Ayrshire Mummy: Weight loss update and tasty soup recipe

I've got a confession to make. My weight loss hasn't been going exactly to plan. While I've not been pigging out, I've not really been sticking to my plan. A combination of being ill, rotten weather earlier in the month and tiredness means I've been eating mainly comfort foods. In particular potatoes, they are my No1 comfort food. Mashed potato especially. I can't think of anything I'd rather eat when I'm feeling a bit run down.

Thanks to a successful trip to the GP and some rest I'm feeling a lot better and ready to get serious! The months are flying by and if I want to be svelte in time for holidays I'd better get cracking! I've not managed to do as much walking as I would like, so the other day I finally got around to digging my exercise bike out of the shed and hauling it into the house. That in itself was good exercise as it is quite heavy and I nearly ended up smashing it through the glass in the patio doors as I tripped up the steps! Does Home Contents Insurance cover that type of accident? I've gotten really clumsy since having Holly! So anyway, the plan is to cycle for half an hour every day. I can easily pop the bike in front of the TV and watch something to make it less of a chore which suits me fine!

Also, I decided I should find a better alternative to eating stodgy potatoes all the time, so I'm substituting them with sweet potatoes instead. So far so good. I made a lovely sweet potato and chilli soup the other day and thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Sweet Potato and chilli soup Recipe

Ingredients:

A few sprays of low calorie cooking spray
2 small onions (any variety you like - I sometimes use spring onions)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 finely chopped chilli (more if you like it spicy) OR dried chilli flakes
750g sweet potato peeled and cubed
Vegetable stock cube and 500mls of boiling water
50 to 100mls of reduced fat coconut milk (according to your taste)

Method:

Spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray and place on a medium heat. Add onions to the pan and stir regularly for about 2 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, coriander and chilli. Cook for a further few minutes then add in the sweet potato and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add your stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 20 minutes, or until sweet potato is tender. Blend or process mixture until it reaches a smooth consistency. Return to heat and stir in coconut milk, I add a little at a time tasting as I go along until I get the flavour I want. Stir until heated through. Lastly, serve it up and enjoy your lovely soup!