I love cooking things from scratch because I get a lot of satisfaction from the cooking process, and I can control exactly what's in it. The Slimming World plan is great for me to follow, because proper home cooking is encouraged, as its always going to end up lower syns than a pre-bought ready meal. The third superfree rule is also easy to achieve when I'm cooking everything, as I can always sneak in some extra vegetables either in sauces or on the side.
Unfortunately the only problem with having to cook everything from scratch can be the time involved. Sometimes I've had a busy day, sometimes I'm tired, other times I just want something quick and it would be all too easy to phone for a takeaway. I've tried to get around this in the past by bulk cooking, and freezing, but the problem with this is remembering to take things out the freezer in the morning so that they defrost (and I'm never at my best in the mornings). I also have a few quick and easy meals (such as my penne arrabiata, which is already listed on here), but I don't like having them too often as the key for me is having a wide variety of meals so I don't get bored.
I've recently came across a great solution - a way to create delicious, homemade, easy and low-syn meals, through using spice kits from Sugar and Spice: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Sugar-and-Spice-Kits, run by the lovely Diane Prince. Diane sells ready made bags of spices to allow you to easily make your own dishes, without having to buy in lots of different spices and measure them out. There are a range of kits to chose from, including curries, casseroles, side dishes and soups, so there should be something to suit all tastes! All you need to do is add the appropriate vegetables/meat, and follow the clear recipe which is included with the spices. Kits are priced at only £1.50 and feed 4 people. They are all syn free, and if any synned items are used in the recipe Diane has already worked out the syns per portion for you. It really is easy!
Last night I tried out the Andhra Chilli Chicken. I'd ordered a few packs of spices but this was the one I was desperate to try because I love a really spicy curry, and this one was marked as hot (though don't worry - there are plenty of milder curry options available). The kit came in two bags. One was used to make a paste with tomato puree and water, and then added into a frying pan, along with chicken, vegetables and the second bag of spices. That was it! One of the easiest curries I'd ever made, and only half a syn per portion (from the tomato puree). I served it with homemade syn-free pilau rice, and really enjoyed the meal. The flavours were perfectly balanced, it was as hot as was described, and I honestly couldn't have expected better. In fact it was so good, that I'm having some more tonight (there's only 2 of us living here, so half the recipe was left over)!
I've got another few spice kits already to try, which I'm really looking forward to having a go at next time I want a quick and tasty meal, and I will definitely be ordering from Sugar and Spice again.
I'm sure I've said on this blog before that I'm a bit of a curry-a-holic, and I am used to making my own curries from scratch, however this always tends to be a jalfrezi (with slight variations), as this is the one that I perfected myself over quite a few years of trying out different spice combinations. I've tried making other curries, but never been entirely happy with them, however Diane seems to have perfected the combination of spices required for the different recipes, so I can stop trying, and start buying!
Finally, I would also just like to stress that although these kits give you a healthy way to cook these dishes, I would definitely recommend them to anyone wanting to cook a curry from scratch, regardless of whether you're following an eating plan or not. The quality is excellent, they're easy to make and I can honestly say the one I tried was just as good I'd get from any restaurant, without all the horrible oil swimming around. The shop is listed above - please go and have a look!
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Monday, 16 May 2011
Week 7 Weigh In
Another week has passed where I haven't been entirely on plan, and I was still on my exercise ban, so I went to class tonight not expecting too much. Today is my birthday, and because of that I had a Indian on Saturday and insisted on having poppadoms and naan bread - things that are definitely not Slimming World friendly! (I did really enjoy it though!) As I mentioned earlier, lots of wine was consumed on Friday night, and I'd had another curry out last Thursday, so all in all there had been a fair amount of overindulgence!
Once again I was shocked that I had actually lost - 1lb this time, taking my total to 12lbs. I think that being extra good the rest of the time must be helping my losses, because despite the bad things mentioned above, I had very few other syns, which I think must have balanced everything out.
Having said that, a loss of 1lb a week isn't going to get me into my wedding dress so I do need to pick things up this week. I'm only 2lbs away from my stone award, so that's my aim for the coming week. I'm going to make more of the Super Speed Soup tomorrow, and I'm allowed to exercise again from Friday. Sticking to plan this week is going to be difficult once more - on Friday I have a cocktail and canape doo to go to, and then I'm going to a wedding reception on Saturday, but I will try my best to make sensible buffet choices and not drink too much!
Good luck to everyone else for the coming week.
Once again I was shocked that I had actually lost - 1lb this time, taking my total to 12lbs. I think that being extra good the rest of the time must be helping my losses, because despite the bad things mentioned above, I had very few other syns, which I think must have balanced everything out.
Having said that, a loss of 1lb a week isn't going to get me into my wedding dress so I do need to pick things up this week. I'm only 2lbs away from my stone award, so that's my aim for the coming week. I'm going to make more of the Super Speed Soup tomorrow, and I'm allowed to exercise again from Friday. Sticking to plan this week is going to be difficult once more - on Friday I have a cocktail and canape doo to go to, and then I'm going to a wedding reception on Saturday, but I will try my best to make sensible buffet choices and not drink too much!
Good luck to everyone else for the coming week.
RECIPE - Potato and Celeriac Gratin
This isn't quite like the delicious creamy cheesy gratin you're probably used to, but I think its a very good diet substitute. It doesn't have to be potato and celeriac - you could just used potato, but I find the celeriac adds a lot more flavour.
I use part of my HEXA allowance for the milk in this recipe, but you could also syn the milk and it would be 1.5syns per portion on Extra Easy.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
3 large potatoes
One celeriac
2 rashers smoked bacon
2 garlic cloves
1 tub quark
250ml milk
6 spring onions
Method
I use part of my HEXA allowance for the milk in this recipe, but you could also syn the milk and it would be 1.5syns per portion on Extra Easy.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
3 large potatoes
One celeriac
2 rashers smoked bacon
2 garlic cloves
1 tub quark
250ml milk
6 spring onions
Method
- Peel and very finely slice the potato and celeriac, and finely chop the spring onions
- Fry the bacon, remove all fat and chop into small pieces. Allow to cool.
- Spray an oven dish with frylight, and add half the potatoes then half the celeriac in layers. Add half the spring onions. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes, celeriac and spring onions.
- Mix the milk, quark, bacon and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the cheesy mixture over the potato/celeriac, ensuring that it gets into all the little holes. Depending on the size of dish you may have milk mix left over.
- Cover and bake in the oven for about an hour, removing the cover for the last 15 minutes to crisp up the top
RECIPE - Steak Pie
The only syns in this on (extra easy) are for the puff pastry and for the red wine. I only have about 25g of pastry (raw weight), which is 6 syns, so its a tiny amount but enough so that you are having steak pie. The red wine means the meat is 2 syns per portion. The meat mixture is also delicious on its own, as a stew, for just 2 syns per portion.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
600g lean stewing steak
2 onions
4 carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 oxo cubes (or other beef stock)
Fresh (sprig) or dried (tsp) rosemary
2 Bay leaves
250ml red wine
Salt and Pepper
Handful red lentils
Method
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
600g lean stewing steak
2 onions
4 carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 oxo cubes (or other beef stock)
Fresh (sprig) or dried (tsp) rosemary
2 Bay leaves
250ml red wine
Salt and Pepper
Handful red lentils
Method
- Roughly chop the steak, onions, carrots, garlic and rosemary if using fresh.
- Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker, along with just enough water to cover
- Cook on low for around 6 hours.
- At this point, use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and bay leaves temporarily to a bowl. Put the remaining liquidy mix into a blender, this gives a lovely thick 'gravy'.
- Put the gravy and meat back into the slow cooker, and continue cooking on low for a further 2 hours.
- 20 minutes before serving, roll out the puff pastry and brush the top with egg. Cook in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Serve with plenty of vegetables!
My Come Dine With Me Night
As I've mentioned over the last few weeks, my friend's and I have been doing our own series of 'Come Dine With Me' dinners. Last Friday saw my turn, and therefore the opportunity for me to both show off some Slimming World food and keep things on track!
My menu was as follows:
Starter
Thai Chicken Cakes and Chilli Chickpea Cakes on a bed of rocket and parmesan with sweet chilli sauce
(Both of the cake recipes are in the 'Extra Easy Meals in Minutes' book)
Main Course
Steak Pie served with a potato and celeriac gratin, minted peas and extra gravy.
(recipes to follow)
Desert
Apple Crumble and Ice Cream
Obviously from the look of the menu it doesn't look the healthiest, but because I was cooking I was able to easily adjust my portions - for example I only had a very small bit of pastry, and didn't add butter to my peas; and I only had a tiny bite of the crumble, and kept it mostly apple, with less crumble and icecream! Instead of using cream in the gratin, I used milk; and the steak pie didn't have any oil or flour in it.
I think the recipes all went down well, particularly the starters - 3 out of my 4 guests had extras, and one of the guests has emailed me this morning for the recipes! 2 out of the 4 guests also had extra steak pie so I think that went down well too, and there were clean plates generally all round! A good night was had by all, and we managed to sneak in some exercise doing Just Dance on the wii!
My menu was as follows:
Starter
Thai Chicken Cakes and Chilli Chickpea Cakes on a bed of rocket and parmesan with sweet chilli sauce
(Both of the cake recipes are in the 'Extra Easy Meals in Minutes' book)
Main Course
Steak Pie served with a potato and celeriac gratin, minted peas and extra gravy.
(recipes to follow)
Desert
Apple Crumble and Ice Cream
Obviously from the look of the menu it doesn't look the healthiest, but because I was cooking I was able to easily adjust my portions - for example I only had a very small bit of pastry, and didn't add butter to my peas; and I only had a tiny bite of the crumble, and kept it mostly apple, with less crumble and icecream! Instead of using cream in the gratin, I used milk; and the steak pie didn't have any oil or flour in it.
I think the recipes all went down well, particularly the starters - 3 out of my 4 guests had extras, and one of the guests has emailed me this morning for the recipes! 2 out of the 4 guests also had extra steak pie so I think that went down well too, and there were clean plates generally all round! A good night was had by all, and we managed to sneak in some exercise doing Just Dance on the wii!
Thursday, 12 May 2011
A New Consultant
As I mentioned a couple of weeks after I'd started Slimming World, I wasn't really enjoying the classes. I felt uncomfortable, and felt the group were a bit unfriendly. The meetings were interesting and useful in part, but I still felt I wanted, and expected, more from staying to class. There was very obviously a huge amount of respect for our consultant amongst the class, however when she announced she was leaving after my 4th class, I wasn't particularly concerned or disappointed.
Our new consultant started 2 weeks ago, and already I've felt a massive difference in the classes. The classes are far more interactive, with people sharing recipes and tips, and helping each other out with ways to overcome difficulties stopping us losing weight. Our new consultant has also lost 11 stone herself, so is the perfect example of how much Slimming World can work. Unfortunately it seems that not everyone feels the same - as one member commented to me last week how she was leaving now because the new consultant wasn't the same as "our dear Susan". However, as for me, I'm loving the new classes and the new consultant is one of the things that is keeping me going back!
Our new consultant started 2 weeks ago, and already I've felt a massive difference in the classes. The classes are far more interactive, with people sharing recipes and tips, and helping each other out with ways to overcome difficulties stopping us losing weight. Our new consultant has also lost 11 stone herself, so is the perfect example of how much Slimming World can work. Unfortunately it seems that not everyone feels the same - as one member commented to me last week how she was leaving now because the new consultant wasn't the same as "our dear Susan". However, as for me, I'm loving the new classes and the new consultant is one of the things that is keeping me going back!
Week 6 Weigh In and Personal Milestone
Last Thursday I had laser eye surgery, which means a two week exercise ban whilst my eyes heal. In the run up to the surgery I'd also been really busy (not to mention stressed), so I hadn't had time to exercise for the few days before either. This meant that Monday was my first weigh in where I'd done no exercise whatsoever.
In addition to the lack of exercise, I'd also had the next of our Come Dine With Me meals on the Sunday evening - which amongst other things consisted of delicious but cheesy brushetta and tiramisu, which I absolutely adore, and after a few mouthfuls (OK half of it) I had to literally force myself to put the spoon down and hide it out of reach so that I didn't scoff the lot. Plus lots of wine. Not exactly the best thing to eat the evening before a weigh in!
Given these two things, I wasn't feeling hugely positive as I stepped onto the scales and watched the numbers flickering, however when things finally settled I was 1.5lbs down and happy! This takes my total loss to 11lbs, and getting that 1.5lbs marks an important milestone for me. Last August, I started suffering badly from panic attacks and depression, and whilst I wasn't happy with my weight before then, and wanted to lose a bit of weight, I didn't feel too bad about myself. However with the panic attacks and depression came the comfort eating, and for a while I gave up on worrying about the rising numbers on the scale because everytime I tried to do something about it, I ended up straight back in the biscuit tin, or the crisp cupboard, or the ice cream tub (you get the picture!) and in a worse place than before.
When I started the Slimming World classes, I also felt that my illness was coming better under control, and having lost the 1.5lbs this week takes me below the weight I was when my depression started. Whilst I still have a long way to go to reach my target, I still feel that this is a significant milestone for me as in some ways it proves to me that I am getting better, and that I have taken control of my feelings once more. I am running my life again, and not allowing an illness to drive me into overeating.
In addition to the lack of exercise, I'd also had the next of our Come Dine With Me meals on the Sunday evening - which amongst other things consisted of delicious but cheesy brushetta and tiramisu, which I absolutely adore, and after a few mouthfuls (OK half of it) I had to literally force myself to put the spoon down and hide it out of reach so that I didn't scoff the lot. Plus lots of wine. Not exactly the best thing to eat the evening before a weigh in!
Given these two things, I wasn't feeling hugely positive as I stepped onto the scales and watched the numbers flickering, however when things finally settled I was 1.5lbs down and happy! This takes my total loss to 11lbs, and getting that 1.5lbs marks an important milestone for me. Last August, I started suffering badly from panic attacks and depression, and whilst I wasn't happy with my weight before then, and wanted to lose a bit of weight, I didn't feel too bad about myself. However with the panic attacks and depression came the comfort eating, and for a while I gave up on worrying about the rising numbers on the scale because everytime I tried to do something about it, I ended up straight back in the biscuit tin, or the crisp cupboard, or the ice cream tub (you get the picture!) and in a worse place than before.
When I started the Slimming World classes, I also felt that my illness was coming better under control, and having lost the 1.5lbs this week takes me below the weight I was when my depression started. Whilst I still have a long way to go to reach my target, I still feel that this is a significant milestone for me as in some ways it proves to me that I am getting better, and that I have taken control of my feelings once more. I am running my life again, and not allowing an illness to drive me into overeating.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)