Sauces

A while ago slimming world brought out a Little Book of Sauces and i've been using a few of them that we really enjoy.

Here are a few of the ones that we really enjoy

Red Onion Gravy

1 Syn per serving     ready in 30 mins

Fry light

2 Red onions peeled and cut into wedges

1 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

425ml vegetable stock

1 level tbsp cornflour

Spray a pan with fry light and cook the onions and garlic over a medium heat until soft.

Add the stock and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes

Mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water to make a paste. Add to the gravy, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring continuously, until thickened. Serve straight away

Arrabiata Sauce

Syn free  Serves 4   ready in 30 mins

Fry light
2 fat red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
400g passata
200ml vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black  pepper

Spray a pan with fry light and saute the red chillies, onion and garlic over a high heat for 5 minutes until softened.
Add the passata and stock, bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until reduced slightly and thickened. Season to taste and serve
Serve this nicely spicy sauce with your favourite Italian ingredients: home made meatballs, steak, chicken or pasta.


I use both of this all the time as they are so cheap. I hope you enjoy them as much as i do.

Take care and happy slimming

Back to it

So after not posting for long its time i got back to it.
Things have been up and down recently as i haven't been well and i've had to take a couple of courses of steroids which has caused me to gain a few pounds but it's coming off again so that's all that matters.
I have a goal of getting my 6st award before christmas which i should be able to do as long as i stay on plan.
As i haven't been well and i'm still not great as the gp has signed me off and put me back on the happy pills i haven't really been to the gym and i don't feel guilty about it but i know i should. I will get back to it as i do miss it and it helps to sort out my head which is always good.

Anyway wedding plans are going slowly but i do have my dress sorted. It has to be made as i can't get what i want from a bridal store. The girl that's going to make it is lovely and her mum is making my tiara and i so can't wait to see them both but it will be months before i do.
Looked at flowers as well and have had some great ideas and i can see where its all going and its going to look great.

The one big thing is that we are having to move but at the moment we can't find anywhere but i'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will happen soon as there are things i want to start doing but can't do it yet as we don't know where we'll be. It doesn't help with the stress levels and is why i'm back on the medication and this time of year doesn't help as i hate it and have done for years.

Well i'm not going to moan as i have a man that i love and he loves me and this time next year we'll be two weeks away from saying I DO.
Not everything in life is perfect and will go the way you want it but it is nice if it can now and then.

So i think that's enough for now but i'll be back later with a couple of recipes that i've done lately

Take care and happy slimming

Oooopps

Service will return to normal from 1/12/12

Chicken Kofta Curry with Jasmine Rice

I'm trying new recipes again and this is the latest. We loved it and plan to have it regularly.

Serves 4 and is Syn Free on EE

700g Skinless and boneless chicken thighs, roughly chopped
2tbsp mild curry powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fry light
500g passata with onion and garlic
1tsp turmeric
2tbsp medium curry powder
1tsp sweetener
250ml chicken stock
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
350g jasmine rice
2 spring onions, thinly sliced

1) Put the chicken and 2tbsp mild curry powder in a food processor and season. Blend until fairly smooth then transfer into a bowl. Mix well with your hands, then shape into walnut-size balls. Place a large frying pan sprayed with fry light over a medium heat. Stir-fry the chicken balls for 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned all over. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
2) Add the passata, turmeric,medium curry powder, sweetener and stock to the pan. Quickly bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Season well and add the meatballs. Cover and cook gently, turning the meatballs occasionally for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
3) Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Drain, then stir in the spring onions.
4) Simmer the broccoli for 4-6 minutes, or until just tender, then drain. Divide the curry between 4 bowls or plates. Serve with the rice and broccoli on the side.

Take care and happy slimming

Big Week

Well I am on such a high right now. This morning i got my 5st award which marks my half way point. I also got slimmer of the week and my platinum body magic award which means i'm fit for life.
I am so pleased but i have no idea how i lost 3 1/2lbs this week as i was out for a few days with a migraine so missed out on a couple of gym sessions but i did have a couple of long bike rides before then so that must have helped.
Not with it enough to write any more.
Take care and happy slimming

Erm Whoops It's been AGES

I know i know it's been a long time since i last wrote but i hope this makes up for it.

For eight weeks i was losing and gaining the same few pounds and it was driving me mad as i was so close to my 4 1/2st and i finally got that last week. It was so disheartening but now things are back on track and i'll keep posting here about it more often.
Yesterday was weigh day and this week i lost 2 1/2lbs which brings my weight to 14st 10lbs (i haven't been this weight is YEARS) and this means i'm 3 1/2lbs off my 5st award and all being well i'll get that in the next couple of weeks.
While i wasn't losing the weight my measurements have changed so i'm really pleased with that and i'm not about a size 16 which is just brilliant and just shows how well i'm doing with this as last year i was wearing size 26. Next year i'll hopefully be in a 10-12 and i will be over the moon.

One thing that has changed is the amount of body magic that i'm doing. Here is my basic week

Monday - 30min spin class, 1 1/2hr gym workout, 3 mile cycle
Tuesday - 1hour fit ball class (core workout), 40min cardio, 6 mile cycle
Wednesday - 45min spin class, 1 1/2hr gym workout, 3 mile cycle
Friday - 1 1/2hr gym workout, 3 mile cycle

That's at least 15 miles of cycling and 7 hours 25minutes in the gym.

Today i cycled 13.6 miles on top of my gym session and yesterday i walked about 8.5 miles and it's only day two of the week. I maybe going for a bike ride on sunday with my bff and monday will be back to my normal routine. It has taken 10 months to get to this level and i know that it's a way of life now and i never want to go back to how i was before.
Now i don't think twice about going and doing any exercise and i cycle everywhere that i can and i'm more than happy to walk the dog and she loves a long walk.

So much is going through my mind about what has been going on in the last couple of months but i can't seem to get it make sense enough to write here so this will have to do for now as it's a good start.
I promise not to leave it so long again.

Take care and happy slimming

Oops its been a month

I can't believe that its been a month since i last posted. So whats happened in that time?
I've lost 11 1/2lbs in that time and 5 1/2 of that was this week and i got my 4st award last week and i'm now 1lb from my 4 1/2st award and i'm so happy

I'm feeling so much better and i know that i've still got a long way to go to get to target and i know i will get there.

One bit of good news is that we have booked our wedding for 11am on 13th December 2013. Its a long way off but it feels so good to have it booked. Will post more later as this is just a quicky

Take care and happy slimming