Friday, 21-07-23 - a week on Pinch of Nom: longish post alert!

Good morning, everyone.

Weigh in this morning - should be interesting after a week of using recipes almost entirely from the Pinch of Nom books.  As always, I will be delighted with any loss, I'm not out for major and unsustainable drops.
I was at my GP surgery yesterday for a review type thingy and the nurse weighed me.  One and a half pounds off!  But different scales so one can't directly compare.  I'll know before long.

On one of my Facebook groups yesterday, someone asked:  'have you found it much effort or expensive?'.  Interesting question.

I answered no because:

1.  I pretty much always cook from scratch anyway so it wasn't any different, effort-wise

2.  The planning beforehand did take some time, admittedly, but once that was done and all cross matched to Slimming World As, Bs and syns, it was just a case of looking each recipe up and starting.  No extra pondering needed and certainly no 'what can I make today?'

3.  The cost element is a bit more complex because that really depends.  It wasn't frugal, sure, there was quite a lot of meat involved and I'm starting to crave more pulses, etc.  To be fair, there are plenty of vegetarian recipes in PoN, I just didn't choose them. 
It didn't involve me in much extra expense, if any.  I am lucky enough to have well stocked cupboards and freezers and, because I usually cook from scratch, a useful range of cupboard essentials.
I did start off with a shopping list but then I did a freezer audit and checked my cupboards and found that apart from the usual fresh and short life stuff, I pretty much had it all in.
So I would say no, it wasn't more effort or more expense - for me.  It might very well be for someone in a different position.

4.  Last of all - time.  Yes, it took a bit of time, of course.  But not more time than before and, being retired, I have that time.  I am lucky, I know.  I also have the motivation and the energy and I enjoy cooking for myself, all things that I have worked on quite hard through these past years. 
Focus on the journey and the target will take care of itself.  And it does, it truly does!

Yesterday's photos:

Breakfast was the full English wrap except that I decided to treat it like a pizza instead.  It was delicious - and very, very filling.

When it came to lunch time, I simply wasn't hungry, not at all.  So . . .

. . . a little while later I had a few cherries as a treat.

And then, at around five o'clock . . . 

. . .  I made this.
It's one syn's worth of salad cream, one healthy Bs worth of my home made spelt, gram and wholemeal bread (so, so delicious) and one and a half As worth of cheese.  So that accounts for my healthy extras today.

Sorry, Pinch of Nom but I just wasn't feeling it for a baked potato.  The first complete fail of the week.

The plan for the evening worked.  I did have chips at the school do, I did eat a few but most of them ended up in the bin.  Amazingly, although the chips were delicious, it wasn't any kind of hardship.  I must be getting something right!

Today's plans:

B:  apple and cinnamon pancakes

From Book 1, p 22

They are oat pancakes but I'm doing my usual 'tweak' and using wholemeal flour instead (see below for info).  Half quantities because that is more than enough and yogurt instead of milk because . . .
The difference from what I usually have is that they have added cinnamon and grated apple and they're really very nice indeed.

I HAVE to have pancakes on a Friday morning, don't I?

SW:  half a healthy extra B for wholemeal flour and I don't syn cooked apple - my choice.

L:  Pasta arrabbiata and beans, salad; fruit

From Everyday Light, p 140

This is a favourite when I go to Prezzo so I am really looking forward to lunch.  I usually have chicken with it but today I might add some mixed pulses for extra protein and I have a couple of courgettes from the garden so I will add some of that too for extra flavour and speed.

And I'm probably going to add some grated cheddar over the top.

SW:  half a healthy extra A but the rest is syn free

D:  Normandy style chicken, rice; yogurt

From Enjoy, p 161

Today is an apple-y sort of day, isn't it?  This also has apple and, by coincidence, I have a little pot of apple in the freezer so I don't have to buy a cooking apple specially.

There's quite a lot of ingredients, particularly flavourings but I have everything I need so that's good.

SW:  two tsps Dijon mustard is one syn and 45g Philly light is three and a half syns.  Again, I don't syn cooked apple but I do have half a B going spare anyway!

Exercise:  A walk, I think.

Summary:

half a healthy extra A

half a healthy extra B

four and a half syns

My personal take on wholemeal flour and a healthy B

Healthy extra Bs are all about fibre.
Wholemeal flour is slightly higher in fibre and slightly lower in calories that the same weight of oats.

40g oats is a healthy extra B

Therefore, I have no conscience about using 40g wholemeal flour as a healthy extra B.  But you need to make up your own mind about that, to consider/protect your own weight loss.  It is not Slimming World sanctioned.