Have I changed?

I thought I'd post some photos of me before I started WW and one of me now nearly 100lb later.

This is me about 2 years ago, sorry for the blurry photo

This is me yesterday with Luke at Chessington World of Adventures

This is 96lb difference in weight, I have never looked at them together before. Wow, I'm shocked!

I'm going to get deep

Since I started core 3 weeks ago, every Wednesday I have blown my week straight after weigh in. Last week the clerks at the meeting where I weigh persuaded me that I should take Wednesdays off from WW and eat whatever I like. I started Wednesday morning and didn't stop until I went to bed. That doesn't work for me, I have to be a control freak at all times because if I don't, then I lose all self control.

This is where it gets deep. Yesterday I went to the cinema with my best friend Fi. I must have eaten half my bodyweight in pick n mix. I don't know why I did it, I just ate unconsciously. She is my "fat friend" and I always associate her with eating and having fun and the two are intertwined I think. I did exactly the same thing when we went out for my birthday. I didn't want the sweets but I wanted to have "fun" and the way I have fun with her is to eat.

That's got to change, I have to re-define my relationship with her. I have to see her as someone I can have fun with without stuffing my face. I think that I'm trying to prove to her that maybe I haven't changed, that I'm still fun and not one of those "boring dieters" who go on about calories and fat content, so I go to the other extreme.

As Oprah says, "you can't change what you don't acknowledge", so maybe if I recognise this in myself I can do something to change it.

Trouble is, I've now blown my week again on day of weigh in. Maybe I can get it back if I try and fit in some extra exercise. But I already exercise 4-5 times a week and I don't lose if I don't do that, so I'm just going to have to put it behind me and not be so stupid next Wednesday.

I also read Paul McKenna's book today and I'm going to read it every day before dinner. He talks about wolfing your food down and eating unconsciously. I definitely do that. I don't eat particularly quickly, but I do eat watching tv and I do ignore my full signals for one more tasty bite. So I'm going to eat very slowly this week with the tv off and think about what I'm eating.

I haven't added a recipe for ages, but I ate this tonight and it was lovely.

Pork Chops with Chilli Apple Sauce
serves 4 4 points (core)

1 bramley apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2tblsp cider vinegar
4 pork chops
1 onion, chopped finely
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
150g button mushrooms, wiped and halved
300ml vegetable stock
1 eating apple, cored and sliced thinly
2tblsp low fat soft cheese
1tblsp vegetable gravy granules
thyme sprigs, to garnish

To make the apple sauce, put the Bramley apple in a small pan with the vinegar. Cover and gently cook for 5 mins until soft and stewed. Puree and set aside.
Heat a wide nonstick frying pan and spray with Frylight. Brown the pork on each side for 2 mins. Remove and set aside.
Add the onion, chilli and mushrooms to the pan and gently cook for 3-4 mins until softened. Add the vegetable stock, apple slices, apple puree and soft cheese. Bring to the boil and stir in the gravy granules until thickened.
Return the pork steaks to the pan and simmer for 10 mins until cooked. Season and scatter with thyme.

Think I'm getting the hang of this core thing!

I think I'm finally getting the hang of core. I lost 2.5lb this week which I have to be happy with.

I've discovered that I was eating way too much food on points. It did take a while for my body to get used to way less food and so I was really miserable the first week.

I'm still struggling a little with finishing when I'm full, but I think I will always struggle with that. I just like food, lol.

So I have 4lb to go until I'm in the 14s and hopefully I can do that before the end of May, I certainly hope so. Fingers crossed. With any luck I can be in the 13s by the end of August, that's 4 months to lose 16lb. It sounds so achievable when you say it like that, lol.

Oh, off topic, we bought our son a proper tent for his birthday and so we are thinking of trying camping. If you knew me, you'd wet yourself laughing. I hate dirt and roughing it, I hate the countryside. I like toilets and showers and a plug for my straighteners

So we're going to try camping for the weekend and then if we like it, we're going to go to France in the Summer for a proper holiday, eeeeekkkk!

Not going smoothly

My first week of core is not going as smoothly as I would have thought or hoped. I'm finding it really, really hard! That might have something to do with the fact that I had chicken kebab and chips and half my son's burger the night of weigh in and so blew virtually all of my weekly points in one go, lol.

I always treat myself to a chicken kebab and chips when I reach a milestone, I never thought twice on points, I'd just have something very low cal during the day and then blow all my daily points on the kebab and chips at night.

As I discovered, it doesn't work that way on core, lol. I am also finding it difficult this week to get to the gym and earn some activity points as my little one is on school holidays and so I can't get to the gym in the day and then hubby has been late home every night (avoiding me and my bad moods, I think, cos I'm a cow if I can't do exercise) and I'm too tired by the time he gets home. So it's Friday today and I haven't been to the gym since Tuesday night, bloody hell!

I did go jogging around my estate today though for 45 minutes. It was fantastic, I enjoyed it so much. I probably ran 2/3 and walked 1/3, but it felt great to slap my ipod on and just relax and unwind and have some time to myself. I am definitely going to run every day whether I go to the gym or not, I'm in training for the Race for Life and I want to run it.

Anyway, back to core. Why does food become more of an issue if you can't have it? Whilst I'm learning what core is all about, I seem to be concentrating totally on what I can't have rather than what I can. I hope that will fade as I learn what the hell I'm doing and that I won't be hungry all the time.

I'm stressing about core, this is making me anxious and so then I'm turning to food. This hasn't happened to me the whole time I've been at WW (11 months)I'm second guessing myself about whether I'm still hungry or not, I'm still pointing in my head as I go through the day. I constantly want food I have to point, like crisps and toast and it's just because I can't have them because I blew my weekly points on Wednesday night. I also don't like eating my activity points (though I did have a toffee whip bar and toast with butter and lemon curd today, I was desperate).

I'm hoping I learn to relax otherwise core is not for me. I'm determined to give it a good go though, at least 1 month because I think that eating 3 meals a day would be good for me

I did it! I did it!

Woohoo! Lost 3lb today, so I have now lost 6 stone 2lb and I have lost 30% of my body weight! I'm so happy, lol, at last, no more whinging.

I did core light last week. I sort of followed core rules, 3 meals a day, snacks of fruit, very little bread, but I still pointed what I ate.

So this week, I'm doing core properly. First meal, beans on toast, lol. Good start hey? But I have breakfast with some girls from my meeting in Sainsburys and they don't really do healthy breakfasts, so that was the best core choice I could have made.

I think I'm wheat intolerant, because last week I had very little bread and I was so much less bloated, uncomfortable and constipated. I even managed to go to the toilet this week unaided, tmi, I know, lol. So I think it's going to really help psychologically to know I just can't have it unless it's an emergency.

Dietgirl

Lots of people on the WW board I go onto recommend a book called The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl. Well I can't afford the book this month, so I have been reading her blog http://www.dietgirl.org/dietgirl/. If you want inspiration, motivation or just a bloody good laugh, you have to check it out.

I sit there all the time convinced that she has climbed inside my head. She completely has the same attitude as me to weight loss and exercise. Her blog really helps me through some of the tough, so bloody what, moments when I just want to gorge my face on McDonalds and chocolate.

So, Shauna, you don't know me, but thank you!

Complain, complain, complain

Why do I always seem to be moaning on this blog? I tend to be quite an upbeat person, but this blog just seems to be filled with my whining. Am I really such a glass half empty girl?

I lost a pound this week, after 2 weeks of busting a gut trying to lose, I lost 1 measly bloody pound.

I'm still so wrapped up in how far I have to go that I can't seem to stop and smell the roses and appreciate how far I have come already.

So it's 1lb to 6 stone weight loss. Can I do it this week? Can I be happy with whatever I lose, can I even lose this week? Can I cheer up? lol. I think I'm finding it hard as my son is on 2 week Easter holiday and I'm finding it so difficult to get to the gym.



Pea and Watercress Soup
Serves 4 2 points

1 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, sliced
400g frozen peas
600ml vegetable stock
1 sprig of fresh mint
1 (100g) pack watercress
150ml semi skimmed milk


Heat the oil in a large pan, add the leeks and sauté for 3mins or until soft. Add the peas and stock and slowly bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 5 mins or until the peas are tender. Add the watercress and simmer for a further 2 mins.
Transfer to a blender, add the milk and whizz until just smooth or longer if you prefer a smoother soup. Gently reheat before serving.

Felling Really Sorry for Myself

I am feeling so sorry for myself today, I've got a cold, my ears are blocked and I have a hacking cough.

It's not fair, I was actually having a good week WW-wise and then I get this cold. I can't get to the gym, that's making me anxious. I know it's more important that I look after my health, but I just get so panicky and bad-tempered when I can't get there. It's also made worse by the fact that my little one is on 2 weeks' holiday, so I can't get to my exercise classes in the week.

So I really wanted to go to Combat and Pump tomorrow (Sunday) but I can't, I really don't have the energy. But what's making it worse is that I'm still really hungry. Why can't I lose my flamin' appetite when I'm sick, lol.

So anyway, hopefully this is a short term cold and that I feel better by Monday so I can get down the gym. I've asked my son if he'd like to come jogging with me while he's off, so that should be really interesting, lol.

You are so lucky.......

that I didn't write this blog this morning. If I had a cat, it definitely would have got a kicking! My poor husband was working from home today when I got in and he got it with both barrels, love him!

I tried so hard this week, really, really hard. I ate 3 or 4 points less every day, did 50 points of exercise and I stayed the bloody same.

Now I know all the trite answers, I trot them out to people on a regular basis, totm, didn't eat enough, it'll show next week. Well I don't bloody care, I worked my butt off for a loss, I earned it, I played by the WW rules and I didn't get my flamin reward, that's not fair!!!!

So what can I do? Stuff my face and feel even worse? Give up and gain the 6 stone I lost. No I flippin' won't. This "diet" ain't gonna beat me. I'm right back on track, I'm going to try just as hard this week and I'm going to get a bloody loss, if I have to chop off my left leg, I will, but I'm going to get a loss!

Why am I so ditzy?

I was all pumped up to go to the gym this morning and what did I do? Forgot my bloody t-shirt, so had to come straight back and do the food shopping, oh joy!

I am forever doing things like this. I am completely obsessive and controlled in my weight watchers and dieting but I can't even manage to put a flipping t-shirt in my workout bag. I even sat there and mentally went over the stuff in my bag and it's not the first time I've done it, lol. Yesterday, I went to the gym and I forgot my gym card.

So now I'm going to have to go to the gym tonight when hubby gets home from work and I really don't enjoy the gym, I would much rather have done step and Fab Abs Killer Butt this morning, lol. I have to go as well as I can't go tomorrow because I'm having a haircut in the morning and so can't go to the gym and it's weigh in on Wednesday.

This week!

Well, this week is my back to basics week and how's it going? Pretty good actually, I half fell off the wagon yesterday and went over my points by about 4 or 5 but I can live with that, I did 13 points of exercise, so it more than covered it.

But my big discovery, my God was I eating a lot that I never even bothered to point. I confess, I am a serial pincher, I am forever eating something out of the fridge, or leftovers off someone's plate, or nicking my son's sweets and I never ever bother to point it. I must have been going hugely over my points every day and I think it's only my exercise that stopped huge gains. I fell into that yesterday and stole a piece of pizza and some chips off L's plate, but NO MORE. I'll eat some fruit if I'm hungry. In fact, I'm just off to get a couple of clementines or satsumas or whatever they are, lol.

Tonight, Saturday, is always our treat night, food-wise, so tonight we are having chicken rhogan josh with naan bread and rice and even better it's only 7 points.

Told you!

Well, I told you, I gained 1/2lb this week and if it wasnt' for my exercise, I would have gained much more.

So that's it, no more. I have been mucking about since Christmas, I've only lost a stone since then and that's pretty pathetic for me.

Back to basics for me this week. I am going to get all my booklets out, track properly, no snacking out of the fridge and I'm only going to eat if I'm HUNGRY. I'm also going to weigh my food and not just guesstimate.

I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. I haven't truly stuck to my points in so long, I have been eating so much off my little one's plate or just stealing one of his sweets or eating something out of the fridge. But no more!

So let's see if I can lose by sticking to it!

Oh dear!

I've got weigh in tomorrow and I'm really not looking forward to it. After my sts last week (my first one in 10 months), I vowed to have a better week this week and what happened? I've had a terrible week. Usually having the family home makes no difference, but this time we were out and about and I hadn't planned for being out, so I made really poor food choices. I've had Mexican, Chinese and 2 McDonalds this week, whoops. I've also eaten a lot of my son's Easter sweets, thank God he doesn't like chocolate.

So I'm completely dreading wi. So now I've written my weekly menus for this week and I'm going to stick to them, I'm going to prepare the food earlier in the day, rather than getting to 7pm and deciding I'm tired.

I'm also a clerk at my class and I weigh people. This week the leader asked me to make a tea loaf for the class tomorrow morning. Well I only remembered at 1pm today and the fruit needs to soak in tea overnight, so I'm just going to have to soak it until about 9pm tonight, I hope it's alright. I had to rush out to buy all the ingredients and now I've forgotten baking parchment, so I've got to go back to Sainsburys for the 3rd time today, lol. Or more likely, I'll use foil, lol.

Here's a totally gorgeous recipe using pork chops, I wasn't expecting it to be as nice as it was, but we're definitely having this again, it had so much flavour.


Mustardy pork with leeks
serves 1 4 points

low fat cooking spray
1 pork loin steak
1 leek, trimmed, rinsed and chopped
100ml pork or chicken stock
2tsp grain mustard
1tblsp low fat soft cheese
1tblsp very low fat fromage frais

Lightly coat a non stick frying pan with Frylight.
Season the pork, add to the hot pan, press down well. Fry for 4 mins, then turn over and scatter the leek into the pan around the pork. Cook for a further 4 mins, stirring the leek occasionally.
Pour in the stock and add the mustard, then bubble the sauce rapidly for 2 mins.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in first the soft cheese and then the fromage frais to enrich the sauce. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

STS

Well I had an escape this week, I stayed the same. I really didn't deserve it and I've had a terrible day food wise today after weigh in, but tomorrow is another day, lol.



I can get this back if I exercise hard enough this week. It's Easter weekend but I'm still planning on doing my Friday, Sunday and Monday classes as normal.





Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

serves 4 1 point



2 red peppers

1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

clove garlic, crushed or more to taste

basil

lemon juice



Either put the peppers under the grill until skins are scorched or stick them in the oven to roast. Remove skin and stick in food processor with chickpeas and garlic. Whizz until smoothish. Add other ingredients to taste.

WW is confusing me!

OK! I'm the first to admit I'm a type A personality, I'm anally retentive, I'm obsessive, you're getting the idea right, lol! But WW is confusing the heck out of me.

I wish there was a formula that went if you eat A and exercise B, then you'll lose C. But if you eat less and exercise more then you'll lose even more.

Why am I going on about this I hear you ask. Well I'm confused, really confused. I lost 1/2lb last week, I know I didn't do much exercise, only twice, because I hurt my leg, but I was good food-wise.

This week I exercised 5 times, including weights and a new class of Fab Abs, Killer Butt, so I thought I'd put on because of the increased weight work and I had a poor week food wise and I was prepared for that. I even gave myself a real talking to on Tuesday about my portions sizes and the amount of unhealthy snacks I was eating and........dun, dun, dunnnnnnnn, I lost 3lb.

Now this just freaks me out. I need to know what to do to keep losing 3lb, but I have no idea. I had Kentucky Fried Chicken, Chinese and a 1/2 pizza the size of a satellite dish last week and I hardly ever eat processed food, so huh?

We'll see how I get on next week. Fingers crossed, I've got 1.5lb to 6 stone so I'm really happy.

Here's a fab recipe for tomato soup that my hubby thinks tastes better than Heinz tomato soup.

Real Tomato Soup
serves 4 1/2 point

1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2tblsp tomato puree
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
handful basil leaves (or I use any dried herb if I don't have fresh)
pinch baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
600ml skimmed milk

Heat a few sprays of Frylight in a large pan, then tip in the onion and garlic. Cook until softeneed, about 5 mins. Stir in the tomato puree, then pour in the chopped tomatoes and basil and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 mins until thick. If you like a smooth soup, liquidise at this points.
To finish the soup, spoon the bicarbonate of soad into a small bowl and pour over 1tblsp milk. Tip this into the soup with the rest of the milk. Bring to the boil (don't worry about the frothing) and simmer for about 5 mins until ready to serve.

Sorry!

I'm so sorry blog, I've neglected you. I've had a rough couple of weeks with WW. The week after my last post, I gained 2.5lb and I was really good, it was obviously either a false reading the week before or it just caught up with me the following week.

It made me so angry at WW, I know it's stupid, but I'm very logical and single-minded and I felt like it was an unfair gain, even though I should have gained the week before and so I actually lost 1lb over the 2 weeks, but you take weight gains so personally, or I do anyway.

After all that "drama", I lost 1.5lb the following week and 2lb this week, so I now weigh 15stone 9 which is the lowest I have weighed in I don't know how many years.

I took a sneaky peak on the scales at the gym and I weighed less than 100 kilos, that's about 15 8, I think, but it was one of my targets on my earlier post. I can't wait for official wi now to officially weigh 99.5 kilos (15 7) although it may teach me my lesson on weighing mid-week and I haven't lost, lol.

Next post I will give my recipe for real tomato soup, according to my hubby it tastes better than Heinz cream of tomato soup, but there's no cream in it.

My week

I went to wi yesterday and after my week, I would have been really glad to have a 1lb gain. My week was

Wednesday huge cheese baguette, 1 lemon tart, 2 chocolate cookies

Friday McDonalds - chicken sandwich large size meal

Saturday Chinese

Monday dinner out with a friend where I had a goldfish bowl of chocolate mousse

After all that food I lost 3.5lb. I really don't know how my body works sometimes, lol. The only thing that I can put it down to is that I went to the gym on Tuesday night instead of Tuesday morning. and so I may have been slightly dehydrated.

But I'm not going to blow it, I'm going to have a good week this week so that I don't gain, I can do this even though I went out for my birthday last night and had garlic bread, pizza and cheesecake at Pizza Express.

L's got a dental appointment on Monday, he's being sedated to have a tooth out and I'm a little worried, bless his little heart, it also means I can't get to the gym Monday and Tuesday for classes, so I might have to go to the gym at night or in the afternoon. R's coming with me as I don't think I could deal with it on my own.

I learned something about myself

I posted this post on WW 5+ board today and I have discovered something about myself, apart from the fact that I'm a control freak which I've known all along, lol.

Shell079 left a message on my week loss thread yeterday that really made me think, so thank you Shell.She asked me what I'm going to be like when I stay the same or put on weight if I'm unhappy with losing 1½lb.

It got me thinking about why I'm feeling like a failiure even though I've lost 75lb and it was actually quite uncomfortable to think about it. The 8 months I've been doing WW, I have just avoided my emotional issues with food by being severely controlling. I wouldn't eat or have anything in the house that wasn't "WW" or what I considered healthy.But I've been avoiding the real issue.

So yesterday I ate whatever I wanted to, I really scoffed my face, not to extremes, I probably went about 12 points over but for me that was extreme and do you know what the sky didn't fall in. Today, I've regained control over food, I've realised that I'm still not really registering what I'm putting in my mouth, it's pointed but I'm eating in the same way as before it's just low calorie.

So now I'm going to listen to my body. Just because it's 1pm doesn't mean I have to eat, I should be eating when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm full, so that's what I'm going to pledge.

Exercise

This week I have decided to give my exercise a bit of a shake up. I was only going 3 times a week and just doing classes my gym had completely dropped off so this week I have done

Thursday
Spinning, treadmill and X-trainer

Friday
Body Jam and Step (my favourite day)

Saturday
Body Pump (new), treadmill and X-trainer

Sunday
day off

then I'm going to do

Monday
Step and Cardio Combat

Tuesday
Aerotone and cardio and weights

God, I'm really aching today from the Body Pump, my thighs and armpits are really sore so it must be doing me some good, lol.

I've been really good food-wise I think, so hopefully the scales will be kind to me this week. I'll let you know on Wednesday.

I'm so hacked off!

I'm so fed up, I lost 1 1/2lb AGAIN!!!!!!! I know I should be happy, but I'm not. I lose 1 1/2lb when I try hard and I lose 1 1/2lb when I don't really try.

I know a loss is a loss and that's how I should look at it, but I can't. I want to lose a large amount just one week! I'm doing all the stuff I should be doing and it just de-motivates me when I keep losing the same amount.

So this week, no unnecessary snacking, no eating unless I'm hungry and I'm going to stop eating when I'm full. I'm also going to use the small plates as my portions have been growing.

I'll feel better now I've whinged, lol.

Chicken Tikka Masala
serves 4 2 1/2 points core

200g plain yogurt
2tsp curry powder
2tsp tomato puree
4 chicken breast fillets, diced

For the sauce
1 onion, chopped finely
1tblsp curry powder
400g can chopped tomatoes
150ml chicken stock
2tblsp chopped coriander

Mix the yogurt together with the curry powder, tomato puree and season, then stir in the chicken. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill and place the marinated chicken peices on the grill rack. Grill for 10-15 mins until cooked through and lightly charred.

Meanwhile, cook the onion in Frylight over a medium heat, for 5-6 mins in a covered pan with 2tblsp water until softened.

Stir in the curry powder and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer for 5 mins, then add the grilled chicken and simmer for a further 5 mins. Stir in the coriander just before serving.

I use garam masala instead of curry powder and I add chilli flakes to both the yogurt and the sauce.

Have I learned my lesson?

Well, have I learned my lesson from last week, did I stay off the scales this week? Nope went to the gym this morning and stepped straight on the scales and they are telling me that I've put on 1 1/2 kilos since Wednesday, oh joy! So I'm royally annoyed again and it serves me right, lol.

My knee is still really sore, so I'm still not doing as much exercise as I should. But I don't want to make it worse, so I'm trying to be good and I'm giving it lots of rest.

Golden Soup
serves 4 0 points core
1-2lb swede
1 large onion
2 sticks celery
vegetable stock
fresh coriander, to taste

Peel and chop all the vegetables, place in a large pan and cook in enough stock to come 3/4 of the way up the vegetables. Cook until soft, not more than 30 minutes.

Season to taste, then liquidise, add more liquid if required. Reheat to serve, adding fresh coriander just before serving.

Targets

I've decided to write down my small targets to help me with weight loss.

I've lost 72lb so far and I weigh 16 st 4 ( I started at 21 st 6)

Target 1
lose 75lb, I would do that at 16st 1, so 3lb to go

Target 2
get into the 15stones, 15st 13, so 5lb to go
I will have lost 5 1/2 stone
This would also give me a BMI of 32.9

Target 3
to lose 6 stone, this will be 15 stone 6, 12lb to go

Target 4
To get into the 14stones at 14st 13, so 19lb to go
I will have lost 6 1/2 stone
My BMI will be 31.9

Target 5
To have lost 7 stone, at 14 stone 6, so 26lb to go

Target 6
To lose 100lb in total at 14 stone 3, so 29lb to go

Target 7
To get into the 13stones at 13st 13, so 33lb to go
I will have lost 7 1/2 stone
I will have a BMI of 29.8, that will make me overweight and not obese.

I don't care how long these take me, but realistically I would like to have reached target 1 before my birthday on February 5th and I want to be at target 2 by Valentine's Day.

Also, I'd like to have achieved target 7 by June 1st. I will have been doing WW just over a year then.

So, I'm going to get started on my targets, lol.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!

Well, I went to WI and I lost 1.5lb, that's good right? So why don't I feel like that's a good result.

A number of things, I think!

1. I still have such a long way to go that 1lb just makes me think that I am never going to reach goal. Stupid, I know, but when have feelings ever been rational.

2. I weighed at the gym on Saturday and I'd lost 4lb. I know, I know, don't weigh in the middle of the week. Boy, have I learned that lesson, lol.

3. I had sausage and chips at the chip shop. Intellectually I know it won't have made much difference but I get annoyed with myself for doing that the night before wi, but I hurt my knee at the gym and couldn't stand up to make dinner so I made Rob go and get the chips. I really didn't enjoy them.

I also went for coffee with the girls after wi and had a cooked breakfast. That's my LAST ONE, there is no point dieting and then blowing it spectacularly straight after wi. So no more, I'll just have a diet coke.

So here's my recipe,

My favourite chilli recipe
serves 8 4 1/2 points

2 large onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
600g extra lean minced beef
4 red peppers, deseeded and finely chopped
450g mushrooms, sliced
1 small red chilli, seseeded and finely chopped or 1tsp chilli flakes
1kg carrots, finely chopped
2tblsp dried oregano
1tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
1tblsp fennel seeds
1tsp ground cinnamon
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2tblsp tomato puree
1tblsp Worcester sauce
2 x 400g cans kidney beans, drained
300ml vegetable stock (made with stock cube)
small bunch coriander or parsley, to serve

Heat a large non stick pan, spray with Frylight, then stir-fry the onion and garlic for 5 mins or until softened, adding a little water if necessary.

Add the mince, stir fry for 10 mins, until browned, then add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to the boil and simmer gently with a lid on for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Season, then serve with the coriander scattered over the top.

This freezes well and you can easily halve all the ingredients to make it for 4 instead of 8. I make it for 8 and freeze it in individual portions. It does make a lot though and you need 2 pans.

Sorry

I have so neglected this blog, so my New Year's resolution is to post more often on my blog.

Really happy this week! I only put 1.5lb on over Christmas and then lost 2.5 lb this week. This took me to 5 stone and half a pound of weight loss. This makes me really happy as I now have lost more than I still need to lose, I've now got 14 st 13.5 lb to lose, woohoo.

I've also decided to post some of my favourite Weight Watchers recipes every time I post, so this is my all time favourite recipe. I never get fed up of this.

Chicken Jambalaya
serves 4 6 points per serving

2tsp vegetable oil
3 stick celery
2 clove garlic
1 medium red, green or yellow pepper
4 medium tomatoes
1 large onion
450g chicken breast
300g dried rice
10g Cajun seasoning
1 sprig fresh thyme

Cook the rice for about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the chicken. Cook, stirring, for 6-8 mins, until browned all over. Add the celery, onion, pepper and garlic. Cook for 3 more minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened slightly.
Add the Cajun seasoning, thyme and tomatoes. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for a further 5 mins.
Drain the rice thoroughly, add to the pan, stirring well to mix everything together. Season and serve.