Chicken Jambalaya

 

Today i decided to try another Slimming World recipe so tonight's tea for the family was Chicken Jambalya. It was really really nice and just the thing i was looking when i was searching through the recipes for something abit different with a different taste. It really did hit my expectations and was enjoyed by my whole family too. This quick easy recipe is very filling and at only 1 1/2 syns per serving on extra easy it doesn't even have a big impact on your syns for the day. See below for the full recipe and maybe give it go yourself.

 

Ingredients

 

1 onion, finely chopped
1lb/454g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-size chunks
6 Quorn sausages, sliced
1 red, 1 green and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 courgettes, roughly chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
400g can chopped tomatoes
9oz/255g long grain rice
16fl oz/454ml chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A handful of fresh parsley, chopped

 

Method

 

1. Heat a large pan sprayed with Fry Light. Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes to soften. Stir in the chicken and Quorn sausages and carry on cooking over a medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. Add the peppers, courgettes, thyme, lemon zest, chopped tomatoes, rice and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season to taste. Leave the jambalaya in the pan for a few minutes to soak up any remaining liquid. Serve sprinkled with some freshly chopped parsley.

 

I am really hoping for a good weight loss on Tuesday my fitness really has took a hit which i found out on Friday night in the gym, however i realise that after being ill i have got to rebuild my fitness and allow my body to get used to doing the workouts again. Bring on 2 1/2lb on tuesday to get my five and half stone award i really hope so. Plus i am going back to the gym tomorrow night after work for my last chance workout and hopefully build on my fitness again a little bit more.

Bolognese Pasta Bake

 

If you have read the post before this one you will see that i have struggled with my Slimming World Journey for about 2 weeks now, however i really want this one to be good. Day off work so i thought great i can get something new tried and still be on plan with my diet. Todays recipe is Bolognese Pasta Bake which is 2.5 syns on Extra Easy per serving. When it came out of the oven it did look abit dry however when i cut into it and started to eat, i realised it was actually really tasty and not dry at all. So if you fancy this dish here's how you can give it a go.

 

Ingredients

250g Dried Pasta Shapes

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Celery sticks, finely chopped

1 Medium Carrot, peeled and finely chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely sliced

250g mushrooms chopped roughly

500g extra lean beef mince

400g can of chopped tomatoes

250ml Beef Stock

1 Tsp Oregano

salt and pepper to season

6 Tbsp finely chopped basil

110g reduced fat mozzarella cheese, diced

 

Method

1. Cook your pasta according to the packet instructions until it is al dente (cooked through but not fully softened). Once done, drain and set to one side.

2.Place the onion, carrot, garlic, celery, mushrooms and minced beef into a large non-stick frying pan and stir fry for 6-7 minutes.

3. Add in the tomatoes, stock and oregano and bring the mix to the boil. Seasin well with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and then stir in the basil

4. Spoon half of the mixture into the base of a medium sized baking dish and top with the pasta. Spoon over the remaining bolognese sauce and top with the mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes on Gas Mark 4, until bubbling.Remove from the oven and serve.

 

I served mine with thick potato wedges which had been cooked using my Actifry so this makes them free on extra easy. Other serving suggestions could include some seasonal veg or a nice side salad, this also adds to that one third superfree on your plate! Hope you enjoy it as much as me and my family did.



Beef Lasagne!

For a couple of week's now i have really crazed a really nice lasagne with some chunky wedges on the side. However due to me being busy all the time i seem to never have had the time to prepare and make one. This week i thought i have some spare time this weekend it has got to be a lasagne for tea. I did a quick shift at work today and came home and started preparing tea. If you like the look at my lasagne above here is the ingredients and method for you to give it ago.

Ingredients

Lasagne

500g Extra Lean Beef Mince

1 x Medium Onion

1 x Red Pepper

1 x Green Pepper

300g Mushrooms

Passata (I used passata with garlic and herb to add more flavour)

8 x Dry Lasagne Sheets

40g Reduced Fat Cheese

 

Bechamel Sauce

2 x Level tbsp Cornflour

275ml Skimmed Milk

150g Fat Free Fromage Frais

1 x Level tsp Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1. Prepare all of your veg or whichever superfree you choose to bulk up your filling.
2. Lightly spray a frying pan with Fry Light and add in the mince cooking until just turning brown. Then add in your veg and cook until they begin to soften.
3. Add in your passata and allow the mixture to cook until all your ingredients are fully cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, In a small bowl blend together the cornflour with a little of the milk. Pour the rest of the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Then add in the cornflour mixture and simmer for 1-2 minutes stirring continuosly until the sauce has thickened.
5. Remove the sauce from the heat and gradually beat in the fromage frais and mustard. Season well with salt and pepper, then reheat gently being careful not to boil as the fromage frais will curdle.
6. Once everthing is prepared and cooked prepare your lasagne dish, firstly add in a layer of the mince mixture, top with lasagne sheets then some of your Bechamel sauce, building up your layers as you go finally ending with a topping of sauce. Once finished add your cheese to the top.
7. Put your lasagne in the oven on Gas Mark 6 for approx 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and cooked. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

I served mine with cajun potato wedges and peas. The lasgane serves 6 people and is 3 syns per serving if using the Cheese as part of your Healthy Extra A allowance. The picture below shows my completed meal and it was so tasty and very filling.

Cottage Cheese Quiches!

 

 

Weekend off work so i thought its maybe about time i started trying some new Slimming World friendly recipes. The group that i attend has a fantastic Facebook Group where members can get support and inspiration from other members. People also post pictures of food they are having and things they have made and how they have turned out. There is one member on the group, im sure she will know who she is if she reads this, is so very inspirational. Her food pictures and recipie ideas are brilliant and really give you different ideas on what to try next.

This recipe is one that i have seen her produce and thought they look delicious so thought i would give them ago. So here is the recipe for Cottage Cheese Quiches and here's how you too can have a try.

Ingredients

4 medium eggs

300g Fat Free Cottage Cheese (I used onion and Chive Flavour)

Your choice of filling maybe you could add some superfree into them?

 In mine i added Ham, Mushrooms and Tomato.

 

Method

1. Prehat your oven to Gas Mark 5 and in a deep muffin tin spray the little compartments with a little fry light.

2. Chop your fillings up so that they are small enough to go into the tins without over filling them.

3. In a bowl blend together your eggs and cottage cheese until it is fully combined.

4. Place your filling into the muffin tin and then carefully pour in you egg/cottage cheese mixture so that each compartment is well covered.

5. Place them into the oven for approx 30mins or until they are firm and golden brown.

6. Remove them from the oven and then you can either serve them warm or cold the choice is yours.

 

The above recipe should make about 10 individual quiches and the best bit is they are totally syn free. They can be enjoyed as part of a meal, maybe serving them with a nice salad or can be used as a snack. Due to them only being muffin sized they are also perfect to add into your lunch bags for work.

 

 



Fast and simple lunch idea!

 

 

This is a fantastic, tasty and really quick lunchtime idea which really is ideal for anyone who doesn't know what to take to work for their lunch or simply someone who hasn't got time to stand and mess around creating a lunchtime meal.

The picture above shows my idea of a mock "stir fry". It basically consists of a Batchelors Deli Noodle Box and some quick, microwavable veg.

The Deli Boxes come in 4 brilliant flavours, firstly there is Mild Curry, BBQ Beef and Chow Mein all of which are brilliant at only 1.5syns per box and the fourth one is Chicken flavoured which is 2 syns per box.

How can you create this filling lunchtime meal? Cook your Deli box according to the instructions on the box and then i bought Tesco Microwaveable vegetables, which come in a number of different varities, all adding to your intake of that very important Superfree foods of course. Simply cook your veg as per the packet instructions, once they are cooked and your noodles are soft, mix everything together to create your quick, simple meal.

The whole thing takes aprox 5mins to make so everyone can squeeze in this brilliant dish antime of the day.

Cheese, Ham and Broccoli Pasta

 

Here we go then the 3rd and final recipe of the day.

 

Slimming World Cheese, Ham and Broccoli Pasta

 

Ingredients

200g dried pasta

6 x extra light cheese triangles

200g Brocolli, stalks removed

100g mushrooms, sliced

1 x Large Onion. chopped

400g Ham, cubed

Fry Light

 

Method

1. Place pasta in boiling water, add in the brocolli and cook until the pasta is soft and the brocolli is cooked through. Drain and Set aside.

2. In a frying pan, sprayed with fry light, fry the onions and the mushrooms until they are soft, add in the ham and fry for about 5 minutes until the ham has warmed through. Add in the Pasta and brocolli and stil the mix well. Add in the cheese triangles and mix really well until the cheese has melted and coats the pasta. Serve immediately.

 

This is a very filling dish, it incorrporates your superfree and makes a very tasty meal. The above ingredients serve 2 people and is 3 syns per serving. However to make this syn free you could use the cheese element as your Healthy Extra A for that day.

Coconut Macaroons

 

 

This is the second recipe of the day:

 

Slimming World Coconut Macaroons

 

Ingredients

4x Egg Whites

198g/7oz Sugar

71g/2 1/2 oz Coconut

 

Method

1. Beat the egg whites until they are frothy.

2. Add in the sugar and beat the mixture until stiff.

3. Fold in the coconut using a metal teaspoon, then drop small amounts of the mixture onto a parchment covered baking tray. This should create 30 macaroons.

4. Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven on 170c/325f/Gas3.

5. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the baking sheet.

 

Another fantastic buffet idea or a nice sweet treat if you need it! They are brilliant on diet too at only 2 syns per macaroon.

Prawn and Chilli Ginger Cakes

This is the first of 3 recipes i am going to blog today so here goes:

Slimming World Prawn and Chilli Ginger Cakes

Ingredients
113g/4oz Wholemeal Bread, Crusts removed
255g/9oz Raw Prawns, peeled
2.5cm/1" piece of root ginger, finely chopped
1 x Tbsp chopped corriander
1 x Red Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 x egg
fry light

Method
1. Place the bread in a bowl, cover with water and soak for about 10 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.
2. Place the bread, prawns, chilli, ginger, corriander, egg and seasoning into a food processor and whizz until all ingredients have combined.
3. Form the mixture into small cake shapes, heat a frying pan sprayed with fry light. Cook the cakes for 2-3 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Serve them immediately.

The recipe makes 12 cakes and the syn value per cake is only 1 syn! They are perfect for Slimming World friendly buffets.

Just for you Debs!

This was tonight's meal, I couldn't resist trying a new recipe from my Little Book of Sauces from Slimming World, so this was the first one. Plus I had some help choosing my first recipe from one of my friends at my slimming world group, Debs! She loved the look of it and says she couldn't wait for me to try it so I could tell her how it was hahaha well I can say it really was gorgeous.
So here is all the information you need to create this lovely sauce for yourself.

Ingredients

Low cal cooking spray

1 x onion peeled and finely chopped

2 x Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1cm piece root ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 x Tbsp curry powder (i used mild)

400g can chopped tomatoes

60ml Vegetable stock

2 x Tbsp sweetener

50g Fat free fromage frais

1 x Tbsp freshly chopped coriander

1 x Tbsp freshly chopped mint

Method

1. Spray a pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add in the onion and garlic, cooking them until soft. Add the ginger in and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, then add the curry powder and cook again for another 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, stock and sweetener to the pan and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 12-15 minutes.

3. Transfer your curry mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth. Return to the pan and add the fromage frais, coriander and mint. Gently heat through before serving being careful not boil so the fromage frais does not curdle.

This dish serves 4 people and is syn free. It makes a brilliant takeaway substitute, you feel like your being naughty when in fact your being really good and not using any of your syns. To be extra good on your diet you could have a fruit salad for your dessert that way you are also getting plenty of superfree into the meal. 

Little Book of Sauces....Watch This Space!

I know i have not posted on here in a while but it is simply because i have been pushing myself at the gym, last week i went on Wednesday,Friday and Sunday plus on Monday night i went swimming with Charlotte, so loads of body magic this week.
 Last night was weigh in again, it comes round really quickly, and i was quite pleased with the result on the scales. I lost 1.5lb meaning i dropped into a new number, literally just dropped in, but i am really pleased. I am now boasting a 4 stone 1.5lb weight loss in 6 months. Whilst in group i decided to buy Slimming World's Little Book of Sauces, mainly because i am looking for new things to try and new sauces that will go well with my meals. So watch this space... there will be some new recipes soon.

Soup Cubes!

 

 

Gemma, a very good friend of mine and also fellow blogger, gave me an idea to make u some soup and make them into these handy little soup cubes which are small portions of your soup that allowd you to enjoy it whenever you want to. I decided to make some Slimming World mushroom soup which is Syn Free and one of my favourite soups to have especially with the weather on the change. So how can you try this for yourselves at home, make your favourite, winter warming and healthy soup then once you have made your soup transfer it into some silicone muffin trays, allow to cool and transfer to the freezer. I find these especially good when i do not know what to take to work for lunch, i simple pop one or two portions out the tray and take it work and pop it in our freezer, then when lunchtime comes around i pop my cubes into a bowl and heat through then enjoy. The picture above shows my soup cubes, whilst cooling, before i transfer them into the freezer.

If you would like to try this slimming world mushroom soup here is the recipe.

 

Ingredients

2 onions peeled and chopped

500g mushrooms any variety

2.5 pints of Vegetabke stock, use slightly less if you want your soup thicker

200g Low fat fromage frais

Salt and Pepper for seasoning

 

1. Finely chop all your mushrooms and fry them along with the onions in some fry light in a large frying pan.

2. Add the vegetable stock and bring it to the boil, Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Remove this from the heat and transfer your soup into a food processor, blender or use a hand blender to blitz everything togther.

4. Add the fromage frais and blitz again until smooth and well mixed. Serve immediately or allow to cool slightly and transfer into your trays to store in the freezer as soup cubes.

 

Definately a quick and easy winter warmer, perfect to enjoy whilst at work or simply sitting at home and chilling out on your sofa.

Day off work and a new reciepe to try!

After a quick gym session this morning which consisted of me hitting the treadmill to warm up then slowly building myself up to a decent workout, and i managed to increase my running up to a collective 8 minutes which is a massive achievement for me. After i was warmed up i moved onto the bikes for 10 minutes and then ended on the weight machines, not a long workout today but some is better than none i say plus i was restricted with time today.

 So with it being my day off and while i have time i like to experiment with new recipes from Slimming World and cook for the rest of my family. On the menu tonight for tea was Homemade Meatballs with SW Arribiata Sauce on Tagliatelle pasta. It was so easy to make and was really tasty with a little kick from the slightly spicy sauce.

 

If you want to give it a try yourself this is the ingredients you will require and how you to can create this beautiful meal.

 

Ingredients

 

Meatballs

500g extra lean mince either pork or beef

1 small onion either red or white which ever you prefer

2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp dried oregano

 

Arribiata Sauce

400g Passata

200ml Vegetable Stock

2 red chillies deseeded and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves

1 onion

 

Dried pasta your choice on type and also amount depending how many you are serving.

 

Method

1. In a large bowl mix together your mince and onions, once it has all combined together add you Worcestershire sauce and oregano. Mix well until all ingredients are well combined. Then roll small amounts of the mix together in your hand to form a small meatball, then place on a baking tray. Repeat this until you have used all your mince mix. This amount of ingredients should make between 15 and 20 meatballs. Then place your tray in the fridge to allow them to bind together and marinade. Leave them for about 15 Min's, then remove them from the fridge and using a frying pan sprayed with fry light gently cook the meatballs until sealed and slightly browning. remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Now begin your sauce, spray a pan with some fry light and fry together the chillies, garlic and onion until softened. Then add in the pan the passata and stock and stir it to mix everything together. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, add you meatballs and allow the dish to simmer for 15-20 minutes until your sauce has reduced slightly and thickened and your meatballs are cooked through.

3. Whilst your sauce is simmering cook your pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

4. Once everything is ready serve immediately whilst warm.

 

Here is a picture of how mine looked when completed. The best thing about this whole dish is you can enjoy it Syn Free on your Slimming World Diet.