Thursday, 29-02-24

Good evening, everyone.  Weigh in tomorrow morning.  Apart from last Friday, I've been on plan all week so, please, fingers crossed, everyone.  

What I ate today on Slimming World:

Nothing lavish for breakfast but really nice, all the same.

Syn free

A perfect lunch for a very rainy day and, as you know, a great favourite at any time.

Two As, one B, one and a half syns for chutney and one syn for some light salad cream.

I

Later on, I had a couple of easy peelers.

Dinner really was a chuck it all in and see dish.  It started with base mix (finely chopped celery, onion and carrot, frozen) plus chicken, peppers, mushrooms, mixed beans, some Just Spices chicken curry seasoning, some chopped tomato, stock and peas.  A big bowlful, all veg and protein, using up all sorts of bits and bobs and it was really nice.

It wasn't that spicy but I had some plain yogurt with it anyway.

Syn free.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

two and a half syns

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B: waffles or pancakes, fruit and yogurt

SW:  half a healthy extra B

L:  avocado and egg on toast, side salad

SW:  half a healthy extra B and two syns for salad dressing

D:  I have some friends round so it's off plan.  I'm making a pasta bake thingy (rather cheese laden), someone else is bringing salad and garlic bread, others are bringing starter nibbles and dessert.  Not something I can plan for so we will see.  No wine though because of driving home.

Exercise:  shopping???   :-)

Wednesday, 28-02-24

Good evening, everyone.  Hoping you have had a delicious day's food.
Lindsey had to cancel personal training today and it will be on Saturday instead.

What I ate today on Slimming World:

Breakfast tasted lovely but wasn't anything special.  Just air fried sweet potato, onion, mushroom, pepper, tomatoes, diced bacon and an egg on top.  Very filling.

One syn for some brown sauce.

For a right mish-mash of a fake Caesar salad, this was absolutely delicious.
It was shredded chicken, lettuce, red cabbage, tomatoes, radishes, cucumber, celery, red pepper, mixed seeds and orzo mixed with light Caesar dressing and topped with some parmesan shavings and some air fried croutons.  So good.

Half a healthy extra A, half a healthy extra B, three syns for the dressing, one syn for the seeds and the rest is speed/free food.

Later on I had an orange and a couple of easy peelers.

The last of the Simply Cook Vietnamese curry and it was lovely.  The sharper eyed among you may notice a bit of orzo mixed with the rice - that was just to finish it off.  The white blob is some natural yogurt as it was quite spicy.

It may not look that amazing but it tasted great.

six syns altogether

Summary:

half a healthy extra A

half a healthy extra B

eleven syns - but on the high side for me but not to worry!

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B: fruit and yogurt

SW:  syn free

L:  cheese and chutney toastie, side salad; fruit

SW:  up to two healthy extra As, one healthy extra B and one and a half syns for some chutney

D:  chicken stew of some kind, veg; fruit

I have half a can of chopped tomatoes and some mixed beans to use so I'll make some sort of concoction, perhaps a curry or a chilli.

Exercise:  online SET class

Tuesday, 27-02-24

Good evening, everyone.  I'm still getting used to this evening thing and it does feel odd.

What I ate today on Slimming World:

Good old beans on toast - perfect for after an energetic Groove class and a walk.  I didn't burn the toast - that's marmite!

Half a healthy extra B for the bread.

I had already had an apple before Groove, for energy.

I adapted the recipe I found for lunch.  I made a simple dressing using orange juice and zest, white wine vinegar, tiny bit of Dijon mustard and honey and some olive oil - three syns altogether.  I didn't have the watercress the recipe asked for and I used my other half B for some croutons.  Oh, and added other salad bits and some mixed seeds.  So, really, not at all like the base recipe but very nice and I must remember that dressing - it was really good.

Four syns and half a healthy extra B

And after I had thoroughly enjoyed it, I went into the kitchen and found the orzo, cooked earlier, still sitting on the side.  Doh.  
Now I have to plan something with orzo for tomorrow, don't I?

Later on, I had a couple of easy peelers and an apple.

The easiest dinner in the world - a lasagne from the freezer, thawed and reheated in Nellie.  Very delicious with simple tomatoes on the side.
I had some yogurt for afters.

One A and three syns for the lasagne.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

seven syns

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B: breakfast bake topped with egg

I think I will air fry sweet potato, onion, pepper, mushroom and tomato - and perhaps some chopped bacon for the flavour.
SW:  should be SW free or just one syn if I add some brown sauce (which I probably will)

L:  chicken salad; fruit

I'll probably make this a bit Caesar-ish using some lighter Caesar dressing plus croutons, hard Italian cheese and seeds.

And orzo!!!
SW:  up to one healthy extra A, half to one healthy extra B, one syn for mixed seeds and two and a half syns for a tbsp Caesar dressing (M&S light kind)

D:  Vietnamese curry, rice, side salad; fruit

The last of the Simply cook kit and I will look out for that in the shops to make again because it was lovely.

SW:  six syns for the curry

Exercise:  personal training

Monday, 26-02-24

Good evening, everyone.  It feels really odd posting this in the evening!

As I didn't blog over the weekend, I thought I'd just show what I actually had Saturday and Sunday as photo collages.

Saturday:

B:  breakfast wrap

L:  cheg, salad; orange (three and a half syns, one healthy extra A)

D:  chicken and bacon pasta; two easy peelers and some strawberries (one healthy extra A)

Summary:

two healthy extra As

no healthy extra B

three and a half syns

Sunday:

B:  overnight oats (one healthy extra B)

L:  roast chicken dinner; easy peelers and grapes (one and a half syns)

D:  leftover roast dinner pasta bake; apple  (one healthy extra A, two syns)

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

three and a half syns

What I ate today on Slimming World:

I had an apple before Circuits and this afterwards.  Two eggs, one slice of bacon and one big mushroom.  I added some leaves to the tomatoes for a bit of extra colour.  Delicious and syn free.

Lunch was leftovers from last night (which was leftovers from Sunday lunch!)
The pasta bake had one and a half healthy extra As and one syn (gravy) and I added two syns worth of salad dressing and one syns worth of mixed seeds to the side salad.

Afters was an orange.

When I looked at the recipe (from the SW site) for dinner, I realised it was pretty much the same as the leftovers pasta bake except with sliced potato instead of pasta and cheese.   As I had used up all the leftovers, this was a good opportunity to use up odds and ends and freezer bits.  So it's leek, peas, squash and broad beans with chicken and a gravy made from some fresh stock (made with the carcass) and some pigs in blankets gravy granules (one syn).  As the potato slices were pre-par-boiled, it all did pretty quickly in Nellie.

Really tasty, it was.

Dessert was strawberries and yogurt rather than just a piece of fruit.  Very nice.  

Summary:

one and a half healthy extra A

no healthy extra B

five syns

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B: beans on toast

One slice of bread, half a can baked beans

SW:  half a healthy extra B

L:  roast chicken, orzo and orange salad; fruit

Recipe from the SW site.

SW:  two syns for salad dressing. one syn for mixed seeds, half a B for croutons

D:  lasagne, salad; fruit

The lasagne is from the freezer.

SW:  one healthy extra A and three syns for the lasagne (it says so on the container!) plus one syn for salad cream

Exercise:  Groove class, walk there and back, housework

Sunday evening, 25-02-24

Hi, everyone!  I'm starting back properly tomorrow but there will be a bit of a change.

If you read my other blog, you will know that finally, at long, long last, I am managing to sleep until a reasonably civilised hour (i.e. to around seven rather than waking at four to five).  I'm so glad about that but it has created some issues with getting all my social media stuff done and dusted without stress, especially those days where I have a 9:15 exercise class or Slimming World at 8:30-ish.

After pondering over things this weekend and going forward, I'm going to post my blogs in the evenings instead of the mornings.  Apart from that, it will be more or less the same - what I have had that day and what I plan to have the next day - plus photos.  

So see you all tomorrow evening and have a great Monday.  xx

Friday, 23-02-24

Just to let everyone know I'm taking a few days off.  Back on Monday.  Take care, everyone.  x

Thursday, 22-02-24

 Good morning, everyone

Yesterday's meal photos:

I enjoyed these.  They were followed by three very titchy easy peelers.

Way more smoked salmon than I would usually have but I had defrosted it by accident.  
Afters was an orange.

This Pinch of Nom yellow Thai-style curry from their latest 'Express' book was absolutely lovely.  It was easier to make than it looked; the only small issue I had was that my mini chopped didn't 'paste' the paste ingredients all that well so I added a tsp oil (two syns) to help it along.
I made the curry at lunch time which gave the flavours time to develop and it is one I'm definitely going to make again.  If you've got the book, do consider giving it a go.

It was quite spicy so I had a dollop of natural yogurt on the side.

No room for any dessert.  

Today's meal plans:

B:  fruit

Keeping breakfast nice and light because of lunch

SW:  syn free

L:  out for lunch with a friend - probably a cheese and tomato toastie with a side salad.
I've looked up the menu and this looks the most likely as well as something I will really enjoy.  

SW:  I'm calling it two healthy extra As and one healthy extra B - it might very well be more but not to worry, that will be syns.

D:  salmon on a bed of roasted vegetables, salad on the side; fruit

Just what it says.

SW:  two syns for salad dressing.

Exercise:  An online SET class and a walk

Summary:  

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

no idea how many syns but I can't see how it can be too many if I stick to my choices.

Wednesday, 21-02-24

 Good morning, everyone

Yesterday's meal photos:

Very nice breakfast.  I forgot about the leftover baked beans though.

What else can you make with two As and one B but a toastie.  Lovely

I messed up my plans by getting the wrong thing out of the freezer so now I have some smoked salmon to use tomorrow morning!  So I had bacon, the leftover baked beans and some chunky chips.  Not what I'd expected to make but it was very nice, all the same.

No room for any afters.

Today's meal plans:

B: boiled eggs, toast dippers; fruit

I was going to have soup for lunch and what's planned for lunch for breakfast but I seem to have used up all my soup from the freezer so it is all change!

SW:  half a healthy extra B for one slice toast

L:  toast, avocado and smoked salmon, tomatoes and mixed leaves

That was going to be breakfast . . . but it is fine for lunch too.

SW:  half a healthy extra B for one slice bread, two and a half syns for up to 39g frozen avocado

D:    yellow Thai style curry; fruit

A new to me recipe taken from the PoN book, Express, p 54.  It needs coconut 'drink' but I have some desiccated coconut that I can turn into coconut water with the help of some boiling water and a blender.  I've looked up syns for coconut drink and will use that.  Also I don't have lemongrass but Google tells me that lemon zest should work instead.  It also used peanut butter powder, which I have, and it should be lovely.

SW:  one syn for coconut drink, one syn for the peanut butter powder and I think that is it.

Exercise:  personal training

Summary:  

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

four and a half syns

Tuesday, 20-02-24

 Good morning, everyone

Yesterday's meal photos:

Standard cheesy beans on toast with the added refinement of some marmite for greater umami flavour.

Really nice and very filling.

Totally forgot to photo lunch but it was just as planned, hm soup with mixed seeds and no afters.

The reheated Vietnamese pork was very tasty and, as I really fancied a big old leafy salad, that's exactly what I had, followed by an orange.

Delicious!

Today's meal plans:

B:   egg on crumpet thin, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes

I have a few baked beans left from yesterday to enjoy with this cooked breakfast which should go down very well after Groove class.

SW:  three syns for the crumpet thin.

L:  cheese and chutney toastie, salad; fruit

I have all my healthy extras so why not?  :-)

SW:  two healthy extra As, one healthy extra B and one and a half syns for chutney

D:   gammon, egg, chips and a side salad; fruit

The gammon is what I cut off a Be Good to Yourself gammon joint a while ago and froze separately - I often do that when I treat myself to one of the joints - it seems to make it all go further.

SW:  two syns for salad dressing and one for some mixed seeds

Exercise:  Groove class

Summary:  

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

seven and a half syns

Monday, 19-02-24

 Good morning, everyone.

Yesterday's meal photos:

Yummy pancakes.  I spend three syns on some full fat yogurt which is really so delicious with a much better 'mouth feel' than the lower fat kind.  I wouldn't do it every time, but now and again . . .

A bit later, I had two small easy peelers.

I enjoyed this!
The beef was the smaller half of the joint (I know that's a mathematical impossibility really) and I managed to catch it a bit earlier than the last time so it was melt in the mouth but still sliceable.  I could have stretched it to three perfectly acceptable portions but I chose to make it do two.

I spend another syn on some horseradish which I forget to mention yesterday.

Roast dinners are so good, aren't they?

I finished off Saturday's pasta and yesterday's beef in this pasta bake.

I tend to reheat in the microwave and then finish off in Nellie but must remember bake at ten minutes is better than bake at fifteen!!

Oh, well!

And that was that.

Today's meal plans:  today is very much a from-the-freezer day

B: cheesy beans on toast

Bread from the freezer!!
SW:  one healthy extra A and one healthy extra B

L:  soup from freezer, salad; fruit

I'll use one of the broccoli and cauliflower soups and add some blue cheese triangles for extra flavour.  The salad is just because - well - I love salad.

SW:  half a healthy extra A for cheese and one syn for mixed seeds

D:  Vietnamese pork, rice, side salad; fruit

Frozen leftovers from Saturday.

SW:  six syns for the pork and rice.

Exercise:  circuits class

Summary:  

one and a half healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

seven syns

Sunday, 18-02-24

 Good morning, everyone.  Happy SUnday!

Yesterday's meal photos:

A very tasty and filling breakfast which finished off the smoked salmon.  

For an ad hoc meal, this was jolly good and I couldn't resist taking a photos as it came out of the air fryer.

It looks loads but, apart from the sauces, penne pasta and the cheese, it is all vegetables - and, I think, all speed veg as well.

The bottom was leek, cauliflower, sprouts, carrot and sugar snap peas, all softened in the microwave.  The pasta part was onion, roasted pepper (from a jar), mushroom, garlic, passata, some jalapenos slices from a jar, Hendersons, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar with a bit of salt and pepper and when that was all soft I added passata, some tomato puree, some penne pasta and some of the pasta water.  Finally, I stirred in 25g of Seriously Light cheese spread.  

I could have blended the sauce but decided to leave it chunky.

I spooned the pasta and sauce over the other vegetables, sprinkled over a mix of grated cheddar and grated mozzarella and baked it in Nellie for around ten minutes.

It made what looked like a lot but I ate it all - as it was pretty much all vegetable, it sat very comfortably and I felt virtuous as well as satisfied!!

I forgot to say, before adding the soft cheese, I removed half of the penne and sauce and will have that as a penne arrabbiata tonight.

Quite a bit later I had an orange and some grapes.

I had to make a number of subs to the Vietnamese pork.
I didn't have jasmine rice so used basmati
I didn't have shallots so used ordinary onion
I didn't have spring onions so used some chives from the garden (they're an early herb and coming up nicely now)

I didn't have mange tout so used sugar snaps.
And I added some mushroom and some red pepper to the sauce.

And

It

Was

Gorgeous!!!

I was delighted that the rice made four portions and the rest three so I have two more full meals and one portion of rice in the freezer for other times.

It doesn't change the syn situation though because I hadn't realised I would need to add some sugar to the sauce to sweeten and thicken it (so sweetener wouldn't have done at all) so what I won on the three portions instead of two I lost on the sugar. Still six syns and worth every last bit of them.

As you can see, I garnished it with watercress.

No dessert needed.

Today's meal plans:

B:  pancakes, fruit and yogurt

I want to use that heart pancake shaper thingy again and see if I can find a way to keep it flat in the pan so the batter doesn't leak out.  That's my excuse anyway!

SW:  half a healthy extra B for 20g wholemeal SR flour (not SW canon, just something I do because fibre and calories are much the same as 20g oats)

L:  slow roast beef, various veg, Yorkshire 'platter'; fruit

I haven't made a Yorkie 'wrap' that I use as a platter for ages so now's the time as I have defrosted the other half of the silverside joint I slow roasted some weeks ago.  I have some very meaty gravy left over from the casserole on Friday so I can reheat that.  It should be delish.

I think this link might take you straight to the wrap recipe without having to scroll through all the waffle and advertising first.

https://pinchofnom.com/wprm_print/59753

SW:  two and a half syns for plain flour and two syns for one tsp oil plus one syn for the gravy.  Ojh, and the milk is part of a healthy extra A

D:  beef penne arrabbiata, side salad; fruit

The other half of the penne mix I made yesterday without the soft cheese stirred in. and I can add beef leftovers.  Yummy!

SW:  half a syn for grated Italian cheese on top and two syns for some salad dressing

Exercise:  I will catch a Lindsey pre-record

Summary:  

one healthy extra A

half a healthy extra B

seven and a half syns

Saturday, 17-02-24

Good morning, everyone.

I think I might do a week trying some Pinch of Nom recipes again - not this coming week as I've already planned that but maybe the next week.  I did it a while ago but there are so many books and so many recipes that sound delicious that there's plenty of choice.
Probably not breakfasts though, there aren't so many of them and I don't have problems choosing breakfasts.  

I'll have a ponder and make a plan!

One and a half pounds off yesterday.  Yay!!!  And I won the raffle - again.  A proper win this time, not second because the winner had left early.  It was useful stiff - penne pasta, onions, garlic, two tins of cherry tomatoes and some dried basil.  I'm going to make something with some of it for lunch today.

Yesterday's meal photos:

These went down well - it is surprising how far a very small amount of batter goes.

I'm afraid I was very naughty at lunch and had a bag of mixed nuts.  Nourishing, healthy, great fibre and healthy oils but way outside the syns allowance.  Oh, well, I enjoyed them and once in a while is not going to break the bank.

It doesn't look much dinner and I could have used one of my smaller plates.

To explain the pastry, I made some before Christmas for various nibbles and had some left over so I re-rolled the trimmings aut into circles to fit the top of a one person pie pot, weighted and synned and popped in the freezer.   OK, so re-rolling plays havoc with the lamination but it was still really scrummy.

It was lovely and I have some of the gravy from the casserole for my Sunday roast.

Today's meal plans:

B: scrambled eggs on toast, bit of smoked salmon (if I have any) tomatoes on the side

SW:  one healthy extra B

L:  veggie pasta bake, maybe side salad; fruit

I have loads of vegetables and leftover passata and sweetcorn so I am going to make them the base of this, make a tomatoey sauce, add some cooked penne, spoon it over the vegetables, top with grated cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and brown.  I could add some mixed beans for protein.

One of those 'see how it turns out' dishes.

SW:  up to two healthy extra As for cheese

D:  Vietnamese pork; fruit

This is a Simply Cook kit - I am gradually working my way through them . . .

SW:  six syns for half of the kit and I think the other ingredients are all free or speed.

Exercise:  gardening

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

Friday, 16-02-24

Good morning, everyone

Yesterday's meal photos:

Fruit for breakfast and it was lovely!

OK, so at Hyde Hall I went for a sandwich with ham, cheese and chutney.  Sides were salad and chips but I said no chips - the two you can see are from Chris' plate!
I could only manage half of the sandwich so I brought the other half home and changed my dinner plans!

Later on, I had a pear and a few easy peelers.  It was a challenge lasting out until dinner time because usually I have lunch around two but yesterday it was closer to twelve.  But I managed it!

So - dinner ended up as a big old salad with the other half of the sandwich turned into a toastie - and it was flippin' gorgeous!

That means that, while not a perfect Slimming World day, because I made the lunch into two meals and didn't have the chips (only about five), it will be OK.

No dessert because I was satisfied.  Not overfull but satisfied.

Where's the halo?

😇

Today's meal plans:

B: waffles, fruit, yogurt
SW:  half a healthy extra B

L:  cheesy marmite pasta bake (with bacon, not sausages), side salad; fruit

I found this in the new Pinch of Nom book, Express.  I love marmite and I love cheese.

SW:  one healthy extra A for grated cheese and half an A for Seriously Light spread plus two syns for salad dressing.

D:  beef casserole pie, assorted veg

This is the casserole I defrosted yesterday but didn't have because of the sandwich.  I have some cut sheets of puff pastry in the freezer so I will pop one on top of the meat to make a pot pie.

SW:  eight syns for the pastry (ouch) and two syns for the casserole.

Exercise:  rest day

Summary:
one and a half healthy extra As
half a healthy extra B
twelve syns (it is Friday, after all)

Thursday, 15-02-24

Good morning, everyone.  Weigh in tomorrow.  After last week's gain I think I must have lost something this week.  Surely . . . 

Yesterday's meal photos:

A very enjoyable breakfast bake - bacon, onion, sweet potato, pepper, mushroom and tomatoes with an egg on top.

The rest of the chicken makhani for lunch.  I added some peas and some green beans and the yogurt but, again, no butter.  I'm sure it would be delicious with butter but it was delicious without too.

I had an orange for dessert.

Yummy fish pie - I changed the 'recipe' and used some sauce flour for one syn but the As still came within two so that was good.  The topping was very thin and was potato and sweet potato mash with an egg yolk and some cheese mixed in.

It was both filling and tasty.

No dessert - I was full up.

Today's meal plans:

B:  fruit

A light breakfast because . . .

SW:  syn free

L:  eating out with Chris

Weather permitting, we hope to drive over to Hyde Hall, have a walk around and then lunch there.  If the weather isn't great later this morning, we'll go somewhere local.

SW:  no idea as I can't find the menu online but I want to be on plan so I will choose carefully.

D:  rich beef stew, veg; fruit

The stew is from the freezer and I will do a selected of fresh vegetables to enjoy with it.

SW:  two syns for the casserole and that's it.

Exercise:  SET class online

Summary:  
I'm keeping the planned healthy extras low because lunch will probably involve them in some way
two planned syns and, fingers crossed, not much else.

When I go to Hyde Hall in the summer, I will take picnics with me but not in February!!