Saturday, 08-11-25

Hi, all!
I received a link to this article  on the British Heart Foundation site that compared weight loss for people eating at least n80% ultra processed foods (UPFs) and people eating at least 80% minimally processed foods (MPFs).
I thought it was interesting and you might do too, especially as it also mentions reduced cravings when eating mostly MPFs.

What I ate today:

When I made my sushi first thing, I polished off leftover carrot and cucumber and a slither of smoked salmon may have joined them.

I used my usual waffle recipe but tried cooking them in a silicon mould in Nellie.  They didn't rise as much but they were nice and crunchy and I think I will give it another go.

Half a fibre for the buckwheat flour and the sourdough starter* and I am pretty sure the rest is syn free.

*not SW canon but I apply this very carefully.

Lunch was sushi.  Home made sushi is very SW friendly.  Nori is free, pickled ginger is free, most of the fillings are free (I had smoked salmon, ginger, cucumber and carrot) and the rice could be free, depending on how much you have as it has a bit of added sugar.  I'm counting half a swip for the sugar, one and a half for the spicy mayo inside, one swip for some mixed seeds and I think that's it.  Oh, and half a swip for a little bit of Philly light along the bottom of the nori before rolling.

And the roasted tomato, red pepper and sweet potato soup.  It should be one swip for some olive oil but I'm counting that as part of my healthy oils/fats.

And I had the end of a fresh baked load I was slicing for the freezer to dunk for the other half of my fibre.

Afters was a small apple.

Loads of photos today - I didn't eat all the sushi at lunchtime so had the last bits as a starter - I've listed the swips by the lunch photo.

And finally, a bacon and green lentil spaghetti bolognaise and it was absolutely delicious.  I used half a pouch of French Style Lentils with some onion, pepper, mushroom, baby corn and chopped bacon with garlic, chilli flakes, cumin and tomato puree.  With wholewheat spaghetti under and some grated cheddar on top, it was lush!

Afters was two little easy peelers.

The lentils were one swip and the cheese was one calcium.

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B:  egg or beans on toast

L:  Spanish tortilla, either baked beans or salad, depending on how cold/dismal it is

D:  roast beef dinner  - beef, roasties, roasted and steamed veg and I might exert myself and make a few Yorkshires.
(not fresh roast beef, I bought slices from the deli)

And plenty of fruit.

Friday, 07-11-25 and a snack recipe

Hi, all.

Today's meals:

Breakfast was just two apples - no photo.

I took photos of lunch but I'd accidentally moved the setting dial on my camera so they came out as 'impressive art'.  I'm not sure the results are either but never mind!
However, it was one fibre for a bagel and one healthy fats for avocado.  The bacon was free/protein (I think) and it felt cold so I air fried onion, tomatoes,  mushrooms and yellow peppers to have with them.  Really delicious.  

I had an orange for afters.

Later on, I grated some cheese for the freezer and measured out 30g for my calcium choice.

I tried something for a snack and it was nice so I will post it below.  I think I saw it on a Nigella programme although she deep fried!

I had a nice, old fashioned fish and chips for dinner.  The cod goujons were a stonking 11 swips but worth it.  I also had one swips-worth of salad cream because - you know, chips!

And that was it for the day.

Tomorrow's meal plans:

B:  savoury waffles with bacon and tomato (I have bacon to use up)

L:  hm sushi, salad veg

D:  spag bol with side veg

and fruit!

Crunchy potato spirals

I spiralised one small (a little goes a long way) Maris Piper potato, dried it off, sprayed it with some spray oil and air fried it for around ten minutes or so until crunchy and golden.

Just like crisps with a sprinkle of salt but free on SW.

I know 'free' doesn't mean calorie free so be careful . . . but loads better than a bag of crisps.

And my total potato intake today wasn't enormous so I'm OK with it.

Wednesday, 05-11-25

Posting this early as I will be busy later.

Today's meals:

Smoked salmon trimmings and avo on toast with toms and watercress.

One fibre, one fats/oils.

The best photo of a bad bunch.
Made with bits and bobs and really nice.  I have a second portion left for tomorrow.

One swip for the grains.

I made a cheese roll and some popcorn to take with me plus a couple of apples.

One calcium, seven swips (for the roll), one syn for some salad cream and I have no idea about the popcorn but it was fresh popped with no oil.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  fruit and yogurt

L:  cheese and onion toastie, salad.

D:  rest of today's lunch

Exercise:  personal training

Tuesday, 04-11-25

Hi, everyone.

What I ate today:

Before Groove, I had an apple and when I got home I warmed up some fruit - mango, pineapple, nectarine, peach and blueberries from the freezer, sliced banana and a small chopped kiwi and enjoyed them with a dollop of yogurt.

All SW free

Beth took me to Mowgli, an Indian street food eatery, for lunch.  We had a vegetarian sharing platter and it was absolutely delicious.
The curries were very 'clean' and without oil floating on top.  No calories on the menu and I am sure it will be over swips but it was also really good, healthy stuff.  So no worries.

I wasn't that hungry at dinner time so I had some cheese on toast and I mixed some chopped tomatoes into the mixed grains and heated it for two minutes in the microwave - surprisingly delicious!  Before putting the cheese on the toast, I spread a little bit of Dijon mustard over and that, also, was delish - why have I lived all this time and not done that before?

It used used up my calcium and fibre choices plus two swips and well worth every bit.

I've not been on plan today, obviously, because of lunch but it's not been really bad.  xx

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  avo and smoked salmon on toast with tomatoes and mushrooms on the side

L:  chicken pasta bake - main meal because . . .

D:  I'm off into London, to St Paul's, for Sir John Rutter's Birthday Celebration.  Sir John, in case you didn't know, is a famous composer and conductor and tomorrow it is his 80th birthday.  I am so looking forward to it.  Anyway, I will take some fruit and something snacky with me as I really don't want to pay London prices.

And fruit.

Exercise:  Lindsey, bless her, has moved my personal training to Thursday morning.

Monday, 03-11-25

Hi, all.

What I ate today:

Two eggs, 25 sprays of avo oil, mushrooms, tomatoes and yellow peppers - and scrambled egg seasoning from Just Spices.

Perfect after circuits and one third of a fats/oils choice.

The rest of the soup from yesterday.  I added 50g of the Merchant Gourmet five glorious grains pouch and a tsp of mixed seeds.  The pouch is five swips but I looked on the back and the only ingredient that carries swips is olive oil so, rightly or wrongly, I am calling it (and the seeds) more of my fats/oils choice.  The toast was my fibre choice.

Afters was two small apples

This is NOT what I planned but when it came to it, this is what I fancied so . . .

. . . a can of baked beans, a dollop of brown sauce and some grated cheddar.  Lovely!

one swip for the sauce and the cheese was one calcium choice plus three swips.

I had an orange for afters.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  fruit and yogurt

L:  lunch out with my daughter

D:  I have grains to eat so I'll cook some chicken and some veg and throw in the grains instead of pasta or rice - a fair bit better for me, I reckon.

And more fruit, of course

Exercise:  Groove class.

Sunday, 02-11-25

What I ate today:

Breakfast - avo on toast and very nice too.

One fibre choice and one healthy fats choice.  The Just Spices avocado topping is swip free in the amount I use.

I had the soup for lunch.  By the time I had added some vermicelli, it made a great big bowlful so I saved half for tomorrow.

The soup contained onion, sweet potato, some soaked soup mix, leek, cubes of bacon, turkey stock, seasonings and vermicelli.

Swip free and very satisfying.  Dead easy too - just one of those chuck-it-all-in-and-see-what-comes-out meals.

Later on, I had an orange.

This was delish!  Steak, roasted potato, carrot and parsnip, steamed broccoli and sprouts and a dollop of Dijon mustard, all completely free on SW.

Afters was a banana.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  fruit with yogurt

L:  soup and croutons

D:  spicy beans with grains and veg

Exercise:  circuits

Saturday, 01-11-25

The latest word out (according to YouTube anyway) is that we will be able to choose which healthy extra choices we want to use each day instead of being told.

I think that's great!!

What I ate today:

Getting there with the poached eggs.  Done in Nellie and I guess just thirty seconds too long.

One fibre choice.

I had lunch out with some friends and I am not ashamed to say I had cod and chips - and it was lovely!

I knocked up a savoury rice for dinner to use up some leftovers.  Bacon, onion, pepper, mushroom, rice and mixed seeds with salt, pepper, garlic granules and sweet smoked paprika with 30g grated cheddar mixed in at the end.
Delish!

Afters was a banana.

One calcium and a bit of oils/fats.

Not on plan because of lunch but the other meals were fine.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  avocado on toast, tomatoes on the side

L:  steak with roasties and veg

D:  soup with croutons

And fruit . . .

Thursday, 30-20-25

 Evening everyone.

What I ate today:

I decided on scrambled egg to go with the toast - because there was smoked salmon hiding in my fridge.

One fibre

Warmed up leftovers of leftovers with a bit of salad.  Very delish!

One calcium, a bit of healthy oil and one syn for some salad cream.

The curry and rice leftovers and very tasty too.

The curry is swip free and the rice was one syn,

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  fruit

L:  avocado on toast with salad

D:  I have rice left so will search for a recipe . . .  

Wednesday, 29-10-25

Good evening.  
I've moved all the waffle that was here to the side now . . . 

What I ate today . . .

It's hard to make oat chia porridge look in any way pretty.  It tasted great though!

Nearly one fibre and one and a half syns.

Now this was delicious.  I fried the cabbage a bit to get some charring flavour and then layered onion, potato, cabbage, chicken, pepper and mushroom and, finally tomato and cheese.  Cooked in Nellie, it was so, so good and the tomato had the lovely intense flavour you get when they are roasted.

It made two portions so that's lunch tomorrow sorted.  :-)

A bit of healthy oil and one calcium.

Dinner was chicken tikka balti, a SW meal.  It was nice but I wasn't that hungry and I have just realised I didn't photo it,

Not to worry, there's leftovers for dinner tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  something on toast, I think.

L:  leftovers of leftovers.  :-)

D: leftovers of chicken tikka balti

Easy peasy!

Wednesday morning

 You have probably guessed that yesterday was NOT a good day so no photos.  Today WILL be better and I WILL post this evening.

Meal plans:

B:  oat and chia porridge with fruit

L:  roasted potatoes and veg with egg and cheese on top

D:  that ready meal from SW/Iceland that I didn't have yesterday!

See you this evening!

Monday, 27-10-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure which is now going to include the three different healthy extras - calcium, fibre and fats/oils.  I'm winging it a bit until the info about amounts is released, making sensible guesses based on prior knowledge so please apply your own common sense and remember that, at the moment, none of the changes are official canon and won't be until the New Year. 

What I ate today.

That's the manky avocado all used up and not wasted now.

One fibre, one healthy fats and no swips.

A hearty roast dinner for my friend and I.  One and a half swips for cranberry sauce, two for gravy and the rest was free/speed.

And loads of leftovers (intentional leftovers).

Dinner was leftovers and this is what I did.

I used some lunch leftovers - sprouts, carrots, sweet potato, parsnips and onion and re-roasted them in the air fryer for ten minutes.
I chopped some of the chicken and mixed into the leftover bean chilli and rice.
I mixed the two together, sprinkled over some grated cheddar and gave the lot another ten minutes in the air fryer.

It was absolutely gorgeous although, sorry, I had already scoffed some before remembering to take a photo.

The rice was two swips and the cheese was one calcium and three swips.

I had a nice apple for afters.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  probably fruit

L:  I have roast potatoes and cabbage to use up so I think I will add other veg and make a sort of shakshuka

D:  I have one more SW ready meal, some sort of curry.  I think I will have that as I do need the freezer space.

Exercise - I will be going into town so the steps will be good.

Sunday, 26-10-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure which is now going to include the three different healthy extras - calcium, fibre and fats/oils.  I'm winging it a bit until the info about amounts is released, making sensible guesses based on prior knowledge so please apply your own common sense and remember that, at the moment, none of the changes are official canon and won't be until the New Year. 

What I ate today.

First thing in the morning I made sushi for Beth's birthday lunch and finished off the carrot and pepper that was left over.  

I had decided to go for a seedy oat porridge for breakfast but remembered I had an avocado that really, really needed using so I mashed the lot up and had half on toast for breakfast topped with tomato.
Some of  my healthy fats choice and my fibre choice

Lunch was at daughter Beth's house to celebrate her birthday.  I took sushi and Delia's vegetarian sausage rolls which are delicious.

What I had wasn't SW friendly but it wasn't so naughty really.

I was still full up come the evening so I haven't had anything yet.  I might have a nibble of cheese or some chicken before bedtime.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  the rest of the avocado, probably on a toasted bagel with some smoked salmon and the inevitable tomatoes on the side

L:  I have a friend round and I'm going to cook us both a roast chicken dinner.  Yummy!

D:  Must have the rest of the bean and veg chilli and I will bulk it out with some chicken.

And fruit . . . 

Exercise this week will be very ad hoc as there are no classes.

Saturday, 25-10-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure which is now going to include the three different healthy extras - calcium, fibre and fats/oils.  I'm winging it a bit until the info about amounts is released, making sensible guesses based on prior knowledge so please apply your own common sense and remember that, at the moment, none of the changes are official canon and won't be until the New Year.

Today's meals:

The usual oat and chia seed pudding with mango and blueberries.

Half a fibre choice, one and a half swips for milk and one and a half swips for the chia seeds.

I had lunch out with friends.  I had a pretty small roasted veg tart, passed on the roasted potatoes and had extra salad.

It was , , ,  OK.  I left a lot of the pastry as it was soggy.

I forgot to ask for dressing on the side but, again, didn't eat much because they had thoughtfully put it on a nice hot plate and it had wilted.
No idea of swips, sorry, but the dressing had olive oil so I'm calling it my healthy fats choice..

I baked some bread and tried a little bit off the end so that was the other half of my fibre.

Later in the afternoon, I had an apple.

Dinner was bean chilli and it was delicious (and swip free).

The rice was from a pouch and was two swips.

The cheese was my calcium choice.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  fruit

L:  at my daughters for her birthday

D:  goodness knows.  It all depends on what I have at Beth's.

Friday, 24-10-25

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my blog where I talk about my Slimming World and associated health journeys. I'm now around my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure which is now going to include the three different healthy extras - calcium, fibre and fats/oils.  I'm winging it a bit until the info about amounts is released, making sensible guesses based on prior knowledge so please apply your own common sense and remember that, at the moment, none of the changes are official canon and won't be until the New Year.

Today's meals:

I was so late home from SW and shopping that I decided to just go for the fruit.

Swip free.

This went down a treat.

One fibre choice.

I had frozen some Harry Ramsden cod goujons in hopes that they would be OK and they were.  They were a big swippy but worth it, I think.

I'm allowing all my Swips for them plus three syns for some salad cream but I haven't had my calcium or fats choices today so I think it will be OK.

Tomorrow's plans:

B:  oat and chia seed pudding with fruit

L:  eating out with friends - I've looked at the menu and rather fancy the roasted vegetable tart, I think.

D:  black bean and vegetable chilli with rice

And plenty of fruit.