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 !