Syn Free Fish Pie

I love fish pie but it can be such an enormous faff and super expensive to make so I created a new, simple version that can be from zero to on the table in about an hour.  

Basically I get the fish pie ‘mix’ at the supermarket which is pretty much available anywhere, it’s a combination of white fish, salmon and some smoked fish plus there’s the added bonus that it’s already cut into handy little chunks for me (another job saved).  I don’t pre-cook the fish, instead it steams in the pie which infuses flavor and saves the fish from over cooking and drying out.

To be perfectly truthful I’ve been making fish pie this way for years, long before I started on Slimming World and have served it to friends who absolutely loved it.  The smoked bacon is a lovely addition and gives a bit of extra texture.

For anyone on Slimming World the only syns are in the milk and cheese for the mash (hea) and a splash of white wine.  As most of my wine is going in the glass it really is just a big splash so I’m not counting it, even more appropriate when you think this pie serves four hungry people so it’s not even ½ a syn each.

Syn free fish pie

Try it, for anyone that’s poached, flaked, chopped, mashed, sautéed and stressed over a fish pie this will absolutely be your go to recipe!  It’s here to give it a try.

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

100 pounds gone for good!

I’ve been at my personal target weight for about four or five months now and when I go to class and we have lots of new people they don’t know what the ‘before’ me looked like, so when we go round and our consultant says my weight loss people sort of do a double take…it still makes me smile – yes, of course I can see the loss but to me I’m just me, so every so often I try to do a before and after comparison to see how I’m doing, remind me how far I’ve come and encourage me to stay on track.

This is my latest go.  I admit I look a bit knackered but I’ve been getting up at 5am to get some stepper time in as I’m focused on toning which, on the wrong side of 40, is not as easy as I thought it would be!  

100 pounds gone for good in a year

Regardless of how tired I was, I still think there’s a massive difference.  I’m a few pounds off 100 pounds down with Slimming World but I’d lost a bit before I started so I’m comfortable saying this side by side is easily 100 pounds difference.

It’s still incredible, I wake up (early!) and some days look to check I didn’t put it all back on overnight, but no I didn’t and I won’t ever put it back on.  I’ve got an incredible group of friends to support me, they helped me relax into target, which was far more difficult than I’d thought it would be.  We go out, eat out and buy new clothes.  We had my first afternoon tea and I ate the lot...trust me it wasn’t a hardship but it’s great to be able to relax, just a little, and enjoy the journey.

Personally I find being at target more difficult than ‘dieting’ as there’s more leeway for extra syns/calories/treats which is always a temptation…I like my treats so it’s all a new lifestyle but when I look at photos like this I know that I can do it and I’ll support all my friends to do it if they’re ready as it’s so incredibly worthwhile.

Wherever you are on your weight loss journey I hope you make time to take a moment and just look how well you’ve done, take a photo to track your weight loss and treat yourself.  Whatever you do I hope it makes you as happy as afternoon tea in my little black dress made me!

Afternoon tea...well, it was!!!

Kathy xx

Almost syn free Cottage Pie

I love batch cooking and often make a huge pot of mince in the slow cooker…it’s the base for loads of things - my shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, and lasagna plus I add beans and spices to make a chilli but everything uses the same ‘mix’.  It’s simple and easy to do and freezes really well.  

My cottage pie is 1 syn for the whole thing which I think pretty much classes as syn free as it makes about 8 portions and a real favorite of my dieting and non-dieting friends alike.  There’s a depth to the gravy mixture and the cheesy mash is a treat plus I admit I always have a really big portion because, well just because I can really!

Almost syn free Cottage Pie

Just so you know, I don’t freeze this pie as I don’t like the mash when it defrosts, I think it’s watery but I do freeze the mince mixture absolutely no problems.

Give it a try, it’s super tasty and the perfect thing when the weather is miserable out which right now is pretty much all the time! The recipe is here.

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Mayflower Curry

I’ve always sworn against ‘pre made’ curries, spending hours making my own sauce using a huge box of spices I’ve accumulated over many months but sometimes I just don’t have the time.  I love a curry so I gave in to peer pressure, got myself to B&M and bought the Mayflower curry.  

Apparently it’s like a curry from the Chinese and at 4 syns a portion I was definitely interested in trying it.  I’d no idea what to expect and was quite surprised to find a plastic box filled with spices, not sure why but I was expecting a sauce.  It isn’t, it’s a pre done spice blend that you mix with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for two minutes before declaring it done.

Now after reading these instructions I was even more skeptical and could see a dinner that tasted of smelly socks on my horizon but I dutifully boiled my onion, added a chilli, garlic and peas and popped in the raw chicken and simmered it all til cooked (takes about 10 minutes).  I drained the chicken/veg mix, added my now simmering curry sauce and sort of left it a few minutes while I faffed with the rice before serving.

The verdict?  Absolutely delicious...you could’ve knocked me over with a feather.  It’s tasty and spicy without being too overwhelming (I tried the medium but I’d added a red chilli).  The sauce is thick and tastes exactly like a curry from the Chinese, or the chip shop.  

Mayflower Curry - only 4 syns a portion

I’ve not put the recipe on here as it basically makes itself and I can’t claim credit for boiling stuff and adding powder but absolutely, 100% try this curry.  I’ve saved some of the extra sauce and frozen it with prawns in for something different.

A great idea for a quick, tasty dinner that’s low in syns and high in taste and I will be having it again, probably tonight!

Enjoy

Kathy xx

Strawberry Cupcakes

One of the ladies in class asked me if I had any ideas what to do with strawberry essence, I’ve been meaning to try the little strawberry cupcakes and as I had a friend was coming over for coffee I didn’t need any more excuses and I decided to try the strawberry cupcakes as a treat (they’re 2 ½ syns each which is more than my usual treats).

Strawberry Cupcakes

Well, what to say - they’re ok.  I think my biggest issue was the fact I got all excited and ate a couple warm and they really do better to be cooled (like the recipe says!)…for my taste they were a little bland and dense, more like a ‘normal’ cake so probably better for our non-dieting friends.  I decided to give them a flavor boost and made pink almond icing which I think saved the bun but I’m biased and I like almonds.  Maybe I’ve been spoilt as I’m finding it difficult to pick fault in the baked oat muffins (especially the Nutella ones!).

To be fair, once these little buns had a big dollop of almond icing, a strawberry and had been dusted with icing sugar they were a lovely treat with a cup of tea and yes, I’ll make them again although I may make them into lemon instead and add some zest for a little extra zing.  Give them a try and let me know what you think, the strawberry cupcake recipe is here

Enjoy!

Kathy xx

Syn free cheese scones

I love cheese and found I was really missing it so I tried these syn free cheese scones.  Now, I’m not going to enter into the pros and cons of tweaks but yes, these are a tweak so please do not eat your own body weight in scones!  

You can have them with stew as dumplings or similar as well, they’re a great alternative to bread but definitely better straight from the oven with loads of herbs.

I made 8 scones from the mixture and whilst I acknowledge the fact they look rustic I like that, they're homemade and it's cheese so I'm happy!

Syn free cheese scones

Until some brave soul tells me different, these original cheese scones are free but I might try them with cheese and onion smash (3.5 syns per pack) and/or add finely chopped onion and bacon to the mix…both of which I think would be really delicious, will let you know…the syn free recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Baked Oat Muffins

Yes, I know I already made Nutella Baked Oats but, well, I really like them – they’re like cakes and let’s be honest who doesn’t like cakes – especially when you’re eating healthily.

Last night was taster and Man of the Year in class and there were some really great low syn or syn free things people had brought in including these baked oats but obviously they were cold.  Now I admit it, I sort of pooh poohed the idea of having them cold as I thought they’d be eggy but when my friend had it one on her plate it seemed rude not to eat hers.  So I did…as thrilled about that as she was I had to admit that it was really good still, this was the jam version rather than the Nutella I’ve made which made me think that (a) it was something I could take to work as a change from Weetabix muffins and (b) I wondered what they would be like in muffin cases as that would make them more poratable.

So anyway I gave them a try and have to say yup, absolutely a success.  The mix made six muffins which is your heb and I split a teaspoon of Nutella between three and a teaspoon of jam between the other three as a taste test.  

Baked oat muffins with jam and nutella

They came out really well.  Using the silicon cases is a key I’d say as they pop right out and can go in a box to work, picnics – whatever, but they are portable.  With regards the taste test, they’re both really good…I’d said that six was too many but I lied, I ate them all for breakfast and may need to try again tomorrow to see whether I like the jam or the Nutella most J

If you want to try them, the recipe is here.

Baked oat muffins (half a portion!)

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Chocolate Strawberry Faux-Ribos

I’ve been making fake Haribos for ages, playing with different flavor ideas and combinations and came up with something slightly different recently.  I was heading to visit a friend who I know loves chocolate so I decided to try a new strawberry/dark chocolate combo out on her.  A hit, they taste like jelly Quality Street – and that can’t be a bad thing in any dieter’s book!  

We sat and ate the faux-ribos and drank wine (well, I did she doesn’t drink so I had to drink it all) and chatted away.  An excellent evening helped by the fact the entire box of jellies was only 2 ½ syns…there had to be 40 in there in the end.  Pity my wine was two days’ worth of syns, but you can’t have everything!  

If you want to give the strawberry chocolate faux-ribos a try the recipie is here

Low syn chocolate strawberry jellies

I’ve made a few different versions of them now, plain, white chocolate and dark.  They’re so quick and easy to make, give them a try and if you have any flavor ideas let me know!

Enjoy

Kathy xx

Chocolate Baked Oats

One of the ladies in our group shared an absolutely delicious looking Bakewell Baked Oats the other day and I really wanted to give it a try but I didn’t have any jam.  Not to be put off I decided that I’d make a chocolate version instead as I had Nutella in the cupboard to make low syn chocolate brownie bites (lucky I didn’t eat it already).  

Anyway, my friend came round and I decided to test my little experiment on her…I needn’t have worried, it was soooo good and felt really decadent.  The baked oats I’ve found before can be a little bland but adding almond essence (and chocolate) definitely made them something I’d try again!

Chocolate baked oats

If you want to give them a go the recipe is here and the Nutella can be swapped out for a cherry or raspberry jam to make the Bakewell tart version which I’m determined to try next....

Enjoy

Kathy xx

Syn Free Pork Egg Fried Rice

Chatting to my friend this evening ended up in a conversation about our favourite Chinese food, mine is egg fried rice -  let me be honest I pretty much like everything on the Chinese menu but I’m partial to fried rice and decided that I wanted to makes some, so I would.  I had some pulled pork in the fridge already so obviously making pork fried rice was the natural choice.  I have to say it couldn’t have been easier plus it had the added benefit of being super quick.  I had slimming class this evening so I cooked the rice before I went which allowed for it to cool while I was out so it was just a case if heating things up which was perfect.

Syn free pork fried rice

I’d read somewhere that when you do the egg it’s better to work it in a side by side movement, but I have no idea, I did it anyway and it tasted good to me.

Clearly, this could be chicken or prawn fried rice or for our vegetarian friends mushroom would be a really tasty option especially if you have oyster or Portobello mushrooms to hand.

Anyway, the recipe I used is here, you don’t have to add red chilli – I like spicy food so I did but feel free to leave it out if you prefer.

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Low syn chocolatey oaty cookies

This weekend, despite the heat, I was on a mission to find a decent chocolatey cookie.  I admit it, I’ve made some absolute minger disasters on this cookie journey that I decided in my defence to not share.  The porridge oats ones looked (and tasted) like a rehydrated packet – which they pretty much were - with the added insult of being very floppy.  My choco shot cookies were like little sloppy disasters but my faith in the cookie has been restored with these chocolatey oaty cookies.  

Low syn chocolatey oaty banana cookies!

They’re great, as the basic mix is so few ingredients and very versatile you can pretty much do what you want to them or use what’s to hand, upping or lowering the syn value as appropriate.  The oats/Nutella mixture is 9 syns if not using the oats as your heb and 4 if you are – for all six cookies, not bad at all!!!   I added banana and walnuts this time but you could add sultanas, choc chips, marshmallows, all sorts.  These cookies will totally work with it all and are a nice change from hi fi bars.

The recipie is here, I’ll be making more in the future and will let you know how the other flavours turn out!

Enjoy

Kathy xx

The lunch dilemma

Part of the reason I put on weight was lunch; there’s no getting away from the fact that if I eat a big white baguette with butter, chicken and bacon accompanied by a bag of crisps and haribos for lunch every single day I’ll struggle to lose an ounce!  

Over the past few months I’ve basically been having different salads every day instead and yes it’s helped…I’ve lost more than 6 ½ stone so obviously it’s made a massive differenc but that’s become incredibly boring and it’s time to branch out into new things.

Part of my dilemma is that I don’t want to use up all my syns before nighttime in the event I end up having a day that calls for a (huge) glass of wine - so lunch has to leave me with at least 8 syns just in case (I’m not sure if that’s what we mean about forward planning but it’s planning so I say yes).

Today was the first day for leftovers which I always suggest in class and never do for myself, but I’m going to start because it was actually surprisingly good!  I had pulled pork and corn in lettuce cups and it was such a welcome change– even though it could be argued I’m actually still having a salad, the fact that it’s in a different shape is good enough for me to feel like I’m having a treat.  I didn’t add any BBQ sauce to the pork as I didn’t want any today but often I do and I confess that I don’t make my own, I just syn it out at 1 syn per squirt as I don’t think I’d like my own bbq sauce so I just use the bought stuff (that’s about as lazy as I get).

Syn free pulled pork in lettuce cups

 So this was today’s lunch and the sandwich eaters in the office had total food envy, which made my diet lunch seem less like a diet…perfect.

The pulled pork is slow cooked and the recipe is here.  I always make as much as I can because it freezes really well (without sauce).  Great for making you the envy of everyone at work or you want a really tasty syn free lunch that doesn’t seem like a run of the mill salad.

Kathy xx