Veggie Thai Peanut Curry - 4pp

Another recipe found on the internet (I think it may have been Deliciously Ella actually) and adapted to fit Weight Watchers. This is honestly so tasty, a million times better than any of the ready-made Thai sauces or meals and easy peasy to make.

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cal spray oil (I use coconut)

Bunch chopped spring onions

Small bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves picked

4 tbsp Thai red curry paste - 0pp per 1tbsp

4 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter - 2pp per tbsp

1 tbsp soy sauce

400ml can light coconut milk - 2pp per 100ml

Baby corn

Mange tout

Sugar snap peas

Peppers

Any other veg you like

Juice 1 lime

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the spring onions and coriander stalks and cook for 1 min.

2. Stir in the curry paste, peanut butter, soy sauce and coconut milk, plus ½ can of water. Mix well.

3. Simmer until the sauce has thickened a little then add the veg and simmer for an extra 5-10 minutes until cooked. Stir in the lime juice and check the seasoning. 

I serve mine with cauliflower rice. My husband has his with noodles and added pork. I also make all 4 servings and freeze 2 for lunches.

Can be frozen for up to 2 months. To cook from frozen: thoroughly defrost, then heat in a pan on the hob until curry is hot all the way through. 

Weight Loss Update

Sorry I haven't updated the blog in a while but I'm back and I'm going to post loads more recipes soon. First I thought I would do a quick weight loss update. Last week I weighed 11 3.75lbs (my lowest on my journey so far) but then I went to London for 5 days and was completely off plan so I went back up to 11 5.5 but that's no problem, it will come back off again! I have to admit though, since Christmas I have been absolutely rubbish with my weight loss. I am struggling to stick to plan 100% for more than a couple of days in a row. That means that my losses have been sooooooooooooooo slow... but I am living life and enjoying it! To be honest, I have spent so many years missing out on parties, barbecues and nights out because I was always on one diet or another, it's nice to allow myself a night off or some cake or a beer out in the sunshine. All I do is get back on it straight away (I never let a bad day turn into a bad week) and the weight always comes off again. Ok it means I have lost a pathetic 9lbs since January... So what? I have another stone to lose and if it takes me all year but I've not ever felt deprived or missed out, then that's good with me. For the first time in my life I feel like I have found a healthy balance and mindset with food. I've started exercising more, I eat sh*t tons of fruit and veg (today I will have eaten 22 different fruits and veggies. F*ck your 5 a day :p) and, even though I am not where I want to be, I am a lot closer than I was and a lot happier than I was. I've achieved more than I ever believed possible. I'm still completely obsessed with food and always will be but I make better choices now and love what I eat. Any of you who think you won't ever meet your goals, the main reason I feel like I have continued to lose weight for almost 18 months (albeit slowly) is always jumping back on the wagon. Never give up.

Here's a couple of photos of me at 14st 9 (205lbs) which wasn't my highest of 15st 2 (212lbs) and now at 11st 5 (159lbs).

I follow Weight Watchers ProPoints plan using the Ultimate Value Diary app. I have only started exercising the last 2 months (I'm lazy).

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!

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.

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. 

My Filling & Healthy Week

When I first started Weight Watchers in 2012 they didn't have this Simple Start or Filling and Healthy malarkey so I had gotten used to the ProPoints system and trusted it (can't go wrong with calorie counting). Then F&H came in last year (I think) and my first thought was "it's just like Slimming World" and "it won't work for me" so I pretty much ignored it and got on with pointing. 

If you read my first blog post you'll know I re-started WW in January this year and, after nearly 8 months on plan, I was feeling a bit stuck in a rut meals-wise. I was having the same maybe 10 things for dinner on rotation, salads for lunch and bagel thins for breakfast. I felt like I was using as few points as possible in the day in case I was hungry after tea and wanted something else... but then I wouldn't be as hungry as I thought and the points would just go on chocolate and general rubbish. Not good.

So I thought I would try a whole week on Filling and Healthy to shake things up a bit and swore to post everthing I ate on Instagram so, if I put on weight, my fellow fat fighters could tell me where I went wrong! 

The main problem I foresaw was that I am a greedy cow and don't trust myself not to eat just because I can and not because I'm hungry. I got obese in the first place because I ruddy love food, eating makes me happy and I love the feeling of being full (especially if it invoves cake, chocolate and freshly baked cookies mmmm...) So give me free reign and I'll be like a pig snaffling truffles. 

I had to really remind myslef to listen to my body and go off hunger cues and not eat just because I'm bored/ watching Bake Off / fancy chocolate.  

Days 1 & 2 were a bit of a nightmare. I had totally forgotten that my TOTM was due and spent 2 days climbing the walls with hunger but too scared to eat in case I over ate. Then on Sunday afternoon shark week began/ the painters were in/ I surfed the crimson wave and on Monday the gnawing hunger had disappeared. Coincidence? Maybe but wow I felt loads better! 

I tried to stick to my usual 3 meals a day (I don't usually bother snacking), the main difference being I didn't get my evening Toffee Crisp but one night *cries* 

I couldn't help but keep swapping my tracker from F&H to Counting to see how many dailies I was using and I was surprised to find that there was a few days I didn't even use all my dailies! Obviously other days I went over (especially if I ate Shredded Wheat. Heaviest. Cereal. Ever!) But swings and roundabouts.

I did find it annoying as to how many weeklies I ended up using. I thought I wouldn't have to use any seeing as I could eat unlimited foods from the list but, being honest, if you want your food to taste like anything you need the points for cheese and condiments and sugar and toppings and CHOCOLATE! I wasn't looking forward to my meals like I usually do and felt myself not "fancying" anything. If nothing else it stopped me eating as much! 

The other annoying thing was making everything from scratch. I didn't realise what a lazy cook I am but I do eat Heck chicken sausage, Birds Eye burgers and Tesco dusted fish a lot!

I had a slight fail on Wednesday where I caved and ate a chocolate cornflake cake that a colleague had brought in work (about 9pp) and then had a cookie (6pp) in the evening whilst watching Great British Bake Off. So that took me waaaaaaaaay into my weeklies. Damn you Bake Off!

So it's Friday a.k.a. Weigh In Day and the results are in *drumroll*

2.25lbs off! Not the most epic loss in the world but I'm just happy I didn't put on!

In conclusion, the Filling and Healthy plan was a nice change and I have tried a few new things but really I feel the main thing I have learned is to appreciate the ProPoints plan more. I have missed you... and my ready made foods... and my Toffee Crisps.

Sweet n' Sour Fanta Chicken - 4pp

This recipe is completely stolen from Slimming World. I didn't even really make any changes to it as I was too scared of it going wrong! I didn't have high hopes for this as the Diet Coke chicken does nothing for me but I'd read such good things I thought I'd give it a go.

Teamed with cauliflower rice this is a low propoint meal that honestly tastes like Sweet n' Sour sauce from a jar! 

Serves 2
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts cut into chunks (180g is 4pp)
330ml Fanta Zero
1/2 medium onion chopped
Chopped pepper in any colour (I used red, green and yellow)
Fresh Pineapple chunks
Chicken stock cube
4 tbsp Passata
1 tsp vinegar
1tsp sweetener
Chilli flakes (to taste)
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
Fry Light Spray

Instructions
1. Add chicken to a hot pan sprayed with Fry Light.
2. Fry the chicken until sealed and then add diced onion and cook for a further 3 minutes.
3. Add the Fanta, stock cube, passata, chopped peppers, pineapple, sweetener, vinegar, chilli flakes and 5 spice.
4. Leave to slimmer until the sauce has reduced to a thicker consistency (around 20 minutes on high)
5. Then add to rice, noodles, cauliflower rice, courgetti or whatever you like!

Fish Pie - 7pp or 1pp on F&H

I think I took this from a normal Weight Watchers or Slimming World recipe and adapted it to suit a Filling and Healthy day. I was genuinely surprised at how nice it was!

Serves 2
Ingredients
150g carrots, diced
150g swede, diced
(I get a frozen mix of the above from Asda. Tesco do a fresh one too.)
Salt and pepper
250g fat free fromage frais - 3pp
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp parsley
1 x clove of garlic
4 x laughing cow light cheddar triangles - 3pp
90g skinless cod fillet - 1pp
90g skinless smoked cod fillet - 1pp
90g salmon fillet - 2pp
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped - 4pp

Method
Boil the carrot and swede in a pan of salted water for around half an hour. When done add a bit of salt and pepper and a tbsp of fromage frais. Mash and set to one side.
Cook eggs until hard boiled (I usually go for 6 minutes in boiling water).
Gently heat remaining fromage frais, dill, parsley and garlic. Add the fish and cook for around 5 minutes. Add the laughing cow triangles and cook for a futher minute. 
Put fish mixture into a serving dish or 2 smaller dishes, add chopped egg, top with mashed veg and cook in a preheated oven on 200°c for 20 minutes.

Serve with boiled or steamed veg.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Roasted New Potatoes - 10pp

As my long suffering husband gets stuck eating the same meals as me every night (I cook so he gets what he's given. Albeit larger portions or extra sides. I'm a feeder...), it makes me extremely happy when he really enjoys my "diet food" and this is one of his favourites.

Serves 1 
Ingredients
140g chicken breast - 3pp
2 x bacon medallions - 1pp
2 x laughing cow light cheddar triangles - 1pp
1 clove of garlic
270g new potatoes - 5pp (you get more new potatoes for your points than normal potatoes. I only found this out the other day. #win)
Fry Light
Salt
Green beans or any 0pp vegetable of your choice

Method
1. I cook potatoes in my Breville Halo. Spray the bowl with fry light, put in the potatoes, spray again and sprinkle with salt. Cook for around 35 minutes. 
2. If you want to oven cook, par boil the potatoes until just soft enough to insert a knife, drain, put on a baking tray, fry light and salt and cook in the oven at 200°c for 40 minutes.
3. Put your chicken breast in some cling film (just fold over once, don't wrap tighly or it won't flatten) and hit with a rolling pin or any other heavy, blunt object which takes your fancy (you can imagine that the chicken is your boss/ husband/ mother-in-law. Very therapeutic.) You want the chicken to be around 1cm thick-ish. Just easy for rolling without falling apart. 
4. Lay out your bacon medallions, place the chicken on top. In the middle of the squashed chicken put your laughing cow and garlic then roll up to make a nice bacon-chicken-parcel. 
5. Cook in the oven on 200°c for around 30 minutes. 
6. Boil or steam your veg. Done!

Slow Cooker Bruschetta Chicken - 6pp

It's bruschetta... but on chicken instead of bread. I know, awesome!

Serves 1
Ingredients
180g chicken breast 4pp
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 x tomatoes, chopped
fresh basil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
Fry Light
30g half fat grated cheese 2pp (I use Tesco Half Fat Mature Grated Cheddar)

Method
Cut all fat off your chicken breast. Spray some fry light into the bottom of the slow cooker (you can use oil if you like but it will be PPs), top with your onion, tomatoes, garlic and balsamic and slow cook as you normally would (usually about 6 hours for me). The first time I added the basil before cooking but it goes a bit soft and mushy so you might want to sprinkle over when serving. Top with your grated cheese. 

I have mine with roasts or chips for an extra 5pp. 

Cauliflower Rice - 0pp

Cauliflower rice is a life saver when you're low on ProPoints! I'll admit, it does smell like fart when it comes out of the microwave, but I swear it doesn't really taste of anything, especially when served with curries or chilli which have a strong taste to them. 

One of the easiest things ever to make. There isn't an exact science to this, nor does there need to be, so this is just what I do. It's really hard to go wrong.

I usually get a small bowl (you know like the ones you have your cereal in), grate my cauliflower on the big side (I'm not fancy enough for a food processor) until I look like I have a decent portion (about 3/4 full. It's veg. I'm not scrimping.) Then cover the bowl with cling film and heat on full in the microwave for 3 1/2 minutes. Carefully remove the clingfilm as the steam hurts. Then that's it, ready to serve!

I know some people add salt and pepper to theirs, others add spices, some fry it (chicken fried cauliflower rice.. mmm must try). This is just what I have found to be the easiest method with great results each time. 

Moroccan Meatballs - 8pp

This recipe was actually stolen from the a Juice Plus clean eating plan and they are soooooooo good! I love finding recipes from other plans and making them fit my own.

Lamb mince can be substituted for beef, pork, turkey... whatever you fancy, but for me you can't beat lamb though the calories in it do upset me!

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 250g lamb mince (8pp for 125g)

• 1 onion, grated

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• fresh/ dried parsley

• Fry Light

• 1tsp ground cumin

• 1tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• 500g passata

• fresh/ dried coriander

Method

1. Put the mince, half the onion, half the garlic and parsley in a bowl. Use your hands to combine, then set aside.

2. Heat Fry Light in a frying pan, set over a medium heat. Cook the remaining onion and garlic for 5mins, until softened and golden. Add the spices and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min, until aromatic. Add the passata and bring to the boil.

3. With slightly wet hands, roll the lamb mixture into balls (I usually make around 8 between the 2 of us), then put them directly into the sauce. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 15mins, until the meatballs are cooked through. Sprinkle with coriander to serve.

I have mine with cauliflower rice for 0pp :D