, super low, as I have a swim at nine.
The last time I did roasties they stuck and I had to scrape them out.  I chucked that muffin tray which was, admittedly, very old, and will the christening the new tray.  The roasties will be actifried and I have a tray of Med veg to roast in garlic and spray oil.  I'll probably do some broccoli too - we all love broccoli!
SW:  off plan, no idea

D: (tea really)  roast beef canapes, salad; yogurt
Anticipating plenty of leftovers, I googled and found this:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/blinis-creme-fraiche-roast-beef-cornichons
Obviously, I won't be making this as it stands, but I can adapt it.
I thought I could use some superlight mayo and fromage frais, mixed, some grain mustard and come cornichons as stated, plus some of the beef and some seasonings and pile it onto salad leaves with some watercress and tomatoes on the side.
I doubt the beef will slice nicely, it is long sloe roasted and will likely fall apart so it will look a mess, but flavour-wise it might be good.
What do you think?
SW:  a tbsp of wholegrain mustard is one and a half syns and the mayo would be up to one and a half too, depending on how much I use.  Also half a syn for the yogurt

Body Magic:  Beth and I are allotment bound in the afternoon and I have a swim planned for the morning.

Summary:
Off plan but as far as the on plan meals are concerned . . .
half a healthy extra B
four and a half syns.

Saturday, 17-04-21

 Morning.

What I ate yesterday:

A fairly substantial breakfast with some leftover baked beans, some spray fried tomatoes and mushrooms and a slice of ham, warmed in the pan.

I was going to have bacon in the lunchtime toastie but there were beans still left over, just a few, so I had them instead with cheese and caramelised onion chutney.  Very, very scrummy!

I also had a plum, an apple and, later on, an extra yogurt.

Dinner was steak and chips.  It looks a bit beige and it was because I didn't have the planned salad.  It was filling enough without anything else.  I was very proud of myself - I got two potatoes out to peel and chip and then put one back.

I also had some mayo, some bbq sauce and a yogurt.

Later on I broke my rule and had an orange.  It was lovely!

Today's plans:

B:  pancakes with berries and yogurt

I haven't had pancakes for ages!

SW:  one healthy extra B for the wholemeal flour (a bit of a tweak on my part, not SW approved)

L:  coronation chicken stuffed pitta, salad; fruit

I make coronation chicken with cooked chicken, super-light mayo, curry paste, mango chutney, lemon juice and seasonings (I think that's all) and, while it is not totally authentic, it is pretty nice.  I have used my healthy extra B but don't seem to have planned in any As so I will be naughty and move over one of my As.
(I keep forgetting that target members can have two Bs if they want)
SW:  one healthy extra B, one syn for the mayo, one and a half for one tbsp mango chutney, one and a half for one tbsp curry paste, and half a syn for some squirts of salad dressing.

D:  Swedish meatball pasta, side salad; yogurt

Another recipe from the new magazine, p28, it makes four portion  but they can be frozen so that is OK.  Some recipes can be reduced easily and some can't.
I'm guessing it is a SW version of the famous IKEA meal but am I the only person in the UK who has never, ever, had IKEA meatballs?
There will be a few subs, of course.  I don't think I have tagliatelle but I have plenty of other pasta and I don't have any cranberry sauce.  However, I do have a mini jar of Seville orange marmalade which will have a similar bitter-sweetness.  Finally, the dill will have to be dried, not fresh!
I'll let you know - most SW recipes are lovely, a few can be - er - not so lovely but looking at the list of ingredients, I think this one will be tasty.  I hope so as there will be three portions for the freezer!
SW:  the magazine says it is half a syn per serving so I'll go with that.  Also half a syn for the dessert

Body Magic:  some time down the allotment and this afternoon I will be glued to the telly to watch Prince Philip's funeral so I can do some cycling as well.

Summary:

no healthy extra As but . . .
two healthy extra Bs
(it's not about the nutrition today, it's about the calories)
five and a half syns (or, if you don't like the two Bs, eleven and a half syns!)

Friday, 16-04-21

 Good morning.

What I ate yesterday:

Breakfast was a plum, an apple and an orange.  Interestingly, after swimming, I felt very peckish but found some sugar free chewing gum in my swimming bag.  Half an hour's chewing on that and the hungry feeling had disappeared.

Lunch was beans on toast and I totally forgot that I'd said I would probably have some grated cheese.  Not to worry, it was jolly nice just as it was.  

I had an apple at about four thirty.

Dinner was the pease pudding pastry chicken and veg pie and I also had broccoli and cauliflower.

While it certainly wasn't pastry, it was really nice.  I think it was nearest in texture to a suet crust but without the elasticity and, as I added some grated cheese to it, the flavour was really nice.  I like pulses anyway and I think I will try this in different contexts and see,
The pie filling was tasty, surprising for such a cheap canned product.  I added some frozen peas and some mushrooms.  The main issue, as the photo shows, was that there was loads of sauce which bubbled up over the topping and stopped it from going 'crispy'.  Next time, I will sieve off most of the sauce and treat it as a gravy.

I really enjoyed it - it was so nice I went back for seconds and polished off the rest.

So - not pastry but tasty.

I looked up the nutrition.  High protein, low fat and the carbs are the complex, slow release type.  All good!  I hadn't added the required butter when I made the pease pudding and I added 45g grated cheese when I made up the 'pastry'.

Today's plans:

B:  cooked breakfast
I have baked beans left over from yesterday so I think it has to be ham, beans and (maybe) egg.  A nice, high protein, low fat start to the day which should fill me up until lunchtime.  I will have some tomatoes and mushrooms too
SW:  free and protein

L:  cheese, bacon and onion toastie, salad; fruit
I dearly love toasties!  I'll be using my full ration of cheese and some caramelised onion chutney for super-flavour.
SW:  two healthy extra As and one B plus three syns for up to two tbsp chutney

D:  steak, chips and salad; yogurt
Dead easy, quite a treat and very SW friendly.
SW:  two syns for one tsp oil for the chips, one syn for two tbsp bbq sauce, one syn for some superlight mayo for chip dunking and half a syn for dessert

Body Magic:  Working down the allotment, cycling

Summary:
two healthy extra As
one healthy extra B
seven and a half syns

Thursday, 15-04-21

 Good morning!

Yesterday I made pease pudding!

There was a reason, of course.  I wanted to have a go at pease pudding pastry which is just a mixture of pease pudding and egg.  I looked for some cans of the former but couldn't find any so I bought some yellow split peas, found a basic recipe on BBC Good Food and set to.
I adapted the recipe slightly in the light of some comments at the bottom of the page and I used Thermione.  To my surprise, it worked out really well and the house smelled wonderful.  Very comforting and homey!
All you do is mix the pudding with an egg, add seasonings. spread it over the pie filling and bake for about forty minutes.  It isn't a rollable pastry in any way.
I'm now very happy that I couldn't find any canned.  It's so much more frugal this way.  The only downside is that it will probably only work in savoury dishes although I suppose I could try adding some sugar to the mix and just seeing.  It doesn't sound appealing but if you don't try you never find anything out

I have some cans of Aldi chicken in a white sauce which is one syn the can.  I can jazz it up with seasonings and extra veg.  So I'm going to have a go at a sort of chicken pie!  Wish me luck.

What I ate yesterday.

A very nice and filling breakfast of frittata with mushrooms and tomatoes - and a good dollop of bbq sauce

An easy lunch of leftovers and a finger salad (which I didn't finish)

Later on I had two plums.

This recipe was OK, nothing more.  The rice was a bit dull and generally the flavour was unsatisfactory.  Disappointing for a SW recipe.

Not one to make again.

Then I had a yogurt to finish off the day.

Today's plans:

B:  fruit and yogurt
My swim is later this morning so I can stick to the fruit beforehand and know there's something substantial when I get home.
SW:  free and speed

L:  cheesy beans on toast; fruit
Perfect for after a swim
SW:  one A, one B, two syns for spread

D:  chicken and veg pie (see above), assorted veg; yogurt
It's worth a try.  I rather like the pease pudding I have made and it will be lovely as a sub for mash so even if the pastry doesn't work, it won't be wasted.
SW:  the whole can of chicken is one syn and the yogurt will be half a syn.  I might be even more experimental and mix in 30g grated cheddar to make cheesy 'pastry', so lets say it's my second healthy extra A too.

Body Magic:  I have a swim booked this morning.

Summary:
two healthy extra As
one healthy extra B
three and a half syns

Not a bad SW profile, eh?

Wednesday; 14-04-21

 Good morning!
I am a very lucky bunny. 
The lovely Cherie ( https://northyorkshirescraftguru.blogspot.com/ )   has sent my name and email to Hello Fresh (with my permission) for a freebie - up to nine meal portions and all I pay is postage.  I've actually made it eight (four days/two portions - you can't have single portions) and it's arriving at the end of April.

I've mentioned once or twice that I'm interested in trying these delivery meal boxes and this is the perfect opportunity, thanks to Cherie's generosity.  It'll be a nice change at the beginning of the new month and I'll be sure to let you all know what I think (and whether it is good for my weight).

What I ate yesterday.

I had planned fruit for breakfast, wrapped around a swimming session.  I had a plum and a pear before setting out but when I got home I was really hungry so had toast and marmite plus a lovely big orange.  It wasn't a problem as I hadn't planned any healthy Bs and the syns were really low so two for spread was not an issue.  No photos, sorry.
I must remember this next swimming session and plan accordingly.

Lunch was leftovers from dinner the day before and it was scrummy!  Chicken and veg cheesy pasta bake.  It was followed by an apple.

I had a plum later on in the afternoon.

Dinner was a recipe from the new SW magazine - ratatouille stuffed giant pasta shells.
I already had a portion of ratatouille in the freezer and some chopped tomato left from the day before so this was quite a thrifty meal.  Having said that, I have two of the shells and just under half of the sauce left for today.  With the salad, it was incredibly filling.

(I never seem to be able to get those square dishes straight.  I suspect they might not be totally square and right angled!!)

Today's plans:

B:  breakfast frittata, tomatoes, mushrooms
. . . with two tsps bbq sauce, yum.

This is what I made a few days ago, freezing three of the four portions.  It's packed with veg and each slice is two eggs-worth.  I think it'll go down a treat after my trip to the allotment.

SW:  one syn for the sauce

L:  the pasta shells leftovers plus a bit more cheese and a side salad; fruit
SW:  half a healthy extra A for 15g cheese

D:  smoked haddock and rice traybake; yogurt
Another recipe from the magazine, p28.  I have smoked haddock in the freezer and, if I like the recipe, it might be nice to try it with smoked salmon fillet instead next time.  It says it is a 'one dish wonder' - I'm definitely in favour of less washing up!
SW:  half a syn for the yogurt

Body Magic:  some allotment work and it is personal training today too

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one and a half syns.
hmmm - but it's a jolly healthy day's eating, even without all the healthy extras.  Again, there's lots of veg so I reckon the fibre will be OK but if I do feel hungry, it's nice to know I have bread and cheese, just in case.