Stayed the same again !

Oops !  Mind you, better than putting on I suppose.  And I thought I had put on so it was OK really.  However after managing one session on the Wii fit this week and then being crippled so badly not being able to do another one I am determined this week to do 2 sessions before Friday's weigh in :-)  So come on - will me on !

Stayed the same this week

Thinking positively about this one - at least I didn't put on any weight and so that is good :-)  Had a good walk round town this morning and only bought some nuts for the birds !  How restrained was I !  Will try and have a good loss next week :-)

Aromatic Chicken Curry (Serves 4 at 4 propoints each)

I have just found this on the WW website as we had some half fat creme fraiche in the fridge which I needed to use.

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1/2 tsp turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander
1/4 tsp chilli powder & garam masala
200g chopped tomatoes
500g skinless chicken breast, chopped into chunks
150ml chicken stock
2 tbsp creme fraiche

1. Heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic & ginger until softened.  Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilli powder & garam masala, and fry for a few mins.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, and then the chicken pieces.  Leave to simmer for about 20 mins, or until cooked.

3. Take off the heat and stir in the creme fraiche.

1.5 lbs down - 12.5 lbs to go for my target !!!

Very pleased with my weigh in today, the week didn't go so bad but I didn't feel like I had lost anything so I was pleased :-)  I set myself the target of 1 lb a week till Christmas so I have exceeded that this week (allowing myself a loss of only 1/2 lb on 1 week  ;-)  Claire did well too, having lost 2 lbs, and she went out last night which never helps !  Had a lovely chicken tikka masala (homemade) tonight for tea with a nan bread, was shocked to discover the whole nan bread was 10 propoints, I 'thought' they were around about 6 !!  Oops !

Beef Biryani (Serves 4 at 12 Propoints Per Serving)

1 tsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
500g lean braising steak, cut into small cubes
3 tbsp curry paste
400g can chopped tomatoes
150ml beef stock
1 potato (200g), peeled and cubed
8 whole baby carrots or 2 medium sized carrots, peeled and sliced
175g cauliflower, cut into florets
150g basmati rice
1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1. In a large saucepan heat oil, add the onions and garlic and cook until softened.  Add the beef and cook until browned.  Stir in the curry paste, tomatoes and stock.  Transfer to a casserole dish.  Cover and cook in the oven at Gas Mark 3 / 170C / Fan Oven 150C for 1 hour.  Add vegetables, cover and cook for a further hour.  Continue to cook for a further 30 mins if the meat isn't tender enough.

2. Meanwhile cook the rice with the turmeric, until tender, drain.

3. Sprinkle rice onto curry and lightly stir through, then serve.

Weigh In has happened and was much better than I thought !

I had actually lost 1.5 lbs since I last weighed in about 3 weeks ago !  I thought I would definitely be up into the next stone but I'm not - hooray !  I bought a Track book to keep me on track for the next 12 weeks (which will take us nicely up to just before Christmas :-))  Claire (my friend) came with me and we shall spur each other on to lose each week hopefully.  I've set myself a target of 14 lbs by Christmas which would be lovely ! 

I have just taken all my measurements too and put them in my track and so I'll repeat that for the first time on Week 4.  OK, here we go !

Mango Cake (Serves 12 at 2 Propoints each)

125g Bertolli Light
15g Splenda Granulated
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 mango, pulped
120g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp fruit juice

1. Put oven on to 180C
2. Mix sweetener and Bertolli Light together.  Add the egg and vanilla extract.  Mix in the mango.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder and then add it slowly to the mango mix.
4. Stir in the juice, pour into a tin and bake in the oven for 30-40 mins.

Back to school - back to Propoints ;-)

Well, my son has gone back to school today and I am all geared up to start again in earnest.  I will go and get weighed on Friday as usual and also have a friend coming with me - we should be able to encourage each other and maybe that'll help too !  I've just made a lovely mango cake (recipe to follow) and am just off to have a seafood salad for lunch shortly.  Here is to getting rid of the Summer holiday weight !

Back to it, the tracker is next to me and I'm feeling good ;-)

OK, I have not been well recently and had a real worrying time, however now after being fully checked over and I'm now on medication for stomach ulcers and a hiatus hernia I am feeling back to normal and ready to get back to tracking again.  So far today it is going OK, I have 13 propoints left for the day (my curry has already been counted), so depending on what I have with it I should have some propoints for a spot of Philly and crackers later tonight ;-)

Holiday's Over !

Well, we're back from France and it seems AGES since I wrote on my blog so better get back to it.  I haven't seen the damage the holiday has done yet - get weighed on Friday morning and will be back to tracking and following the WW plan again !  Tonight for tea we are having the falafel burgers that are in the new WW cookbook 'Simply Enjoy'.  My husband likes his meat so we'll see how they go down with him but I am hoping they will be a hit !  Will put the recipe on the blog tomorrow.

I've entered the WOW makeover competition on the Facebook WW page

http://apps.facebook.com/wowmakeover/?ref=bookmarks

Hopefully the link will work and I'm the second person to have added details.  I would love a makeover, as I think everyone who has ever lost weight with weightwatchers probably would.  So, vote for me when the time comes round ;-)

I loved my tea tonight !

We had the chilli (I'll try and remember to add the recipe tomorrow) and I had some reduced calorie coleslaw and a roasted butternut squash with mine - yum !  Then I had a lovely homemade strawberry and rhubarb compote (no propoints) with 25g Carte D'Or light for 1 propoint.

The rhubarb and strawberry compote was basically 250g rhubarb, 250g strawberries, a splash of fresh orange juice and then simmer away.  Add some Splenda granulated to sweeten it near the end.

Wednesday 18th May - 8 more sleeps till France !

OK, so I am on a serious countdown to our holiday in France - I just cannot wait to get there :-)  I managed to lose 2 lbs last week so am hoping if I can lose just a bit more before we go it'll give me a bit more leeway while I'm there !  Fingers crossed.  I am making Henry and Dave a cake today, which sounds lovely - but is not a WW one ! But so far I have made them a few cakes and managed to resist having any apart from a piece the size of a sugar cube just to make sure it is edible ;-)  Dinner tonight is the second third of the chilli from the Simply Autumn cookbook (I'll add the recipe later today), we found it served 6 rather than 4 and is so lovely !  The third part has been frozen ready for when we get back from France :-)

Exotic Chicken One-Pot (Serves 3 at 6 propoints each)

450g chicken breast, cut into chunks
low fat spray
15g piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
80ml Chinese rice wine
125 ml chicken stock
1 tbsp runny honey
1 star anise
60ml light soy sauce
3 tbsp fresh orange juice
150g dried egg noodles
mangetout (to serve)

1. Spray the pan with low fat spray and add the ginger, garlic, rice wine, stock, star anise, honey and soy sauce and bring to the boil.  Add the orange juice and the chicken, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 mins until the chicken is cooked through.

2. Remove the chicken, turn the heat up and reduce the liquid slightly, remove the star anise and then add the chicken back to the pan together with the cooked noodles.  Mix alltogether to coat in the sauce.

3. Serve with mange tout to accompany the dish

Mushroom Soup (Serves 2 at 1 propoint per serving)

I just noticed I had some field mushrooms left in the fridge that needed using up so I have just made this soup.  It tastes yummy and I'll be having a bowl for lunch today with a salad.

1 tsp bertolli light
1/2 onion, sliced
1 small garlic clove, sliced
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped finely
200g mushrooms, sliced
3/4 pint vegetable stock
1/2 tbsp grain mustard
2 tbsp half fat creme fraiche

Heat the bertolli light and fry the onion, garlic and thyme gently for about 5 mins.  Then add the mushrooms, fry for a while and then add the stock.  Leave to simmer for 20 mins.  Add the grain mustard and creme fraiche and blitz in the food processor.

Tuesday 10th May

Well, 2 weeks on Friday is when we are heading off to France !  I can't wait - and neither can it be said can the rest of the family !  However I have accepted that I will not reach my goal before France now after my hiccup over Easter.  But since Sunday I weighed in last Friday I ahve been as good as I can be (even with having a Thai take-away on Friday night !  I had to guess those points but I can't be far out.  So, I'm going on the Wii fit tomorrow for half an hour and will see what it says about my weight so far (although I have another 3 days till weigh in on Friday - fingers crossed !

More fool me ;-(

OK, so I screwed up - I managed to put 6.5 lbs on over 2.5 weeks !  I have had that time off the plan though totally and feel ready to start back to it.  So far today have had 5 propoints for 40g rice krispies, skimmed milk and a banana.  About the have some salad shortly and a pasta/bean/tomato dish to go along side (4 propoints).  Have tracked it all and hopefully will shift some of the weight i put on this week.  Fingers crossed - and everyone behind me please !

Day 2 of getting back into it !

So far (08:18 !) it is going well ! I have had porridge with skimmed milk and a banana for breakfast. I'm taking Henry to school shortly so that will be a short walk and I am definitely going to do 30 mins of the Wii fit today. Lunch will be the remainder of the Jerusalem Artichoke soup, with a salad as the shopping is due today and I didn't have any left yesterday ! Dinner will be Scampi and oven chips (if the shopping man delivers my scampi ! - if not I'll use my homemade tuna fishcakes or fishfingers !).

I stuck to my points more or less yesterday so fingers crossed I will have lost a little by weigh in on Friday morning.

Mango Chicken with Couscous (Serves 2 at 12 propoints each)

low fat spray
2 chicken breasts cut into thin strips
2 tsp ground cumin
300ml chicken stock
120g couscous
3 tbsp Mango Chutney
4 sping onions, sliced into 3cm pieces
coriander, small handful, roughly chopped

1. Heat the low fat spray, sprinkle the chicken with the ground cumin and cook for a couple of mins until lightly browned.

2. Pour 200ml of the chicken stock over the couscous and leave to soak for 5 mins.

3. Add the mango chutney to the chicken, stir and leave to bubble for a couple of mins, then add the remaining chicken stock and spring onions and cook for 5 mins or until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, stir half the coriander through the couscous and the remainder through the chicken and serve.

Pineapple Chutney (14 propoints for whole recipe)

I made half this recipe and it fitted in 1 Bonne Maman jam jar which would be 7 propoints.

1 large ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
3 shallots, chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded & finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
25g raisins
125g soft brown sugar
125ml distilled malt vinegar
1/4 tsp salt

1. Place the prepared pineapple with all the other ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan. Cook over a moderate heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat a little and cook on a steady boil for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the chutney is thick.

2. Pour the hot chutney into sterilised jars, seal, label and store. Once opened the chutney will keep well for 3-4 weeks in the fridge.

Easter Bank Holiday weekends are a killer - especially 2 4 day weekends in a row !

Well, I got back on the Wii fit today and according to that I have put 6 lbs on in 3 weeks. So it is really back to it now and I will try and do 30 mins of Wii fit today, tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. Hopefully by Friday some of the weight I have put on will be off and I won't have too much to do before we go on holiday at the end of May (3 weeks on Friday :-)) Hooray !!!!

So, have just had a nice homemade Jerusalem Artichoke & Carrot soup at 1 propoint per serving, with a slice of bread at 3 propoints. I am following that up with hot banana, ice-cream and a spattering of chocolate sauce (2 propoints) ! Yum ! This morning I have used up the half pineapple I had in the fridge and made a lovely Pineapple Chutney.

Tonight's tea is mango chicken with couscous (recipe to follow), we have had this before and it was gorgeous !

Spiced Apple Cake (Serves 10 at 5 pro points per serving)

Well, I decided to make the apple cake as we had some cooking apples to use up before the banana's (and Dave doesn't like banana's so the other cake would only be for me and Henry !!).

450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and cubed roughly
8 tbsp artificial sweetener
low fat cooking spray
100g polyunsaturated margarine
225g plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, beaten

1. Put the apples in the pan with 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp of the artificial sweetener. Cover and heat gently until they break down to mush, helping them along with a fork or potato masher.

2. Spray a 23cm (9 inch) square tin with low fat cooking spray and preheat the oven to 160C (fan).

3. Rub the margarine into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fresh breadcrumbs. Now mix in the other dry ingredients, including the remaining sweetener. Stir the eggs into the mixture.

4. Put slightly less than half the mixture into the bottom of the prepared tin and spread it round evenly, pushing it into the corners with the back of a spoon. Pour over the apple and then sandwich it with the remaining dough mixture, spread it gently & evenly over the top to cover.

5. Bake for 30 mins or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin and then slice into 10 slices.

Banana Cake (34 Propoints per recipe)

OK, I'm going to try this today maybe and will cut it up and see how many it serves after baking it. The recipe says it serves 8 at 4 propoints each, but I might try and make it go further than that !

low fat cooking spray
225g white self-raising flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g margarine
2 medium eggs
2 tbsp low fat plain yogurt
3 medium ripe bananas
2 tsp ground allspice

1. Preheat the oven to 170C and spray a 20cm (8 inch) cake tin with the low fat cooking spray and line with non-stick baking paper.

2. Place all the cake ingredients in a food processor and mix for a few mins.

3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1 1/4 hours or until a thin skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in an airtight container to keep it moist.

Thursday 28th April - another Bank Holiday is on its way !!!

Hooray, can't wait till another long weekend. Had a thoroughly indulgent time last weekend and am not going to be weighed this week so heaven knows what next weeks weigh in will be like, but we will deal with it when it comes !!!

I have managed to only eat small pieces of Henry's easter eggs and 1 creme egg, the problem is the extra food with having people over for meals and so on. We've had BBQ's, cheese (in abundance ;-)) and lots of other nice stuff ! However things willl return to normal once this weekends out the way.

I have also managed to get onto the Wii Fit as well this week so hopefully that will make things not quite so bad ! I'll have a go later today and see what it tells me about my weight since last Thursday !

Maundy Thursday - apparently !

Well, I have neglected the blog recently, but things have been going OK. After my 5 lbs loss I was quite good the following week but managed to put on a pound last Friday at weigh in. I had just started my period though and so partly blame that as I wasn't expecting to put on. However it spurred me on to be good this week, and apart from Sunday night which went pear-shaped with some cheese (Phildelphia though !) and biscuits followed by a couple of chocolate bars (shared too!) the week has gone alright. I have used the Wii fit a few times and have really enjoyed it. I think it has cemented the idea that we will have to get one. Henry loves it and I have used the Wii fit quite a lot - more than I thought I would. So this week, I was due to get weighed tomorrow morning but as it is Good Friday they have decided to open on Thursday morning this week and next so I got weighed this morning instead of tomorrow. And, even though I got weighed a day earlier than last week I have managed to lose 3.5 lbs :-) I am now only 5 lbs off my goal !! I obviously have the 'Easter' problem now though and plenty of meals out and meals in and CHOCOLATE !!! However I shall have a good time, enjoy myself and try and get back to being really good on Tuesday.

Weigh in Day - Hooray !!!!! :-) :-)

5 lbs off ! Over the moon needless to say ! I had tried very hard this week but didn't think it had really paid off until I stepped on those scales this morning :-) So pleased with myself - and credit must go to my mum who lent me her Wii Fit while she is off her feet after breaking her foot. I think that has helped me this week too. I am determined to keep it up so when Dawn gets back from her holidays (4 weeks today) I hopefully will be less than when she went away ! Feeling good :-)

Monday

Well, I was feeling pretty down this morning. I felt fat and just not good for some reason. I have been super ace today though and have easily stuck to my points. I have 5 propoints left for the day and have also earnt 2 propoints through exercise and also done half an hour on the Wii Fit and burnt 122 calories :-) Feeling much better about myself this evening than I did this morning. We had leftover Chicken Paprika tonight for tea and I did roasted vegetables with it. I then had an Asda low fat chocolate mousse (2 propoints) which was lovely and only 50p for 4 !! Might have to fight Henry for them though !

Holey Moley !

Well, as expected I had put on at weigh in today - however I was a little shocked to discover it was 5.5 lbs !!! Oops, is all I can say. 2 weeks of no tracking and eating everything in sight is not the way to go I feel ! I have had a lot of eating out/3 course celebration meals and drink these past 2 weeks, so they were by no means normal weeks. However I am feeling on top of things (for now ;-)) and hopefully by the time Dawn gets back to WW (5 weeks) I shall have lost that weight and a bit more ! Fingers crossed !

Photo's added

I thought it was about time I updated my blog with some photo's of myself. I really need to get into gear and take some more recent ones of myself. I keep meaning to and not getting round to it. I am the same weight as the ones on here but my hair is a bit longer now ! Will try and take some more and put them up when I do.

Salmon Kedgeree (Serves 4 at 12 propoints per serving)

1 tbsp vegetable oil
700g onions, sliced
2 tsp garam masala
1 garlic clove, crushed
75g split green lentils, soaked in 300ml boiling water for 15 mins, then drained
750ml hot vegetable stock
225g basmati rice
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
350g salmon fillet
salt & ground black pepper

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan, add the onions and cook for about 5 mins or until soft.

2. Add the garam masala and garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the drained lentils and stock, cover and cook for 15 mins. Add the rice and the chilli, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 mins.

3. Cook the salmon fillet in the oven, and when it is done flake it. Add it to the rice and fork through once the rice is cooked and has absorbed all the stock.

Wednesday 30th March

OK, I am feeling more like getting back into the whole swing of things again. Have actually used the WW website today to calculate the propoints in tea (recipe to follow), and have also eaten healthily so far today too. Hopefully this means a little of the weight I put on over the past couple of weeks will be off by Friday.

Summer feels like it is truly on its way as I have managed to get down to the allotment (link to the allotment blog is on the right of this page) twice over the past 2 days and have planted a few trays of things and now all the potatoes are in the ground. It was lovely to pick Henry up from school and go straight down there to potter around for an hour or so. I also did a fair bit of digging so hopefully that'll give me some bonus points !

Wayward again !

Why does it always happen every so often that things crop up and instead of dealing with them and getting back to the plan you give yourself a complete break from the plan - stupidity at it's best ! I will get weighed on Friday morning and then will get back to filling in my tracker again which has sat there on the bookcase for 2 weeks since the start of Henry's birthday - oops ! Only have 9 weeks to go now to France so I better start bucking my ideas up !

Henry's Birthday Week !

and we've had a fantastic time :-) Cake was consumed, alcohol was drunk, trip to Pizza Hut (although I was very virtuous and only had the Pasta Arrabiata (although ate some of Henry's Ice Cream Factory because he didn't finish it !!!). So this week won't be good, and as I won't be going to get weighed till next Friday I am at ease with the world !! The weather is gorgeous and really makes you think Summer is here. I've just enjoyed a lovely cheese and beetroot sandwich and now going to make myself a coffee ! I have a very heavy weekend coming up, my mum & dad on Friday night, Dave's mum & dad & brother on Sunday for dinner so have resigned myself to the fact I will have put weight on by next Friday but then things quieten down until we go to France at the end of May and so can put my heart and soul back into it from then !

Health Question and Answer Session

I have just found this on my computer at work - hilarious !

HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION WITH THE DOCTOR.
Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... Don't waste them on exercise . Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an>efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: You're not listening....Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable. It's the best feel-good food around!!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape! !Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, What A Ride!!!!Good health, good luck!

Tuesday morning - I'm having a hungry day !!

Well, the time is 09:08, I have been at work since 7:45. I have been up since 5:55, had a 40g bowl of cornflakes with skimmed milk (5 pp) at 6:30, and so far I have managed to eat my WW banana and chocolate brownie (1pp), my banana and my pineapple which I brought to work to nicely last me till lunchtime !!! Oops ! Have had to make another coffee to tide me over a little bit. Hope this doesn't continue - my other brownie is staring at me saying EAT ME !!! I was saving that till after lunch - fingers crossed it lasts that long :-)

Classic Chicken Madras (Serves 4 at 6 propoints per serving)

5 tbsp very low fat natural
450g chicken breast, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 red chilli, split in half lengthways
300ml reduced fat coconut milk
chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish
3 tbsp madras curry powder
low fat cooking spray
1 dried bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
4 cardamom pods, bruised
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp hot chilli powder
2 tsp ground cumin
200g tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp garam masala

1. To make the marinade, combine the yogurt and madras curry powder in a bowl. Stir in the chicken and season with salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, or at least 2 hours if time is short.

2. Heat the low fat spray in a pan and add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom pods. Stir-fry for 1 min, then add the onion, cook for 4-5 mins. Add garlic, spices (except garam masala) and chicken. Str-fry for 10-15 mins.

3. Pour in the tomatoes and coconut milk and gently bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for about an hour. stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in the garam masala about 5 mins before the end of cooking, check the seasoning and serve garnished with the fresh coriander.

Mung Bean Curry (Serves 4 at 5 propoints per serving)

200g dried mung beans, soaked overnight
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1-2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
chopped fresh coriander to serve

1. Rinse the mung beans and put in a pan. Cover with cold water and simmer, partially covered, for 25-30 mins or until tender.

2. Heat the oil in another pan, add the cumin and mustard seeds and cook until they pop - this will only take a moment.

3. Add the tomato, garlic, chilli and ginger and stir over a low heat for 1 min. Stir in the ground coriander, cumin and turmeric. Add the beans and 4 tbsp water, cover and simmer gently for 10 mins.

4. Add the garam masala, season with salt and stir. Serve sprinkled with fresh coriander.

Oriental/Indian Weekend I think !

We accidentally inherited 2 Ken Hom Sweet & Sour Chicken dishes with our on-line shopping this week (sorry if you are the person that was meant to receive them !). So this weekend is going to be an Indian feast for Saturday night and then Chinese (courtesy of Ken Hom !) on Sunday evening. They are Tesco's own Ken Hom ready meals and I thought they were going to be ridiculously high in propoints but they are only 9 pp each, so that isn't too bad really :-) Saturday night will be Paneer & Potato Bites with chilli dipping sauce, followed by Chicken Madras, Mung Bean Curry and Garlic & Coriander Nan Bread. Recipes all to follow !

Chicken Stir-fry with Ginger and Greens (Serves 4 at 4 Propoints each)

low fat cooking spray
450g chicken breasts, skinless, cut into thin strips
ginger, finely chopped to make 1 tbsp
red chilli, 1 sliced
spring onions, 6, sliced
pak choi 400g, sliced
soy sauce, 1 tsp
honey, 1 tbsp
oyster sauce, 2 tbsp
cornflour, 1 tsp

1. Get a wok really hot and spray with cooking spray. Tip in the chicken and stir-fry for 2 mins, then remove with a slotted spoon. Add some more spray and tip in the ginger, chilli, almost all the spring onions and the pak choi. Cook until the pak choi is just wilted.

2. Drizzle in the soy sauce, honey & oyster sauce and add the chicken back into the wok then bubble for a minute. Mix the cornflour with 2 tsp cold water and stir until smooth, add to the wok and cook until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Sprinkle over the remaining spring onions before serving.

Weigh in - 1.5lbs off Hooray !

Very pleased with my weigh in today as it leaves me with exactly 7lbs to go to get back to goal. Achievable and maybe even achievable before we go to France at the end of May if I stick to it :-) In this morning's meeting Dawn cooked the Oriental Mushroom Risotto which is in the new Oriental cookbook. We all had a little try and it was really nice. I'll have to invest in that cookbook I think ! It's a lovely sunny day too and that's helping with positive thinking for Summer at goal weight ! This week could be a bit of a problem as it is Henry's 7th birthday and so there will be birthday cake around but it is my aim to have one piece and that is it - lets see how we get on with that !

Creamy Turkey & Pepper Fricasse (Serves 4 at 3 propoints per serving)

low fat cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, sliced finely
450g turkey breast fillet, cut into fine strips
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 chilli, de-seeded and sliced finely (optional)
2 red, yellow or orange peppers, de-seeded and sliced finely
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp low fat fromage frais

1. Heat a large non stick frying pan and spray with the low fat cooking spray. Stir fry the garlic for 1 min.

2. Add the turkey to the pan with the soy sauce. Stir fry quickly until browned all over.

3. Add the chilli, if using and the peppers to the pan. Stir fry for a couple of mins on a high heat, until the peppers are browned at the edges and just softening.

4. Sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar and remove from the heat. Allow to cool for a couple of mins and then add the fromage frais and stir through. Check seasoning and serve.

Feeling Positive

Well, I weighed in last week and as I now don't have a set of scales at home (Henry broke them !) I had no idea how much weight I had put on in the week of my Grandpa's funeral. I had been bad at the weekend, enjoyed the buffet food at the funeral and toasted a bottle of wine to him on the night of the funeral :-) I was expecting about 4lbs (which is what a bad week on the old points system would have been), and was pleasantly suprised to find it was only 1.5lbs. Really pleased and now that the funeral is over and Spring is coming (albeit a bit slowly !) I am feeling positive about losing a bit more weight ready for our France holiday at the end of May. I ordered a racing back floaty t-shirt from La Redoute (and some baseball boots for Henry) and got a coat free with the order. I tried them on today and they all fitted beautifully so I'm well pleased ! Just about to cook tea (Creamy Turkey & Pepper Fricasse) - recipe to follow.

Malaysian Chicken (Serves 4 at 4 propoints per serving)

4 small onions, sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
low fat cooking spray
500g chicken breast
4 tsp light brown soft sugar
8 tsp soy sauce
16 tbsp chicken stock
4 tsp rice vinegar or lime juice

1. In a non stick saucepan fry the onions and chilli in low fat cooking spray for 2 mins.

2. Add the chicken and stirfry for 1 min over a high heat, then sprinkle in the sugar and cook for 1 min more until caramelised.

3. Mix the soy sauce, stock and rice vinegar together. Pour over the chicken, cover the pan and simmer gently for 10 mins.

4. Remove the lid, increase the heat and bubble for 2 mins until slightly reduced, tossing the chicken in the sauce to coat.

Weigh In day !

Hooray, I am over the moon - I stayed the same. Having talked to Dawn I have decided not to replace my weighing scales at home and fight the urge to keep weighing myself at home - it is counterproductive :-) So I will get weighed once a week on a Friday morning properly !

Tonight for tea we are having Malaysian Chicken, rice and mange-tout/baby sweetcorn. Really looking forward to it as we've had it before and it was lovely !

Oaty Fruit Biscuits (Serves 12 at 2 propoint per serving)

120g dried pears (I substituted apricots and prunes)
gratet zest of 1 lemon
6 tbsp orange juice
150g rolled oats
low fat cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200C/fan oven 180C

2. Place the pears in a small pan with the lemon zest and orange juice. Bring to a gentle simmer for 8-10 mins until the pears have softened and have absorbed half the juice. Puree the pears and juice in a blender.

3. Mix the puree with the oats. Spray a 20cm loose bottomed tin with the cooking spray amd press the mixture into the bottom of the tin. Bake for 18-20 mins.

Remove from the oven and cut into 6 wedges. Leave to cool in the tin.

Wow !!! Ben & Jerry's Fudge Brownie Frozen Yogurt !

Well, utterly gobsmacked. I bought this as it was on offer from Ocado this week and I am so glad I did. 50g of it is 2 propoints and it is to die for !!!! Really very recommended !

Healthy Lemon & Almond Cake (Serves 16 at 4 propoints each)

2 lemons
3 medium eggs
200g fruit sugar (fructose)
55g plain flour
200g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder

1. Put the lemons in a small pan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for about an hour.

2. Halve the lemon, remove the pips and puree in a blender (skin as well).

3. Preheat the oven to 170C. Oil a 20cm springform tin.

4. Beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and thick.

5. Fold in the flour, baking powder, almonds & lemon puree.

6. Pour into the tin and bake for an hour until the top is golden and a knife no longer comes out sticky.

7. Keep a close eye for the last 15 mins as fructose sugar is more likely to catch - the cake will be fairly dark though.

8. Leave to cool for about 10 mins then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Gone a little wayward recently

Things haven't been great recently - my Grandpa was very ill and died, and then my father in law has not been very well either and with everything else that had been going on I have to admit that WW has just slipped past me. I have tried to be reasonably good (which has been relatively easy in the week) but I have gone overboard more at weekends than I should have done. I feel like I've definitely put on weight since I last got weighed but I am hoping it is not too much. Unfortunately for me I cannot tell how much I have put on, as our own home scales broke as well. So, I am aiming to start again properly from Friday - I'll be weighed Friday morning and then I shall be using my tracker and e-source to do everything properly again. I am making a cake today (recipe to follow) mainly for my son and husband but it does work out at only 4 points per slice so that is quite good. I'm also going to make some oaty slices (recipe to follow) for me at only 1 point per slice.

Chicken Dhansak (Serves 6 at 4 pro-points per serving)

100g red lentils
500g butternut squash, peeled & chopped into chunks
2 onions, peeled & roughly chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp ground coriander
4 squashed cardamom pods
low fat spray
500g skinless chicken breasts, chopped
thumb sized piece of root ginger, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp garam masala

1. Put the lentils, squash, onion and tomatoes in a pan with the turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Add water just to cover then simmer gently for about 20 mins until lentils are tender.

2. Add the other spices, ginger, garlic & chillies, chicken and 200ml water. Cover and simmer for an hour. Season and serve

Chilli Con Carne (Serves 6 at 6 propoints each or 4 at 9 propoints each)

500g extra lean minced beef
30g sachet chilli con carne spice mix (we use Schwartz)
1 onion, finely chopped
low fat cooking spray
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
150ml beef stock
400g can black beans (or mixed beans) in water, drained
Salt & pepper

1. Spray the pan and cook the onions until soft, adding a splash of water if too dry. Add the chilli, tomato puree, spice mix and minced beef.

2. When the minced beef has turned brown pour in the tomatoes and beef stock. Simmer for 10 mins and then add the beans. Cook for a further 10 mins, season & serve.

Friday Weigh-in

Pleased this week as I managed to lose 1.5 lbs. That puts me exactly 7 lbs off getting in my goal weight again :-) I am even more pleased as we had the take-away this week too ! My other great news to share here is that Sara, my long life best friend has started at WW with me this week and seems raring to go - I hope she finds it as brilliant as I have. My task this afternoon (once i've changed the cat litter !) is to go through my recipe books and to come up with a starter and main course for tomorrow's dinner - will post recipes up as soon as I decide.

Spicy Citrus Prawns (Serves 2 at 3 propoints each)

De-vein 150g shelled raw king prawns. Place in a bowl and mix in 2 tsp Thai Red Curry paste, 2 cloves garlic (crushed), and the zest and juice of 1 lime. Mist a frying pan with low fat cooking spray and fry the prawn mixture for 1-2 mins, turning until they turn pink. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, and 1 tsp caster sugar. Simmer for 5 mins. Stir in 100g tenderstem broccoli, chopped, simmer for 2 mins, then stir in 1 tbsp half fat creme fraiche, and put the prawns back in.

NB. I cooked the broccoli first and then added it to the sauce once cooked and we had it with 60g rice (for an extra 6 propoints).

Thursday 17th February

Well, the weigh in went OK last week - I suprised myself really and managed to lose half a pound :-) Very pleased ! This week has not gone too bad although we did have an Indian take-away on Friday. We were really good though and we shared a starter (chicken chat), shared a main course (Chicken Tikka Madras) and shared half the chilli fried rice (we saved the other half for Saturday night's meal). I don't know what to feel about this week though as I feel I didn't know the po points value of the Indian, and I know I went upto the 49 and possibly over again this week. Will just have to wait and see I suppose ! This week we have been mainly using up meals from the freezer that I've previously cooked but we did have a new one last night that was lovely so I'll put up the recipe now ! And for the rest of the day I'll cross my fingers for the weigh in tomorrow morning !

Weightwatchers Blueberry Muffins - Yum !

I found these this week in Tesco and tried them (4 propoints per muffin) and they were lovely ! My son ate the other 3 so they must've been good :-)

Weigh In Looms Ahead !

Well, the week started out very well and then went very pear shaped at the weekend after some upsetting news on Friday. I kind of did a 'life's too short not to enjoy yourself' over the weekend and although I did use my tracker (my leader would be so proud of me ;-)) I somehow managed to use my daily propoints, and my weekly 49 and possibly somebody elses weekly 49 too ! But I pulled myself back into line by Monday and have been extra good since then and so we'll just have to wait and see what the scales say !

Fish Soup Pie (Serves 4 at 7 propoints per serving)

500g potatoes, roughly chopped
Large pinch saffron (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 fennel bulb, chopped
400g celeriac, finely chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
Chilli powder (to taste)
2 bay leaves
300ml fish stock
500g Mixed Fish & Seafood
Large handful of fresh parsley

1. Put the potatoes into a pan and cover with cold water. Add the saffron (if using) and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-12 mins until potatoes are just tender. Drain and leave to steam in a colander until needed.

2. Meanwhile heat half the oil in a large pan and cook the fennel and celeriac for 10 mins. Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, bay leaves, stock and lots of seasoning. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 mins or until the vegetables are tender.

3. Preheat grill to medium. Roughly cube fish and stir fish and seafood into the tomato mixture. Heat for 3-5 mins until just cooked. Stir in the parsley and check seasoning.

4. Tip tomato mixture into heatproof serving dish and remove the bay leaves. Using your hands lightly crush the potatoes and use to cover the top of the pie mixture. Brush potatoes with remaining oil. Grill for 5-10 mins until golden and bubbling round the edges.

Superhealthy Singapore Noodles (Serves 4 at 10 propoints per serving)

4 nests of egg noodles
1 tbsp sunflower oil
100g tenderstem broccoli, sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
85g baby corn, quartered
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded & chopped
thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled & finely chopped
2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced
100g shelled raw prawns
1 heaped tbsp Madras curry paste
2 tsp soy sauce
100g beansprouts
15g pack coriander, chopped
4 spring onions, shredded
Lime wedges (for serving)

1. Pour boiling water over the noodles and leave to soften. Heat the oil in a non stick wok and stir-fry all the vegetables, except the beansprouts and onions, with the garlic, ginger and chilli until softened. Remove from the wok.

2. Stirfry the chicken and prawns until just cooked, set aside with the vegetables. Add the curry paste to the pan. Stir fry for a few seconds then add 150ml water and the soy sauce. Allow to bubble, then add the drained softened noodles and beansprouts and toss together to coat.

3. Return the vegetables, chicken and prawns to the wok with coriander and spring onions. Toss well over the heat and serve with lime wedges.

Weigh in Day !

Well, not as bad as I had thought - I put on 1.5 lbs which for what I've eaten this week was OK ! I feel totally refocussed now though and have been really good today despite meeting a friend in Chester and going to Starbucks for coffee (refused the cake !) and a cafe for lunch (I had turkey salad with olives and couscous). I feel very pleased with myself. Singapore Noodles for tea (recipe to follow when I get round to it).

Classic Minestrone Soup (Serves 6 at 3 Propoints per serving)

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large carrot, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
200g swede, chopped
1 courgette, chopped
850ml (1.5 pints) vegetable stock
2 x 400ml cans chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp Italian dried mixed herbs
50g dried pasta shapes
200g canned borlotti or cannellini beans (I used 100g dried borlotti)

1. Heat a large sauccepan and spray with low fat spray. Gently fry the onion and garlic for 2-3 mins until softened. Add the carrot, celery, swede and courgette. Pour in the stock and then stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree and herbs.

2. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 mins or until the vegetables are tender. Add the pasta and beans and cook for a further 8-10 mins. Season and serve.

NB. I also added some shredded cabbage to mine as well.

Having a Hungry Week !!!

This week is not going to be good at the weigh-in. For some reason unbeknown to myself I seem to have given myself the week off !!! I have had some worries - Henry has not been sleeping well firstly with a cold, then with toothache and then had a tooth extracted yesterday. But I haven't counted any points all week. I'm only hoping it isn't too bad and I can get back into it again from Friday. I have already planned the weeks food and have decided on a nice filling winter soup to make (with our own dried borlotti beans from last year at the allotment). So hopefully there will be some new recipes and me feeling more lively and not so tired soon !!

Thai Style Chilli Chicken on brown rice (Serves 4 at 10 pro points per serving)

2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lemongrass stalk, very finely chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander
4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
350g skinless chicken breast
300g brown rice
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, cut into fine strips
100g mangetout
2 pak choi, heads roughly shredded

1. In a bowl mix together the garlic, lemongrass, ginger, chilli, coriander, lime juice and soy sauce. Add the chicken strips, cover and leave to marinate for 30 mins or more if you have time.

2. When ready to eat, cook the brown rice in lightly salted boiling water as per the packet instructions.

3. Ten mins before the rice is ready, heat some cooking spray in a wok. Lift chicken out of hte marinade juices and stir-fry for 5-6 mins, then add shallots, carrot and mangetout. Stir-fry for another 2-3 mins, then add the pak choi and marinade juices and cook until wilted. Drain the rice and serve with the chilli chicken.

Jamie's Fish Pie - yummy !!

This was really really tasty and easily fed 6 with some vegetables to accompany it. Maybe next time I would add a touch of fish stock and Weightwatchers creme fraiche to give a bit more sauce to the pie but other than that it was lovely. 9/10

Jamie's Fish Pie - Serves 6 at 9 Propoints per serving

1kg potatoes
1 carrot
2 sticks celery
120g half fat cheddar
1 lemon
4 sprigs flat leaf parsley
300g salmon fillets, skin off and bones removed
300g undyed smoked haddock fillets, skin off and bones removed
125g raw king prawns, peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
Good handful of spinach

1. To prepare your fish pie, preheat the oven to 200c/gas 6 and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2cm chunks. Once the water is boiling, add your potatoes and cook for around 12 minutes, until they're soft.

2. Meanwhile get yourself a deep baking tray and stand a box grater in it. Peel the carrot, then grate the celery, carrot and cheddar on the course side of the grater. Use the fine side of the grater to grate the zest from the lemon. Finely chop the parsley leaves and stalks and add these to the tray.

3. To cook and serve your fish pie, cut the salmon and smoked haddock into bite-sized chunks and add them to the tray with the prawns. Squeeze over the juice from the zested lemon, drizzle with the olive oil and add a good pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Add the handful of spinach and now mix everything together really well.

4. By now your potatoes should be cooked , so drain them, and mash with a touch of bertolli light (or other low fat spread). Mash until it is nice and smooth, then spread evenly over the top of the fish pieces and grated veg.

5. Place your beautiful fish pie in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes, or until it's cooked through, crispy and golden on top.

Monday 24th January 2011

It is my intention to use this blog to keep a record of my weightwatchers journey (7.5 lbs to get back within my goal weight), which will make just short of 6.5 stone lost all together. But more importantly than that I aim to use it as an on-line cookbook. All the meals I cook for us as a family I will put the recipes, the propoints per serving and sometimes a photo of them on this blog. Today I am making Jamie Oliver's Easy Fish Pie for tea and looking forward to it very much - it sounds lush !