Thursday, 30-06-22

Good morning, everyone.

Where has the week gone?  Weigh day tomorrow and, as usual, I have no idea.  It will be interesting to see what the scales say after a week where I absolutely KNOW the value of what I've been eating, both in Slimming World terms and regarding calories.

Doing the whole calories thing has been an absolute pain but worth it.  I have a better picture now of what's going on with the food I eat.  This coming week, I am going to try and ensure that I don't go lower than 1300 calories (via the SW structure, of course) and I am thinking about ways I can up my calories without relying on fruit quite so much.  This means lean protein, doesn't it, as I don't want to eat rubbish/junk/empty calories.

Hmmm . . .

Yesterday's meals:

I really enjoyed this.  So good!

(321 calories)

Lunch was the broad bean hummus and I'm afraid it was pretty much a thumbs down from me.  I ate it - I dislike wasting food more than I disliked the recipe but won't be doing it again.  The melba toast was fine, the salad was nice too and, to be fair, it was all very filling.  Afters was a couple of apricots and they were lovely - I'll get some more next time I visit Lathcoats.

(263 calories)

No mid afternoon snack.  Lunch may not have been all my cuppa but it kept me full.

A very healthy and delicious dinner.  Twenty minutes in the Ninja - can't be bad.

For dessert, I went for some 5% Greek yogurt rather than the other kind so that's one and a half syns, mixed it with some chopped strawberries and add half a tsp chocolate caramel crunch (the sprinkles) for a bit of texture contrast.  Ooooh, it was lovely.

(675 calories)

I also spent 21 calories on three Smidgins (I love that drink)

Later on, I realised that I forgot to have cheese on the roasted veg so I had it as a nibble.

The calorie total for the day was 1269.  Not too far off my 1300 target although I did do a fifty minute swim.  That's because Lindsey had to cancel Personal Training (it's now Friday instead)

Today's plans:

B:  beans on toast

. . . because I haven't had it for absolutely ages and it is nice.

SW:  one healthy extra B and half a syn for some bbq sauce stirred into the beans for more ooomph.  Baked beans are protein/free

L:  tomato and lentil soup, ham and a bit of salad; fruit

I have some chopped tomatoes left over from Monday's balti so I'll turn it into one portion of soup, chucking in a bit of onion, a bit of carrot, some real and genuine chicken stock and some red lentils and blitzing/sieving the results into smoothness.
The ham and salad is in case the soup doesn't satisfy although I've just remembered I can have some grated cheese on the soup which will be very tasty.

SW:  this should be all speed and free apart from the cheese which will be a healthy extra A

D:  steak, tomatoes and mushrooms, side salad; fruit and yogurt

Nice and simple and easy to make.

SW:  one and a half syns for 100g 5% yogurt and the rest is protein, speed and free.

Exercise:  probably a swim.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

two syns

Wednesday, 29-06-22

Good morning, everyone.

Yesterday's meals:

When you add a bit of sweetener to 5% yogurt, it tastes remarkably cream-like.  Breakfast was a bit like a strawberry cream tea.

I also had a nectarine.

(289 calories)

I accidentally thawed two slices of bread for lunch and ummed and ahed about making a toastie but didn't in the end.  I just ate the bread and very nice it was too.

I had an apricot and a nectarine for afters.

375 calories)

Later on I had a couple of babybel lights and an apricot

(97 calories)

Instead of 30g cheddar, I used three babybels, ate two as a snack and put one inside the burger which worked out really well.  Very nice and still one B choice altogether.

Dessert was 20g strawberry jam that I couldn't squash into the jam jar with some 0% yogurt and a strawberry on top.  Yum.

(all of dinner was 522 calories)

Nutracheck tells me that the day's calories total 1285 which is more like it.  I felt as if I'd been eating rather a lot.  And, in the interests of complete honesty, a few strawberries might have slipped in, unrecorded!

Today's plans:

B:  bacon, sausage, tomatoes., mushrooms

The sausages - chipolatas really - will be those nice, two syn ones from Sainsbury's, the Taste the Difference ones.

SW:  four syns for the sausages, up to one syn for some bbq sauce, if I want it.

L:  broad bean hummus, melba toast, salad

I found the recipe in a supplement to June's Good Food magazine and am intrigued by it.  I have broad beans in the freezer so fancy giving it a go.  
The recipe is part of this recipe although there seem to be loads of versions on the internet so I'll do a bit of trawling around to see the differences.  For a start. I will use peanut butter powder instead of tahini which I neither like, nor have.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chicken-skewers-with-broad-bean-hummus
The chicken skewers look quite nice too.

I'll make the melba toast by toasting a slice of wholemeal, carefully splitting it into two thinner slices and then baking.  I've done this before and it's dead easy.

SW:  half syn for the peanut butter powder (going by the calories on the jar) and one healthy extra B or the melba toast

D:  salmon, cheesy roasted veg; yogurt or kvarg

I have a little bit of aubergine left so will include that in the roasted veg - usually I have squash, sweet potato, onion, pepper, tomato and mushroom.  I need to include some healthy extra A so will sprinkle some grated cheddar over the vegetables - I think that will be nice.

SW:  half a syn for the yogurt and one healthy extra A

Exercise:  personal training

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

six syns

Tuesday, 28-06-22

 Good morning, everyone.

What is becoming increasingly evident from just three days of calories counting is that, rather than eating too much, I am verging on not eating enough.  Today's was especially telling - 1021 calories (give or take a few strawberries) in a day that included circuit training and a half hour swim.  Not good.  Definitely not enough.

I'll carry on with the planning as I usually do it and checking until Friday, to give it all a fair go, and see what the weigh in says but I think next week I need to take a long hard look at this.

Yesterday's meals:

This went down very well after strawberry picking.  There's a bit of fat on the bacon but I cut that off.

I had already had an apple and a couple of plums before I went out picking.

(325 calories)

For a concocted salad, this went very well.  In the end I cut the parma ham as it already had chicken and goat's cheese.  Very flavoursome.

I griddled half a nectarine and had the other half with some strawberries for afters.

(481 calories, which includes the whole chicken sizzle, half of which I had for dinner)

Later on, I had an apricot.

(17 calories)

I really wasn't sure what to expect for the aubergine and pepper balti.  The ingredients were so very simple.  However, it was absolutely gorgeous.  I stuck to the recipe although I didn't add any mint (I forgot) and I added some cooked chicken.

Afters was some raspberry kvarg.

And I was stuffed.

(198 calories plus the chicken that was counted with the lunch)

Total calories:  1021.  Hmmm - see above

Today's plans:

B:  cinnamon eggy bread with yogurt and strawberries

I went strawberry picking yesterday so have loads of gorgeousness to eat in the next few days.  

SW:  half a healthy extra B for one slice of bread and one and a half syns for 100g 5% yogurt

L:  open cheese toastie, salad; fruit

This is a sort of pizza thing on a slice of bread.  I will spray fry the bread first (stops it going soggy) and pile on some chopped tomatoes, onion, mushroom, pepper, ham and cheese (I think 'pile' is definitely the right word here).

SW:  one healthy extra A, half a B and I think the rest will be protein, free or speed

D:  burger (no bun), chips and salad; yogurt

I'll make the burger with some 12% mince (makes nicer burgers), onion, grated carrot and seasonings and I might add a tbsp of my green tomato chutney (thanks to Sue C for the recipe last year) on the burger and under the cheese.  .
I'll make the yogurt with 0% Greek yogurt, strawberries and skinny syrup.

 SW:  two and a half syns for 100g 12% mince (which might be enough for two burgers, we will see), one healthy extra A for cheese and, if I have chutney, one and a half syns

Exercise:  Groove aerobics today.  

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

five and a half syns

From the freezer:

bread

mince

Monday, 27-06-22

Good morning, everyone.
It's interesting, this calorie check.  It is showing me something, I think, but I'll wait until the end of the week before pontificating - two days is hardly a fair trial.

For anyone who is new here - I use the Slimming World structure which I think is brilliant, but, recently, I seem to have been getting nowhere very much so I'm just doing a week of checking the calories, just to make sure.  The planning is done using SW guidelines though, I'm not moving away from that.

Yesterday's meals: (calories are what Nutracheck says)

Breakfast on the go.

225 calories

Lunch was really just thrown together really as I was quite hungry when I got home.  

I had an orange for dessert.

(394 calories)

While dinner was cooking, I used the rest of my healthy extra A and three syns (ooops - but nice) on a nibble of cheese.

(187 calories)

Here's dinner, just before I took it all off the griddle and devoured it.  The coffee rub was surprisingly delicious.
It was a rub containing instant coffee granules, sweetener, smoked paprika, onion and garlic granules, salt and pepper and I thought ????? but I was very surprised!

The veg was tomato, yellow pepper and onion which all griddled nicely.

Afterwards I just had a nectarine.

(339 calories)

I also enjoyed two syns-worth of Smidgin.

(35 calories)

Total calories yesterday:  1178

Today's plans:

B:  bacon, egg, 'fried' bread, tomatoes

I haven't had a cooked breakfast for ages and this sounds just about right!

SW:  half a healthy extra B for one slice of bread; the rest is protein and speed

L:  parma ham, griddled chicken, goat's cheese and nectarine salad; fruit

I plan to griddle a chicken sizzle so I can use half in this and half for dinner.  I'll make my own dressing with one dsp grain mustard, one dsp agave nectar and some lime juice

SW:  one and a half healthy extra As for goat's cheese, half a B for croutons, one syn each for grain mustard and agave nectar

D:  aubergine and pepper balti; kvarg

This is from the SW site and, if you have access there, here's the link.

https://member.slimmingworld.co.uk/recipes/aubergine-and-pepper-balti

It looks quite basic and I'll add some chicken to the mix but it should make plenty, possibly enough for lunch tomorrow as well - that would be nice.

It will use up the rest of the aubergine too, so that's good.

SW:  I'll use 5% yogurt - 30g for half a syn - and half a syn for kvarg

Exercise:  circuits and swimming

Summary:

one and a half healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

three syns

From the freezer:

bacon, chicken, bread

Sunday, 26-06-22

Good morning, everyone.
Today is a bit complicated; at least this morning is.
I am driving over to Dad's as there's a memorial service in Central Methodist for all those in the circuit who passed away during restrictions and for whom nothing could be arranged at the time.  Dad was one of those - he didn't have covid but we couldn't have anything at the time.  

When that's over, I am taking the opportunity to pop into the house and remove the very last bits and pieces that John and Gina just couldn't fit into the van.  I may as well as I'm there.

I think it should be OK though, as long as I can manage the emotions. 

I've decided that, while I won't bore you with detailed calories, I will state the totals.  I need the accountability.

Yesterday's meals:

I didn't photo breakfast as I had it in dribs and drabs but please imagine an apple, a banana and a M&S fat free rhubarb yogurt for 226 calories.

Oh, yes!  Lunch was tasty and perfect after a leisurely stroll around the parks in town.

I also had a nectarine and two little plums.

(432 calories)

Dinner was the aubergine, potato and goat's cheese gratin and it was absolutely delicious.  OK, so it looked a mess and there's things I'd add/adapt but wow.

This was dessert.  The yogurt is 5% so one and a half syns.

I also had one and a half syns-worth of Smigdin (and very nice too!).

Dinner and dessert, plus the smidgin cost 498 calories and the day's total is 1,156 calories. 

Hmmmm . . .

Today's plans:

B:  fruit and yogurt

I'll drive over after having an apple which always fills me up.  When I get there, I can sit in the car and have a yogurt and a bit more fruit.  Not ideal but it will work.

If I were a protein bar kinda girl, this would be the time for one, but I'm not so I won't.  It's more likely to set me off than fill me up.

SW:  half a syn for the yogurt

L:  cheg salad; fruit

I will need something ready for when I get back home so this is something I can make before I leave in the morning.

SW:  one to two healthy extra As for cheese

D:  coffee rubbed steak with griddled veg; yogurt

I saw this recipe on the SW site and it caught my attention.  If you have access, here's the link.

https://member.slimmingworld.co.uk/recipes/coffee-rubbed-steaks-with-chargrilled-potatoes

I won't make the whole recipe, just the steak and I will add some veg to the griddle.  I want to try out the griddle pan on the Cobb so fingers crossed for good weather.

SW:  the recipe tells me the whole thing is free, no speed, no healthy extras plus half a syn for the yogurt

Exercise:

I think I have enough on without bothering about exercise.  I'll get some exercise loading up the car anyway.  

Summary:

up to two healthy extra As

no healthy extra Bs

one syn

Saturday, 25-06-22

Good morning, everyone.

I maintained at SW this week.  After Thursday evening little 'crash', I reckon I got away lightly.  I could kick myself now but that's easily said, isn't it?
I seem to be getting nowhere really rather fast.  Not making excuses but they do say that after a 'certain' age, it gets harder and harder to lose weight and I'm finding that is true, even living a pretty active life.

After the above, there's more than a hint of - is irony the right word? - when I say that I really enjoyed the cake yesterday - and a few sandwiches and crisps that Faith had so thoughtfully provided.  However, I stuck to the not-Pimms and everyone raved over it so it's not just me that thinks it is really good.  Between that and the Smidgin, I am well set up for early evening tipples that aren't really tipples at all!

Going back to the first paragraph, I've decided to monitor my intake this week by planning as for Slimming World, using that structure (because it works for me) but just checking things with some calorie counting.  I find calorie counting boring and a right nuisance, having to weigh absolutely everything, but there's no doubt it does shine a light on any excesses and I just need to check that the meals I think are so healthy really are OK.
(I won't be boring you all with the numbers, this is just for me)

Yesterday's meals:

Breakfast was a two egg ham and mushroom omelette with one tomato on the side.  Lovely!

No photos of the Cake-Fest.  It would have felt very rude with so much chatter and so many people to whisk out my camera or phone - so I didn't.

By the time I got home, I was shattered, so made the simplest (and not particularly healthy without speed) dinner.

I had defrosted a chicken sizzle and I seasoned it and spray griddled it (inside - it was a bit dull and cloudy outside by then) before popping it in a wholemeal roll (healthy extra B plus a bit) with some home made green tomato chutney.

Not great really but it satisfied and today is proper Slimming World again.

Today's plans:

B:  fruit, yogurt

I'm going for a walk starting at ten thirty, which cuts right into my breakfast time so I will have something (an apple, maybe) before I leave and take a banana with me to have when we stop for coffee.  If I'm hungry when I get home, I can have a yogurt.
I think that's the best I can do.

SW:  Speed, free and half a syn

L:  cheese and ham toastie, salad; strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

Just what it says on the label!
SW:  one healthy extra A for cheese, one healthy extra B for bread, one and a half syns for chutney and the rest will be protein, speed and free.

D:  aubergine, potato and goat's cheese gratin, maybe a salad; yogurt

This is from the BBC Good Food site.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/aubergine-potato-goats-cheese-gratin

The main problem (not really a problem to me) is that soft goat's cheese doesn't count as a healthy extra A (hard goat's cheese does) but I am going to pretend that it does.  Shhhh - don't tell Jen, OK?

The only other thing is that I will rely on spray oil and hope for the best.  I gather that brining isn't necessary from the bitterness point of view nowadays but it does firm up the aubergine so it doesn't want to absorb so much oil.  I'll think about that!

SW:  one healthy extra A for the goat's cheese < cough > , three syns for 25g olives and half a syn for the yogurt.  The rest is speed and free.

Exercise:

a walk

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

five and a half syns

A week in meals

 My weigh-in week goes from Friday to Thursday so these do too.

Friday

cooked breakfast

cheese salad

barbecue

Saturday (just the one photo as I was out)

fruit

cheese and chutney roll

roast veg paella (ready meal)

Sunday

fruit salad

superfoods salad (eating out)

steak

Monday

smoothie

superfoods salad leftovers

creamy chicken and veg pasta

Tuesday
fruit platter
tuna salad wrap

roasted veg paella (hm)

Wednesday
scrambled eggs
the last of the superfoods salad
simple hunter's chicken.

Thursday

fruit

mixed bean pate

salmon and roasted veg

Friday, 24-06-22

 Good morning, everyone.

After posting yesterday, I went on a recipe hunt and found what looks like an absolutely delicious recipe for using aubergine on the BBC site.  I can see that appearing on my recipe planning very soon - like tomorrow!

Here it is - what do you think?

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/aubergine-potato-goats-cheese-gratin

And then I Googled 'can you freeze aubergines?' and yes, you can!  three cheers - the rest won't go to waste.

Then I looked through the Slimming World recipes on their site and wow - there's loads.  Some don't attract at all but some look great.  Aubergine is a speed food so bonus points there - just a shame it really soaks up the oil, isn't it?

Weigh in this morning and then a dieting disaster - I'm going to a Macmillan Coffee Afternoon.  Fizz and cakes - not that I will be fizzing because of driving.  Faith is doing some not-Pimms so I can enjoy that instead.

Yesterday's meals:

A fruit platter for breakfast - the banana is free and the rest are speed.

The home made mixed bean pate was all right, really quite nice.  I made the crunchy wrap by simply putting one wrap in the oven shelf at around 160 until it was hard and brittle.  Rather like a poppadum done in the microwave (if you've ever done that).

Then I had a nectarine and, later on, an orange.

This was so simple - ten minutes in the Ninje.  I followed that with a yogurt.

And then, unfortunately, I lost the plot and hade walnuts (I'd opened the packet to make one of the cakes for this afternoon) and then cheese and then ice cream.  Oh, dear.  I have no idea why but there you go - if I knew why, I wouldn't do it.

Still - back onto it and hope that it will be enough to hold me steady this afternoon.

Today's plans:

B:  mushroom omelette with tomatoes on the side

Nothing too heavy this morning but I do need to eat or I will just go bonkers when I see the cake.  I might add a bit of chopped lean ham to the omelette for more lasting power.

SW:  protein and speed

L:  just some fruit  

I don't plan to scoff on much cake but I am going to have one piece, definitely, so a very minimal lunch.  This is where the 16-8 window helps - I won't long have had breakfast.

SW:  speed or free

D:  chicken (on the Cobb, weather permitting), salad; fruit salad

I hope it's warm enough.  If not, it will be griddle pan inside.  It should be nice and light after cake.

SW: protein, speed and free

Exercise:    My rest day - there's just no time to do formal exercise.  Mind you, I think 'rest' is a bit of a misnomer today!

Summary:

no healthy extra As

no healthy extra Bs

(because - cake!  And last night)

five syns

From the freezer:

chicken

Thursday, 23-06-22

 Good morning, everyone.

Do you find there's something very motivating about this lovely, warm and sunny weather.  I've found it very straightforward to stay on the straight and  narrow this week (although I wouldn't call SW particularly narrow)  and I think it is down to the cheering effects of the weather.
Mind you, whether the scales think I have been a Good Girl is maybe another matter - I will know that tomorrow!

I did a shop yesterday but didn't photo anything as it was much the same as it always is.  I feel my shops are rather dull compared with those of some of the vloggers I enjoy following.  I don't buy ready meals or 'bars' or low calorie cakes or crisps (even pombears which they all seem to get) or anything like that really, it's just an array of fruit, veg and dairy with a bit of meat thrown in!
However, I did fall for an aubergine!  They looked so lovely and purple, shining enticingly at me.  I have NO IDEA what to make with it (I don't usually get something without intent) so I will have to do a bit of looking around, I think.  

Any ideas?  Please do say in the comments.

Yesterday's meals:

A nice, colourful breakfast.  Very filling too.

The last of the superfoods salad.  I'm rather glad they made a mistake - it's given me two extra meals and, as I didn't pay for the original, I've done rather well.

Today I had a titchy bit of chicken so I cooked it and added it to the mix.

Later on I had some flat peaches.  I love peaches.

Here's the sort-of-hunter's-chicken.  I spray fried a chicken sizzled and then set it aside.  In the same pan, I spray fried onion, yellow pepper, mushroom and tomato, garlic granules, fajita spice, salt and pepper until they were all soft and the tomatoes were nice and gooey.  I put the chicken in the container, added the veg, bubbled it in the oven and then added grated cheddar and let it melt for about ten minutes.  Really nice.
No dessert - I was too full.

Today's plans:

B:  sweet omelette, fruit and yogurt

A favourite.

SW:  one and a half syns for 5% yogurt, speed and protein

L:  mixed bean pate, crunchy wrap, ham, crudités; fruit

I had some mixed beans left over so I popped some of them in my mini blender with some onion granules, garlic granules, super-light mayo, 2 tsps peanut butter powder, a bit of water, some salt and some pepper and blended it all up.
Fingers crossed.
The crunchy wrap is just a wrap, spray oil brushed over it and baked in the oven to go crisp.

Crudités is just a posh word for raw veg you can dip and eat with your fingers.

SW:  two syns for the pate, a healthy extra B for the wrap and the rest is speed and free

D:  baked salmon, salad or veg; yogurt

Nice and simple.

SW:  half a syn if I have mullerlight  The rest is protein and speed

Exercise:  I have an extra Groove session today to be Lindsey's 'class' while she records the new block of routines.  Got to love a freebie!

Summary:

no healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

four syns

From the freezer:

wrap

salmon

Wednesday, 21-06-22

  Good morning, everyone.

Yesterday's meals:

Perfect for a sunny summer breakfast

Tuna salad wrap - tasty.

Later on in the afternoon, I had an apple and an orange

The roast veg paella was absolutely scrummy.  I enjoyed it so much.

Today's plans:

B:  scrambled egg on toast, mushrooms and tomatoes

I love this.

SW:  half a healthy extra B, protein and speed

L:  superfoods salad; fruit

The other portion of Sunday's doggy bag (see Monday).

SW:  five syns plus protein, speed and free

D:  Hunter's chicken, salad; kvarg

A very simple version with some hm tomato sauce with added bbq sauce.

SW:  one to two healthy extra As, protein and speed and half a syn for the kvarg

Exercise:   Personal training

Summary:

one to two healthy extra As

half a healthy extra B

five and a half syns

From the freezer:

bread

superfoods salad

chicken