Sunday, 15-08-21

 Good morning!  Can you believe we are pretty much half way through August already.  Time just flies, doesn't it?
Yesterday's back on plan was fine.  I really do think I'm getting better at easing off and then pulling on the reins more - about time too.  Not that I want to have to do it all that often, of course!

Yesterday's meals:

Breakfast was pancakes made with oats.  For quite a while I have been using wholemeal flour and calling it a healthy extra B which it isn't really, just the equivalent amount of flour as you get in a Bs-worth of bread (if that makes sense).
One of the issues I had was that oat pancakes didn't seem to cook as well as flour ones but, now I have my teppan, I decided to give the oat pancakes another go and it worked really well.  They were absolutely scrummy.  So I guess it is back to oats again and I can say 'one healthy extra B' with absolute truth and no tweaking!

Nothing special for lunch, just a nice salad with chicken.

I had an orange for afters and a yogurt half way through the afternoon.

This was a Chicken Challenge meal, Chicken and apple casserole.  A long time ago, I used to make something very similar called chicken and apple stew so I had that in mind while searching for a recipe.  Here's the link to the recipe (a Gousto recipe) and, while the amounts were different and I used rice wine vinegar, it reminded me of that old recipe quite a lot.

The recipe says it is 501 calories per serving while mine came to 592 calories but that included a yogurt for dessert and quite a lot of vegetables so I don't think there was much difference really.

Next time, I think I need to use a sharper apple, such as a Granny Smith, as it was quite sweet.  Still absolutely delicious but might be even better.

Today's food plans:

No Chicken Challenge meals today - don't want to overdose on chicken.

B:  fruit platter

I have so much fruit, you wouldn't believe it.  It's going to figure heavily in breakfasts over this next week.  A fruit platter with proper coffee, eaten in the garden with the sun shining is one of the many joys of life so fingers crossed for some sunshine.
I've just been out in the garden and picked some blueberries and a couple of just about ripe strawberries so they will definitely appear on the platter.
SW:  speed and free, no syns

L:  cheesy beans on toast; fruit
A real favourite and so very easy to make too.  I shall make the toast crunchy by spraying oil over one side before toasting it.  It stops the toast from going soggy from the bean sauce, crunchy side up, of course.
SW:  one healthy extra A for 30g grated cheddar, one healthy extra B for the toast.  

D:  slow roasted lamb leg steak, assorted veg, new potatoes; yogurt
I give the lamb leg ages in a slow oven and the resulting stock can make a nice gravy, if I want.  Runner beans and potatoes will be from the allotment and I may spray roast some tomatoes too as they do go well with lamb.
Usually I have Mullerlight yogurts but Morrisons had some 'Light and Free' yogurts in some intriguing flavours - Very Cherry Bakewell and So Sticky Toffee - they're OK, I think.
SW:  the lamb will have all the fat removed, the veg will be speed and the potatoes free, mint sauce is one syn for two tbsp and if I have gravy, it will be two syns (but I probably won't).  The dessert is half a syn

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

three and a half syns max