Weight Loss Wednesday - West African Curry Recipe - Slimming World Friendly

Well ladies I had my 1 month weigh in last night. I started with a weight of 13st 9lbs and last night put me at 12st 13lbs! I am pretty pleased with my overall loss for my first month, although last nights loss was only 1.5lbs, which was a little disappointing. But that being said it was still a loss which is the main point! Plus I had a pretty rubbish week diet wise actually due to me still being ill, but I am happy to say I am almost finally over my cold.
Well as this week has been so rubbish on the food front (really it has been very dull and not particularly good syn wise either!) I thought I would bring you all a great recipe we have enjoyed a number of times over the last few weeks - West African Curry. If you are on Slimming World then it is around 2 syns a portions as the only thing you have to count is the Mango Chutney. The original version of this was found in an old ASDA Choices Cookbook but I have adapted it slightly for my taste and to make it more slimming friendly!
West African Curry Recipe

This recipe should take around 45minutes in total and will serve 4 people. 
Ingredients Fry Light 1 Onion, finely sliced 2tsp lazy garlic or 2 finely sliced garlic cloves 1tbsp Garam Masala 1tsp Ground Turmeric 2tsp Ground Cumin 2tsp Grounf Coriander 1tbsp Dried Mixed Herbs 455g Minced Lamb 2tbsp Mango Chutney 1tbsp Tomato Puree 115g Frozen Peas
Instructions 1. In a large wok or frying pan, heat the fry light and gently fry the onions until softened but not browned. Add the garlic, spices and herbs and continue to saute for a further 1-2 minutes
2. Add the mince and fry until browned, mixing it well with the spice and onion mixture
3. Add the chutney and tomato puree and mix to combine. Cook, stirring well for about 10 minutes. If the mince appears dry add 100ml of water
4. Add the peas to the pan and continue to cook for 5 minutes
5. Serve with boiled rice for a tasty meal!
Alternative - If you like an extra kick the original recipe used 1tsp of cilli powder and 3 whole cloves as well. Plus you can garnish the curry with freshly diced tomatoes (get in some extra super free!)
You can find all the other bloggers involved in Weight Loss Wednesday on the link. There are 39 of us in total, so lots of inspiration if you are looking to lose weight and get healthy this year!

Weight Loss Wednesday - Week 2 on Slimming World

So ladies I completed my second week on slimming world yesterday, you can catch up on week 1 here if you missed it! I started the week at 13st 6lbs after a 3lbs loss in my first week, which I was really pleased with! Sadly we couldn't make weigh in last night as we booked a last minute baby shoot (business still comes first!) and as I don't trust our home scales I haven't weighed this week so have no idea how much I have lost, but hopefully that will make next weeks weigh in look even better as it will be 2 weeks combined.

But here is what I have been eating this week

Day 8

Brunch: (didn't make it up for breakfast! lol!) Ryvita with Laughing Cow Light Cheese and Cucumber

Tea: Chinese Beef Noodles with Veg

In the early hours of the morning I promptly threw up the majority of what I had eaten on Day 8, and spent most of Day 9 feeling a bit rough.

Day 9

Tea: Slimming World Pulled Pork, Sweet Potato Wedges and Baked Beans

I didn't eat anything else all day and struggled to eat this too after feeling so ill

Day 10...

Ummm, well...I ate a McDonalds! Sorry! But I still counted the syns, turns out a chicken legend meal is around 49.5 syns! Ouch!

Day 11

Breakfast: Ryvita and Laughing Cow Light, Crab Sticks and Tangerines (think I ate a Banana too!)

Lunch: Ham salad, with mixed dark greens and Spinich

Tea: Slimming World Burgers, Sweet Potato Wedges and fried peppers with soy sauce

Day 12

Breakfast: (more) Ryvita and Laughing Cow Light, Crabsticks, Tangerine and Grapes

Lunch: Sweet and Sour Mug Shot (not totally awful, but not great either!)

Tea: It's Sunday! So Sunday Roast

Snacks: Chocolate Doughnut (totally worth the syns!)

Day 13

Breakfast: (Seeing a pattern?) Ryvita and Laughing Cow Light Cheese, Crabsticks, Banana and Tangerines

Lunch: Salad and BBQ Chicken Chunks

Tea: Homemade Stew!

 Day 14

Breakfast: Totally didn't happen!

Lunch: Linda McCartney Red Onion and Rosemary Sausages, Pasta in Tomato Sauce, Cheese (HEA) and stir fried veggies 

Tea: West Indian Curry with Rice (my dad cooks this, its amazing! Will share recipe this week)

Snack: I indulged in a Kit Kat! It was 12.5 syns worth of yumminess!

I think food wise this week has gone fairly well, I didn't max out my syns, even with the naughty meal and my snacks!

What I am a little disappointed with is that we didn't manage to get any exercising in, practically none! Which is a little annoying, but between being I'll and working I simply haven't had the time or energy. Hopefully I can change that this week and get in a few more sessions on the Wii Fit.

This post is also part of the Bloggers Weigh Loss Wednesday being hosted by Barely There Beauty. Find all the info and other participating bloggers on the link!

Weight Loss Wednesday - Week 1 on Slimming World

On New Years Eve I took the decision to finally get back in control of my weight and my size! I have tried dieting myself before but find I can't always keep to a diet or fitness plan, so this time I have decided I need help from other. This meant joining Slimming World...on New Years Eve! Plus Jon has joined too, so hopefully that will help me keep on track even more, and keep me motivated. As I will be posting my Weight Loss story every Wednesday (day after my weigh in!) I have also joined up to Weight Loss Wednesdays, a new blogging group for 2014 run by Jennifer of Barely There Beauty. It is a group of bloggers who all have the goal to lose weight and get fit and healthy in 2014. We will all be posting different info about how our personal challenges are going, and info about food, dieting and fitness. You can find out all about the group and the list of bloggers signed up to it on Barely There Beauty.
So this is the moment when I am totally upfront and honest with you all and share my weight...eek! I'm hoping sharing all my weight loss journey with you will help me keep on track and possibly help others who are going through the same thing as me in 2014!
So according to the Slimming World scales on the 31st December 2013 I weighed 13st 9lbs! I am firmly in a size 14, no matter how many times I try to persuade myself I am still a 12! I have opted not to set a final goal yet, so set an interim goal of losing 1st. I am hoping to get back to 10st 10lbs which was when I last really felt happy, so I have 3st to lose and I am hoping I can succeed this year (or at least get a large proportion off this year!) This is how my first week on the diet went!

 Day 1

Breakfast: Egg, bacon (no fat) and baked beans

Lunch: Pumpkin and Oats Ryvita and Laughing Cow light Cheese (wasn't hungry)

Tea: Minted Pork with veggies

Snack: Tangerine (had 2!)

Day 2

Breakfast: Ryvita and Laughing Cow Light Triangles with 2 boiled eggs and Tea

Lunch: Veggie Pasta

Snacks: Grapes and Tangerines

Tea: Sticky BBQ Chicken with Veg and Rice

Day 3:

Breakfast: Ryvita and cheese! (notice a theme here?)

Dinner: Veggie Pasta with some extra boiled egg

Snack: Grapes

Tea: Lemony Pork and Veg Tray Bake - will be bringing the recipe for that soon!

Day 4 - this happened!

We were at the 30th Birthday Party so the diet kinda jumped ship! We only had breakfast in the day but then had this.

Day 5

Breakfast: Bacon (no fat), eggs, potato gratin and beans

Tea: Chicken, veg and banana rice dish - my mums recipe which I will share at some point too!

Snack: I treated myself to a Viscount Biscuit as I haven't used many syns this week

 Day 6

Breakfast: Veg and Chicken Omlett, Bacon (no fat), beans and mushrooms

Snack: Lots of fruit, I ate even more than this!

Tea: Cottage Pie (3syns as mum couldn't find extra lean mince in Tesco!)

Day 7
Breakfast: A pile of fruit to take to work with me
Had a late lunch: Roasted Potatoes, Beans and Linda McCartney Sausages

Snack: I treated myself to some galaxy at the theatre as is was my first full week over with!

We had our first official weight in last night and I was...13st 6lbs! Yay!  I lost 3lbs! So I can definitely say this week was a success, even though I had a day off plan! It's a little difficult to get used to the plan, but I am sure after a few weeks doing it I will be fine. I know I should be eating 3 meals a day, but I rarely did before so it is no different. I haven't felt hungry at all either so that is really good in my books.
Is anyone else on Slimming World or another diet plan?

Outfit Post - Work's Christmas Do

So we had an unconventional works Christmas do in the sense that we went to the HangFire BBQ instead of for a traditional Christmas Lunch. The dress code was Christmas themed Jumpers (or tops!) So I said if I really had to wear one (I'm not into xmas fashion in all honesty) then it would be a comical one instead. This is what I wore!

 My pudding T-shirt went down well with everyone, and Shawna who runs the BBQ thought it was hilarious! 

Top - Amazon

Blouse - via the Clothes Show Live

Skirt - Primark

Tights - TKMaxx

Shoes - Tesco

Hat - H&M

Necklace - Funky Laser

 Mandatory Christmas Cracker Paper Hat

 Shawna had decided that everyone who had xmas lunch at the HangFire BBQ had to do a chaser shot called a Pickle Back - First a shot of Pickling Liquor (for pickling gherkins!) chased down by a shot of honey infused bourbon. This is Nate about to do his, he actually did 2 as he liked it, lol!

 And here is the amazing food!! Pulled BBQ pork, Braised Beef Brisket, Herbed Turkey, Jacket Potato with smoked cheese, Bread Roll, Roasted Pepper stuffed with home made stuffing, Apple Beetroot Slaw and Meaty Chilli Beans (these are bloody amazing!!) It was all so good, I couldn't even finish it all (Nate ate the rest of my turkey! lol!)

 My secret santa obviously knew me quite well (Thank you Sarah! Lol)

Our Mascot Frosty even came along for the fun, and Kenny came all the way back from Vietnam! (He now works there, but was home for Xmas so joined us for the fun!) And that is Fi!
So all in all it was a really good, fun night! How was your Christmas Party? Did you have one with your work place too?

Sunday Catch-up - 29th December

Realised I hadn't done a sunday catch-up post since July! Which really is absolutely rubbish in all honesty isn't it! Actually I have been rubbish at posting for the last few months in general, work/life balance is just a little off at the moment, still haven't managed to get myself straight really, but anyway it is almost a new year, and things can change then. For now here is a Sunday Catch-up for what I have been up to recently (with lots of food-porn)

I went to Bath to visit Heather and the Christmas Market

1. Bath Station's Xmas Tree

2. Spent 20 minutes looking for a little Italian Cafe I had visited before, but couldn't remember where it was or what it was called - luckily I found it, it is called the Roscoff Deli and they do these amazing Italian Pasties, so worth looking for.

3. The Market was lovely, some interesting stalls too, if I had been shopping

4. Mandatory Pulled Pork Roll - but with Apple Slaw, so tasty!

Whilst in Bath I also went to a Carol Concert with the Hospital Choir and Bath Spa Brass Band

Then onto Christmas

 Pasha is a pretty funny dog, he doesn't like wearing stuff, Briony put his Xmas scarf on and he just froze, he looks so sad like you have been really mean to him. He gets over it eventually but really isn't a fan.

Christmas food porn

1. My started - Prawn Cocktail

2. Hubby carving the roast as Dad was in work

3. My Xmas Dinner

4. Boxing Day lunch - Mega Salad, anything goes! lol!

No links and love for this one as I have been so silly busy I haven't actually been able to have a nose around online to be honest!

Outings - Hen Party in Bala

I am so sorry for being MIA recently, but I have been super busy with freelance proofreading work after taking on 3 big clients over the last few weeks and it has left me exhausted in all honesty! I haven't wanted to look at a computer to actually blog after all the reading I have been doing. But I got all my big jobs finished ready for this weekend just gone as I was off on a relaxing hen party for my sister in law. We stayed in this awesome manor house below, Pen-y-Garth Manor, in Bala North Wales. It was just a chilled weekend of relaxing in the hot tub, wandering around the village, eating good food, watching girly movies, chatting and having a few drinks. So here are a few pictures for you all, didn't actually take any of the scenery, lol!

The Hen in her standard hen party get up for our tea in the pub

 Yep that look may be down to me...Aftershock!

Mandatory Food porn for you all!

 My Faggots, Peas and Mashed Potato from our first night

 Sam's Gammon with a 'brace' of eggs and chips!

 Nat and Tina enjoying their meals

 Rhain enjoyed her steak!

Sunday mean carver!!!

 My dinner was so tasty!

 And Nat agreed!

 Although there was lovely food, most of the weekend was spent doing this...

 Chilling and drinking!

So that's what I have been up to this weekend, but now it is back to work as normal!

Review - JustBake.com White Sugar Snowflake Cupcake Sprinkles

I posted last week about the rainbow cupcakes that I made, and how me and Jon had decorated them all differently. I was lucky enough to be sent some super cute, perfect for winter time baking, snowflake shaped white sugar cupcake sprinkles from JustBake.com. They looked perfect on the blue icing I had, really christmassy! Plus they tasted yummy!

And they are just £2 for this huge bag full, I have a loads left after decorating my cupcakes so they will be being used for another christmas cake or baking project closer to Christmas time. 

JustBake.com is stocked full of fun decorating items for all your baking projects, from cake toppers, to edible paper and glitters, cupcake wrappers to sugar strands and icing dyes. Plus you can buy baking and decorating equipment too. Its a one stop baking shop!!

Review and Giveaway - Creative Tops Gourmet Cheese Baker

I've worked with Creative Tops before, a while ago I reviewed their new Katie Alice Collection for them, which was beautiful. So when Caitlin got in touch to ask if I would like to try out their new item, a cheese baker, I almost bit her hand off! I love baked camembert! Like seriously love it! So having a cute little baker especially for it sounded perfect.

So here is the Gourmet Cheese Baker which will cost you £13 from their shop The English Table, check out their store for lots of other brilliant kitchen and dining items too.

So here's what I thought of it, and pictures of my yummy baked Camembert.

It arrived in this cute little box, which is great if you are giving it as a gift, the presentation is lovely.

And here's my baker!! It is made of stoneware and is 11cm wide by 4cm tall, perfect for a camembert to fit in snuggly. It's microwave and dishwasher safe, making it super easy to use and clean.

All you have to do is pop your camembert in the baker, replace the lid and place it in the oven at 200 for around 15 minutes. You can add a drizzle of oil or some herbs or garlic to the top if you wish, or just serve with a relish like we did. This one is sweet red onion chutney that we bought from a tea shop on the Norfolk Broads. Then eat with crispy bread or your choice of veggie batons.

Granted camembert comes in a box which it can simply be baked in, but often the box can catch a little if the oven is too hot and they can get a bit messy if you want to eat them directly out of the box. With the baker it is all self contained and get's evenly cooked all over. Plus when you take it out of the oven you can just remove the lid and pop it straight on the table to enjoy your cheese from. Simple and a bit more classy than the wooden box!

So onto the giveaway part. Creative Tops have been kind enough to offer one of my lucky readers their very own Gourmet Cheese Baker. It's very simple to enter, just fill in the Rafflecopter form below and a winner will be chosen at random on the 30th. Open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks everyone and Good luck!