Syn free*! KFC style chicken - Can't even describe how yum this is...!

Hey there everyone. Sorry I've not posted in a while - I've been a very busy (aka lazy) girl! Anywho, it's friday night. I've been getting monster cravings. Cravings for what? The colonels fried chicken, that's what. So imagine my joy when I found a slimming world friendly version! It's delicious. I can't even recommend this enough. Make it, enjoy it. God bless KFC.

Btw - sorry for the low quality photo. Batteries have died so I'm using a camera phone - it looked much better in real life!

KFC Style Chicken - Syns - 0*
Serves 2-4

4 Chicken Fillets/Chicken Pieces
1 Pot of Chicken Bovril
4 Slices of Brown Bread (400g loaf)
1 Egg
1 Tsp Hot Chilli Powder (Optional)
1 Tbsp Mixed Herbs
1 Tsp Garlic Powder (optional)
Bit of Black Pepper.

*WARNING: If not using the bread as your healthy extra, syn accordingly. It normally works out as 1 slice per person!

1. Boil your chicken in a large pan of water and then for about 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, drain, dry and leave to cool for a little bit while you do the rest.
2. Put the bread and mixed herbs into a food processor or use a hand blender to blitz them into breadcrumbs.
3. In another bowl, mix the bovril, chilli powder, garlic, pepper and egg (and anything else you want to use).
4. Coat the chicken in the bovril mix before rolling in the breadcrumbs. It doesn't need to be too thick, just enough to coat it!
5. Place the chicken on a tray and put in a pre-heated oven on a fairly high temperature (I went about 200). Cook for 10-15 minutes until browned and crispy!

And there you have it! Wonderfully tasty chicken!! I served this with slimming world chips and home made coleslaw and it felt like I was being all naughty and induldgent.

Enjoy!

E

Day. 22 - I would kick myself in the face...

...but it is not physically possible, which to be honest, I'm quite glad about.

I went off to chubclub this morning feeling positive. I got onto the scales and my heart just sank. I really thought I'd tried hard last week and I'd lost 1lb. It's only my third week! I should be losing more than that. I was so ashamed I didn't even stay for image therapy. I just ran off like a little baby with a lame excuse! So now, I'm twice as ashamed. To make matters even worse, on the way home I got a chocolate bar and it was so tasty and worth the 8.5 syns I used on it. Then it dawned on me, I really didn't even try that hard last week.

By this point, I am three times as ashamed as I could have been. THRICE.

Anyway, onwards and downwards. I can't bitch about it like a small child when I know it's all my own fault! And it's still a loss, so I'm going to man up (metaphorically speaking) and step up my game this week. I am enforcing on myself a strict list of rules for the next 7 days.

Behold - Emily's 7 day mircale boost! OOOH. AHHH. Yeah that's right.

The following rules shall be stuck to or I shall live a life time of shame and regret (or something less dramatic).

RULE 1 - Always have a breakfast.

RULE 2 - Never eat past 6pm unless it is fruit or yogurt.

RULE 3 - Do at least 20 minutes of exercise a day.

RULE 4 - Try at least one red day and one green day.

RULE 5 - Only have one portion of food at meal times!

RULE 6 - Weigh and count everything that needs to be. No more guessing.

RULE 7 - Put more effort into this blog.

So, with the power of the miracle boost behind me, I am aiming to lose 4lbs through the course of next week. How exciting!

I am now off to make some wonderful pasta and scoff the lost before 6pm. Yum.

E

Day 7. End of week one!

Alas, I have finished my seventh day! I'm quite proud of myself for getting this far. I'm also crapping myself (putting it nicely) about my first weigh in tomorrow. I don't tend to do things on my own, let alone things that involve me standing up and staring my weight problems (metahporically) in the face. Nerves, nerves, nerves!

Today has been a bit of a let down, to a degree. I just think I ate too much. I felt a bit gross because of it. I think I'm starting to struggle a tad, not so much with the diet just the portion control and fitting in my superfrees. I'm going food shopping on Thursday and can't wait to get in the veg department! I'm going to try experiment with some snazzy vegetable dishes next week so watch this space for some recipes.

Tonight I had a Pork fillet Madras with Rice, and it was awfully good. Not sure how many syns it was due to the fact I used a table spoon or so of oil (virgin oil) but I think it was worth it! Shall post the recipe in the near future for that!

On a side note - I've stumbled across www.boohoo.com and previously wouldn't have bothered shopping there. Upon inspection, I'm loving some of their dresses, and more importantly their prices!

Will post results of the weigh in tomorrow after my first class. Wish me luck!

E

Syn Free! Steak with Mushroom Sauce - Tasty times.

Today I thought I'd try and make a nice meal that was tasty, filling and something a little bit special. I had some sirloin steaks in the fridge so here is what I made! It doesn't look quite as appetising as it did in front of me but I assure you - it tasted uhmazing. Best of all, completely guilt free! This is how I did it:

Syn Free! Steak with Mushroom Sauce - Syn Count - 0
Serves 2

What I used:

3/4 pint of vegetable stock made with 2 stock cubes (other flavours can be used)

3 cloves of Garlic

A whole load of Mushrooms

1 slice of Lean Bacon

1 Red Onion

1 Tbs Quark (this can be replaced with Low Fat Yogurt or Fromage Frais)

Salt & Pepper

2 Sirloin Steaks

Frylight

1.Dice mushrooms, garlic, onions and bacon. Spray some frylight in a non-stick frying pan and begin to fry.

2. Once cooked, add stock and a lid and turn the heat down. Leave to simmer until reduced down.

3. When reduced down, add a tablespoon of Quark to give it a creamy texture. You might need to turn the heat back up so it melts in properly. You can also use low fat natural yogurt or fromage frais if you dislike quark!

4. Add some seasoning to taste and you have completed your syn free mushroom sauce!

5. Season your steaks and add to a preheated grill pan sprayed with frylight. I do about 4 minutes on each side.

There you have it. Guilt free, quality food! I served this on a bed of stir fried cabbage and peppers with some slimming world friendly potatoes. Very successful!

Hope you enjoy!

E

Syn Free! Beef and Veg Bolognaise with Linguine. Mmm.

This smells so damn good. It's also the type of recipe where you can chop and change the ingredients to suit you're own requirements. I find it's best to use whatever is left over. Anywho, here's what I used today:

Syn Free - Beef & Veg Bolognaise with Linguine - Syn Count - 0

Serves 2-4

Extra lean mince
3 Flat Mushrooms
1/2 Red Pepper
1/2 Green Pepper
Handful of Green Beans
2 Garlic Cloves
Fry Light
Tinned Tomatoes
Passata
Vegetable Stock Cube (Oxo work best! Beef can also be used to give the meal a meatier feel)

1. Cut the mushrooms, peppers, green beans and garlic and fry using fry light until almost cooked.
2. Add the mince and brown, stir in a crumbled stock cube. This coats the meat and releases some nice flavours.
3. Add a tin of tomatos (plum tomatoes work really well) and simmer until reduced. Add some passata depending on how much sauce you like and a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Serve on a bed of Linguine cooked as per instructions on the packet.

Yum!

This meal is really filling and satisfying. I probably ate more than I should have but I'd definitely do it again. Om nom nom!

Syn Free! Spicy Vegetable & Bacon Risotto - Mmm.

Just thought I'd post the recipe of my dinner for tonight! 

Spicy Vegetable & Bacon Risotto  - Extra Easy Syns - 0

The ingredients i've used are really just a basic guide. Depending on your preference you can add or subtract any vegetable or quantities! It's a real good recipe for experimenting and using what's left over in the cupboards. You can also add tinned tomatoes if you're looking for something a bit heartier.

2 Large Flat Mushrooms

1 Large Onion

Handful of Green Beans

1/2 Red Pepper

1/2 Green Pepper

1 Carrot

2 tbs Sweetcorn

1 tbs Turmeric

1 tbs Paprika

3 Cloves of Garlic

2 Thin Chillies

Chicken or Vegetable Stock

2 Lean Slices of Bacon

Risotto Rice 

Frylight Spray

1. Dice or slice all the mushrooms, vegetables (except sweetcorn) and garlic and place in a large non-stick frying pan or wok and spray with fry light. Turn up the heat and begin to fry.

2. Chop up the chillies and bacon and add to the pan along with the turmeric and paprika. Stir in. If necessary, add some more fry light. This should soon start smelling awesome!

3. Once the bacon is browned off, add the rice. This can be as much or as little as you like. Stir it until all the rice is coated in the veg.

4. Add about 350 ml of chicken or vegetable stock and lower the heat, keep stiring.

5. When the dish starts looking a little dry, add some more stock. Repeat this process until the rice is soft enough to eat!

6. Just before serving, stir in the sweetcorn. 

Voila. I will be having this with a grilled chicken breast.

E