Reaching in the Gold Direction: Winter Warmers

Hello,

Well I have had a pretty eventful few days. On friday night I was greasy haired, no make up on and in my pjs but my boyfriend of 4 and half yrs popped the Big Question!!!and of course I said yes!

So, needless to say weight watchers got a little side tracked when the champers was popped on Saturday night!..... However, I did have a full 49 in my back pocket and going back over I hope I haven't done too much damage.

Saturday I had fruit for breakfast, a ww bagel and bacon medallions with cream cheese for a 6pp lunch.

I also, had 1 mcvities choc and raspberry biscuit (2pp) with tea! One of my mams great food finds :)

In the evening we popped the champers to toast our future!! (6pp).

I then had turkey satay instead of a take away between 6 of us! Here is the recipe.

Nevin Maguire style Satay... Ours now!!

served with special fried rice.

16pp if shared with 4 or 10pp if shared with 6.

Satay on its own 8pp.

Why Take away when you can fake away?

This does not taste like diet food!! It's perfect for Friday or Saturday night fake-away! 8pp serving 4. We have split it between 6 before making it 5pp per person and nobody was hungry after. Serve with rice or stir fried vegetables. I have also included a special fried rice recipe. I don't have the full portion of this I will have 1/8th as its all too much. You could make the recipe smaller if you wish.

Marinade: (0-1pp)

50ml light soya sauce.

150ml freshly squeezed pineapple juice 0pp or 1pp if you use carton.

3 garlic cloves.

Wooden skewers

Sauce: (17pp)

2tsp rapeseed oil (1pp)

30g sweet chilli sauce (2pp)

1 diced onion.

1 red, 1 green and 1 yellow peppers in thin strips.

2 garlic cloves crushed.

1 1/2 tsps root ginger.

200ml Blue Dragon coconut milk (4pp)

50ml dark soya sauce

75g Tesco light peanut butter (10pp)

2-3 tbsp tomato passata

Salt and pepper to season.

1/2 Carrot grated soaked in 2tsp Rice/white wine vinegar.

Meat

500g Turkey Breast steak raw 12pp (125g =3pp) Recipe shared with 4 8pp

400g Lean Braising steak 12pp (100g =3pp) Recipe shared with 4 8pp

660g Chicken fillets 16pp (165g=4pp)Recipe shared with 4 9pp

400g King prawns cooked 12pp (100g=3pp) Recipe shared with 4 8pp

Method

Soak skewers in hot water.

Mix all ingredients for marinade and skewer your chosen meat. Cover meat in the marinade over night or for at least 3hours to enhance flavour.

Sautee onion, garlic and peppers.

Add ginger, coconut milk, soy sauce and passata.

Simmer.

Meanwhile, cook skewers on griddle or grill or in a pan.

Add peanut butter and a few spoons of water to the sauce.

Season with a little salt and pepper.

Just before you serve the sauce stir in the pickled carrot.

Special Fried Rice

31pp for total 8pp per serving if sharing with 4

(usually I will have 75g of boiled rice for 3pp its small portion and 1/8 of this recipe)

1 tsp of sesame oil (1pp)

1200g boiled rice or 240g dried(24pp)

4-5 Scallions

2 eggs (4pp)

60g prawns (1pp)

2 Bacon medallions (1pp)

Method

Cook rice to packet instructions.

Cook prawns and bacon medallions and blanch scallions in wok in tsp of sesame oil.

Beat 2 eggs and add tbsp water.

Add rice to a wok and add egg. Mix/Stir Quickly to prevent it sticking to pan.

Or you can add your egg to hot rice stir very quickly and put in microwave for 1-2mins ensuring egg is cooked. Easier way but tastes nicer in wok!

Sunday morning I ate a late brunch of 2 hodgins low fat sausages and a bagel slim. ( All for 5pp)

In the evening we had mini engagement party and I fit into a smaller sized dress that has been hanging in th wardrobe for over 6months! woo NSV!!!

So, the wine was flowing and then we had margaritas! Then when I got home I had batch bread and cheese!!! :)

An 8oz steak is 7pp and reckon that steak was a bit bigger I pointed it at 12pp, I had veg and baby potatoes. (3pp) as I only ate 2 and shared with my mam. I put down 3pp for oil and sauce.

Myself and my mam also used a tip we learnt from Niptuck Foodblog. Dip your fork into your sauce and then onto your steak and you still get the taste! I was so pleased with myself when my 3 pots of sauce were left!! :)

I had 3/4s of a bottle of white wine (15pp) We then headed to the hard rock cafe!! Sipped 3 at margaritas 6pp each so 18pp.

The alcohol munchies caught up with me and ended up have 3 slices of batch bread and 3 low low triangles. Oh and a purple a snack bar (3pp).

This batch is from aldi 1 25g slice is 2pp!!

So the weekend is over and I hope I haven't done too much damage. I tracker everything and worked out I used roughly 39 weeklies but my 49 are scratched off and I am back on track!

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As the days are getting colder and Its that time of year where a nice warm dinners are just what are needed.

Here is what I had for dinner last night.

Liver and Sausage Beano

12pp per person

Ingredients

450g liver (14pp)

12 low fat hodgins sausages (12pp)

1 small tin of kidney beans (204g drained weight) (4pp)

2 onions sliced.

1 beef oxos

20g flour 2pp

140ml of tesco gravy made up to packet instructions (1pp)

Tsp paprika

Tsp garlic salt

1 bay leaf

1 pinch of mixed herbs

600g potatoes (12pp)

200ml alpro unsweetened milk (1pp)

Method

Dust liver in the flour. Fry with onions on pan in spray oil. Add chopped sausages cook. Make up stock and gravy and pour over. Add in paprika, garlic, mixed herbs and bay leaf. Wash kidney beans and add to mixture. Allow to come to boil and thicken.

Transfer to caserole dish and cook n oven for 30-45 mins or allow to simmer on pan.

Meanwhile cook potatoes. Mash and add milk to make creamy.

Serve Beano on top of mash.

This dinner was my mams sneaky way of getting us to eat liver. It can be nutritious and delicious!

Tonight I had spag bol!

Bolognaise Ragu 6pp per person

*recipe serves 4*

Ingredients

500g lean round beef steak mince (24pp) (125 extra lean mince=6pp)

1 diced onion

Stick of Celery and 2 Carrots grated

Tomato Passata

Basil leaves or tbsp dried

tbsp oregano

garlic salt or 3-4 cloves crushed

1 beef oxo

Tbsp Worchester sauce

Method

Cook diced onion and garlic in a few sprays of fryoil. Add celery and carrot cook until soft. Add mince and cook. If there is any excess fat drain and dry pan with kitchen paper. Add herbs and oxo. Pour in passata and Worchester sauce. Add few tbsp of water if needed. Simmer away!

Serve with 150g cooked pasta or 40g dried 4pp.

Spag Bol Dinner 10pp per person.

Here is my mams stew recipe. This is dinner for Thursday after weigh in!

Beef Stew and potatoes

48 for recipe Serves 4 12pp each

Ingredients

800g braising steak 24pp (200g per person 6pp)

2 onions sliced.

3 Carrots chopped

2 sticks of celery sliced

1/2 a turnip

1 beef oxos

40g flour (3pp)

140ml of tesco gravy made up to packet instructions (1pp)

Tsp garlic salt

1 bay leaf

1 pinch of mixed herbs

40g of soup mix (lentils barley etc) (4pp)

600g potatoes for mash (12pp) and 150g chopped for the pot (3pp)

200ml alpro unsweetened milk (1pp)

Method

Dust beef in the flour and fry with onions, carrots, turnip, 150g potatoes and celery on pan in spray oil. Make up stock and gravy and pour over. Add in garlic, mixed herbs bay leaf and soup mix.

Transfer to a casserole dish and cook n oven for 2-3hrs. Or cook in slow cooker.

Meanwhile cook potatoes. Mash and add milk to make creamy.

Serve stew on top of mash.

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Here are some good food finds: