Woman of the Year Party

So last night was our Woman Of The Year finals, I didn't win but I'm not bothered. It was amazing to even be nominated. I dug these out to take to group and it helped me realise how far I've come. I also got a lovely message from a friend I haven't seen since I left university 5 years ago (I think) and the last time she saw me, these shorts were my best friend. I wore them all the time with leggings and now, well, they fall off. I might not be where I want to be just yet but I'll get there and this has made me even more determined 💪🏻 11.5lbs from my target and then I'll see how I feel! 4 sizes down! 

Also made these coconut macaroons for our party along with the famous cinnamon swirls! But I forgot to take a photo of those so here's an old one! 

All recipes can be found on this blog in previous posts as always. 

Pokemon Go & Body Magic

Has anyone else found themselves addicted to Pokemon Go? Pokemon was a massive thing when I was growing up, so it made sense to download it and see what the fuss was all about. I didn't realise just how much I'd love it and how much it would make me want to get out of the house! We went on a massive walk on Monday night only somewhere local but we were aware it was a good 'Pokestop' area. We had such a great time, got in plenty of walking, caught loads of Pokemon and got to see a beautiful sunset. I definitely need to make more of an effort to go here, its beautiful and only really a 5/10 minute drive from my house with loads of walking routes. Here's a few pics I remembered to take...

Last night me and my friend decided to go up to Rivington Pike to go on a big walk and decided to Pokehunt whilst up there. it was 24 degrees when we went up there at 7.30pm! Again we got in loads of body magic and I smashed my 10,000 step goal. The views from the top were incredible, such a clear and bright sky!

Has anyone else found that this new craze has helped get them and/or their kids out of the house more? And also got people socialising a lot more and helping each other find the Pokemon on the map? I love it!

Woman Of The Year Nomination

So I found out over the weekend that i'd been nominated for Woman of the Year at my Slimming World group. Safe to say I was gobsmacked and it's definitely given me the kick up the bum I needed to help me re focus! Our finals are this Thursday and we've been asked to bring a before photo and/or some old clothing. I dug out my shorts that I used to live in at uni when I was at my biggest (a size 20) and I was pleasantly surprised with just how different I look in them now (I can't wear them as they fall off me) I've only dropped approx 3 stone at the moment but the difference is ridiculous! 

*photo to follow*

Chicken & Tomato Soup

I'm finally at a stage where I feel I can make up my own recipes. I used to try to make soups but I didn't know what worked with what and it always tasted horrible. But last night I made a lovely fruity tasting tomato soup and then added some shredded chicken from Iceland just to bulk it out a bit and make it more filling.

To make the soup:
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 can of sliced carrots
2 stock cubes & approx 1 pint of water
frozen onions
1 carton of passata

Simply heat all the above and then blitz, I then added salt and pepper and a sprinkle of Paprika then threw in the shredded chicken that was frozen (pre cooked) from Iceland, I'd taken it out to defrost earlier so it was ready to add.

 

Scan Bran Ginger Cake

I decided to give Scan Bran a go, I know a lot of people hate the stuff so thought I would try some recipes where the flavours seemed like they would help mask the taste.

This is a Ginger Scan Bran cake. I doubled up all of the following ingredients so I could make two days worth at once (or one for my friend to try if I didn't like it) :)

5 Scan Bran
2 large carrots, finely grated
3 or 4 tbsp artificial sweetener (or to taste)
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp of ground all-spice (or to taste)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten


Method
Pour boiling water over the Scan Bran and leave for 1 minute so that it softens, then drain and mash.
Blend the Scan Bran, carrot, sweetener, ground ginger, all-spice, and cinnamon, mixing very thoroughly.
Then add the beaten eggs and stir until completely mixed.
Transfer the mixture into a microwaveable dish – about 16cm in diameter.
Microwave on high for about 15 minutes, or until cooked.
The end product should be reasonably moist.

I actually really enjoyed it, it was a little dry (even though the cake itself was moist) so maybe some natural yoghurt/fruit on the side would help it go down easier but I did really enjoy it. Looking forward to trying some more recipes soon!

Half of this cake is your B choice for the day!

Chinese/Indian - Low Syn Fakeaway

The best thing about slimming world takeaway recipes is how easy it is to mix and match. I had an urge to make the onion bhajis but also fancied some mayflower curry.
The onion bhajis are completely syn free and my portion of mayflower curry was 4 syns.

Onion Bhaji Recipe:
Ingredients
Frylight
2 large onions, sliced - I used 1 white, 1 red
2 eggs, beaten
1 sweet potato, peeled then grated
2 tablespoons of curry powder - you decide on the strength I use medium usually

Directions
Slice the onions
Grate the sweet potato
Beat the eggs
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients
Spray a cake tray with frylight
Using your hands, mould the mix into balls and add to the tray
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown, allow to cool then enjoy

The mayflower curry is 4 syns for 28g of powder, you simply add this to cold water and heat through until mixed, you can have this as thick or watery as you like. I usually just stick it in the slow cooker with the chicken, peas, onions etc and leave for a few hours on low. I made enough to serve 4 and froze whatever wasn't used. EASY!

BBQ Friendly Food

Some of the easiest recipes can make such a difference. I used to spend loads on all these flavoured chicken drumsticks and thighs etc so I didn't have to do it myself. I made these syn free skewers to pop on my friends BBQ so we could both stay on plan, the burger is a SW one from iceland but you can easily make your own. 

I combined some syn free natural yoghurt with some tandoori powder and the juice of 1 lime, then cut up the chicken breasts and mixed together. Left to marinate for about an hour (the longer the better, overnight if possible) and then put them all on skewers. Normally I would add peppers/onions etc to the skewers but as it was last minute I hadn't been shopping. Then simply cooked on the BBQ and they were lovely, even my other half loves them!

Here's an update...

So if you look at this blog often you will realise I haven't posted in about a month. I haven't forgotten I just haven't had much time or much to write about. I've had a few off weeks with Slimming World to be honest. I got my 2.5 stone award but then struggled to stay there and i'm currently back to 1 stone 10lb loss. Been trying to get my head back into it and I finally feel like i'm getting there so fingers crossed I'll be back to posting more frequently soon!

I'm blown away by how many people are still looking at my blog and using what i've posted, it's good to know that people find it useful!