Turkey Stuffed Roasted Squash- Zero SmartPoints!!!

 I made this as described only I only used one Butternut Squash because I made it for 2 people not four, and at 0 Smart Points it was a bargain after the terrible diet I've had today. I've been stressed to high heaven so I've just been eating whatever is at hand, I've not exercised since Saturday and I feel lazy! 

I am of course looking after two sick children which is why but all the same!

This one is a nice warming recipe, the spice is like a undertoned chilli spice, it was hot but it wasn't an overbearing hot (no doubt when coupled with the very plain Butternut Squash it was made to go together just right. 

I wouldn't share this one with the kids just because of that chilli spice (Yasmine would wave her hand in front of her mouth and say its too hot!) and if you don't like chilli spices this one isn't for you, but we (unfussy eaters we are) enjoyed it!

Leek and Potato Soup with Chicken

We're having a ill week here in our household. So loaded down will cold like symptoms we all needed some simple food!

Yes its pointed BUT it is the nicest soup I've had in a while.

2 Leeks and  200g of potatoes were lightly fried in a pan, 2 chicken breasts were popped in the oven.

600mls of veg stock was added to the potatoes and leeks along with some garlic salt and a little bit of pepper.

Once the stock was cooked down in the potatoes and leeks I cooled it all the way back down to room temperature then added 200mls of semi skimmed milk. Stirring as I went. I then blended the ingredients and added the chives.

once the chicken was cooked I sliced it and served.

Both kids loved the lot and so did I. Real treat at 3 Smartpoints!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yummy!

Teriyaki Chicken

So I made a couple of changes to the recipe on this one 

1) My shop didn't have any Teriyaki Paste/Sauce/marinate so I had to make it from scratch which is okay because I found a really simply recipe which I adapted (because it called for white wine and I don't drink) but I pointed it all and it turned out my changes made it 2 Smartpoints not 3 as per recipe.
2) I also didn't serve it with asparagus as suggested because my kids wouldn't eat that but instead I served with green beans and broccoli.
3) I didn't serve the sesame seeds for Yasmine, she doesn't like sesame seeds. 

 My Teriyaki Marinade

• 8tablespoonsAmoy Light Soy Sauce

  
  

  33 Points
• 4tablespoonsShloer White Grape Sparkling Juice Drink

  
  

  22 Points
• 2tablespoonsArtificial sweetener

  
  

  00 Points
• 1clove(s)Garlic

  
  

  00 Points
• 1teaspoons, levelGround Ginger

  
  

  00 Points

Shared by four this works out as 1 Smartpoints per serving.

And there are the rest of the ingredients. 

We served with rice (6 SmartPoints worth about 60g) 

Yasmine LOVED it! The chicken thats it, she didn't eat the rice. I said I would need to make it with chips next time for her she seemed very enthused by this!

Joseph had a nibble of the chicken and the proceeded to just eat the rice. 😒(trust my kids!)

We both enjoyed it, it was very tasty, only problem was is that I wanted more!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Stars WeightWatchers

19/01/18

This morning we all got into the car ready for the school run.... It wouldn't turn over 😕

It was twenty to nine Yasmine's school is a 20 minute walk by myself without snow. With Yasmine it is safely 25 minutes. So Yasmine and I jumped out and walked to school, I called them on the way to tell them she'd be late and why we got there at about five past nine and they were lovely about it. 

From there I got the bus up to Stanley and got to my weigh in (Yey!) 

Philip kept Joseph home with him, because Joseph had a temperature, I couldn't expose him to the cold like that and take him to weightwatchers (Bless him).

I have been posting more this week so I think you know how this week went.

I've been keeping my walking up and although last night I got to the end of the day 2.000 steps off my 10,000 a day (Which was my aim for this week) the rest of this week has more then made up for it! the day before 11,128, day before 12,824, 10,649... So I talked myself out of having to make myself do those steps, When your lazy day is over 8,000 steps when weeks ago it was half that, you're fine.

So I've really been focusing on toning and building muscle along with loosing the weight. my legs hopefully are showing this already, but I am also doing some more gentle exercises on my arms which I would love to start to show!!

Having said it all, another loss this week!

Weight loss this week:-3lbs

Weight loss total: -39lbs or 2 Stone 10lbs
COME ON THREE STONE!!

You're pulling on my....

Arm!

Now that was unexpected. 


But you know I am happy with where my weight comes off in general.

But the main place where the weight is very visible is my arms. 

And I know why.

Its very difficult to 'use' those (what is popularly known as) 'bingo wings' muscles Even lifting children.... They don't get used.

So I've taken to doing a online video which is only three minutes long but it makes your arms burn! (I'll contact the youtuber later and see if I can include a link... if of course it works....)

So, I've done it 3 nights this week, I don't know if you can tell the difference yet but I think I shall keep you informed and keep an eye on my weekly pictures and tell me if you notice a difference!

Zero Point Moouse

With Jelly crystals (like the harley ones 0smartpoints) boil up 1/2 a pint (285mls) stir and allow to cool to room temperature add upto 1/2 pint (285mls) of fat free yogurt. Stir together then put into moulds (as you can see I've just popped them into 4 small plastic tubs) there's no bubbles in the moose but its really nice at 0 smartpoints good for snackers with a sweet tooth!

Quick and Easy Breakfast

Breakfast is ready!

Those of you who know me know that I love a cooked breakfast! I've put them on here before as a victory 'look what I've done for very few SmartPoints' kind of thing. There are some days however you just can't make yourself do it right? 

For all a healthy breakfast is a great start to the day I think we are sometimes fooled into thinking that actually being full for longer is less important then the calorie intake.  

Its difficult to get your head around sometimes that its the foods and whats in them which are important. One of my favourite things at the moment are eggs. When they brought in the Flex Smartpoints eggs were one of the food which weightwatchers changed from having a points value to them not having points at all. The reasoning is that studies showed that eating certain foods had no effect on the rate that you loose weight (if cooked and prepared in the right manner).

So naturally WeightWatchers websites have exploded with foods which can be made free (or very low) in SmartPoints. Now Egg was not the only free food found on the Flex but it does help with making delicious foods!

So this is breakfast on the go. I'll tell you before I show the ingredients they are 1 Smartpoint for two cups.  They are great for people on the go, food you can literally prepare in advance, pick up and run and they really take very little time to prepare as well (though I'll admit I didn't time it!)

What You'll need

A Muffin tin

6 eggs 

3 bacon medallions

3 mushrooms

6 cherry tomatoes

Fry light Spray

1. With the frylight, spray the muffin tin with it
2. break the eggs placing one egg in each cup
3. get a fork break the yokes and whisk the eggs lightly in the tray (don't worry if its not scrambled completely)
4. cut up the bacon medallions and share equally among the six cups
5. Cut up the mushrooms and share equally among the six cups
6. cut up the Tomatoes and share equally among the six cups
7. Place in oven 190 (fan oven) gas mark 5 for 15 minutes.

I've also seen this done with cheese though you will need to add those points/calories to the final count.

Per recipe:

Bacon medallions =97 calories /1 Flex SmartPoint

eggs=338 calories/ 0 Flex SmartPoints 

Mushrooms= 85 Calories/ 0 Flex SmartPoints

Tomatoes= 15 Calories/0 Flex SmartPoints

Frylight spray=6 Calories/1 Flex SmartPoints

For those on weightwatchers its a great little snack if you are on the hungry side and the plus side is they are made up already to go!

Sausage and Sweet Potato Bake

I purchased The New Flex Cookbook from my WeightWatchers meeting today and took the time to make one tonight.

Now I know the cookbook says 6 SmartPoints but I ate 10, because we shared our meal between 2 of us not 4.

But hopefully the recipe I followed will help you point or calorie or syn as you see fit. SmartPoints are in Blue.

Ingredients 
255 g Sweet potato(es), raw 8 
1 tablespoons, level Wholegrain Mustard 1 
1 medium Red pepper(s) 0 
1 medium Yellow Pepper 0 
1 large Onion(s) 0 
1 poron(s), small Mushrooms 0 
250 g Cherry Tomatoes 0 
1/2teaspoons, level Paprika 0 
6 piece(s) PORKY LIGHT SAUSAGE 11



OH MY!! It was really really good! Easy to make straight into the one pot. You're really just throwing it together... 

Philip liked it. I mean it did have sausages in! There was nothing in it not to like. 

Well worth the ten points!

12/01/2018

Can YOU see a difference?

So today you'll notice a light difference with my photos immediately and hopefully I can explain why.

So this week I've been fitbtiting and its been very interesting!
Over 68,000 steps later I can feel the muscles!

I'm going to be like She-Rah! 

Yes that is almost 10,000 steps a day and apparently this is the recommended number of steps. Can I just be the first to say, that's a lot of steps! You do that many, and you are fit.

But I want to be the first as well to say this.

I think we underestimate how many steps we do.We tend to think we have to go out and walk for miles and miles on end to be fit, and where its true that we should be getting out and exercising for at least a little while, we can easily forget what we are doing.

There is a HUGE emphasis on physical activity and there should be, but I think it can guilt us, it can guilt us into believing we don't do anything and we won't hit the target so why even bother? Thats me in a nutshell you know and I greatly underestimated what I do. 

On Wednesday I think I had over stepped the mark and I wasn't feeling well so I've had a relaxed Wednesday and Thursday, Thursday I did nothing I was really not well and I still managed over 4,000 steps. Just let that sink in, I literally did the bare minimum I was sat most the day and I still almost got half way.

It hasn't been a huge life changer to actually hit my steps this week. What I would like to do is not almost hit those steps averagely over the week but to hit them, every day. 

Honestly its been reteaching me what it is to walk, what it is to exercise... and along side with the walking I've been doing some of the exercises with the fitbit trainers and I'm not kidding my stomach ached after for days! 
But they say NO PAIN NO GAIN! I don't think I can live by that saying!

All I can say is, people START WHERE YOU ARE.
have an active day around the house, 
go out for a walk, 
stick on some F.R.I.E.N.D.S for half an hour on Netflix and step forward and back in front of a couple of episodes (Yes I did this one day!)

So because my muscles have been building and muscle weighs more then fat I was quite chuffed when Claire said I had stayed the same from last week!

It means I've lost some weight really but my fat is turning into muscle.

So the picture above is one of me before Christmas and now, can you tell the difference in the muscle rather the fat, let me tell you I can! Lets keep going! 

Weight loss this week:-0lbs

Weight loss total: -36lbs or 2 Stone 7lbs

Week beginning 05/01/18

Greetings all!
So, I did go to weight watchers last week which was great actually despite having put no 2 1/2 pounds over Christmas! It was good to know that the damage I did wasn't reversible.

Let me make it clear, I haven't been counting food for the last three weeks! I've been watching what I've been eating, but not counting, I've been eating chocolates right left and centre.

So when I went back today and I lost three pounds from last week... I'm half a pound lighter then before Christmas!! And I'm okay with that!! (Actually quite chuffed I was able to shift it quite so easily!)
So today I'm back in the habit (yes Sister Act 2 pun intended)

Back in the Habit!

I have to start tracking my food again!


No More Junk!!


Except maybe the cadbury's heros still under the tree... because you know....



No chocolate would drive you mad!


I also invested in a fit bit. I'm quite excited really! I've wanted one for ages and I really want to get into the fitness side too, to help shape me as I shrink... I couldn't believe just how quickly I clocked up half a mile! Just pottering this morning.


It monitors your sleeping too and that is a big thing for me because I am a terrible sleeper! I suck at it and lately as well I've been quite tired, so I'd like to see the pattern actually and see the differences between the good nights and the terrible nights!

So looking forward to the next week people!

Weight loss this week:-3lbs

Weight loss total: -36lbs or 2 Stone 7lbs