What I Ate Wednesday - The Slimming World Edition!

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another What I Ate Wednesday blog post!

 BREAKFAST

2 Quorn sausages, mushroom and tomato (all grilled) and a few generous spoonfuls of baked beans. Black coffee with Splenda.

Firstly, apologies for the presentation! My tomatoes got a little bit burnt as I was in a rush this morning! Holly and I have Playgroup on Wednesday mornings and we were running late so things didn't quite go to plan!

I do like to have a cooked breakfast every so often so this SW friendly version is great. I would normally have bacon as well but I forgot to defrost it last night so had to do without! You'll also notice I haven't made any eggs either. I'm really not fond of eggs at all. I hate the smell of egg and I find the texture of egg white really unpleasant. I can eat things like quiche and scrambled eggs, but as long as I can't taste the egg if that makes any sense?  As for the coffee, I'm really unable to function until I've had my caffeine! I tend to only have 1-2 cups per day though, and never after 3pm. If I did I would never sleep at night!

LUNCH

Despite not having any bacon, breakfast was very filling and this helped me avoid wasting my Syns on biscuits at playgroup! Even by lunchtime I still wasn't hugely hungry. So I'm afraid today's lunch was a bit boring. I opted to just have a MugShot and a banana! Not very exciting I know, so I decided not to bother with a photo of it! However, I promise you my dinner will be a lot more interesting!

DINNER

Slimming World KFC Chicken! Yes, you heard me right. KFC CHICKEN...and it's SYN FREE*! I found this recipe on the Minimins forums (which are a godsend for interesting recipes if you are on SW) & I have been dying to try it out. I altered the recipe slightly to suit what ingredients I had in the house.  If you want to try the original recipe you can find it HERE. The only things I didn't include were the Bovril & the Maggi. I also used chicken breasts instead of drumsticks. Most people serve this with salad and /or SW chips but I opted for roasted veggies instead. I have to say, it was very tasty and very filling! The coating was beautifully crispy and unlike real KFC it wasn't greasy at all.  I will definitely be having this again, but next time I will try making it with the Bovril and Maggi to see if I can make it even tastier!

SNACKS

Lidl Mint Choc fat free yoghurt

SYNS

2 x Quorn Sausages = 2 syns

Yoghurt = 2.5 syns**




What did you eat this Wednesday ?

 * Some SW people suggest that if you use Smash (instant mash) as a coating for KFC chicken then it should be given a Syn value as you are not using it in the normal way. I don't feel this is necessary. I used less than I would to make a normal portion of Smash (which would be free) so using it as Syns makes no sense to me at all!  Syn it or don't Syn it though, it's your choice!

**Just a quick note about the Lidl yoghurts. They are delicious and cheaper than the Muller yoghurts. I believe the fat free cherry and strawberry varieties are syn free but all other flavours are 2.5 syns.

Cancer Awareness Selfie

I'm sick of it. Absolutely sick of seeing it. Not the selfies. The negativity, all those bemoaning this trend. All those holier than thou individuals, particularly on Twitter. Calling it self indulgent, misguided, narsissistic. Asking exactly what a no make up selfie has to do with raising Cancer Awareness. Saying people should donate rather than taking a selfie. You know what I say? Shame on you!

I'm aware that a small minority of people shared their selfies without any mention of charity or raising awareness, but so what? The majority of selfies I saw where positive and uplifting. People sharing their stories about how cancer affected them, telling others how to check for symptoms and giving people information on how to make donations. I took a selfie and shared it on Facebook too. I text BEAT to 70099 and donated £3 to Cancer Research. I reminded people to check their knockers too. Job done. Now if that, the briefest glance at my message on Facebook could encourage someone to check their breasts then isn't that great? If it prompts someone else to donate, then isn't that great too?

I understand the cynicism. I do, but there are always going to be some people who don't do things for the right reasons. There will always be some who don't get the point, but who are we to them judge everyone who took part? Overall I believe this trend has had a hugely positive effect.

So to anyone who's moaning, looking down their nose at these selfies. Put your money where your mouth is. Donate, share and show us all how it's meant to be done then, but keep your negativity to yourself. It achieves nothing.

Donate to Cancer Research

What I Ate Wednesday - The Slimming World Edition!

Welcome to my very first What I Ate Wednesday! I decided to start doing this because I thought it would be easier than picking my favourite SW meals from the week to share in a post with you. Doing a post on a full day of Slimming World eating will probably give you a better idea of how this way of eating works on a day by day basis. Hopefully it will illustrate how wonderful, filling and easy to follow SW is! So without further ado, here is what I've been tucking into this Wednesday!

  

 BREAKFAST

2 X  Alpen Light bars. 2 of these delicious bars can count as your Healthy Extra B choice. I believe if you don't want to use them as your HEB they would have a Syn value of 3.5 per bar.

Quick tip - I occasionally crumble one into a low fat vanilla yogurt. It's a great treat!

 LUNCH

Slimming World super speed soup and a banana. I really love this soup! I know some people prefer to blend it, but I love the chunky texture. A very filling lunch!

DINNER

Homemade Quorn lasagne.  Normally I would make lasagne with lean beef mince but I didn't have any and I always have a stash of Quorn products in my freezer so I decided to use my Quorn Mince for a change! I made sure to add lots of veg, carrot, celery, mushrooms, peppers, onion and courgette.

Quick tip - I didn't do it on this occasion but sometimes when making Lasagne I will also substitute the pasta layers for vegetables instead. You can use leeks (but you need to boil those to soften them first) or roasted peppers and courgettes. I personally think the latter makes a much tastier lasagne. I was just far too lazy to do it this time!

SNACKS

Lidl low fat strawberry yoghurt

Options hot chocolate (Belgian Chocolate flavour)

SYNS

Not many today. Just  2 for my hot chocolate and another couple for the Philadelphia I used for the Lasagne topping. Although, since I didn't eat the whole lasagne it might be less!

So there you have it! What did you eat this Wednesday?

All That Glitters...

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will probably already know me feelings on these:

Glitter wine glasses and bottles. In a word - HIDEOUS!  I really cannot even begin to understand why anyone would want to make these or buy them. That's right, people are BUYING these. For themselves or as gifts for others. I shudder at the thought that someone might buy one for me. Eurgh.

Why do I hate them so much you ask? Let me explain....

Firstly, I cannot think why anyone would pay someone to make one. It's not difficult or expensive. Buy a crap bottle of wine and a cheap wine glass (think ASDA smartprice), add some Modge Podge glue and some hideous glitter of your choice and that's it! So why are people on Facebook still clamouring to buy these things for ridiculous amounts of money?

Secondly, once you've downed your Echo Falls White Zinfandel are you really going to keep an empty wine bottle? Really? Are you going to display it with the glass in pride of place somewhere in your home? I wouldn't. I'm an adult. The last time I had something glittery on display was probably when I was a teenager and had Take That and E17 posters adorning my walls! Oh the shame...

Are you aware that very much like sand, GLITTER GETS EVERYWHERE? It's almost impossible to remove it entirely from anything. It doesn't matter how much you brush, sweep, wipe, Hoover or scrub. You'll still find bits of glitter around your home. Even if it came from a glittery Christmas Card someone once sent you in 1992. I swear that glitter has a longer half life than nuclear waste. I certainly don't want to drink out of something glittery. Who wants to end up with a mouthful or faceful of glitter? DISGUSTING!

I hate the idea of these as much as the item itself. Yeah! I'm a woman! So I must like ALL THINGS GLITTER! All women LOVE bloody glitter! We just love sparkly things! Ohhhh shiny things! I want! I want! I want! NOOOOOOO! I'm a woman, not a bloody magpie!


Am I being harsh? Maybe, but it's just how I feel. I'm not a fan of glitter/sparkly things at all really. Some glittery things I can cope with. Like glittery/sparkly shoes. They're ok. Sparkly dress, that's cool. A crystal chandelier, why not?  But glittery wine glasses, over my dead body. So please, never ever give me the gift of a glitter wine glass. Seriously, JUST DON'T.

Two Years Two Months

Two years and two months.

My little lady.

I've been lucky blessed to be able to spend my days watching you grow.

I've rarely been far from your side since you came into my life.

I used to believe it was because you needed me, but maybe the opposite is true.

The time has come to register you for nursery.

So now you are preparing to spread your wings and broaden your horizons. Even if just a little bit.

We visited the other day, and as you ran and explored you barely gave a backward glance.

My heart aches for you. Knowing that I have to let you leave this nest. To fly free.

You've always been an independent little lady. Even as a baby. You never wanted to lie down, to chill, or snooze or snuggle.

You wanted had to sit up and absorb it all. Interact. Get stuck right in.

You always wanted to do everything yourself. To assert your independence. You never gave up trying. Not until you achieved your goal.

I love that about you. Yet it pains me.

So young to be so grown up.

So little to be so independent.

I've rarely been far from your side since you came into my life.

My little lady.

Two years and two months.

Slimming World - Sensible Syns!

I've been doing a lot of research online for Slimming World recipes since I started a few weeks ago, and I'm amazed at some of the creative recipes I've come across so far. Especially some of the Syn free alternatives to what would normally be a fairly high Syn meal/food.

Examples of the type of food I mean are:

SMASH pizza
Banana ice cream
Cous Cous cake
Slimming world microwave crisps


I did notice that while most people agreed that these foods are SYN free, other SW dieters argued otherwise. Let me explain.

Most people would not normally make a pizza with instant mashed potato or a cake with cous cous. There is the suggestion that if you process certain ingredients in a way they would not normally be used, you may over eat them.

Say for example, you wouldn't normally eat 3 bananas in a row would you? Or if you did you would probably be full and wouldn't eat any more? However if you freeze then blend banana to make ice cream it is very likely you could potentially eat a lot more.

It's the same with making SW crisps. You would be full after eating a certain amount of whole potatoes, but when you make them into crisps you would probably end up eating a lot more.

So this is why people argue that foods like these should be given a SYN value. However, I disagree. Surely it's all about portion control? I like banana on toast, sometimes sliced and sometimes mashed if the banana is ripe. So effectively I would have to use my Syns for banana on toast if I mashed the banana, but not if I sliced it? Even though I would be using the same amount of banana? I'm sure you see the problem. That's just silly. I say if you want to eat the above foods without using them as SYNS, then do it! As long as you check that the portion size isn't much larger than it should be. Personally I would only SYN these foods if I planned to have a big portion.  Surely it's common sense that if you use more instant mash than a single serving size so you can have a massive pizza, you are going to be having a lot more calories?  Similarly, if you make a Cous Cous cake and then eat the entire cake to yourself it's hardly going to help you lose weight is it? You still have to consider portion size.

I can see why some SW people are cautious when it comes to some of the recipes, but as long as you are sensible, surely it's up the individual how they choose to follow SW? If they can still manage to eat these foods and lose weight without ever using them as SYNS I think that's fine! What do you think?

Stepping into Slimming World!

Hello strangers! It seems I've been a bit neglectful of my blog in recent months. Sorry!

However, I'm back and ready to dust the cobwebs off for 2014!

In case the title didn't make it glaringly obvious, I've started slimming world. After Christmas I was feeling pretty down. I'd crept back up to my heaviest weight and didn't seem to be able to stop myself eating. Even though I was thoroughly miserable about my weight I just kept eating. I was lethargic, grumpy and my weight was starting to make my ever present back pain even worse.

I really didn't know what to do. I didn't want to try any faddy diets, as I've fallen foul of those before. Cutting things out of my diet simply made me obsess about "forbidden" foods and gorge on them whenever I got the chance. That's where Twitter came to my rescue. I noticed a few weeks ago that several of my twitter friends had joined Slimming World. They would post pictures of their meals and I was hugely surprised not only by how delicious they looked, but also the generous portion sizes!

So I started looking into it for myself, to see if the plan was really as easy to follow as it looked. I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised. Unlike Weight Watchers where EVERYTHING has to be pointed and weighed, on SW the majority of the food you can eat can be eaten freely. With the exception of a few foods which are assigned a SYN value. Each day you have a 15 SYN allowance so if you feel like you need a little treat you don't have to worry about it.

My mind was made up. I decided I would try it out...

So here I am about to start my second week, and I can honestly say I have not been hungry once. Which is usually a big issue for me when I try to lose weight. I can still eat reasonably large portions & I really don't feel deprived of anything since no foods are actually forbidden!

Another thing I'm enjoying since starting SW is the variety. The majority of food you eat on SW is homemade and I although I do like to cook I felt that I had gotten into a rut in terms of meal ideas before. I used to eat the same meals week in week out and wasn't really appreciating what I was eating as a result. SW offers lots of different meal ideas. If anything I actually struggle to decide what to make because there are so many new recipes I'm dying to try out!

As I go on with Slimming World I would like to share my favourite recipes, but if you'd like an example of the type of meals I've been able to have since starting SW here you are:


Lasagne
Pulled Pork
Cooked breakfast
Breakfast banana pancakes
Banana Ice Cream
Chicken Saag (curry)
Creamy Carbonara
Chow Mein


So doesn't it sound great? I feel very confident about being able to continue with SW for as long as I need to. I suppose only time will tell though, but I look forward to sharing my journey with you. So if there are any other Slimming World people out there I'd love to hear from you!