Sunday, 08-10-23

 Good morning, everyone, and welcome to my maintain journey blog.
After the lovely five days at Center Parcs and much gastronomic indulgence (it was pretty much a pig-out from beginning to end!!), I am back on a strictly Slimming World journey to get back into my target range as quickly as possible and I've done a bit of musing . . .

I'm not sorry about last week.  I re-learned a lot about stuff such as:

• home made meals actually taste loads and loads better than most restaurant foods unless you go really high end (and I can't justify or afford that).  One always imagines that eating out is going to be better - it isn't necessarily, apart from not having to wash up afterwards!
• eating out costs the earth (we all know that) and why pay that when you can have more (if you want) and better for about a quarter of the price at home?  For example, I had a demi-poussin one night in Cafe Rouge - half a small chicken.  I could have roasted a whole, quality, medium chicken which would make several day's meals and still have been quids in
  Also, I couldn't manage the lot and I bitterly resented leaving what I didn't eat behind rather than taking it home and using it all up - I'd have got a nice stock from the bones, for a start.
• I did get through loads of rubbish - sugar based stuff, ultra processed, addictive . . . I knew I was doing it, it stopped being 'nice' really quickly and I've learnt a lesson I shouldn't have needed to learn really as my innards are thoroughly unsettled at the moment.  Serves me right.

Having waffled on about all of the above, I stepped on my own scales in fear and trembling yesterday morning, just to get some idea of the damage and was pleasantly shocked.  Yes, I am out of target range, but not by much at all so fingers crossed . . .

Yesterday's meal photos:

Breakfast - Autumn pancakes and they were lovely.  Totally scrummy.

This soup turned out such a lovely colour.  Tomato and roasted red pepper but no lentils.  With an apple for afters, it was jolly filling.

One can of chopped tomatoes plus all the other stuff made two substantial portions so that's a lunch sorted this coming week.

Just a few minutes too long in Nellie but this tasted so, so good.

I used 100g 5% pork mince plus tomatoes, peppers, mushroom and onions for the filling and there's half left for tomorrow's lunch.  I love an easily prepared meal!

I doubled the cheese so used both my healthy extras and I'm really glad I did.  I love a cheesy meal.

Today's meal plans:

B:  fruit and yogurt
. . . because I love it.
SW:  syn free

L:  mock roast turkey, roasted parsnips, stir fry vegetables; fruit
This is pretty much a genuine Wartime recipe from the wonderful Wartime Farm book (from the TV series ages ago now - did you watch it) and the lovely Carolyn demo-ed making it on her Vlog.  Here's the link to the specific video and the actual recipe is at around 1:38

Also, two blog friends, Sue and Sooze both tried it and found it very good.  So I'm having a go too.
I won't actually shape it like a turkey so won't be fussing with parsnip drumsticks, I will just roast some parsnips on the side.
Carolyn is vegetarian or vegan so she lay some slices of carrot over to imitate the bacon.  I probably won't be doing that!
SW:   one syn for two Heck chicken Italia sausage and I'll bulk it out with a syn free rosemary and red onion sausage too.  I'll have three syns-worth of breadcrumbs; that's less than the recipe asks for but it won't be a problem.  The rest appears to be syn free

D:  coronation chicken pitta, side salad; fruit/yogurt
I made this the week before last and it was so tasty I want to make it again.  I will Ninja-bake a small piece of chicken, shred it, add some red onion, superlight mayo, bit of curry paste (so small I'm not counting it) and some mango chutney, add shredded lettuce and sliced cucumber and stuff it into a pitta.
SW:  one healthy extra B, one syn for mayo and two for a level tbsp mango chutney

Exercise:  The back is a bit dodgy so whatever I do will be very careful!

Summary:
no healthy extra As
one healthy extra B
seven syns

The Slimming World structure:

While following the plan, you can have . . .

Any amount of speed and free food - BUT try to have a third of your plate as speed food as a sub for free food, NOT as well as . . .  Eat to satisfaction, not to stuffed-ness!

Two healthy extra As (calcium) and one healthy extra B (fibre) - details in the SW pack and on the SW web site/app.

Between five and fifteen syns-worth of synned food - again, details in the pack, site and app.  They are a limit to stay within, not a target to hit.

As a target member, I can also have . . .

Another two healthy extras each day
Another fifteen syns up to three times each week

BUT - only if I need/want to.  It's a limit, not a target

. . . with the ultimate aim of not needing to count healthy extras, syns, etc at all but just knowing and eating well instinctively.