Go to chilli

This time of year I love to have chilli, I batch cook it and freeze to have with pretty much anything, boiled rice, jacket potato, courgetti spaghetti and even make it into a delicious pasta bake.   OK, I even had it on cheese on toast the otehr day...but that isn't a usual thing!

I find chilli's so versatile and when I make it in the slow cooker couldn’t be easier so here’s my recipe for what it is, I am a big believer in adding a touch of this and a bit of that to the pot but definitely try this meaty chilli it’s really tasty and great for a cold night.

Chilli recipe here

Quick chilli and pasta bake from the freezer

Kathy xx

Courgetti Spaghetti

I’ve had a birthday month, yes I’m too old for a birthday month but I don’t care.  It’s included lots of meals I wouldn’t usually eat (yes, that would be you pizza), champagne and a lot of wine but so far I’ve managed to stay on track in fact I've lost another three pounds over the past few weeks.  

I’ve tried not to go too far off my Slimming World routine and it’s been ok (says the woman who has a weigh in tonight!).  I’ve had more carbs than normal but managed to stick with the dried pasta and where possible I’ve been replacing it with my courgetti spaghetti which really does help me stop the weight piling on.

So I’m sharing a photo of my syn free slow cooked chilli from the freezer with courgetti spaghetti in the hope that it will save me from a gain tonight!  

Chilli with Courgetti Spaghetti

If you need to cut out the carbs give it a try, it’s surprisingly tasty, quick and easy.

Kathy xx

Musings on my first non plus sized birthday

It’s been my birthday week and for the first time since I started this journey I relaxed the diet just a little.  Yes, I know I’m old enough to stop celebrating them, but I believe birthdays are very special and a celebration of your day and this year took a moment to reflect on my year as it’s been quite something.

I was surprised to feel very emotional about everything.  I don’t think I’d realized how much being bigger bothered me and acknowledged that in less than 7 months I’ve lost almost 6 stone, and it was my first birthday in 15 years as a non plus sized woman.  I have to be honest and say I don’t really believe it still yet, it’s hard to explain but it’s truly overwhelming.  

In class recently we talked about non scale results and one of the Group said she’s further away from the steering wheel.  We sort of laughed but it’s true.  There’s the obvious and wonderful being able to shop for clothes  pretty much wherever I want, and that really is such an incredible freedom but there are funny little changes; I don’t look around me in restaurants to see if I’ll fit in the space between the wall and the table, having lost 12” off my hips, my work chair seems really big and the smile I get every time I pull my jeans out of the drier and know that whilst they might not be tiny to someone else, to me they look like I stole them off Barbie and I’ll take her – she’s not having them back!

So I relaxed and celebrated not just my birthday but my birthday week with some absolutely wonderful people that I am honored to have in my life.

It all kicked off with one of my all-time favorite meals, bruschetta with lasagna and prosecco.  I did make a low fat version of both but not as low fat as I could’ve done and I gave the Prosecco a good run for its money….big treat….the week carried on with wine, more wine and a rare dinner out so whilst it is Throwback Tuesday it’s also Terrified Tuesday as I have no idea what the scales are going to say.  But and to me this is the key, it’s just a day – well ok, a few days (!) – and it needs to be done.  Not all the time but when it’s time to celebrate that’s what you do.  You enjoy the people you love.  You have wine and enjoy yourself as that’s what life’s all about and the next day you start again.  You don’t let it drift, you get right back as the routine is the careful eating, treats are the exception which is what makes them treats.

I’m back on it of course and last night I had soy and chilli baked salmon with samphire for dinner.  Fat free, syn free and not taste free but not a drop of bubbly in sight.  Well, not for a week anyway….

So here’s my throwback Tuesday photo and I am very proud of what I’ve achieved and very grateful for the people that supported me to get here as when I looked back on the year I smiled a huge birthday smile before having my Weetabix muffins and fruit!!!!

Throwback Tuesday

Kathy xx

Banana choc chip Weetabix muffins

I admit it, it’s my birthday tomorrow and I decided that on my pre-birthday eve (yes, that does exist!) I wanted to have something different and a bit of a treat.  I’m pretty much always very good so of course it had to be chocolate and banana seemed like a good partner in crime.

So here we are, my beloved Weetabix muffins with a birthday, chocolate twist.  They’re ¾ of a syn each when using as your heb to my Slimming World family and to everyone else, well they’re diet food that doesn’t taste nasty!

They’re different – more solid/less squidgy than my blueberry and apple muffins but really great for a treat.  I’m finding that these and the cherry bakewell ones are almost like puddings or treats and so low in syns that I never feel like I’m dieting, plus I can have them in the car when I’m on the go.  Taking a lot of beating for my breakfast attention!!!!

Banana choc chip Weetabix muffins

But back to the birthday bit, this morning I was getting ready for work and realized that this will be the first birthday in about 15 years where I haven’t been plus sized.  The journey so far has taken about 7 months and I’ve been thinking what to wear to celebrate.  I don’t have many clothes now although some pre-birthday gift shopping has somewhat rectified that (yay!) however I’ve a couple of ideas and know that no matter what I pick this is the first year of many that I won’t have to be upset that I didn’t manage to lose weight.  Again.  This year I did and I couldn’t be prouder of myself and more grateful to the people around me that have supported me.  That’s the best birthday present there is.

Kathy xx

Quinoa, edamame and chargrilled peppers with prawns

At a meeting last week I had a salad from M&S with quinoa, edamame beans and chicken.  I admit it, I felt (a) very healthy and (b) slightly like a pompous ass when I said what I was having.  I can barely pronounce quinoa, had no idea what it was and certainly hadn’t eaten it before but I was avoiding the sandwiches and cakes like the plague and gave it a try.  Surprisingly to me it was actually really tasty so I decided to use it as inspiration for a new, healthy dinner.

I was a woman on a mission trying to find edamame beans and searched high and low, finally finding them in Waitrose.  I got a couple of bags of frozen and some tinned beans as I wanted to see what the difference was.  I see that they’re higher in fat than I imagined at 5% but as they’re a soy bean that’s not a huge worry.  I checked the Slimming World website and the beans are syn free.

While I was at the grocery store I picked up a packet of Uncle Bens whole grain rice with quinoa, tomato and basil (2 ½ syns).  I decided to add my edamame beans, sweetcorn and grill some red peppers and add prawns as the protein.  

The end product was a big bowl of healthy food that’s low in syns.  Yes, it was tasty but I like my food hot both temperature and spicy and this kinda missed the mark for me there.  On reflection a smaller portion would make a really good lunch.

Quinoa, edamame, chargrilled peppers and prawn salad

So this was a good, healthy dinner that's low in calories and fat and I'd have it again but I'd much rather have a big chilli so I guess I'm not that much of a pompous ass!

Kathy xx