Cranberry & white chocolate cookies

I love these cookies, they’re so versatile and truly do work with whatever flavor combination ‘regular’ biscuit you want.  You can squash them thinner for a crisper texture (although they are not crisp!) or you can go for the soft, baked oat cookie style I tend to favour.

Low syn cranberry white chocolate cookies

Today I made cranberry with white chocolate chips for a change, they’re sweeter than I normally go for and come in at 2 syns each but that’s ok, served with tart raspberries they really do work well and are going to be perfect with my coffee later this afternoon!

If you want to give them a try, the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Syn Free Diet Coke Chicken

I’ve been resisting making this for years, no idea why but the other night I found myself with no dinner and wanted to create something from what I had on the house (couldn’t be bothered to go out again!) and looking around for inspiration I saw diet coke and I knew I had frozen chicken, kinda made my mind up for me really!

Syn free diet coke chicken

OK, the jury was out as it bubbled away as I thought it was going to be a runny mess but after about 20 minutes the sauce had really thickened and I ended up with a BBQ style sauce, my chicken was moist and tender and the resulting meal was absolutely delicious.

If you want to give it a try my recipe is here, there are lots versions of diet coke chicken out there, and this is the only one I’ve done, but I often read that diet coke chicken is runny and all I can say is doing it this way does not end up with a runny meal!

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Syn Free Apple Donuts

Anyone that knows me knows I love my baked oats and have them pretty much every day plus I eat a LOT of fruit!  I decided to make fruit donuts as a trial and used my trusty favorite Granny Smiths to come up with these syn free apple donuts.

Syn free apple donuts

I have to say they’re great, really different tasting and I sprinkled them with syn free sweetener before serving to add that real, super sweet donut taste and yup, it hit the spot!  They're especially good still warm and the mix makes eight donuts and two muffins for later!!

If you want to give them a try the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Chocolate Orange Cheesecakes

These cheesecakes are only ½ a syn each, now they are fiddly and time consuming but they look great and are an absolute show stopper for any slimming world friendly dinner party.

1/2 a syn chocolate orange cheesecake

I’m still not sure about the texture as the jelly makes them slightly ‘grainy’ but they look awesome and taste good…they’re worth a try and for ½ a syn why not…I made eight and we had two each for pudding so they couldn’t have been that bad!!

If you’d like to give them a try the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Hot Cross Buns

These are my Slimmig World friendly version of a hot cross bun and come in at a syn each.  They're a version of my baked oat muffins and taste exactly like a real hot cross bun.

Instead of a Muller Light I use a fat free lemon Greek style Muller Light which makes the buns slightly denser and gives the citrus flavour you expect from a hot cross bun.

I used deluxe mixed dried fruit which came in at 1/2 a syn per hot cross bun and a drizzle of icing for the cross.

If you'd like to give them a try the recipe is here.

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Cheese Muffins

These super cheesy muffins are a savoury take on the baked oats I have most days for breakfast.  I love cheese and every so often like to make something that seems indulgent without using all my syns.  These muffins are perfect, syn free if using as your HEA & HEB and if not they’re 2 syns each.  You can make a batch and split them over a couple of days, reheating in the microwave or enjoying them cold.  

Syn free cheese muffins

Next I’m going to try them with different flavors, bacon, roasted veg and caramelized onion being the ones I want to work on next but I think it would work just as well with broccoli or asparagus

If you want to try the cheese muffins for yourself the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Vietnamese Pork Meatballs with Noodle Salad

This is basically spicy pork meatballs and noodles in a lettuce cup.  Serve it family style for a really quick, simple dinner packed with flavours.  I thought the sauce would be like a sweet chilli dip but it’s more like a spicy vinaigrette and is perfect for the meal though I did add a lot of chilli and garlic (I like that!!).

Syn free Vietnamese Pork Meatballs with Noodle Salad

Making all this will take you less than half an hour from start to finish and its great for a late supper or even as picnic food. 

If you want to try the syn free Vietnamese Pork Meatballs with noodles in lettuce cups the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Coconut Raspberry Mini Sponges

I’m from Yorkshire and was brought up having cookies or cake for elevenses and threeses (maybe part of the reason I gained weight!).  Anyway, I’m always looking for great cake ideas and this is no exception.  These mini sponge sandwiches come in at only ½ a syn each which is really good, I know I’d rather have six of these than a hi fi bar anyday!!!!!

Coconut raspberry mini sponge sandwiches - only 1/2 a syn each!

The inspiration for these mini cakes came from a Victoria Sponge cake published on a great website called Pinch of Nom.  I didn’t have the almond flour for those cakes and changed the recipe to accommodate what I did have in the house, ending up with coconut almond cakes with raspberry jam.  

They are absolutely delicious, because it’s coconut flour the cakes are denser than some others on slimming world and you feel like you’ve had something akin to a treat…the recipe is here as is a link to the original recipe for the Victorian Sponge cakes if you would like to try them too!

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Low Syn Chilli Chocolate Bites

These mini chilli chocolate brownie bites are ¾ syn each and absolutely delicious.  They’re super chocolate-y and have a cake/brownie consistency that I’ve missed since being on Slimming World.  I love baked oats but sometimes it’s good to have a cake if you know what I mean.

Low syn chilli chocolate bites

To be honest, these are my Mum’s idea.  She brought some to my place at the weekend but hers were made with spelt flour, butter, potato and sugar – which I didn’t know til I’d had two…uh oh….anyway I really liked them and decided to create a Slimming World friendly version!

The chilli isn’t too hot, I promise.  I like spicy food and thought a teaspoon of chili flakes was a good place to start and when I tried them I think it’s about right.  Leaves you with a warmth plus the chillis cut through any sweetness in the mixture but you could add more/less to suit your own taste or fresh chilli too….whatever works.

If you’d like to try these low syn chilli chocolate bites the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Syn Free Seekh Kebabs

Made syn free lamb kebabs for my Dad the other day as he loves lamb and Mum being a vegetarian means he doesn’t have it often so I decided to make these super spicy starters for our Sliming World curry. 

Syn Free Lamb Seekh Kebabs

I admit they look like poopies, but that pretty much is what it is with these – let me tell you they taste absolutely great though and even my non-Slimming World Dad enjoyed them (and took some home for lunch the next day!)

 

If you can get past how they look and give them a try the recipe is here!

Enjoy

Kathy xx

Spiced chicken with lamb rice and pomegranate seeds

OK, I admit it this syn free meal sounds quite time consuming and maybe slightly fiddly to make but it’s neither.  It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish to create and is an absolute crowd pleaser.

You can make it pretty much to your own tastes, if you don’t want the spice just use Italian herbs on the chicken and in with the mince, it will still be good. 

Syn free spiced chicken with lamb mince and pomegranate seeds

Don’t be afraid to add pomegranate seeds to the finished dish.  I am not a fan of meat and fruit and usually miss it off any recipe but trust me, it’s absolutely lovely.  The pomegranate seeds are so small that they just add crunch and a little sweetness without taking over the meal.  Fresh coriander adds a herby flavor as well and both together cut through the spiced chicken.

It’s a really great option when you’re in a rush but still want to serve something tasty that looks great.

Give it a try, the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Salted Caramel Bites – ½ a syn each!

I absolutely love these little bites, they’re the most ‘cake’ like treats I’ve had on Slimming World so far and at only ½ a syn each definitely worth making.

Salted caramel brownie bites with white chocolate and pomegranate topping

For a change I decided to snazz them up, usually that means melting curly wurly crumbles on the top but not today, this time I made a white chocolate quark topping and quickly piped it onto the cooled buns sprinkling some pomegranate seeds on the finished buns for added colour and texture.  They’re slightly tart too which compliments the cakes perfectly.

This time my mixture made 24 buns which are 12 syns for all, just add 2 syns to the whole lots for your white chocolate topping and there you go – bite sized chocolate salted caramel brownies that won’t ruin your healthy eating!  If you want to give them a try the recipe is here

Enjoy
Kathy xx

Syn free Breakfast on the Go

I love baked oats and have them pretty much every day with a huge bowl of fruit…it’s been my go to breakfast for the past two years and it’s been a staple as I’ve lost my seven stone and kept it off for more than a year.   

 

You’d think I was the most boring breakfast person every but that’s not quite the case, I mix up the flavours every other day and love the fact it feels like I’m starting my day with cakes (excellent start!!)….there’s the added bonus that when I’m out and about I just take them with me and I’m still on track, routine helps me stick with the plan so whether I’m in the office, working from home or travelling about the country I have my trusty Tupperware with cake and fruit to keep me going. 

Some days I have the syn free version and others I’ll have a Nutella treat version, depends where I am in target if I’m honest!

Syn free baked oats

Anyway, the other day I decided that instead of muffins I’d make baked oat fingers or soldiers to dip in a fat free yogurt for a change.  I’d found a great stackable box (£1.79 at Aldi of all places- couldn’t not buy it really!)...so here’s my breakfast – almond baked oat fingers (there’s a cherry Muller light in the fridge so it’s a Bakewell breakfast) with fruit salad and a strawberry carved into a rose.  Yes it’s an effort but I never, ever hate starting my day when I have this to look forward to.

I know it’s a pain, I make baked oats every two days whether I want to or not.  I find time even if I have to stay up late as, to me, it starts my day off on plan which means I’m more likely to stay on track…plus I like to eat a LOT!  

I get out of my weight loss what I put in so routine and planning sometimes keep me going when I don’t have the time or energy to think about what I’m doing. If you want to give the baked oat muffins a try the recipe and some flavor combos are here

Enjoy

Kathy xx

Syn Free Cottage Pie

I love cottage pie for two main reasons (1) it gets sneaky veggies into me that I normally pretend don’t exist and (2) it has cheese on the top!  I used the cheese as part of my HEA so the meal was syn free.

Syn free cottage pie

Now I’ve been on Slimming World a couple of years I’m mixing up what I eat so I don’t get stuck in a rut and decided to go for an old favourite as it’s been pouring down and a little comfort food goes a long way!  

Cooks note: I had a potato left over and baked it as a jacket while the cottage pie was cooking, scooped and mashed the insides and mixed with a little extra of the cottage pie meat and restuffed the jacket, popped a little cheese on the top and it went back in the oven to melt.  These double stuffed potatoes freeze really well and are always super popular (you can also mix with bacon and onion for a really tasty option).

While the weather’s a bit miserable give it a try, the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Birthday Treats Without the Syns

Anyone that knows me knows I have one of my best friends round every Friday for dinner, she is the (sometimes unfortunate) recipient of my new recipe ideas and invariable she goes home smelling of garlic and full which makes me very, very happy.

Birthday low syn treats!

Last week was her birthday and I decided to do a cake plate for her as a celebration pudding.  Between us we’ve lost over 11 stone so it’s an homage to our Slimming World journey as all the treats are low syn (discounting the Prosecco!).

We had all her favourites, fake Ferraro Rochers which are 1 ½ syns each and taste exactly like the real thing, baked oat cookies and baked oat muffins.  I made the cookies Christmas style with added mincemeat and walnuts and the muffins were heart shaped and had a few chocolate chips….well, it was her birthday!

I love that just adjusting recipes and making small changes can help us on the weight loss journey, it’s got to be a change to your way of life, otherwise the weight comes back on very quickly – well it does for me – and seeing treats like this and still maintaining my 7 stone loss proves it can be done with everyday tweaks.

Wherever you are on your journey I hope you take te time to have treats and enjoy it too, check out the sweets and treats page for some ideas, it’s here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Syn Free Salt & Pepper Chilli Chicken

This syn free fakeaway is perfect for those nights when only really tasty Chinese food will do.  I like a lot of spice so the garlic and chilli is perfect for me but you can cut it down (or out altogether) if you prefer a non-spicy version.  I was going to serve with egg fried rice but in the end I had a big bowl of the chicken and veggies and that was enough, it’s really filling.

Syn free salt & pepper chilli chicken

I know there are people that will count the use of Smash as a coating base as a tweak, I do not.  Each to their own, I’ve lost almost 7 stone without counting this tweak so for me it’s ok.  If that doesn’t work for you please feel free to syn away.

However you count it, this is a really filling meal that is syn free and quicker to cook than it would take most takeaways to arrive!!  If you’d like to give it a go the recipe is here

Enjoy!

Kathy xx

1 Syn McDonalds Breakfast - Slimming World Style!

I always have the same breakfast (weetabix or baked oat muffins with fruit) but today decided to mix it up and made a sw friendly version of a McDonalds breakfast. The whole thing is 1 syn plus my HE's.

Ok. I couldn't finish it (1 patty and 1 egg would've been better 🐷🐷🐷) and I was stuffed to move but it was really, really good - the quorn sausage patties are delicious. 

I put some step by step instructions here

1 syn McDonalds breakfast - SLimming World Style!!

Enjoy (I did!!)
Kathy xx

Dinner in a Hurry

We can’t always make dinner from scratch and sometimes the best plans of defrosting a bulk cook for dinner just don’t really appeal - for me that’s when it gets a little tricky.   I’ve been following Slimming World for two years now and cook all the time but yesterday just couldn’t really be bothered and didn’t have much time.  A trip to M&S for their skinny sausages had proven they are still somewhat elusive but I got the skinny meatballs instead with no idea what to do with them.   

A  poke through the fridge and I decided to bake the meatballs as I grilled some halloumi, pepper and red onion.  The meatballs are syn free and the halloumi is either your HEA or 5.5 syns depending how much you have (that’s for 35g). 

Syn free meatball kebab

As everything was cooking away I put a green salad on the plate and just arranged like a (stickless) kebab.

It was good, tasty and quick but still really convenient with the added bonus that it didn’t blow my food optimizing out of the water.  Definitely doing that again.

The whole M&S Skinny range is syn free and quite often on offer, I’d absolutely recommend giving it a try.

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Mini Brownie Bites

Made the salted caramel brownie bites today but instead of using curly wurly’s on the top I went for a rocky road style (I’m still using up those marshmallows!).  Topped each bite with a drizzle of choc shot and some cut up mini marshmallow – et voila – proper little cakes you can share even with non-slimming world people.  

Mini brownie bites - rocky road style

The basic recipe is only 12 syns for all 22 brownie bites, I added the choc drizzle and 1 ½ mini marshmallows and still figure they’re coming in at only a syn each.  Trust me, they’re worth a syn of anyone’s allowance!

If you want to give the salted caramel brownie bites a try the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Scan Bran Rocky Road Muffins

Unless you’re going to re-sole your shoes with scan bran you can really be struggling to make something useful from those hard little sheets of fiber-y goodness.  I’ve previously made popcorn scan bran muffins and decided to give the rocky road version a go (as I had some mini marshmallows going spare).

They’re a really moist cake like consistency.  They still taste of scan bran but the cocoa powder and choc shot as well as the chocolate extract mellow that flavor into something more akin to a scan bran red velvet cake (if that makes sense!).  You know there’s something else there for sure and it’s different to the usual baked oat or Weetabix muffins.

1.5 syn rocky road scan bran muffins

The rocky road muffins are good for a change, they’re super high fiber and can be a nice, filling chocolate fix and coming in at 1.5 syns each, two are the same syns as a rocky road hi fi bar they’re good use of your syns too.  Give them a try, the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Syn Free Pizza

My Mum used to tell me pizza was all the food groups which made it healthy, now I’m not saying she’s wrong (she’s my Mum, she’s never wrong) but I don’t think 13 syns for a slice of meat feast is going to be super helpful on slimming world, especially as I am physically incapable of having just one slice.

So anyway yesterday there was a breakthrough in my slimming world friendly kitchen – syn free meat feast pizza that’s absolutely and totally delicious…ok, it honestly sounds too good to be true but it isn’t!

Syn free meat feast pizza

To be syn free it’s your HEA and HEB but even if not it’s only going to be about 3 syns a half, which is two triangle slices…so for 6 syns you get a whole thin, cheese and loads of toppings which is less than half the syns in one regular slice.

It couldn’t be easier, the recipe is here.  I used porky light sausages and they’re great, my non-slimming world taster couldn’t tell they weren’t full fat sausages and at only ½ a syn each I have to say even if I wasn’t on slimming world I’d eat them.

You can obviously make these crispy based pizzas however you like, meat feast was just my choice.  Load with roasted veggies for a vegetarian option, prawns, chicken and bacon with corn, anything you have to hand, it’s super versatile, quick and easy.

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Jammie Dodgers - Slimming World Style

OK so I admit it, they’re probably better described jammie cookies that are the sort of long lost cousin of a crispy jammie dodger but sometimes on the weight loss journey you have to do what to have to do!  

A ‘normal’ Jammie Dodger is 4.5 syns for one (!!!) and these come in at 2 each (using your HEB) – they can be less syns if you make smaller ones but personally I wanted a big cookie with a good dollop of jam so instead of the usual six cookies per portion I only got four of these.

Low Syn Slimming World Style Jammie Dodger Cookies

They’re really good still warm although be careful with hot jam, I have an asbestos mouth and still I was slightly cautious but with a cup of tea in the afternoon it really hit the sweet spot.

This cookie is made from a basic, plain recipe and there are loads of varieties you can try; lemon and ginger, chocolate chip, raspberry and white chocolate, Christmas….you get the idea.  Same basic mix, different flavours.  Even if you’ve used your HEB and have to syn them I’ve found they’re much more filling than normal cookies and my non slimming friends all like them too, then again who doesn’t like warm cookies?

If you want to give the jammie dodger (or any cookies) a try the recipe is here

Enjoy

Kathy xx

Meatball and Veg Lasagna with Courgette Sheets

This syn free lasagna is super filling and packed with speed foods, garlicky red sauce and meatballs with courgette slices instead of pasta sheets.  
 

Well, that was the plan but it doesn’t always work like that!  

It ended up more or a layered meatball and veggie bake with a melted cheese top.  On reflection I could have maybe done to make the courgette layer thicker with more slices.  Regardless, it was still really good although I fear it doesn’t look it!

Meatball and Veg Lasagna with Courgette Pasta

As far as a syn free dinner goes, this is simple, uses whatever veggies you have to hand and tastes great so it’s definitely worth a try.  The recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Syn Free Doner Kebab

You cook this super simple fakeaway recipe in the slow cooker which means you can get on and do whatever you need to while your totally syn free meal cooks away!  I made two versions, this and one in the cooker and found this to be the most authentic by far (hence the other recipe not being on my site!). 

Cooking a doner kebab in the oven means it cooks in the juices from the meat which makes it too wet to slice, well mine was…it sort of just crumbled into tasty chunks.  It was fine to add to pasta but absolutely not what I wanted.  

Syn free doner kebab with salad and corn salsa

The slow cooker version remained a block even through slicing and was really flavorful.  I served it two ways, one with salad and a corn/tomato/spring onion salsa and the other with slimming world chips and beans.  The beauty of the meal is that both were syn free options – it’s just a matter of taste!  You could have pit and syn it but I chose not to, however you have the doner kebab I’m sure you’ll find it one of those recipes you keep coming back to.  Any leftovers are great for lunch the next day!!

Syn free doner kebab with slimming world chips and beans

The recipe for my syn free doner kebab in the slow cooker is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx

Loving Leftovers

Friday night I did an (almost) syn free Indian banquet with two different syn free curries, rices, Bombay potato and some 1 syn onion and carrotbhajis.  It was all absolutely delicious and I had a few bits leftover.  Not wanting another curry per se the next day (plus most of it had been eaten!) I decided to combine the keema and peas with a spicy rice, add some egg to bind everything and stuff it into peppers.  It was absolutely delicious and a really great use of what I had left without having what would’ve been the same meal two days in a row.

Syn free spicy stuffed peppers

I covered the peppers with foil so the filling didn’t dry out or the rice go crispy, cooked for 45 minutes on 180 and they were great – surprisingly filling.   Definitely worth trying and I think maybe experimenting with different ‘stuffing’ ideas but a really good syn free dinner.

If you want to make the keema for your own party and have leftover peppers the recipe is here

Enjoy!

Kathy xx

Salted Caramel Brownie Bites

I love chocolate brownies and have tried quite a few different variations, all in the name of finding the best slimming version of course!!  These salted caramel mini bites are probably the best I’ve made yet although I will force myself to keep trying more to find out.  

Salted caramel chocolate brownie bites

The whole mix is only 12 syns from which I made 22 little brownies, it was suggested that maybe I could make bigger ones but these were for a taster in class so I didn’t want to but if you made into four big muffins that would only be 3 syns per cake which I think is great as they’re so rich.

You can crumble a curly wurly on the top if you want to add to the chocolate-y goodness but to be honest, when I did I found it sort of cooked out, or almost evaporated to the point where it was a waste of the extra 6 syns.  Maybe adding it half way through cooking would have been better….

If you’d like to give the low syn slated caramel chocolate brownie yummy bites a try the recipe is here

Enjoy!
Kathy xx