0.5 SYN SESAME BEEF STIR FRY

This recipe is perfect for an EESP meal idea. The sesame beef stir fry is 0.5syn a serving but can be made syn free! This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients 
150g frying steak (cut into thin strips and fat removed)
200g carrots (cut into matchsticks)
1 red pepper (reseeded and thinly sliced)
4 spring onions (cut into thin strips lengthways)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (check for a syn free variety)
2 tablespoons orange juice cordial (sugar free variety)
1 tbsp tomato ketchup (1syn - you could use tomato purée to save on syns)
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornflour (0.5syn)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (3syns - you can make this without sesame seeds for a lower syn alternative)

Recipe

1. Spray a pan with Fry Light and stir fry your beef, vegetables for 3-4 minutes.

2. Whilst the beef is cooking mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Add to the pan, mix well and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Serve immediately! Its that simple!

You could mix this recipe up by replacing the beef for chicken or turkey, you could add a variety of stir fry vegetables to add more speed food to your plate!

You could also serve this with noodles. The possibilities are endless! Let me know what you think!

Hayley xxx

WEEKLY WEIGH IN!

This week has been an eye opener and a fantastic week on plan!

I'm currently sat on the sofa, in my onesie watching Family Guy on ITV2 whilst writing this blog to say how proud I am with myself!

Before going on my holiday, I was disappointed with my 1.5lb loss as I had gone under my target range. I had followed the plan and my consultant told to increase my healthy extra b to support and maintain my weight. (Unfortunately this didn't work!)

Many people have said that I should enjoy myself more and have a takeaway or a big slice of cake! In reality I couldn't, because mentally I was worried about having a gallstone attack if I had a little treat. I haven't had an attack for over a month and I'm due for surgery soon to have my gallbladder removed. I thought why not have a treat on holiday and worry later if I had an attack.

Coming home I was straight back onto plan and enjoyed plenty of speed and free food.

After my weekly weigh in this week I gained 2.5lb which put me back into my target. Now people were a little confused when I was smiling for putting on but once I told them my situation they sympathised and asked how my week had been.

Since coming back off holiday, I have stuck to plan and decreased my healthy extra b back to one to help lose my holiday weight. It was successful!

I am now facing the difficult choice of increasing my healthy extra b back up to two as I'm back at target and want to maintain my weight. (Are you at target, if so what do you do?)

I hope you've all had a great week this week and are focusing on the week ahead. I know I am!

Hayley xxx

1.5 SYNS - CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Chicken Cacciatore
This recipe is filling, tasty and even low in syns! This is for 4 people but I had leftover sauce which will do perfect for freezing!

(Note - This can be made syn free by swapping the white wine for 150ml of water! It's up to you!)

Ingredients 

Fry Light
4 chicken breasts (skinless and on the bone. You could just do chicken breast pieces)
4 rashers of lean back bacon (cut into strips, fat removed)
2 onions (finely sliced)
2 garlic cloves (finely sliced)
150ml of dry white wine (6syns but this depends on the wine you use, syn accordingly)
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried oregano
225g button mushrooms
1 red pepper (diced)
150g broccoli florets
100g baby sweetcorn
1 tsp sugar (1syn)
240g pasta ribbons
salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

1. Spray a large pan with the Fry Light and add your chicken. Cook on a high heat to brown all sides of the chicken and season. (Remove from the pan to a plate)

2. Reduce the heat and add your bacon, onions, garlic and stir fry for 4 minutes or until the onions are starting to soften.

3. Add your wine and increase to a high heat for 2 minutes whilst stirring continuously. Now add the rest of the ingredients (apart from the pasta) to the pan with the chicken and simmer for 15 minutes covered with a lid.

4. Uncover and simmer for a further 20minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Meanwhile cook your pasta according to the instructions and serve with your chicken and sauce.

Serve immediately! Let me know your thoughts!

Hayley xxx

4 SYN - BEEF TERIYAKI NOODLES

Hello guys!

Quick recipe here for you! This recipe is from a Weight Watchers book that my partners parents use often. This recipe is based on 4 servings and works at around 4syns per serving! 

Ingredients

400g rump steak (all fat trimmed and cut into thin strips)

For the Marinade
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine (0.5syn)
2 tbsp honey (5syns)

For the Stir Fry
FryLight
150g broccoli (cut into florets)
2 red peppers (sliced)
Pack of spring onions (cut diagonally into 2.5cm lengths)
200g of bean sprouts
1 fresh chilli (de-seeded and sliced)
250g of cooked noodles (I use the dry rice noodles and precook them)
4 tbsp of Teriyaki Sauce (ingredients below for this or you could buy a premade one and syn accordingly)
Salt and black pepper

For the Teriyaki Sauce (Mix these ingredients in a small bowl)
(You'll have some sauce left over so this reduces the syns)
1/2 cup of soy sauce
2 tbsp of water
2 tbsp of rice wine (0.5syn)
2 tbsp brown sugar (5syns)
3 tbsp of honey (7.5syns)
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

Recipe

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and add your beef (allow this to marinate in the fridge for up to 2 hours or 10 mins if your in a hurry)

2. Spray a large frying pan with the Fry Light and add your beef but keeping the marinade in the bowl. Stir fry your beef on a high heat until cooked then set aside on a plate and keep warm.

3. Now add your broccoli with 6 tbsp of water and stir fry for 5 minutes. Then add your pepper and onions and cook for a further 3 minutes. 

4. Add your teriyaki sauce and the remaining marinade you set aside earlier. Now add your beef, beansprouts, chilli and cooked noodles into the pan and cook on high heat for 2 minutes or until the beef is hot again. 

5. Check for seasoning and serve immediately!

This is such a quick and tasty recipe! I hope you enjoy!

Hayley xxxx

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

Since coming home from my all indulgence holiday with my partner I have had time to reflect on how much food I actually consumed and I'm disappointed in myself! 

I immediately jumped on the scales when I got home (I have to break this habit!) and was shocked by what was staring back at me! (I'd put on 9lb but what did I expect after everything I ate!!) 

If you know me personally I am one of these people who scold themselves for everything! Looking at a chocolate bar whilst out shopping, putting it in my basket for my syn treat and then leaving it at the last minute. (This drives my friends and family mad! It's the same when going for meals, I get flustered at what to order and stick to a jacket potato and beans..)

Over the period of my holiday I must have ate over 2 weeks worth of syns, but it didn't start that way. I started the week off on plan but since starting Slimming World, I have never really let myself go off plan. (I figured that we all deserve that break to be ourselves and know that we can get back onto it when we get home)

The week consisted of crisps, biscuits, chocolate, full fat pop, chip shop and pizza shop. My skin has suffered terrible from it! It's true that eating cleaner and healthy does wonders for your skin, healthy and general mentality. I've had foul moods and general discomfort all week! Now it was time to get back on plan.

On Friday morning before packing the car, I cooked myself and James scrambled egg on toast (wholemeal of course) and a banana. Now there's no speed food in there but it was a start! Once arriving back home, we popped into my mums for a coffee and a chit chat (I really missed her whilst I was away, usually I'm dying to get a break from home!)

Lunch was a jacket potato filled with plenty of protein to keep me going until tea which I knew would be synned. We had honey and mustard chicken, rice and carrot batons (7.5syns for a Lidl Honey and Mustard Jar Sauce serving. It's 29.5 for the full jar!) 

When I come to James parents for the weekend, I'm in control and on plan during breakfast and lunch but because they don't do Slimming World they try to make low syn or low calorie foods for me. (Recently they've been looking at Weight Watchers recipes and I don't begrudge this idea as it's still healthy eating!) 

It's now a sunny Saturday morning and I've had an amazing breakfast of porridge, banana, defrosted raspberries and a cup of tea (this is my go to breakfast as it's simple and filling)

My plan for the rest of the week are to;

1. Focus on your syns
2. Eat plenty of speed food
3. Don't give up! (Weigh day is Wednesday!)

What are your plans for this week? Do you have a goal that you've set this week? I'd love to hear!

Hayley xxxx

MY FIRST BLOG POST

Hello :)

First of all I would like to say thank you for reading this blog! I'm currently sat here twiddling my thumbs and forcing myself to think of an opening start for my blog and what to write without boring you and making you think I'm a mad woman. (My partner already calls me that so I wouldn't mind if you did too!)

For years I've wanted to start my own blog but never had anything that I really wanted to talk about. I've always loved reading other bloggers sites relating to fashion, beauty, lifestyle and healthy eating and its inspired me to give it a go. (What could possibly go wrong?)

So why did I want to start a blog?

Since starting Slimming World in September 2014, I have undergone such an amazing journey (I prefer to call it a journey rather than weight loss as it makes me want to continue with it and not give in once I've reached my goal/target). I am wanting to share, inspire and connect with you guys who have started, are currently or wanting to have their own journey! 

Pre Warning! I am not the best cook or have a vast amount of amazingly delicious recipes but looking through other websites created by other Slimming World, Weight Watchers or general healthier eating ideas bloggers, I have become inspired to share my own with you!

Now, no one says losing weight is easy but it makes a huge difference if we can all have help and support from one another time to time. 

For most of you it will be when your facing or dealing with that dreaded weekly weigh in after knowing you had that naughty chocolate bar, full fat coke and family sized packet of crisps last week because it was talking to you from inside the padlocked cupboard you insisted in not going near!

Or..

If the number on the 'Sad Step' (this is what The Body Coach calls it) hasn't changed for a couple of weeks or decreasing ever so slowly and your wanting more! We all need that comforting support to tell us to carry on without doing the above choice.

(But we've all been there in those situations and guess what, no ones going to judge you! I'm currently dreading my Wednesday weigh in after my all binge holiday at Cayton Bay).

With this being an opening post to my blog, I want to keep it short and sweet but I have so much more I want to share with you but that will just have to wait! 

Again I thank you for taking your time to read this blog post and I hope to inspire, help or support you through your journey as much as you support mine.

Feel free to comment, follow me on here or Instagram :) and I hope to hear from you soon!

Hayley xxxx