Chocolate Eton Mess

LOVE this, Quark with sweetener, bournville hilights, vanilla essence and strawberries, with crumbled merengue! 4 Syns of deliciousness!  Why deny yourself! Juicing, shakes, pills etc??? Give Slimming World a go!!

Arla Skyr Honey Yogurt and Watermelon

Been waiting to try this as it sounded lush, and it was delicious! Great honey flavour and only 3 Syns for a 450g pot which is huge! Had it with watermelon and a dusting of Cadburys chocolate sprinkles!

Slimming World Chocolate Cake!

400g Black Beans - drained
3 Eggs
2 Tbsp Sweetener
2 Cadbury's Bournville Hilights sachets
1 tsp Instant Coffee
Vanilla Pod or Essence
Juice and Zest of 1 Orange (or orange essence)
1 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt

Blend all of the above in a food processor, line your tin with baking paper sprayed with Frylight and pour the mixture into the baking tin.

Optional - Sprinkle 25g Chocolate drops on the top.

Bake on 180 for about 25 minutes.

6 Syns for the whole cake without chocolate drops, 12 Syns with. I made mine without. Freezes really well too!

Terry's Chocolate Orange Quark Slimming World Style

Wow this is well nice! Just remembered I had some Sainsbury's Valencia Orange extract in the fridge and added it to my quark and bournville with sweetener, very much like a Slimming World version of Terry's Chocolate Orange! YUM! Also made with Tesco quark which is by far my favourite, just seems thicker and creamier #happy  

Be Prepared

Shopping is here! Lots of lovely on plan food to choose from!

Love these Slimming World friendly Princes Mackerel fillets the Moroccan ones are free, half a Syn for the Mustard ones!

Fruit bowl brimming with apples, clementines a water melon...and trying flat (or doughnut) peaches which.....

....are rather nice, not the same as a normal peach, the flesh is lighter and the taste milder, but they are lovely an SO SO SO much easier to eat!

So now all I have to do is decide what's for dinner?????

Favourite Pudding

Total 0% Yogurt (could use Quark) a 2 Syn Cadbury's Bournville Highlights and a couple of spoons of sweetener! Delicious! Chocolatey!

Bleugh

Feeling sluggish! Ate too much crap yesterday, shouldn't have had the leftover wine, or so much of the leftover food, or the four biscuits which found their way into my gob! Home weigh in suggests not too much damage done but I feel bloated and crappy! Roll on tomorrow a day on plan properly should sort me out!

Uh Oh Danger Food In The House

Been away this weekend, and while food shopping Saturday for a BBQ some coleslaw jumped into my basket! This has meant coleslaw dinner Saturday, coleslaw breakfast this morning and another coleslaw dinner tonight! Thinking the scales are not going to take kindly to this tomorrow!

Tonight's dinner was leftover tandoori chicken and an Iceland kangaroo burger with laughing cow light blue cheese, and coleslaw! 

With leftover wine! 

Tassimo Latte

My cup of morning loveliness 5 1/2 Syns I call it 6 for the chocolate sprinkles! High in Syns but worth it for me!

Weigh in and Slimming World Burger Fest

Tonight was weigh in, managed to stay the same which is 1lb under target. Plan is to weigh in around 2lb below most of the time giving me 5lb to play up with! I currently weigh 8st 13lb 

Last two evenings dinners have been burgers! I love a burger! Sunday was a Slimming World Iceland quarter pounder with bacon and laughing cow light blue cheese for 1 1/2 syns! These are great in a burger! With salad and cauliflower couscous. As usual a couple of Syns of mayonnaise, wholemeal thin for HEXB!

Tonight was the Thai Chicken burger. Managed to squeeze a bit of speed food in there! Syns for mayonnaise, wholemeal thin for HEXB.

Leftovers Dinner

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by last nights leftovers. The Maggi So Juicy chicken in a wholemeal roll, HEXB, with a reduced fat cheese single 2 Syns, salad, and Slimming World chips. Usual mayonnaise applied! Last night I had a chicken leg, tonight it was part of the leftover breast meat which was delicious. I still have a leg and a whole breast left so that's done three dinners last night and one tonight, still with plenty to go!

Feeders

A topic that came up at Image Therapy recently was people who, without asking, plonk a bit of cake
etc. down with your cup of tea. You’re then faced with a really difficult situation and could end up
eating something you don’t really want using valuable Syns on something just because you don’t
want to appear rude. I always remember the advice of a friend about twenty years ago who said
they used a tactic when faced with something that had the prospect of taking them off plan and
that’s “I will have it, just not now” I can clearly remember using it at Easter once, years ago, when the boss
brought in Cadburys Crème Eggs for everyone. I didn’t really want use my points (Weight Watchers
at the time) on it but didn’t want to appear rude so said Thank you I’ll have that later! It sat in my
drawer for weeks until I really wanted it. I wasn’t denying myself it, just choosing not to eat it there
and then and sabotage my weight loss. When I eventually ate it I really enjoyed it! Similarly recently I
had two Cadbury’s Crunchies in my top cupboard I’d been given about four months ago, which I’d
saved for when I got to target, they were delicious when I eventually ate them.

I’ve also used this at work, although if I’m honest my colleagues (mostly) are great and don't try and
force cakes and biscuits on me. They have learnt over time if I say no I mean no. They will often now suggest I take a cake home for my son, which I have done in the past.

It can be difficult, I think you can sometimes end up feeling apologetic and embarrassed even by
refusing treats from family, friend and colleagues. If someone who is just a healthy eater refuses
chocolate goodies they are rarely cajoled or pestered to have one but the fact you’re on a “diet”
sometimes makes some people think they have the right to try and pressure you into eating something
you’d rather not. Slimming World doesn’t have banned food, so if you’re offered a treat and you want
it, then  Syn it and enjoy. If, however, you’d rather not then don’t feel embarrassed to say no, to ask
people not to automatically plonk cake down with your cuppa, or not to bang on relentlessly that
one chocolate chip muffin wont hurt! I find when my head is in the right place I don’t even want
those things really. I could have one, but that would be in place of a nice glass of wine with dinner,
or the Syns I’d planned into that evenings meal. It’s all about choices, and I’d chose wine over
chocolate cake just about 99% of the time.

So if you feel awkward about saying no, or asking people not to just give you stuff without asking
give the “I will have it, just not now.” method a go! “Thanks, I’ll have that later” means there’s no
immediate moaning at you for not eating it, you can save it for later. If it’s perishable you can always
take it home for someone in the family who might enjoy it! “I’ll really enjoy that after my dinner
tonight when I’ve got a sweet tooth, thanks” I’ve even just taken things home in the past and binned
them rather than just say no. The first few times it happens can be difficult and you feel like you have to explain or justify yourself. The more you do it the more of a natural response it becomes and people will offer you treats but not pester you if you refuse. Have the confidence in yourself to say no if you don't want it, or Syn it in if you do. It's your choice.

Never be afraid to stand up for yourself, they soon get the message if you stand firm! It’s your choice, your body and your weight loss! xxx

Maggi So Juicy Roasting Bag Chicken

I thought I’d have a bit of an experiment with dinner last night. Wednesday is my Body Pump class and it’s always such a rush getting in, bathed and then getting dinner ready. I’ve seen the adverts for the Maggi So Juicy roasting bags and looked them up on the Slimming World App. The Rosemary and Garlic ones are 5 ½ Syns each. 

They say they are for a small chicken but I’d bought a large one. Deciding that if it was roasting in a bag it wouldn’t need its skin on I removed the skin along with the wings, as no one eats them in our house anyway. I also removed the little bits on the end of the legs and it fitted into the bag no problem. I added a lemon chopped into quarters to the cavity and sprinkled over the seasoning. I then chopped my salad and part roasted some Slimming World Chips all ready to finish cooking when I got in. The chicken went in the oven just before I left for Body Pump and when I got home before I jumped in the bath I popped the chips back in. 

I have to say I was super impressed with the results. The chicken was in fact “So Juicy” and perfectly cooked. The flavour was lovely, and I reckon I’ll get at least 5 portions from the whole thing so 1 and a smidge Syns per portion.

Danger Foods

I have a list of Danger Foods, these are foods that if I have in the house I can’t leave alone, so in general I don’t buy them. I have four foods, two pretty obvious ones and two maybe not so.

1. Butter

If I have this in the house I use it. I generally buy spread which doesn’t bother me but butter makes me want to eat bread, not just any bread but uncut white bread, baguettes, ciabatta and toast! In our house if there’s uncut bread of any type it’s usually me who eats it, my family prefer a sliced loaf. So if there’s butter, there’s bread that only I eat, and it would be rude not to eat it before it went stale!! If it’s not there I don’t miss it, or crave it but if it’s there I’d eat it! I always buy a couple of packs of butter at Christmas as a treat, and occasionally if we are having a BBQ or special occasion I’ll get a small tub of Lurpak.

2. Chocolate Hob Nobs / Digestives

A relatively obvious one, but I can never just stop at one of these. Once the packet is open I don’t stop till they are gone or I feel sick! I recently had my gallbladder removed and got through a whole large packet in about a day and a half! Post operative treat, nice but not good for the waistline.

3. Coleslaw

Not just any coleslaw, it has to be at number one Waitrose and number two Tesco. Again a food I just can’t leave alone and I’m the only one in the house who eats it really. Therefore it’s down to me to be a trouper and not let any go to waste. On top of this I refer back to number one as there’s nothing I love more than a big chunk of freshly baked uncut bread with butter and coleslaw. I also love coleslaw on toast, with salad, in a burger, in a sandwich or just a spoonful on its own whilst making any of the above. It might not seem like a particularly bad one as it’s easy enough to Syn and easily accommodated within your 5 to 15 Syns a day. But, as I find it hard to leave alone I only buy this occasionally. Fortunately I do most of my shopping online at Sainsbury’s (whose coleslaw comes in at number three) so I’m not often tempted to buy some. If I am making a trip to Tesco I am usually able to resist, Waitrose comes in a bit harder especially as the small pot only comes with one of those annoying peel back lids, and the big pot comes with a proper clip on plastic lid!

4. Hi Fi Bars

Again maybe not an obvious one? But so delicious and easy to pick up and eat before you’ve even realised what’s happened! If they’re not in the house I don’t miss them, but if they’re there I’m constantly wanting one or two for breakfast, then I get home in the afternoon and usually have a coffee, which immediately makes me want a Hi Fi to go with it. The later in the evening after dinner, another coffee, another Hi Fi craving. I buy these every few months or so as a treat I can’t buy them every week any more as I scoff the lot in about two days. Hi Fi treat at the moment is the Slimming World Lemon Merengue Hi Fi Lights. 3 Syns each or two for a HEXB.

Burger, Quark and Hi Fi Bar

Late in tonight so despite having shopping delivered yesterday and a fridge full of on plan food convenience won and I had a Slimming World Iceland Thai Chicken burger with tomato and rocket. Then my favourite Tesco Quark with a Cadburys Bournville flavoured chocolate HiLights for 2 Syns, with blueberries and grapes. Then couldn't resist a new Slimming World Lemon Merengue Hi Fi bar! These are as good as I'd hoped, which means I'll just buy them as a treat even though they're limited edition and so probably won't be round for long! 

New Lemon Meringue Hi Fi bars

Can't wait to try these! I tried the Aplen Light lemon ones and wasn't impressed, tasted like fairy liquid!! I'm expecting good things from these as I find Slimmimg World Hi Fi bars usually have a really good flavour! I don't buy them every week as I find they're too easy to pick up and eat and end up over Syns if I have them in the house all the time! Going to treat myself to some of theses though!

Dinner

New Slimming World Iceland quarter pounder burgers with mayonnaise, Laughing Cow Light blue cheese and BBQ sauce! Salad and baby jacket potatoes! The burgers were lovely, not as good as kangaroo but still nice and something we would all eat - husband and son won't touch the "bouncing roo burgers" ! Should have just had the one really as I can barely move 😝

Probably over syns today oops! Had 2 x tassimo lattes at 12 syns, the cheese was 1.5 syns and probably 3 syns of mayonnaise!  

I bought some Tesco quark today, which is the best! Also got some blueberries, strawberries and grapes to go with it for pudding and usually add a Bournville Hi-Lights hot chocolate sachet to the quark for 2 syns. Don't think I've got room for it tonight so will have that tomorrow instead! 

Body Pump was fab but I'll feel that tomorrow or Friday! The instructor is great really enthusiastic and fun and chatty all the way through, makes the class a good laugh as well as a brilliant workout.