Wednesday, 02-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

It's so much cooler this morning, we have had rain and my system seems to have sorted itself out, thank goodness.  I think it must have just been a reaction to the heat.

What I have eaten today:

Lunch was a jacket potato with bean and veg chilli and some coleslaw I made yesterday but didn't have.
It was delicious but the portion was way too big so I saved half of the jacket, the chilli and the coleslaw with the intention of having it in the evening, maybe with a bit more salad and some cheese on top.

One syn for oil in the chilli and one and a half for salad cream.

To what I saved from lunch I added a salad, some mixed seeds and some grated cheese.  It was tasty, felt different and good and filling.
For afters, I had some garden blueberries, some raspberries and some yogurt.

On top of the syns for lunch, I had one healthy extra A and half a B for the seeds.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

half a healthy extra B

two and a half syns

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:   Blueberry pancakes with yogurt and fruit and, if that's not enough, I can have some salad later on.

D:  chicken curry with rice; fruit

Exercise:  Groove at Shimmy Studio

Tuesday, 01-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

(Written on Wednesday am - just pretend, please)

Not a great day, sadly.  It was baking hot and my tum went on me mid-afternoon (possibly the heat, I really don't know) so I had a few bits and bobs, nothing that I photo-ed.

What I have eaten today:

Breakfast was nice - I'm not great with eggs though, am I.  Not to worry!

Two and a half syns for avocado and one healthy extra B.

That's all the photos I have.

Things seem to have settled somewhat now so fingers crossed . . .

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:   jacket potato, chilli, salad; fruit

What I should have had for dinner and, as I defrosted the chilli, I must use it or lose it.  

D:  depends on the weather - probably a simple egg and cheese salad.

Exercise:  personal training

Monday, 30-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

What I have eaten today:

After circuits this morning (very tiring in the heat), I polished off the gazpacho that I had planned to have yesterday but didn't.  No photo so here's the one I took the other day.

One syn for evoo.

I will be making some more - it was so good and felt really 'healthy',

I had planned a salad with some baked salmon but remembered that I had veg that needed using up so I had them instead, steamed - green beans, corn and asparagus.

I made a little salad veg pickle to have on the salmon too.

A bit of light mayo for dipping the asparagus in was one syn but the rest was all syn free

It was light and refreshing and very, very satisfying.

Wimbledon has started so you have to, don't you.  Yogurt, not cream, though.

Syn free.

Dinner was more of the lentil and veg bolognaise sauce with added chicken, penne pasta and hard Italian cheese on top.  The salad had seeds added.

So half a healthy extra A, half a B and two syns for evoo

Summary:

half a healthy extra A

half a healthy extra B

four syns, all for evoo

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:   avo toast with egg and asparagus for dipping, bit of salad; fruit

D:  bean chilli in a jacket potato, side salad, maybe coleslaw; fruit

Exercise:   groove but, if it's as hot as today, I am driving down, not walking.

Sunday, 29-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Sorry this is late.  I was so tired last night, I couldn't put two words together coherently.  Please read it as if it was written last night.  :-)

What I have eaten today:

Lunch was at a Thermomix cooking demo.  They made devilled eggs, sous-vide apples, potato salad (including the mayo) and sticky chilli beef with vegetables.  The 'naughtiest' things on the table were the mayo and some ice-cream they served with the apples.  It wasn't appropriate to take photos, sorry, and I have no idea how to syns it but all the main ingredients were free or speed and cooked from scratch.

This was dinner - a lentil and vegetable bolognaise sauce with spaghetti.  It looks murky but it was delicious.  It was supposed to make two portions but made three so one for tomorrow and one for the freezer!

I also had plenty of fruit and some nuts.

No idea of SW values today.  I will tighten up again tomorrow.  

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:   salmon salad; fruit

D:   chicken, lentil and veg penne pasta bake, maybe side salad; fruit

Exercise:   Circuits

Saturday, 28-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

What I have eaten today:

Feta dip with seeded crackers and finger salad for inch.  I made the dip yesterday and there was just enough for three little quenelles (which sounds like I know what I'm talking about, doesn't it?).  Afters was some fruit.

One healthy extra A and two syns for the feta dip and one B and two syns for the crackers - I thinks that's a bit high but better to over than under estimate, don't you think?

A nice, mixed salad with cold turkey and beef, feta, mixed seeds, olives and loadsa speed stuff.

One healthy extra A, three syns for the Caesar dressing, three for the olives, one for the mixed seeds.  I think that's it.

Dessert was some cherries.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one heathy extra B

eleven syns

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:   out for a cooking demo so no idea

D:  lentil and veg bolognaise, side salad; fruit

Exercise:   a walk

Friday, 27-06-25

Just to let you know there won't be a post this evening as I have family round and won't be able to wrote one.  Back tomorrow .  xx

Thursday, 26-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

What I have eaten today:

I didn't take a photo of lunch with Val as it wasn't appropriate but it doesn't matter because, as hoped, there were leftovers and dinner was exactly the same.

The gazpacho went down a treat.  Val loved it, I loved it.

Super healthy although I have to count six syns for the extra virgin olive oil.  Very heart healthy but . . . this is Slimming World.

I do wonder, thought, when they say you have to syn blended fruit (I don't) but not blended vegetables.  Ours is not to reason why . . .

And then the chicken pasta bake.  I used orzo as the pasta and it was delish.

Two syns for the salad cream (for both meals, not for each meal).

Half a healthy extra A for cheese at lunchtime.

I'm also counting the seeded crackers I had as my healthy extra B and two syns.

Summary:

half a healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

ten syns

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:   I think probably fruit because I will have a good old off-plan feast in the evening - with wine!

D:  I have Dave and Anna round:
Starters:  creamy feta dip, hummus, seeded crackers and buckwheat soda crispbread

Main:  Make-your own salad

Pud:  what else but fruit!

Exercise:   I doubt I will have time!

Wednesday, 25-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

What I have eaten today:

Oh dear, a very unexciting photo.  Under the lid there is an egg and two bacon medallions and it was so tasty.  I didn't really want anything else with it.

The chicken, pepper and mushroom risotto was really nice again.  I 💛 leftovers.

As well as these, I had an apple, some grapes, some strawberries, some ice cream (ooops), and a partridge in a pear tree.

Summary:

no healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

no idea about they syns but lets call it the full fifteen.

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:  chicken pasta bake, seeded crackers, salad; fruit

D:  There might very well be some leftovers from lunch.  If so, I will have that; if not, there's bits in the freezer.

Exercise:  SET online

Tuesday, 24-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Happily, I did manage to do Groove today.  Leonie very kindly managed to get my start time changed so I was able to drive there, do the class, freshen up and get to the demo in plenty of time.  Excellent.

And I am still doing OK with the two meals a day.

What I have eaten today:

Lunch was out at a Thermomix 07 demo.  Leonie cooked a chicken, pepper and mushroom risotto and then we had it for lunch.  Delicious but no photo.  However, I brought two portions home with me, one for tomorrow and one for the freezer so there should be a photo tomorrow.  I can syn it because I know exactly what went into it and it was two syns for evoo.  The rest was all free/protein/speed.

I came home again and made some seed crackers.  Because they are home cooked and I know what's in them, I am going to count what I ate as a healthy extra B and three syns.

This was dinner - the rest of the tortilla with a few salad bits on the side.

One A for cheese and that's it.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

three syns

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:   egg and bacon muffin with tomatoes and mushrooms.  Definitely a brunch today!

D:  It was going to be a pasta bake but not it is chicken, peppers and mushroom risotto with a salad on the side.

Exercise:   I have two classes - circuits changed from Monday and personal training in the afternoon.

Monday, 23-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

What I have eaten today:

In the end, I went for chicken, chutney and cheese quesadillas with a salad and it was very nice.

One healthy extra A, one healthy extra B, one syn for chutney, one syn for salad cream and one and a half syns for mixed seeds.

Afters was an apple and an orange

I used my roast dinner leftovers to make a sort of Spanish tortilla.

One healthy extra A, one and a half syns for mixed seeds and three syns for evoo in the dressing. 

For afters, I had the rest of the raspberries with yogurt and more seeds

One syn for the seeds.

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

nine syns

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:   Not sure as I am out to a Thermomix demo and they cook for us to eat!

D:  the other half of the Spanish tortilla with veg or salad veg; fruit

Exercise:   Groove

Sunday, 22-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

I have to show these - the first fruits from my blueberry bush.  It's a good year for them - it is absolutely loaded with fruit, more than it ever has been before.
It's lucky blueberries are a speed fruit.

At this time of year, I find a quick wander round my garden first thing in the morning grounds me for the day, if you know what I mean.  There's something about seeing vegetables, fruit and flowers grow that is deeply sustaining.

Do you find that or maybe that's just me!!

What I have eaten today:

This was the roast dinner for four.  I put the dishes on the table in a bit of a hurry so it looks rather untidy but it all tasted great.  And there's enough left over for at least one more meal, more in the case of the chicken.

I didn't syn things so have no idea but it won't have taken me out of a calorie deficit.

No As or Bs.

Maple bacon pancakes - very delicious - with blueberries from the garden and tomatoes.  It doesn't look much but it was very satisfying.

half a healthy extra B for the pancakes and two syns for the maple syrup

I don't normally show desserts because it is usually just a piece of fruit but my lovely friend and neighbour, Chris, bough me some that she had picked in her garden.  I had them with yogurt and a tbsp that fruit coulis I won in the SW raffle a few weeks ago.

One and a half syns.

Summary:

no healthy extra As

half a healthy extra B

known syns three and a half plus whatever dinner was - the cranberry sauce and one titchy [pig in a blanket.
I won't be over syns.

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:  croque madame (from the new book), side salad; fruit

D:  leftovers from today's roast, one way or another; fruit

Exercise:  I can't go to circuits tomorrow morning but I can access something of Lindsey's online later on.

Saturday, 21-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

In the winter, I really miss the insulative (is that even a word?) qualities that my overweighness used to give me.  I really didn't feel the cold at all.  Now - totally different; as soon as the temperature drops, out come the layers!

However, come the warmer weather, which used to be absolute purgatory for me, I am loving it.  Nice and warm but not over-hot unless it is very humid.  The fans help, of course, but I had fans before.

It's a lot easier to put on the layers and warm up than to cool down once we are overheating, isn't it?  Especially in this weather.

I must remember this come the colder weather again!  Positive is always good!

What I have eaten today:

More of the sausage, bacon and bean casserole.  I added some water and cooked the bulgur wheat in with the casserole instead of rehydrating it separately.  With some chilli flakes and cheese on top it was delish.

One healthy extra A, one syn for the casserole (smaller portion that yesterday's) and half a syn for salad dressing.

Afters was some strawberries and yogurt with strawberry chia sauce on top.  Half a syn for the chia seeds.

A bit later on, I had my healthy B in the form of some marmite on toast.  Very tasty!

I will make this gunpowder chicken again; it was so easy and so flavoursome.

I made the coleslaw yesterday - one syn for seeds and one syn for salad cream.

I finished off the strawberry chia sauce - half a syn.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

four and a half syns

Tomorrow's plans:  

D:  roast chicken dinner - chicken, stuffing, roasties, roasted peppers and onions, broccoli, carrots, cranberry sauce, gravy

(I won't have all the trimmings)

T:  maple bacon pancakes, maybe leftover veg from lunch; fruit

I haven't bought bacon in an age but treated myself to some good (i.e. more expensive) bacon on Friday and it has to be used.  Not terribly Med. friendly but works with SW.

Exercise:  a yoga video from YouTube, maybe a walking one as well.  I'll see how much time I have got.

Friday, 20-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

After a few days, I am really liking the two meals a day thingy.  That probably won't last for ever but it's good while it lasts and I really don't feel it is any hardship.

Another thing I am liking is the new SW recipe book I got this morning - Street Food.  It has some great looking recipes which you will probably see in here soon.

Changing things around from time to time really helps.

What I have eaten today:

To make the shredded chicken, I threw together a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, maple syrup and a dash of balsamic vinegar, wrapped half a chicken breast fillet in foil with the sauce and slow baked it in Nellie (i.e. on bake for about 25mins at 150).  I let it cool and then shredded the chicken into what remained of the sauce.  Very tasty.

Thanks to Nicky in a Vlog for the idea.  I forgot the chilli though - ooops!

One healthy extra B, three syns for the sauce, one syn for mixed seeds in the coleslaw and one syn for salad cream in ditto.

I had a few strawberries for afters

The sausage, bacon and bean casserole was super delicious and all made up.

Ages ago, I tried the heck sausage 'rashers', didn't like them and froze the remaining two rather than chuck them.  Interestingly, they were really much nicer in the casserole with a whole range of veg, some bacon, some cannellini beans and spiced with sumac, garlic, chicken stock powder, tomato and Szechuan pepper.  I had it with posh rice, as you can see and there's two smaller portions left.  

Totally delish.

One syns for evoo and that's it.

Edit:  no it isn't, there's one syn for the sausage slices

Afterwards I had some yogurt with chia strawberry sauce (made from some strawberries that had gone mushy) and it was lovely.  One syn for the seeds.

Summary:

no healthy extra As

one healthy extra B 

seven eight syns

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:  I'm having another portion of the casserole with some chilli flakes added and cheese on top, salad; fruit

D:  hm burger of some kind, salad, coleslaw, chips; fruit

Edit:  changed to gunpowder chicken nuggets from the new book, p 22.

Exercise:  yoga and, maybe, SET, depending on how quickly I get up.

Thursday, 19-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

I'm feeling so much better now I am back on the healthy, mostly unprocessed or minimally processed foods.  I know it isn't rocket science I've noticed that I go for the rubbish when I am down for some other reason and, when I do, it just feeds the down-ness and makes it worse.  But I still fall for it every time.  Ho hum, I really need to find a way out, don't I?  

Any ideas?  

What I have eaten today:

Brunch today.  I added some balsamic glaze to vegetables (very nice indeed) and it's toast under the egg.

Two syns for some evoo, one syn for the glaze and one healthy extra B.

This was dinner - summer carbonara with a salad.  The salad was all speed and there's one healthy extra A plus one syn for mixed seeds in the carbonara.

As I had an egg white (from the carbonara), I made my Frozen Fruit Foam using mango and some frozen apple slices.  Really nice and very refreshing.

And syn free because I don't syn blended fruit.

Here the link to the recipe.  https://my30-30challenge.blogspot.com/2021/03/recipe-frozen-fruit-foam.html

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

four syns

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:  shredded chicken wrap, salad, coleslaw; fruit

Thank you, Nicky in a Vlog, for the inspiration for this.

D:  sausage and white bean casserole, mixed rice; fruit
I found this in the SW magazine and am adapting it to work with what I have got.

Exercise:   walk to SW group and back, YouTube Yoga.

Wednesday, 18-06-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing Slimming World and associated health journeys.  I'm now in my target range and am aiming to keep this steady while following Mediterranean diet principles and the Slimming World structure.

Sorry about yesterday.  It was One of Those Days, busy, busy, and I lost it in the evening.
I did take a photo of lunch and here it is.  

I don't feel great, mentally, about yesterday evening but it's too late for recriminations, I move on and try to learn (again)!

I have noticed that my tum seems to go on me after I have had cheese.  Not cheese in a meal, a 'nibble' of cheese on its own.  Must keep an eye on that . . .

What I have eaten today:

I decided that if I am moving more to two meals a day, I must make them count.  

So for brunch I opened a can of sardines in tomato sauce and blitzed it with a bit of salad cream and served it like this.

Half a syn for the salad cream

Dessert was a peach.

I finally got round to having the chilli beans in a wrap basket and it was delicious.

One A for the cheese, one healthy extra B for the wrap used to make the basket.

I had an apple and an orange for pud.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

half a syn

Tomorrow's plans:

Br:    egg on toast with tomatoes and mushrooms; fruit

D:     summer carbonara, side salad; fruit

Exercise:   the 'strike' part of SET in the morning and groove in the afternoon.