Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Mash - 2pp/ 13pp

I didn't really think I was a fan of stews (memories of watery potato hash with boiled potatoes spring to mind) but they always look so nice so I decided to give it a go anyway. And loved it.

This was on another filling and healthy week so worked out at only 2pp but is a whopping 13pp if counting! Next time I think I would give the parnsips a miss and have extra veg on the side to keep the points down. Could also sacrifice 1pp of meat for a Yorkshire pudding :o

Serves 1
Ingredients
175g Tesco beef stir fry strips - 5pp
200g white potatoes - 4pp
1 x carrot - 0pp
1 x parsnip - 2pp
1/2 brown onion - 0pp
15g Flora light - 1pp
10g gravy granules - 1pp

Method
1. In a slow cooker add diced onion, chopped carrots and parnsips 200ml boiling water and the beef. Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Cook for 6 hours on low. When nearly ready to serve, check the water. If there is too much, take some out, not enough, add some then stir in gravy granules. Since you can only use a small amount of granules to thicken, it's better to have less water to start and be able to add more if required. 
3. Boil your potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain and mash with Flora.
4. Serve and enjoy!

I had mint sauce on mine too for 0pp. 

Jamaican Jerk Chicken - 2pp/ 10pp

This recipe came from here: http://simple-nourished-living.com/2012/01/skinny-delicious-southwestern-slow-cooker-chicken/ 

But I didn't have any of the south west seasoning so I Googled it and it doesn't seem to exist ready made in the UK supermarkets so I looked up how to make it and I didn't have half of the spices so I thought f*ck it, I'll use one I already have... And that is why it is now Jamaican jerk chicken instead :D

Serves 2
Ingredients
2 x chicken breasts (up to 140g each) - 6pp (free on F&H)
1 x 400g tin black beans in water (drained) - 6pp (free on F&H)
1 x 200g tin sweetcorn (drained) - 3pp (free on F&H)
1 x jar mild salsa - 2pp
40g Tesco half fat mature cheese - 3pp
Jamaican Jerk seasoning 

Method
In a slow cooker add the beans, sweetcorn and 1/2 the salsa. Massage seasoning in to chicken, add to cooker and top with the remaining salsa. Cook for 4-6 hours on low. A couple of minutes before serving, grate cheese over the chicken and allow to melt.

Easy peasy and soooooooooo tasty!

Sexy Chicken and Bacon Pasta - 2pp/ 12pp

I LOVE pasta, but being on Weight Watchers I just refuse to eat the stuff. A lot of points for not a lot of food and it just leaves me hungry and disappointed. On filling and healthy though you can eat "unlimited" wholewheat pasta (though I still can't stop weighing things. I can't trust myself not to over eat) so I decided to have a bash at a low ProPoint pasta dish.

What makes this so scrumptious is the sauce is actually tomato soup. Yum!

Now I can't take full credit for this little stroke of genius because it is actually down to my husband. I do all the cooking in our house (I know, how retro) but I had gone for a tattoo session last week and came back to my tea on the table. Bless. He'd done some Gordon Ramsay, just throwing things together sh*t and made a lovely pasta dish which I really enjoyed!

So I based mine around his tomato soup/ sauce concept but bulked it out with a bit more veg and it was gorgeous! Well done Mr T!

2pp on Filling and Healthy or 12pp if pointing

Serves 1
Ingredients
75g wholewheat pasta - 7pp 
1/2 tin WW tomato soup - 1pp
100g chicken (raw) - 2pp
2 x bacon medallions - 1pp
Cherry tomatoes
Spinach
1/2 brown onion
20g Tesco half fat mature cheddar - 1pp

Method
1. Cook pasta in salted water. Drain.
2. Preheat oven to 200°c.
3. Fry chicken for a couple of minutes, add bacon, onion and tomatoes and fry until onions are soft. Add spinach and wilt.
4. Add frying pan contents along with the soup to pasta and stir.
5. Pour in to baking dish, grate over cheese and cook in the oven for 15-20 mins.

Salmon Fishcakes 0pp/ 10pp

Another filling and healthy week for me as the past 2 weeks I have PUT ON even sticking within my points so I thought another change up was required. Unfortunately F&H means a lot of cooking from scratch and a couple of days searching for recipes *snores*

I just stole the recipe from Google and adapted it to fit in with Weight Watchers. Very tasty and filling. I served mine with mashed carrot and swede, 15g flora light (1pp), broccoli and cauliflower.

Serves 2
Ingredients
2 x tin skinless & boneless salmon - 13pp (but 6pp each)
1 x slice Nimble wholemeal bread - 1pp
1 x medium egg - 2pp
200g potatoes - 4pp
2tbsp tomato ketchup - 1pp
10g mustard - 0pp
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped dill
1 lemon

Method
1. Peel, chop and boil potatoes in salted water until soft. Mash.
2. Drain salmon and combine with mashed potatoes, ketchup, mustard, parsley, dill and lemon zest. Mix well then shape in to fish cake-type things. (I made 4 large fish cakes.)
3. Toast the bread and blitz in a food processor or, if you are lacking in such gadgets, grate on to a plate.
4. Add egg to another plate. Dip fish cakes into the egg, then the breadcrumbs. 
5. Spray a baking tray with fry light and grill until nice and brown on both sides.
6. Squeeze over some lemon juice.

Breakfast Boats - 10pp

One of the best breakfasts I have had in a looooooong time. A few more points than I would usually spend in a morning but I only tend to have "brunch" at a weekend so I need something more substantial. Reminds me of a McDonalds breakfast wrap. Mmm....

  

Serves 1
Ingredients
1 x medium egg - 2pp
2 x WW sausage (cut into small pieces) - 3pp
2 x bacon medallions (cut into small pieces) - 1pp
2 x Old El Paso Stand N' Stuff tortillas - 4pp
15g ketchup - 0pp
1 x tin plum tomatoes - 0pp
Mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 brown onion (chopped)
Spinach
Cherry tomatoes (quartered)
Fry light

Method
Spray a frying pan with Fry Light, set to medium heat.
Fry sausage for a few minutes until browning.
Add bacon and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add mushrooms, tomatoes and onion and cook until soft.
Add spinach.
In a cup, mix your egg and sprinkle in salt and pepper.
Once the spinach has wilted, add egg to the pan and stir for around 5 minutes until the egg has coated all the ingredients and it turns into some kind of scramble.
Spoon into tortillas and squirt over some ketchup. 
Heat plum tomatoes in a microwave for around 2 minutes.

Done!

Slow and Steady...

When I joined Weight Watchers in January 2012 my main goal was to lose weight as quickly as possible before my holiday to good ol' Magalluf on 12th May. I think I did quite well in this respect losing 33.5lbs in 18 weeks and going from 14st 5.5 to 12st and a UK size 14. 

The main problem with this approach is that I didn't learn anything. I had spent those 18 weeks sticking rigidly within my daily points, drinking diet coke on nights out and if I ever dared go for a meal out I would stick to 0pp foods all day to make up for it. And I would be starving. So yes, I can drop the weight when I want, but I ain't half miserable doing it! 

After the holiday I didn't get back on plan and my weight slowly but surely crept up and up until I got to my highest weight of 15st 2 in January 2014. Even after starting again last year I still messed about and fell off the wagon around September only to put on 14 of the 21lbs I lost. Fail!

So this year, I relaxed slightly. This is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Life does get in the way sometimes and that's ok. I've allowed myself to enjoy nights out, events, restaurants, birthdays and holidays. I've allowed myself treats and used my weeklies when I needed them. Ok so my weight loss hasn't been the quickest and I still do get totally jealous of those people who have completely transformed in a matter of months but this time next year when I'm wearing my size 10 dress telling people I have lost 5 stone all that will matter is that I got there, not how quickly I did it.  

Just a small note to say I do zero exercise. I mean, none. I walk from my house to my car, car to office, sit down all day, car, home. I could really help myself more by exercising and I swear I will but wow I hate it so much!

My whole point to this is that this is the first time I have stuck to a "diet" (lifestyle change, whatevs) for more than a few weeks. Ok I have the odd day or two off plan but then I get straight back on it and can usually undo the bad within days and what a difference that makes to motivation! Knowing a couple of bad days hasn't ruined everything. I'm not suddenly gonna be 3 stone heavier again and have gone completely backwards. I feel so much more in control now and I genuinely hope this is how I will be going forward. 

Below is how I track my losses. Yes, I am insane. I work on spreadsheets every day and I ruddy love the things! So far my loss is 31.75lbs in 34 weeks averaging 0.93lbs a week, but you know what? It's been a hell of a lot easier than ever before! Saying that, I still almost had an emotional breakdown when I was hungry and had promised myself I wouldn't have cake at a friend's birthday party and my husband had curry and a selection of cakes... but it passed! Lol. 

Fajita Boats - 10pp

Serves 1

Ingredients

1/4 sachet Old El Paso Original Smoky BBQ spice mix - 1pp

50g salsa (I use Tesco mild)  - 0pp

180g chicken breast (raw) - 4pp

Sliced peppers (any colour you fancy. I like a mix)

1/2 brown onion (chopped)

2 x Old El Paso Stand N' Stuff Tortillas - 4pp

2tbsp half fat soured cream - 1pp

Fry Light

Method

Spray a frying pan with Fry Light, cut chicken into strips and cook for 10 minutes. Add onion and peppers and cook for a few more minutes until soft. Sprinkle over spice mix, stir through and cook for another minute. Add to your tortilla boats and top with salsa and soured cream. 

If you can spare extra points, sprinkle with cheese. Mmmm....

I had mine with some roasted butternut squash for 0pp. Sprinkle with salt, paprika and chilli flakes before cooking. Takes away some of the sickly sweetness.

Breville Halo Review

I get loads of people on Instagram asking me how I cook my potatoes because they look so goddamn tasty and my (not so secret) secret is.... the Breville Halo! 

As happens every December, I get sick of being over weight and swear I will do something about it in the New Year. So for Christmas I asked for some things to help me on my skinny way, one of which was this new fandangled contraption that could cook chips with 1tsp of oil and with no par boiling! Exciting stuff.  

I did have a little panic that I wouldn't end up using the thing (my Blend-Active sees the light of day once every 3 months or so) but I needn't have worried. I use it every. Single. Day.

Because I am tight with my ProPoints I never use oil. I just spray the bowl with fry light, add the potatoes, another few sprays of fry light, some salt and 30 minutes later you have really scrummy chips!

As well as the paddle which turns the chips in the bowl, you can remove it and use the wire rack (provided) meaning the Halo acts as a grill :o It takes some practice as to timings as things cook a lot faster in the Halo than under a grill or in the oven.

The bowl wipes clean with just kitchen roll though can be easily lifted out to wash should you cook anything messier than chips!

Some of the things I have cooked in my Halo:

Chips/ sweet potato chips

Roast potatoes & new potatoes

Wedges

Bacon

Sausage

Fish fingers

Chicken

Salmon

Rosted Mediterranean veg

Hash browns

Mushrooms

Butternut squash

Burgers

I have also heard of people using it for chillis, stews, pastry, toasties, cakes, bread, jacket potatoes, frozen chips, croissants... So I have a lot more experimenting to do!

And here are pictures of some tasty things cooked in my Halo:

 Dusted fish and butternut squash

Roasted new potatoes

Roast potatoes

Chips