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.



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.

Chicken Biryani Slimming World Style

This was my second new recipe i couldn't resist giving ago. We have had this for our Dinner this evening and it was delicious, really tasty, and something different to have without being naughty on your diet. Here is the recipe for this gorgeous Chicken Biryani. 

Ingredients

300g Basmati Rice

4 Chicken Breasts, diced

800ml Chicken Stock

1 large onion diced

2 Tbsp Curry Powder

1/2 Tsp Turmeric

1 Tsp Cumin

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Fry Light

Method

1: Fry the onion using you fry light until soft.

2: Add in the chicken, Cumin, Turmeric, Curry Powder and Salt and Pepper and fry until the chicken is browned and cooked through.

3: Add the rice into the pan and fry for a further 2 minutes.

4: Put the stock into the pan and lower the heat to allow your Biryani to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is soft. Serve immediately and enjoy.

This tasty serves 2-3 people depending on portion size etc. This one pot meal is really quick and easy to make and the best bit about it, you can have this Syn Free on your Slimming World diet. So go on, give it a go and see what you think!