Ratatouille

Here is something I have been meaning to make for ages and I finally remembered to get all the ingredients in at once!

Ingredients

Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
1 Red Onion
1 Corgette (Zucchini)
1 Aubergine (Eggplant)
1 Red Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
2 cloves of Garlic
Salt and pepper
Oregano
Basil

1. Chop the vegetables and crush garlic. Stirfry garlic with the vegetables for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, I also added half a tin of water.
3. Add herbs to taste.
4. Simmer until vegetables are soft.

I served mine with a chicken breast stuff with cream cheese, herbs and wrapped in ham with some broccoli. It is equally good on it's own with a sprinkle of cheese.

Creamy stilton pasta

This is probably my all time favourite recipe that I have come up with and I have spoken about it many times it makes me think that I have blogged it before so I apologise in advance if I have because I can't seem to find it. just a shame I can't eat blue cheese at the moment but guess this could work with a strong crumbly cheese like a Lancashire cheese.

Ingredients
 Healthy Extra of stiliton cheese, I use a garlic and mushroom white stilton that I get from a local market
Quark
Vegatables of your choice I used peppers, onions and mushrooms.
Herbs
Pasta

1. Crumble the stilton in the quark overnight so that the quark can absorb all the flavour.
2. Cook the pasta
3. Fry up vegetables and herbs
4. Drain pasta and combine all the ingredients

 

 

Bean and Veggie Sausage Stew

I came up with this before work a couple of nights ago and it was so delicious, definitely something I will be making again. As always I tend to just chuck things in without measuring. I split what I made into two portions and took to work, this heats up well and lasts for a couple of days.


Ingredients

Chopped Tomatoes
Mixed Beans
Garlic
Spring Onions
Onions
Mixed Peppers
Chilli (I used Very Lazy Chilli)
Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper
Chives
Paprika
Turmeric
Linda McCartney Red Onion and Rosemary Sausages

1. Crush garlic and heat gently in a pan with spring onions, onions and peppers.
2. Cook sausages according to pack instructions.
3. One softened add chopped tomatoes, mixed beans and stir.
4. Add all seasoning until it tastes how you want it.
5. Once sausages are cooked slice and add to stew

Food Diary: 12/01/2011

I have decided to track more after speaking to a friend a couple of nights ago it made me realise I usually just mentally track and I am sure that this is what has slowed some of my weightloss down. So for the next week I am going to put up all of what I eat. As always check the values yourself as I do not go to a Slimming World group.

Breakfast

Shredded wheat with semi skimmed milk

Dinner

Scrambled egg with 6 wholegrain ryvita crackerbread with low fat spread

Snack

Grapes and Weight Watchers Raspberry Tart yoghurt 

Tea


Savoury rice with chopped salad and 1 tablespoon of kraft light garlic and herb dressing


Snack

Cadbury's Fudge


Review of the day


I used 9 syns today

I had only one of my healthy extra A's and both of my B's.

Quick and Easy Meal Ideas #1

I thought I would do a series on quick and easy meals to do on Slimming World because I often used the excuse that I didn't have enough time to make healthy meals when in reality this is not true all it takes is a little planning and a few special ingredients.

So number one is a lovely stodgy meal for those of you that enjoy green days but it can also be had on extra easy.

You will need:

• Tesco meat free burgers (1 syn each)
• Instant mash potato
• Tin of baby carrots
• Beef stock
• Mushrooms
• Onions

Then you will have to:

1. Cook burgers (20 minutes)
2. Chop onions and mushrooms and fry until soft (5 minutes)
3. Make up the stock and add some instant mash until it is the consistency you like then add to pan of onions and mushrooms (1 minute)
4. Boil the kettle and make mash as directed (2 minutes)
5. Heat baby carrots (2 minutes)
6. Put together on a plate and enjoy!

As you can see this can all be done in 20 minutes! It is delicious, warming and a great winter's night meal.

Cottage cheese potatoes

Ingredients

1 large potato

Cottage cheese with chives

Garlic 

Method

1. Bake the jacket potato
2. One baked cut in half and scoop out the potato and place in mixing bowl
3. Add cottage cheese (use which ever one you like) and garlic
4. Mix together and place back into the potato skins
5. Place in the over on 180c for 10minutes until crispy on top

I served this with beans and salad.

This is syn free but please check the syns of the cottage cheese before using.

Weigh in 26/05/2011

This week's weigh in was really good  I lost 4lbs and I reached two milestones. The first one being that I have finally lost 2stones and the second was that I have reached 30lb loss. S

I think this week's success was down to the amount of water I have drank and possible my speed soup. I also think that by planning my meal out with the girls helped a lot. I did go over my syns but didn't have as much as I would have usually and  I still had a good loss.

This week is my week off and I always struggle with my healthy eating when I don't have the structure of work, so far I've had one day off Slimming World on Saturday as I went to my parents to watch the Champions League Final and I had 2 bottles of cider, mousaka, greek salad, houmous and jam roly poly and custard.

So, as you can see I had a bit of a feast. I've been right back on it today with a 'fry-up' consisting of tomatoes, bacon, scrambled egg and Joe's garlic and herb sausages.

I'm hoping to have more blog posts up this week including some recipes that I am trying out.

Hope all of you are OK and the healthy living plan is going well.

Speed Soup

Speed soup

1 can mixed bean salad
1 can green lentils
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 can baked beans
Handful of split lentils
2 large leeks
1 large onion
4 medium carrots
2 parsnips
Green, red & yellow pepper
2 beef or chicken or vegetable stock cubes dissolved in water
Salt pepper
Mixed herbs
Garlic
Chilli powder


1.Chop and put all vegetables in pan
2.Add all other ingredients
3.Cover with water bring to boil and simmer until soft
4.Can be left chunky or blended

This is delicious and really filling. You can add as much or as little seasoning as you want and also experiment with different seasonings.

A delicious way to serve the soup is by adding some Weight Watchers Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips (4 syns) either by crushing them on top or using to scoup up the soup.

Slimming World Food Diary 16/05/2011. Green Day.

(F) = Free foods

(A) = Healthy Extra A

(B) = Healthy Extra B

(Number) = Syn Value

Breakfast: 2 slices of weight watchers Danish (B), egg (F) and tomato ketchup (1)

Dinner: Quorn turkey and stuff style slices (F) on 2 slices of weight watchers Danish (B) with 2 Laughing Cow Light triangles (A), tomato (F), lettuce. Cous cous with vegetable Oxo cube, garlic and Italian seasoning and some potato salad made with 1 tablespoon of extra light mayonnaise (.05), garlic (F) and mixed herbs (F).

Tea: Sainsbury's instant mash (F), beans (F) and egg (F)

Snacks: 2 shape 0% yoghurt (F), double chocolate Alpen light (3.5), Cadburys highlight hot chocolate (2), apple (F)

Total Syns: 8 (1 syn came from sugar in hot drinks)

Healthy Extra A: 4 Laughing Cow Light Triangles
Healthy Extra A:  Semi skimmed milk
Healthy Extra B: 2 slices of weight watchers Danish
Healthy Extra B: 2 slices of weight watchers Danish

Not a good day for fruit and vegetables, will try harder to get more into my diet.