Wednesday, 30-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

Just to let you know that there will be no blog tomorrow but I'll be back on Friday evening.

What I ate yesterday:

Just one photo because there were leftovers so the evening was the same thing.  Sticky chicken skewers, coleslaw and salad.

I'm not feeling great so am going to fast for much of today and see how I feel come the evening.  No plans, no photos and no blog this evening either.

Monday evening, 28-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

What I have eaten today:

Lunch was a lovely lentil and veg soup with croutons and grated cheese plus a bowl of garden tomatoes instead of a piece of fruit.

The soup was four syns plus one A (cheese) and one B (croutons)

I had the other A in the form of some cheese to nibble.

Dinner was sausage, bacon and bean casserole from the freezer with some fusilli.
The casserole was one and a half syns

Summary:

two healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

five and a half syns.  

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   I have a friend over and plan to either make chicken kebabs or home made mini pizzas with coleslaw, salad; fruit

D:  tomato and pea pasta bake - planned for today but changed when I saw something already in the freezer

Exercise:   Groove - the last until September

Monday morning, 28-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

OK, so no post yesterday, I didn't have anything that it was appropriate to photo and guests in the evening so had no time for a post.
It's a bit like that at the moment and I will do the best I can but don't be too surprised if posts don't appear from time to time.  There's a lot going on.  :-)

I'll do the best I can.  xx

Today's plans:

L:   soup from the freezer with croutons and maybe some grated cheese.

D:  tomato and pea pasta, salad; fruit

Exercise:  that last circuits class until September.

Friday, 25-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

This week is going to be One Of Those Weeks.  

I'm out tomorrow for lunch tomorrow, I am out Sunday for lunch, I have a friend round on Tuesday (although that will be easier) and I am out on Thursday.  Ho hum.  

All I can do is my best!

What I have eaten today:

I made cheese and chutney toasties with salad for me and for Alex.  No photo.
One healthy extra A, one healthy extra B, one and a half syns for chutney, one syn for spray evoo and one syn for salad cream.

Later on, I had an apple and an orange

Dinner was loaded tuna and sweetcorn air fried wedges with salad.
Two syns for light mayo, one syn for salad cream.

Afters was an apple.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

six and a half syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   I'm out so I truly have no idea either where I'm eating or what I will have.  But I will try to be 'healthy'.  

D:  Something from the freezer - it depends what I have had during the day.

Exercise:   lots of walking

Thursday, 24-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

While browsing for recipes, I found this on the good old BBC Good Food site.  While not strictly speaking, they look healthy and nourishing.  This is the link to the omnivore version and there are links to vegetarian and vegan plans at the side.  If you live or cook solo, well worth a look.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/budget_meal_plan_for_one

(because it was)

What I have eaten today:

Lunch was at Val's.  No  photo but it was the perfect SW lunch - a delicious lentil and vegetable sou so think that really it should be called a pottage.  Tasty, filling and sustaining - and syn free.  I had some toasted wholemeal sourdough for one B as well.  Thanks, Val - brilliant!

Mid afternoon I had an apple.

I made a warm chicken and bean salad, based on a SW recipe but, me being me, adapted.

So - two syns for some evoo, one syn for some balsamic glaze, one syn for some mixed seeds and one healthy extra A for feta sprinkled over.  Absolutely delicious, packed with different proteins and very, very filling!

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

four syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   probably toasties as I have grandson round.  Toasties and salad; fruit

D:  loaded tuna and sweetcorn wedges, maybe a side salad; fruit

Exercise:  a walk

Wednesday, 23-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

After I has closed the blog and posted, I really wanted something sweet - always a danger time.
So I got one of my home made blueberry pancakes out of the freezer (part of a B), thawed it, topped it with a sprinkle of sweetener and some 0% yogurt and drizzled over some maple syrup (three syns max).
Absolutely gorgeous, hit that sweet spot and stopped any crashes.  And still well within SW for the day.

(wish I had taken a photo!)

And in other news, this may or may not be so but I heard that SW are getting rid of the term 'syns'.   Thank goodness for that (assuming it is true), I have never liked that particular term as it gives a very false impression - what's wrong with using the whole term 'synergy points'?

WW uses 'smart points' so it's not too much of a mouthful.

What I have eaten today:

Lunch tasted great.  I tossed the chicken in a spice mix, sprayed with avo oil and cooked in the air fryer.

Afters was an apple.

One syn for the oil, one for the salad cream and a bit of a B for some mixed seeds.

The feta and butterbean burgers are from a Cookidoo recipe for the Thermomix but bean burgers are easy - basically smursh together beans, veg and whatever seasoning you fancy.

Half an A for the feta and half a B for sourdough discard and seeds, two syns for spray oil, one and a half syns for chutney and one syn for some salad cream for dunking the chips.

Afters was water melon and nectarines.

Summary:

one and a half healthy extra As (I nibbled on more feta)

half a healthy extra B

six and a half syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   out at Val's so no idea

D:  warm chicken and white bean salad (a SW recipe); fruit

It won't be 'white' beans, it will be pinto beans because I have some in the freezer

Exercise:  nothing because I will be out.

Tuesday, 22-07-25 and a recipe - thank you, Stephanie

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

What I have eaten today:

The cheesy pease pudding bites may not sound particularly appetising, nor did the raw mixture look at all appealing but they were really very, very nice, much to my surprise.  It made six but I ate one as soon as they were cooked!  You have to, don't you?

I paired them with salad, watermelon pickle and coleslaw.

I'll reproduce the recipe below.

One healthy extra A, one syn for salad cream.

Sous vide salmon (I don't think I'll bother again, it's quicker done in the sir fryer and just as nice) with coleslaw, tomatoes and chips.  Very tasty, very enjoyable.

One syn for some teriyaki sauce and the sesame seeds I added were so little I'm not counting them.

Also, one syn for the coleslaw.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

no healthy extra B - ooops

three syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   hm chicken skewers, loaded bulgur wheat and salad; fruit

D:  feta and butterbean burgers, salad and new potatoes; fruit

Exercise:   personal training.

Cheesy pease pudding bites

Ingredients to make six (one portion, more or less)

small tin mushy peas or pease pudding

two eggs

chopped spring onion

salt and pepper

garlic and onion granules

30g cheese - I used hard Italian cheese for the big flavour

I also added some chilli flakes because I like a tickle on the tongue

Method:

Mix the egg and the mushy peas well together and then add the remaining ingredients.
Spoon into moulds - I used those individual silicon cup cake moulds - and bake for about 20 mins at 180 in the air fryer.

I think they are nicest eaten hot but they were also good cold.

Monday, 21-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

What I have eaten today:

In the end, I made a kind of panzanella salad.  I made some croutons using wholemeal sourdough (one B), I griddled the thinly sliced steak and some sliced peach, I made a dressing with balsamic vinegar glaze (too little to syn), half a tsp evoo (one syn) and some lime juice. prepped a base of leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion and seeds, topped it with the beef, peach and croutons, sprinkled over some mixed seeds (one syn) and drizzled over the dressing.

Really tasty.

Afters was some water melon.

I had some nibbles of cheese to make up my As.

For dinner, I already had some Indian meatballs in the freezer.  I had five and am counting part of an A for the bit of grated cheese I added to the recipe.  I air fried them before adding them to a curry sauce I made with tomato pulp, onion, carrot, red pepper, various spices (cumin, turmeric, garam masala, garlic, root ginger, salt/pepper and chilli flakes all simmered together until soft.
The dhal was onion, red lentils, grated carrot, sweet potato, stock, spices (can't remember - just what came to hand), a bit of water and salt/pepper, simmered until mushy and dhal-y.

Two syns for some evoo, a bit of A for cheese and I think that's it.  You can make some yummy stuff for minimal syns on SW and this was packed with veg.

It was quite spicy so I had some 0% Greek yogurt to cool it

Summary:

two healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

four syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   cheesy pease pudding bites (a friend gave me the recipe and said they were delish.  We will see), salad, pickled melon peel; fruit

D:  sous vide teriyaki salmon, salad, chip; fruit
(I found a likely sounding recipe on Cookidoo, the Thermomix recipe site)

Exercise:    Groove at the hall.  

Sunday, 20-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

Right!  I started this yesterday, didn't send, finished it this morning, forgot to send.  Third time lucky!

What I have eaten today (just pretend it is still Sunday, OK?):

Not a totally conventional Sunday lunch but using what I had and it was delicious.  Must explore sous vide cooking a bit more - the steak was pink and melt in the mouth and so flavoursome.

One syn for the horseradish sauce.

Late afternoon I had some bread - just bread.  Call it a craving.

Two Bs.

A bit of the corned beef hash leftovers with a big old choppy salad with some home pickled onion, cucumber and apple (much nicer than it sounds).

One A for the hash and half a syn for the white bean sauce I used.

I also had, through the day, two apples, one orange and a nectarine.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

two healthy extra Bs  (those two should have been t'other way round)

one and a half syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   I have some fillet left so I will dig out some sort of warm beef salad type thing; then fruit

D:   Indian meatballs, curry sauce, hm lentil and veg dhal; fruit

Exercise:    circuits

Saturday, 19-07-25

Hi, everyone!  Welcome to my blog where I talk about my ongoing 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.

What I have eaten today:

I'm glad I took a photo of the corned beef hash in the baking dish because when I spooned it out, it looked a bit of a mess.
I peeled and almost cooked some new potatoes, cubed them and browned them in the sir fryer with some onions.

I opened a can of lean corned beef and cubed that.

I grated two As worth of cheese. and I sliced some mushrooms.

I used some chopped tomato with onion and seasonings, left over in the fridge.

And I use one portion of the cheesy white bean sauce that I thawed a couple of days ago but didn't use.

I spread the tomato mix over the bottom, added the corned beef and sort of squidged it in, spread over the sliced mushrooms and then poured the bean sauce over.  Then I added the cooked and crisped potato cubes and onion and, finally, sprinkled over the grated cheese.

I baked it in the air fryer and it made one good portion and two smaller ones.

And here it is with coleslaw and some tomatoes and cucumber.

One and a half healthy extra As, two syns for the corned beef and an extra half syn for the cheese sauce.

Later I had an apple.

I had got out the lentil bake but, for reasons I won't go into here, I took it over to Beth's for her tea.  I rummaged in my freezer and pulled out a Cook's beef bourguignon for five syns and some hm focaccia to dunk for my healthy extra B.   I made some fro-yo for dessert.

Summary:

one and a bit healthy extra As

one healthy extra B

seven and a half syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   I have a small piece of fillet steak to roast so that's what I will do for a treat with some Jersey royals and some veg.  A Sunday dinner!

Then fruit

D:  small portion of the corned beef hash with side salad; fruit

Exercise:   a rest day.

Friday, 18-07-25

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

A pound off at weigh in.  Slightly disappointed but it is what it is and we move on . . .

What I ate yesterday:

I changed my lunch plans and had a couple of (weighed) slices of my home made cheese and chorizo sourdough with salad cream, a bit more cheese and some lettuce with garden grown cucumber and tomatoes (so delicious) on the side.
I can be fairly accurate with the values - one B, one A, half a syn for the chorizo and one syn for the salad cream.

It was absolutely scrummy!

As expected, I was out in the evening (which is why this is a morning post).  No photos and not on plan but it was nice and chillax, as the lovely Stephanie says on her vlog.

So - moving on to today . . .

Today's plans:

L:   As I didn't have the lentil bake yesterday, I will have it today, with a salad on the side and fruit for afters

D:  I'm going to put together a corned beef hashy sort of thing.  I'll be specific about how and what I do when I post this evening.

Exercise:   probably nothing as it is very damp and very humid and I have a prosecco induced slight headache.  Plenty of water is also on the menu for today.  xx

Thursday, 17-07-25

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

What I have eaten today:

This was lovely.  The cucumber and the tomatoes were from the garden and, because the feta was 'off', I just grated some cheddar instead.  Really tasty.

One healthy A, one syn for salad cream and one syn for olives.

In the afternoon, I had an orange.

This was a recipe from the new SW book, Street Food and it was lovely.    Buffalo chicken with blue cheese dip.
I had to use Stilton because I didn't have Danish blue and I'm calling what I had a healthy A although Stilton isn't really a healthy A.  I'm definitely making that dip again.  It was so easy, just ripe Stilton and yogurt, mashed together.  Very tasty!

So - one syn for honey in the marinade and the rest was either free or so little that it doesn't count, plus one syn for salad cream.

I had baked a loaf so I tried a bit of that before freezing for my healthy extra B.

Summary:

two healthy extra As (sort of)

one healthy extra B

four syns - which makes up a bit for yesterday.  

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   cheesy lentil and aubergine layer bake, salad; fruit

I know I had this Wednesday but I have several portions in the freezer and anyway - it's delicious!

D:  not sure because I'm at a neighbours and not sure if or what food there might be there.  If necessary,  I'll grab something from the freezer.

Exercise:   rest day

Wednesday, 16-07-25

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.

I forgot to say last night - the Indian meatball recipe I made yesterday from the SW magazine was a member's recipe.  Each year there's a Slimming World Free Food Festival when groups have taster sessions and the best dish that conforms to certain criteria gets sent off (the recipe, not the actual food) to be entered into a competition.
The overall winners have their recipes made into frozen ready meals that are sold in Iceland.
I won't be buying it as a ready meal (very expensive), but I will be scanning and printing out the recipe because they were absolutely delicious!  It was as nice as any Indian takeaway I have tried.
Ditto for the base curry sauce that was in the last magazine.

I've made a full batch of the meatballs and they are in the freezer.

What I have eaten today:

The lentil bake is really nice - it's going to be a regular, for sure.

One healthy extra A and one syn (for oil)

I had an apple and an orange for afters.

The past was OK, not amazing.  I think the pumpkin concoction needed more flavour - maybe some spice of some kind.

One healthy extra B and one syn plus two syns for some oil.

Then I went a bit bonkers and had chocolate, crisps and crackers.  Oh, dear.  Not a successful day!

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

goodness knows how many syns

Tomorrow's plans:

 

L:   chickpea, feta and olive salad; fruit

D:   buffalo chicken with blue cheese dip, salad; fruit

From the Street Food recipe book, p15)

Exercise:   Groove online

Tuesday, 15-07-25

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.

What I have eaten today:

I had an apple after Groove.

Lunch was nice - a sort of crumpet based mini-pizza with salad and some lightly pickled cucumber and apple which was really very nice indeed.

Afters was an orange.

Half an A and half a B for the mini-pizza, part of a B for seeds and two syns for dressing.

These Indian meatballs were very, very tasty.  The sauce wasn't the one in the recipe because I had sauce in the freezer.

Afters was an apple.

I added cheese to the meatballs because it helps to make them less 'solid' so that was half of an A but the rest was syn free.

Summary:

one healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

two syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   lentil and aubergine layer bake, salad; fruit

(from the freezer, made last week)

D:  chick peas and veg on a pasta and pumpkin butter base, ?salad?; fruit

An odd name - the idea is to stir fry some veg and some chickpeas, cook pasta, stir some of the pumpkin butter I made the other day which tastes much nicer than it sounds, and top it with the veg.  I can but try!

Exercise:  personal training

Monday, 14-07-25

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.

What I have eaten today:

The left over risotto, left over coleslaw and a big old mixed salad.  Delicious!

One syn for salad cream, one syn and half an A for the risotto and a bit of B for some mixed seeds.

Dinner was a slimming world recipe.  It was OK - nothing special and the sauce was very one dimensional,  Basically, it was hunter's chicken sans cheese.

The little salad was lush - garden cucumber and some of the tomatoes were fresh picked to.

two syns for salad cream to dunk the mini roasties in - I just love salad cream and potato (sorry).

I have some of the sauce left.  I've added it to the rest of the canned tomato I didn't use and I will jazz it up into a sauce with mush more depth of flavour

 I nibbled some bread and cheese later.

Summary:

two healthy extra As
one healthy extra B

twelve syns - I had to count the bread I nibbled later on as it was more than a B

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   mini discard sourdough pizza, salad; fruit
OK, so the base is more like a crumpet because I tried to make it in a pan rather than bake it but not to worry!  I will try again using the air fryer.

D:  Indian meatballs (new SW mag, p 61)with curry sauce (from the freezer) and rice (also in freezer), side salad; fruit

Exercise:   Groove class.

Sunday, 13-07-25

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.

Yay - managing to get this up on time for once.

What I have eaten today:

I had an apple around half past eleven.

This was lunch.  Am English muffin with some ham (all visible fat removed), the rest of the broad bean hummus and then a bit of the garden cucumber I pickled earlier this morning.  So, so delicious.

One B for the muffin, four syns for the hummus and one syn for  salad cream.  I sprinkled a few mixed seeds over but not enough to count.

Later on, I had some watermelon - very refreshing!

Not a great photo but dinner was absolutely delicious.  I adapted a risotto recipe to include chicken, ham and a bit of tomato sauce in the fridge that really needed using up.

It was supposed to make two portions but made three so that's one eaten, one for tomorrow lunch and one for the freezer as soon as it is cold.

The brown circle things around the coleslaw is the last of the quick pickled cucumber - and I'm keeping the liquid for more as there's three cucumbers that are going to all be ready at the same time.

So one syn for oil, half a healthy extra A, one syn for salad cream and that is all.

Afters was some watermelon - and I am thinking of making watermelon rind pickle.  Have you ever made it?

Summary:

half a healthy extra A

one healthy extra B

seven syns

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   leftovers of chicken and veg risotto, salad; fruit

D:  seared chicken breast in bravas sauce (from the new SW magazine, p44)

Exercise:  circuits

Saturday, 12-07-25

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.

What I have eaten today:

For lunch, I made some broad bean hummus (really nice) and as tomato, cucumber and preserved lemon salsa.  

four syns for the hummus, one B for the toasted bread and one syn for the hm coleslaw.

I threw together some mashed butterbeans, grated cheese, onion and garlic granules, chopped preserved lemon and seasoning.  It came together quite well and baked in Nellie but the resulting patties were quite dry.  Maybe add a bit of egg next time.

One A for the cheese, one syn for the sauce and one syn for the coleslaw.

I had a sweetheart cabbage that needed to be used so I took off the outer leaves, shredded the rest and mixed in grated carrot, chopped apple and salad cream and now I have a big bowl of coleslaw to use up in the next few days.

Tomorrow's plans:

L:   I have the other half of the hummus to use up so I will probably toast an English muffin, bagel or crumpet (all hm), spread the hummus and add some chopped ham on top.  It should be OK with a side salad.  Then fruit.

D:  chicken and ham risotto (using chicken bits and chicken stock from the freezer and a thermomix recipe which makes risotto a whole load easier as it does all the stirring!), maybe a side salad; fruit

Exercise:   rest day