Monday, 30 December 2024

30-12-24

Hi, everyone!  It is still the Christmas season chez moi and will continue to be so until Twelfth Night, so I make no apologies for the ongoing Festive vibe in here. 
Having said that, I am trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to get back on track.

Today has been the first day for yonks that I am happy (in the healthy sense) with what I have eaten.  I think it is just a case of taking it one day at a time.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow!

What I ate today:

After the pigging out of the last several days, on and off, I got going with some sorting and tidying and totally forgot to have breakfast until I checked the time and found it was half past lunch time.

So it was straight on to lunch - beans on marmite toast and a few grapes for afters.  And that kept me going until dinner time for which I was thankful.

One healthy extra B and half a syn for a squirt of brown sauce

And dinner was also just as planned.  I nuked a jacket potato, thawed a portion of the lamb soup/stew, adding a bit of bisto and marmite, sliced the potato, topped the stew with it, sprayed it with evoo and baked it in Nellie while the veg cooked.
It was lovely and I have about a third left for lunch tomorrow.
Afters was an easy peeler or two.
One syn for bisto and two for the evoo.

Summary (the first one for days!)
no healthy extra As (but the way I've been pigging cheese recently, this is not such a bad thing)
one healthy extra B
three and a half syns







Tomorrow's plans:

B:  bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms

L:  leftovers of the hotpot and leftovers of baked beans.

D:  festive pasta bake, salad; fruit
leftovers from the freezer

Exercise:  housework and a Lindsey video.



29-12-24

Starting with an apology.  I should have sent this yesterday evening and totally forgot.  And then I overslept this morning.  Things are very slow and lethargic at the moment.
Please pretend it is still Sunday as you read.  Thanks.  x

Hi, everyone!  It is still the Christmas season chez moi and will continue to be so until Twelfth Night, so I make no apologies for the ongoing Festive vibe in here. 
Having said that, I am trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to get back on track.

Goodness, it is a struggle though.  I'm on the look out for helpful things and the other day Heidi posted this.

I do find things like this, visual prompts, if you like, very helpful.  I've printed it off, written in our SW group dates and when I HAVE to weigh to keep my membership and fingers crossed . . .
(it is SW based but if that's what you are following and think it might be useful - please use)

I am finding that mornings and early afternoons go well but then I sit down to do my crochet and - ooooops.

I must got back to my I F. That sorted out the evening nibbles but was impractical over the Festive season.

What I ate today:

Breakfast was smashed avo on toast with an egg and some tomatoes.  Lovely and filling.
I 'smashed' the avo with lime juice, a pinch of chilli flakes and half a tsp mixed seeds, topped with avocado topping from Just Spices
Half a healthy extra B, two and a half syns for avo and half a syn for the seeds.

Nice!!  I spray roasted some carrots and parsnip, cooked some sprouts and I cut all the fat off the post loin steal, hammered it out, dusted it with a mix and fried it like a steak.  Really tasty.
One and a half syns for the chutney.

And then it all fell apart again.  Frankly, I am really struggling.  

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  overnight oats
I will syn the oats as I'm using my B for lunch

L:  beans on toast; fruit

D:  lamb hot pot, veg; fruit
The soup I made over the weekend with a sliced potato topping.  Nice!

Exercise:  housework and something from Lindsey's channel.


Saturday, 28 December 2024

28-12-24

Hi, everyone!  It is still the Christmas season chez moi and will continue to be so until Twelfth Night, so I make no apologies for the ongoing Festive vibe in here. 
Having said that, I am trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to get back on track.

My thanks to Eloise who recommended a book to me, Just One Thing by the late Dr Michael Mosely.  I looked it up and now it is on my Kindle.  I'll let you know.

In the freezer now, I have
Three big portions of lamb and veg soup/stew - it's both really
Several thin slices of Christmas cake and thank goodness I made a half sized one.
Several little squares of tiffin - I'm not sure it freezes well, possibly not, but better there than in my tum.
One portion of lamb in stock for a roast dinner tread.
Plus all the sliced slab cake that were gifts from Kristian, Ceri and Bertie.
Lots of slices of gingerbread cheesecake
Mince pies
A few not-sausage rolls
And that's what I can think of.  Plenty to help with my low-spend and dry January, isn't there.  Yes, come Jan 2nd (I have family around on the 1st), I am going dry for the month.  No exceptions.  Wine is nice but doesn't help!

Today's meals:

Nice fresh fruit and some yogurt.  Delicious.
THe lamb and veg soup was absolutely delicious and very filling indeed.
I really wasn't hungry so I just had a few crackers with cheese for my evening meal - more a supper than a dinner.


Tomorrow's meal plans:

B:  fruit and yogurt

L:   soup, bread; fruit

D:  pork loin steak with roasties and veg; fruit

Exercise:  possibly a walk and Lindsey snippets - there's no classes at all this week.

27-12-24

Hi, everyone!  It is still the Christmas season chez moi and will continue to be so until Twelfth Night, so I make no apologies for the ongoing Festive vibe in here. 

Having said that, I am trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to get back on track.

What I ate today:
(writing this on Saturday but pretending it is Friday when it should have gone up.)

Raspberries, blueberries and grapes with a spiced yogurt and mixed seeds.
One syns for the seeds,
Lamb sandwich with home made bread and, yes, that is butter.
I'm calling it one healthy extra B (the bread was one B in total) and no idea how many syns for the butter.
Later on, I had an apple.


I made a pasta bake using the rest of the leftover Christmas day veg (broccoli, sprouts and some onion) with some tomato sauce, pasta, chestnuts, leftover lamb, seasonings and cheese on top.
I photo-ed the whole lot and had a quarter.  The other three portions are now cosying down in the freezer for easy meals.

One healthy extra A and four syns.

Also, too many nibbles and drinks!
No summary!


Tomorrow's meal plans:
(which have changed a bit as my friend can't come to stay until tomorrow)

B:  fruit, seeds and yogurt

L:  lamb and veg soup with bread to dunk; fruit
(more using up leftovers and there will be extra portions for the freezer)

D:  salmon with sweet potato 'fries' and a salad; fruit

Exercise:  Lindsey's snippets on YouTube

Friday, 27 December 2024

26-12-24

Hi, everyone!  It is still the Christmas season chez moi and will continue to be so until Twelfth Night, so I make no apologies for the ongoing Festive vibe in here. OK?  

Late again.  Things will settle again, I promise

What I ate today:

No photos for breakfast (which turned out to be nibbles, ooops, and lunch which was salady cheesy bits and bobs round at Beth's.  Very nice too

Dinner was proper on it though and dead easy as it was all leftovers.  

I did do some nibbling though so it wasn't a great back-on-it day, sadly.  Maybe Friday will be better.



Tomorrow's plans

B:  fruit and spiced yogurt

L:  lamb salad sandwich with salad; fruit

D:  cheesy lamb pasta bake; fruit

Exercise:  Lindsey's Advent exercises.



The extra bit.
Nothing today but the latest SW magazine has a fairly good A-Z article that is quite general so I might focus on what that is saying for a few weeks.

Thursday, 26 December 2024

26-12-24 Back on it?

Hello, everyone!  So here we are, just the other side of Christmas, just starting to wind down and, if you're anything like me, wondering what on EARTH you are going to do with the leftovers!

The last few days have been lovely but they haven't been Slimming World friendly, nor have they been terribly good for my cholesterol!
There's a few things coming up too.

Today, I am off to Beth's for lunch and the afternoon.  She has said it won't be nearly as 'posh' (her word, it wasn't really!) as yesterday was but I bet there will be goodies galore, all the same.
Tomorrow is Slimming World - just a weigh and go and I won't be weighing but it will be nice to see everyone.
On Saturday, I have a friend coming to stay and I will be doing her a Christmas Dinner but it a roast can be very healthy and I intend for this one to be - er - not too naughty.
And then, on New Year's Day, I have the family round for the evening.  Beth and Alex might stay over, I am not sure.

But, between all that, things are normal and comfortable and I can be proper back on my usual, delicious way of eating.

What I ate yesterday.

I'm not going meal by meal through it, that would be silly, but just to say it was delish (the roasties are missing - I left them in the oven and Beth had to remind me.  Ooops!)

Tea is not there - I forgot to take a photo.  It was a buffet with not all that much because none of us felt hungry - unsurprisingly.

The gingerbread cheesecake was lovely - and should freeze well, which is just as well really!  And yes, I did start the day with a champagne (prosecco really) cocktail of bubbly, clementine juice and ginger ale - and it was delish.

What I plan to eat today:

B:  I'm not really all that hungry but if I don't have anything planned, I will be nibbling the naughty stuff so - bacon, mushroom and tomatoes, possibly an egg.

L:  At Beth's so, really, no idea.  

D:  I have leftovers of pretty much everything except parsnips so lamb (Jamie's slow roast lamb was gorgeous), leftover veg; fruit

I hope your Christmas Day was as lovely as mine and now we can all work to get back on whatever track we are driving along, lose the little bit of gain and get fit.

I'll be back this evening with the usual . . .

Tuesday, 24 December 2024

Christmas Challenge, day 24

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to my Christmas Challenge, 2024 where I try to give as much festive vibe to my everyday food as I can with the aim of staying on my healthy Mediterranean focused meals so that weight gain is minimal and I remain healthy.

No plans or post tomorrow evening - it is Christmas Day, after all - but back to normal on Boxing Day.


What I ate today:

No breakfast photo - I forgot Chris was staying for coffee after we did Groove and I provided a few nibbles.  They were my breakfast!

Here's the reheated bean, olive and chestnut pasta bake and it was delish, really tasty.
And my Christmas Eve evening picky plate, mostly cheese and crackers with tomatoes and olives.  Tasty!
Oh, and some really nice rose.  :-)



Tomorrow's meal plans:

B:  tattie scone with avo, smoked salmon and an egg.

L:  roast lamb, roasties, glazed carrots and parsnips, sprouts, broccoli and sweetcorn; gingerbread cheesecake, mince pie; cheese and crackers
Phew!

D:  Christmas tea buffet

Exercise: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha  ......................


The Extra Bit:

Thank you so much for sticking with me this year in my ups and downs, my gains and losses, when I got it right and when I got it wrong.  Have a very happy Christmas and remember . . . 

As we all know . . .

On Christmas Day calories and syns don't count!




Christmas Challenge, day 23

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to my Christmas Challenge, 2024 where I try to give as much festive vibe to my everyday food as I can with the aim of staying on my healthy Mediterranean focused meals so that weight gain is minimal and I remain healthy.

After my less than pleasant weigh on Sunday morning, I got on the scales today after one day of being back on plan and I was about four pounds lower - out of the aaaarrrrgggghhhh zone and into the oops zone!
It just goes to illustrate how day by day readings can be very deceptive, fluid levels and digestion vary from day to day depending on what and when you are eating  and drinking and the only accurate readings are those taken over time.
Having said that, I was very relieved.

What I ate today:

I remembered to oil the plates of the waffle maker this time and it came out beautifully.
Half a healthy extra B
Finished off the beans and there's marmite on the toast.  Delicious!
I didn't have the cheese I had planned.
I had an apple and an easy peeler for afters.
Half a healthy  extra B
What a mess!!!
Tasty though - mixed bean, olive and chestnut pasta bake and I cooked the pasta in with the sauce and veg, etc, and I must do it that way again as the pasta takes on so much flavour.
It made two portions so . . .
One and a half healthy extra As, two syns for the olives, one and a half for the chestnuts and I think that's it.

Summary:
one and a half healthy extra As
one healthy extra B
Three and a half syns

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B:  mince pie oat pancakes, fruit and yogurt

L:  the second portion of pasta bake, maybe with a side salad; fruit

D:  Festive nibbly platter ; fruit
(and alcohol of some kind or other)

Exercise:  Groove online and Chris is coming over so we can do it together.




Sunday, 22 December 2024

Christmas Challenge, day 22

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to my Christmas Challenge, 2024 where I try to give as much festive vibe to my everyday food as I can with the aim of staying on my healthy Mediterranean focused meals so that weight gain is minimal and I remain healthy.

After a look at the scales and the resulting horror, I've been totally on it today and will also be tomorrow and half of the next day too.
Nothing like facing the unpalatable truth to put one off too much scoffing!  

What I ate today:

Avo toast with an egg for breakfast.
Half a healthy extra B and two syns for the avocado
Jerk chicken on a salad.
One syn for mixed seeds in the salad.

Cheesy beans on toast for dinner and I had some onion chutney on the toast.  Bloomin' delish!

One healthy extra A, half a healthy extra B and one and a half syns.

Summary (about time too)!
one healthy extra A
one healthy extra B
four and a half syns

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B:  mince pie waffles 🎅, fruit and spiced 🎅 yogurt

L:  cheesy beans on toast (to use up the leftovers from yesterday); fruit

D:  bean, olive and chestnut 🎅 pasta bake; fruit

Exercise:  circuits class



Christmas Challenge, day 21

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to my Christmas Challenge, 2024 where I try to give as much festive vibe to my everyday food as I can with the aim of staying on my healthy Mediterranean focused meals so that weight gain is minimal and I remain healthy.

I've been busy in my kitchen again today so there's been a few nibbles going on but nothing too terrible.

What I want to share with you is a very simple but totally delicious recipe for oatcakes, found on the wonderful 'Ali Lives Well On Less' YouTube channel.  I'll post the link in The Extra Bit - take my word for it, they are easy and taste great,  Adaptable too.

What I ate today:

Fruit for breakfast plus a mini mince pie bite and a small bit of seed and oat cracker (not the Ali one) because one has to test before offering to guests, doesn't one?  

I added cheese and crackers to the menu, remembered to take a photo of them but forgot about the leek and potato soup.  Ooops!
Both were delicious!

Steak and chips for dinner plus some naughty stilton and butter potted cheese.  It was delicious.
Afters was some easy peelers.

I'll syn tomorrows, Monday's and most of Tuesday's meals and then I won't be blogging on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.  Back on Friday.

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B:  avocado toast with either smoked salmon 🎄or egg, fried mushrooms and tomatoes

L:  chicken something or other (from the freezer and I can't remember what it's called off the top of my head) plus some roasted veg and I might add chestnuts for a vaguely Christmas vibe (and because they are very good for one) 🎄; fruit

D:  cheesy beans on toast; fruit

Exercise:  lots of stuff to do in the house.  

The Extra Bit:

Here you go - the link to the recipe and to Ali's channel.  Do pay her a visit, like the video and, if you want, subscribe.  (It's free)



Friday, 20 December 2024

Christmas Challenge, day 20

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to my Christmas Challenge, 2024 where I try to give as much festive vibe to my everyday food as I can with the aim of staying on my healthy Mediterranean focused meals so that weight gain is minimal and I remain healthy.
I know it's not very helpful at the moment but I'm keeping it real and honest.  

What I ate today:

Breakfast was a taster session at the SW party.
I took turkey, cranberry and chestnut festive baubles (basically meatballs on cocktail sticks) with cranberry sauce to dip in and they went down a real treat - I had some sauce to bring home but no baubles.  I've posted the recipe in The Extra Bit below.
I didn't take a photo as Jen always did so I expected Heidi would.  She didn't, however. so sorry, so no visual evidence!!

Lunch - toasted chutney and cheese plus some melon that really needs to be used (quite apart from the fact that there's no space in the fridge for it.)
I've stopped counting for a while but it's around two As and one B

Not planned.
I made some mince pies and one honestly and truly broke apart as I lifted it out of the baking tray.  I wasn't going to waste it, was I?
The rest are now safely tucked away in the freezer.


Dinner - well, I did defrost the steak but didn't have it because . . .  

. . . I sliced the loaf of bread I made and had a couple of slices of that with cheese spread and chutney.  The rest is in the freezer.
I love my freezer.

So today has been carb heavy but I'm keeping it real in here.

After all - it is nearly Christmas!

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B:  fruit

L:  soup from the freezer; fruit

D: steak and chips (should have had this Friday); fruit

Exercise: er - not sure right now.
The Extra Bit:

Turkey, cranberry and chestnut festive baubles

Ingredients to make between seven and ten baubles depending on what size you make them
125g turkey mince
one Linda McCartney rosemary and red onion sausage (or I use the Aldi equivalent – cheaper!)
some chopped onion, softened with spray oil in the microwave
a couple of chestnuts, crumbled (one syn per chestnut or 7 chestnuts for a B)
some dried cranberries, chopped (25g = 4-ish syns. Depends which ones you use)
15g grated hard Italian Cheese (half an A)
seasonings – I use garlic granules, black pepper and a little salt)

Amounts are to own taste so weigh and work out syns.

Method.
Chuck everything in a bowl and mix thoroughly together – I use my hands (washed, obv!).
Before shaping, dry fry a little in a small pan and adjust seasonings, if necessary – don’t skip this bit.  

Using damp hands, shape into balls and place on foil that will fit into your air fryer or on an oven tray.
Spray with spray oil and air fry for around fifteen minutes, shaking them a couple of times or pop in a preheated oven at around 180 for 20 mins or so, again, until done.

Eat hot or cold.

I like them dipped in cranberry sauce or a festive chutney (generally one and a half syns for a level tbsp but check what you use as they differ)

You can make little kebabs with them, adding pickled onions, gherkins, grapes – whatever you fancy really.