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