Get Creative

January 26th 2016

Weigh in

Just the half a pound this week but I have to keep reminding myself that every little counts and anything off is better than on!  

Get Creative

Do you, like me, have lots of cookery books (not Slimming World) that you may think you will never open up again.  Well, time to get creative!  Unless it's The Great British Bake Off cakes and breads, most recipes can be adapted with a little thought and imagination.  This week I had a look through an old favourite - Jamie Oliver Return of the Naked Chef and on page 174 is his five hour lamb with wine, veg and all that!  The recipe serves 6, I have listed it as printed with my minor adjustments in brackets to make it Slimming World friendly...

1 large leg of lamb (fine as long as it's lean with all visible fat removed)
salt and pepper
olive oil (replace with fry light and a little water if needed)
6 rashers of thick, streaky bacon (I used back bacon with all fat removed)
3 red onions peeled and quartered
3 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced
2 handfuls of herbs - thyme, rosemary, bay leaf
4 large potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
1 celeriac peeled and cut into chunks
6 large carrots scrubbed and halved
3 parsnips scrubbed and halved
1 bottle of white wine (I used a 175ml glass which is 6 syns - divided by 6 is 1 syn per portion - if you want to use a whole bottle it will make it approx 4 syns per portion)

Preheat the oven to 170c.  In a large casserole dish, brown well seasoned lamb in fry light then add bacon, onions and garlic and fry for a further 3 minutes.  Add herbs and veg, pour in wine and top up with water (Jamie uses water equivalent to the amount of wine - you will need to use more water - a stock cube will also add more flavour).  Bring to the boil, cover and bake in the oven for 5 hours.  He serves with bread, I don't think you need anything as it's all in the pot but add extra veg if you wish.

Lunches in a bowl!

Variety is key to sticking to any plan.  I find lunch the hardest to be inspired for but I came across some more recipes for salad lunches and as I enjoyed the 'Burger in a bowl' so much I decided to give them a try.  Both recipes were in an old copy of a Slimming World magazine.  Firstly Mexican chicken: make up a pack of Ainsley Harriott Mexican style rice, top with grilled strips of skinless chicken, Old El Paso refried beans (I left these out), shredded lettuce and red onion slices (I also used red pepper strips).  Serve with 1tbsp reduced fat guacamole (1 Syn).  The second one was Club sandwich in a bowl: shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, grilled back bacon (all fat removed) and turkey slices, serve with mustard mayo made with 1 tbsp extra-light mayo and 1/2 tsp mustard powder with a tsp water.  Both lunches were delicious and have inspired me to think of some other sandwich fillings that I can turn into a low Syn salad.

The rest of my Week

Breakfast: Sausage sandwich made with 2 x Slimming World sausages and 2 slices of wholemeal bread from a 400g loaf, tinned tomatoes on toast (2 x slices of wholemeal bread from a 400g loaf), 30g Weetabix minis


Lunch: Burger in a bowl, homemade smoked salmon pate, Mexican chicken, Club sandwich in a bowl



Dinner: Cottage pie, Chicken and mushroom pasta, Salmon with soy & ginger noodles

My tip...Use the Slimming World app when shopping to keep on track and not purchase anything you may later regret