This week's menu.

It's meal planning Monday so here is this week's menu. We are getting ready to go away for three weeks in July so I am trying to use up what we have in the house so the fridge will be as empty as possible.  I'm also giving up on most desserts between now and then.  I have lost enough weight (finally all the holiday weight has come off) that my dress for the wedding fits and I don't want to sabotage that with extra baking.  

Monday we are having chicken enchiladas made using leftover chicken from our roast chicken last Thursday. I will slice up some bananas and mix them with cinnamon for a side dish.  

Tuesday, Cameron is bringing his girlfriend, Magda, over for tea. We always have fish on a Tuesday so I am making Basa Fish Cakes to serve with salad and boiled red potatoes. The original recipe for this came from Curtis Stone and Cole's.

Wednesday is Connor's 16th birthday. The birthday person always gets to pick the menu on their day so we are having spicy chicken wings, Rachel Ray's Loaded Baked Potato Salad and green beans. This is the only potato salad that Connor will eat and we owe our love for this recipe to my Mom. I cut the recipe in half because the original makes enough for a small crowd.  This is not a low calorie recipe but it certainly is a treat!  We will be having brownies, per Connor's request, for dessert. I'll give you the recipe for them on Wednesday.

Thursday the boys are eating at their Dad's so Larry and I will just have a nice big Greek salad. I make my own dressing and you can find the recipe here. I use a combination of whatever vinegars I have on hand so don't be worried if you don't have exactly what I used in the original recipe. This most recent batch has apple cider vinegar and balsamic.  I also used some oil, and added some cheese, from a jar of seasoned feta cheese cubes instead of the usual olive oil. To make the salad I just put a big serving of mixed greens in a bowl and top with whatever vegetables/pickled vegetables I have on hand.  This time it will be tomato, red onion, green and black olives, pickled hot peppers, shredded cheddar and parmesan cheeses and croutons. Simple but delicious.

Friday will be the usual baked beans on toast. I know, we eat it every week but we never tire of it. 

  

I've not planned anything for the weekend yet because it depends on what we have for leftovers.  

Menu Monday

It's Menu Planning Monday again. Seems like we just did this last week . . . oh wait . . . we did . . .

We are having a pretty easy week, meal wise. Today we had croissants with ham and cheese omelettes on them. We had sliced apples and grapes as a side. Tuesday is fish night and we will be having fish cakes with mushy peas and chips. Wednesday we are having spaghetti and Italian meatballs that I had in the freezer with some garlic toast and salad. Thursday will be roast chicken with roasted balsamic sweet potatoes and a green salad. I plan to add some chunks of onion and carrot to the sweet potato recipe. Friday will be beans on toast. Sunday is Father's Day so my boys will be having dinner with their Dad which means Larry and I will just have leftovers.

Roasted Balsamic Sweet Potatoes
photo and recipe courtesy of
Rufus' Food and Spirit Guide

Menu Planning Monday

It's menu planning Monday again. I love to try new recipes and this week has two new recipes and three tried and true favourites.

Monday:

Toad in the Hole (recipe found here, at the bottom of this previous post). Requested by Larry, who rarely asks for anything specific, so it is my great pleasure when he does mention a favourite meal. Today I will be using Cumberland sausages and serving it with a green salad on the side.  

Toad in the Hole

Tuesday:

Scottish Smoked Haddock Supper- The first of our new recipes, made with smoked haddock poached in milk, served on whole grain toast with a rarebit sauce. We'll have some spinach on the side.

Wednesday:

Guinness Burgers- I have made these once before and they were a huge hit. I use  lean steak mince and will be using smoked Gouda for the cheese this time. We will have chips (oven fries) and a green salad with these.

Thursday: 

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes- another new recipe for us.  I plan to make half this recipe because it makes two pans. Since my chorizo is cured I will add it half way through the cooking time and I am going to put in some cherry tomatoes and green beans as well. I will be using lemon zest instead of orange because no one, except me, really eats oranges here but I always have lemons on hand. (Connor's idea of eating oranges is to suck the juice out and leave the rest.) This is a whole meal in one pan so I will just serve it with some nice French bread to soak up all the juices.

Friday:

"Gourmet" Baked Beans on Toast (recipe found here) An oldie but a goodie and one of mine and Larry's favourite quick meals.

Saturday:

Date night

Sunday: 

We will be having a takeaway tonight because Larry and I are going to the Perth Races with a crowd of people from our local. We went last year and had a great time and expect it to be even more fun this year. Last year it was rainy and cold and this year it looks like it will be a beautiful sunny day. All of the girls get together and we each bring something(s) to share and we end up with a very nice picnic lunch. I am bringing dessert. I haven't decided all what I am making but I know peanut butter cookies will be one of the things.

Scottish Smoked Haddock Supper 

photo and recipe courtesy of 

Fish is the Dish

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes
photo and recipe courtesy of
Pick Yin

Guinness Bacon Cheeseburgers
photo and recipe courtesy of
Care's Kitchen

The Catch Up Recipes From Last Week

From Dinners, Dishes and Desserts, one of our meals last week was Roasted Garlic, Chicken and Red Onion Pizza. It was delicious!  The only changes I made from the original recipe was to use the olive oil from roasting the garlic, instead of butter, to make the roux for the white sauce and I didn't have any thyme so I used Italian seasoning instead. I also divided the Parmesan cheese and put about 2/3 in the sauce and sprinkled the rest on the top of the pizza. I put onions on only half the pizza as the boys don't really care for them and I put extra cheese on their half. The recipe says six servings but we got three, plus one extra piece, and Larry and I both had salad with it.

Recipe and photo courtesy
of Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

The other recipe I owe you is for Mince Rolls. Interestingly, Mince Rolls are unique to Dundee. If you go any where else in Scotland and try to order one, the server will look at you like you are crazy.  I had my first ever Mince Roll at my local pub. The manager serves food during half time of the weekend football (soccer) matches and this is one of my favourite things he makes. Thank you, Paul, for the wonderful recipe!

Dundee Mince Rolls

1 pound lean steak mince

1 large onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 small potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup frozen peas

3 Oxo (bouillon/stock) cubes, crumbled

1 (UK) pint (20 ounces) cold water

Pepper to taste

I take the easy way out and prep the veggies in the food processor.  I chop them all into similar size (biggish) chunks then pulse until they are the size I want. I make them kind of small so the kids don't notice them as much. Paul often uses frozen mixed vegetables and that is just as good, no chopping involved.  Brown the mince over medium heat, add the onion and the crumbled stock cubes and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the water and cook for 15 minutes. Add the carrots, peas and potatoes.  Cook until the vegetables are tender.  I like to put it in the crock pot/slow cooker after the meat and onion is browned and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook on low all day or on high for about 4 hours.  If the meat is too juicy you can thicken it up with gravy mix or corn starch and cold water.  I don't usually need to thicken it.  Serve on rolls.  This makes enough for 8 rolls.

Dundee Mince Roll

Menu Planning Monday

It's Menu Planning Monday so here are the meals I have planned for the week.  I know I still owe you some recipes from last week and I will do a post tomorrow with those to play catch up.  

Monday:

Buffalo Chicken Wraps with home made Blue Stilton Dressing

Apple slices

Photo courtesy of Eating Well

I didn't make the dressing called for  

in the recipe, I made my own Blue Stilton 

dressing (recipe below). To save

on calories, I will have my wrap 

as a salad, with lots of extra 

vegetables and skip the tortilla.

Tuesday
Crispy Baked Basa  with Tartar Sauce
Potato Salad
Green Salad 

Recipe and photo courtesy
Chef in Training

Wednesday:

Corn Dogs

Carrot Sticks

Chips (Fries)

Not really the healthiest of meals but a treat for my boys.  Corn dogs aren't known over here in Scotland and when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. I am following some of the tips and cutting the hot dogs in half, skipping the skewers and using honey in the batter instead of sugar.

Thursday:                                                               

Recipe and photo courtesy
Chocolate Broccoli

Spicy Thai Chicken with Basil

Rice

Sauteed Cabbage

Green Beans

Friday:

Crustless Quiche

Toasted Whole Wheat Soda Bread

Grapes

Saturday:

Larry and I have a wedding party to go to tonight so it is just something easy for the boys.  I have some cooked shredded chicken breast in the freezer and I am going to put some barbecue sauce on it and put it on rolls.

BBQ chicken on Rolls 

Crisps (potato chips)

Salad

Sunday:

The boys are eating at their Dad's tonight.  It will be an easy cooking night because I will just heat up some leftovers.  If there are no leftovers then we will have fried eggs with sharp cheddar cheese on rolls. 

The Blue Stilton Dressing recipe is a revamped recipe I found online.  I cut back on the mayonnaise and the cheese and I think it is just as good for less calories.  The trick is to use a good quality cheese for the sharpest flavour, which is what allows you to get by with less. Once you start making your own salad dressings, and discover how easy it is, you will never go back to the chemical laden store bought!

Blue Stilton Dressing

3/4 cup sour cream 

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon (scant) salt

1/4 teaspoon (generous) garlic powder

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup mayonnaise (I used Helmann's Light)

3 ounces (divided) of good quality Blue cheese, Stilton, or Gorgonzola, what ever you like.

In a medium mixing bowl beat together, sour cream, spices and Worcestershire sauce for about two minutes. Add the mayo and 2 ounces of the cheese, crumbled.  Mix for another two minutes or so, until the cheese is pretty well incorporate.  Add the last ounce of cheese, crumbled, and mix again until the dressing reaches your desired texture. We like some chunkiness. Chill in a covered container for at least 8 hours to blend the flavours.

Blue Stilton Dressing

Crock Pot Refried Beans and Enchilada Sauce

My laptop was in the shop yesterday . . . so not good. I could do almost everything on my phone but I couldn't write a blog post so yesterday's post had to wait until today. Fortunately the computer only needed a new jack for the power cord. And, the computer guy was nice enough to clean the fans while he had it open so now my computer doesn't sound like a jet taking off.  

Yesterday was a milestone day for my son, Cameron.  He had his last exam and is now officially done with secondary education.  He has been offered a place at the University of St Andrews for the term starting in October 2014. We all are very proud of him.  

Last night for dinner we had bean and cheese burritos baked in the oven, smothered with home made enchilada sauce. If you were to order these in a restaurant they would be called "Wet Burritos". They were delicious and so filling. I was stuffed with one and Larry and Connor managed one and a half each. You could put less filling in each and make more of them, but I try to limit the "bread" so I use more filling and only have one tortilla. I made eight, so that left one and a half for Cameron for his lunch today, one for Larry for his lunch today, and one and a half for Connor to have for his Sunday dinner because he doesn't care for mince rolls. I cut up some Granny Smith apples too and we all had more than enough to eat.

                                 

"Wet" Bean Burritos

To make the burritos:

8 flour tortillas

refried beans (recipe below)

grated cheese

enchilada sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375f/190c

Heat the beans, put about 1/3-1/2 cup in each tortilla and top with grated cheese.  To roll, fold the two sides in, fold the bottom up to the middle and then bring the top down over that.  Like an envelope.  Line a pan with foil (to make clean up easier) spread some enchilada sauce over the bottom (about a cup) and then put the rolled burritos, seam side down, on top of the sauce. Top with more sauce, about a cup or so, and bake until bubbly, about15 minutes or so.  Top with grated cheese and continue heating until the cheese is melted.  Let rest about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with diced onions, salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole.

Enchilada Sauce (I doubled it so I could freeze some for another time)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons self raising flour (I don't know why self raising but that is what the original recipe called for so I use it.)

1/4 cup chilli powder, I used half mild and half hot, but we like spicy

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

14 teaspoon garlic powder

pinch of salt if desired

In a saucepan, heat oil, flour and chilli powder until the colour changes to light brown.  Whisk in the rest of the ingredients and cook, while whisking over medium heat, until thickened.  

Enchilada Sauce

Crock Pot "Refried" Beans

1 package (1 pound or 500 grams) of dried pinto beans, washed and soaked overnight.  

8 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1/4 cup cumin

2 large vegetable stock cubes (to make 4 cups of stock)

1-3 seeded jalapeños, cut in chunks.  Use rubber gloves while you are doing this to protect your skin from the oils.

1 large white onion, peeled and cut in big chunks

1 large red onion, peeled and cut in big chunks

1 tablespoon mild chilli powder

Water

Put the beans along with everything else, except the water, into a crock pot. Add enough water to cover the beans and vegetables. Cook on high for two hours and then put on low until you are ready to serve, at least three hours or, if you are going to be gone all day, cook on low for 8 or more hours.  Use a stick blender to purée the beans and vegetables right in the crock pot or else transfer it to a food processor in batches to do the same.  If you want more texture to your beans you can dice the onions and peppers small before you put them in the crock pot and then use a potato masher to achieve the desired consistency.  This made enough for 8 very full burritos and about 2 cups to freeze for a side dish the next time we have tacos. 

Crock Pot Refried Beans

Enjoy!!!

Menu Planning Monday

OK, Menu Planning Monday is a misnomer. We do the weekly grocery shopping on Saturday or Sunday (depends on when Liverpool plays) so I plan my menus on a Thursday. But, the link party is for Menu Planning Monday, so that's the title. It is a good idea to have a menu for the week, I use a desk size diary to keep track of the boys school stuff, birthdays etcetera and the daily menu.  If you can plan for the week, you only shop once so you spend less money in the long run.  It is those little trips into the shops for "just the one thing" that really add up. Now be honest, when was the last time you got only the one thing?

Here is this week's menu. I'm not going to post all the recipes today, that would make this post a little lengthy, but I will post them throughout the week. 

Monday

Swedish meatballs with buttered pasta, and garlic green beans for Larry and the boys.  Sautéed cabbage instead of pasta for me.

The Swedish meatball recipe and photo are courtesy of Gina at SkinnyTaste.  

Skinny Taste Swedish Meatballs 

To make the beans heat a dab of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and then add whole green beans. I use frozen beans but I thaw them ahead of time. Sauté until they are cooked until almost done, what ever that is for you. We like them really well done. Add a couple cloves of pressed garlic or a teaspoon of garlic powder. If you add the garlic too early it will burn and become bitter so fight the urge! Add cracked sea salt and pepper and/or chilli flakes if you like spicy. 

Tuesday 

Blackened Tuna Steaks with spinach and home made potato salad.   I always have whole green beans, spinach, corn, and peas in the freezer. Carrots, potatoes, celery, cabbage, salad mix, tomatoes and onions are always in the fridge.  Along with rice and pasta, those ingredients are the basis for all the side dishes/vegetables we eat every day.  If you want to eat real food you have to buy real food!  

Wednesday

Bean Burritos, made with home made refried beans (recipe to follow later in the week), carrot sticks and apple slices. I am making the boys Hot Fudge Pie for dessert this week.  The recipe and photo come from IslandEat. They like to eat it warm with vanilla ice cream on top.






Thursday

Roasted Garlic, Chicken and Red Onion Pizza (recipe to follow later in the week) with salad.

Friday

Gourmet Baked Beans on Toast

Saturday

Date Night, no cooking.

Sunday

Mince Rolls (recipe to follow later in the week), Chips (oven-baked fries) and Salad.

So, that's the menu for the week along with some of the recipes.  Enjoy!

Yoghurt and Parmesan Baked Basa and Iced Oatmeal Cookies

This week has had some easy meals, hamburgers with chips(fries) and salad, macaroni and cheese with chorizo sausage, beef and bean enchiladas with salad and apple slices, and oven baked Basa with roasted potatoes and carrots.  Dessert for the week is spiced iced oatmeal cookies with vanilla ice cream. The burgers and enchiladas were fast day meals so I skipped the bun, the chips and the tortilla.  I put my enchilada toppings on salad instead. Yummy!  

I'm going to share the recipes for the Basa and the cookies.  The original Creamy Crunchy Baked Basa recipe and photo are from Kara at Kara's Favourite Recipes.   Basa is a member of the catfish family and is very mild flavoured.  If you can't find it you could substitute regular catfish or any thin white fish fillets you prefer.

Photo credit to Kara Heald

I changed the recipe up a bit because I hate mayonnaise, which I may or may not have mentioned a time or two before.  Here is my version:

Yoghurt and Parmesan Baked Basa

1 pound/500 grams Basa fillets 

1/4 cup plain Greek yoghurt

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan plus 1 tablespoon reserved

2 tablespoons softened butter, I used my homemade spreadable butter

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, I used freshly ground

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons olive oil 

Preheat oven to 400f/200c

Line a baking dish or tray with foil.  Oil the foil using olive oil or pan spray. Lay the fish on the foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  I used garlic and chilli salt that comes in a grater and no extra pepper.  Mix the yoghurt, 1/4 cup parmesan,  butter, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, lemon juice and zest together.  Spread the mixture evenly over the fillets.  Sprinkle the reserved parmesan over the top.  Mix the bread crumbs with the olive oil and sprinkle evenly over the fish.  Bake in heated oven until fish tests done, about 15 minutes.  You can then place the pan under the broiler/grill for a few minutes if you want the crumbs crispier.  

Spiced Iced Oatmeal Cookies 

Preheat oven to 350f/170c

Cookies:

2 cups porridge oats

2 cups flour

2/3 cup dessicated coconut, medium

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (8 ounces) butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

Icing:
2 cups powdered/icing sugar
5 tablespoons milk (or enough to make the icing drizzleable . . . yes that's a word)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a food processor, pulse the oatmeal until it is a coarse meal, not finely ground.   You want to be able to tell it's oats.  Mix the processed oatmeal with the flour, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each addition until fully incorporated. Beat another couple of minutes until pale golden.  Beat in the dry ingredients. Drop rounded balls of dough, about a heaping tablespoon, onto a greased cookie sheet/baking tray.   I use a reusable liner instead of greasing the pan.  Leave plenty of room between the cookies as they will spread a lot.  Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let sit on the pan for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cookies are done cooling you can ice them.  Don't overdo it, you just want a thin layer of icing that will harden.  Once the icing dries, store the cookies in an airtight container.  Because we like fresh cookies, and since I allow the boys only two a day (along with a scoop of ice cream), I usually bake up half the batch and freeze the rest of the dough for another time. Put the remaining icing in a separate bag in with the cookie dough.  Thaw completely before baking.

Fast Day Crock Pot/Slow Cooker Beer Chicken

The original recipe for this came from LaaLoosh.  After reading the reviews, which I always do, I decided to make some changes.  Here is my version of the recipe which you can compare to the original and decide how you want to go.  We really enjoyed this.

Photo credit to LaaLoosh

Crock Pot/Slow Cooker Beer Chicken (5 servings with 250 calories per serving, if you eat only one thigh then it will be 150 calories)

1 can Guinness or any beer that has a deep flavour

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons French mixed herbs (mine has rosemary, thyme, savoury, marjoram and basil)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (depends on your tolerance for spice, we really like it)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (I didn't add much salt because I planned to thicken the broth with gravy  mix which has a lot of salt in it.)

1/4 cup dried minced onion

10 chicken thighs, skin removed

Mix all the ingredients, except the chicken, in the crock pot.  After mixing add the chicken.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Remove the chicken from the crock and add some boiling water (I added about 2 cups) and enough chicken gravy mix to thicken.  If you prefer, you can use chicken stock and corn starch to make the gravy.  Add more salt and pepper if needed.  Add the chicken back to the gravy until you are ready to serve.  Optional: remove the bones from the thighs before you return them to the gravy.  I do this because I have Mr. Picky (my son) who hates bones in his chicken.  I served it over mashed potatoes with green beans on the side.  As yesterday was a fast day for me, I had mine over sautéed cabbage instead of mashed potatoes.  Delicious!

Smoked Haddock Wellington

My original plan for dinner was to make a recipe for Hot Smoked Salmon Wellington but smoked haddock was on sale so I decided to use that and make my own recipe.  I've used frozen spinach, leeks, garlic and onions for the filling and I found some light puff pastry at Tesco.  I'm, going to come right out and admit this is not a very low calorie meal.  However, served with a fresh salad it is a nice treat.  We really did enjoy it.  Next time, however, I will make the salads smaller because we were both uncomfortably full after eating.  It never looks like much until you start eating!

Smoked Haddock Wellington  makes 2 servings at 475 calories per serving

200 grams frozen chopped spinach leaves, thawed, squeeze as much water out as possible

1 small white onion diced

1 small leek, cleaned and chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste, we don't use salt and I also added some chilli pepper flakes, about 1/8 teaspoon, which gave it a nice kick.

2 pieces of smoked haddock, my package equalled 222 grams

1/3 package light, ready rolled puff pastry, cut into two.  You can package and freeze the rest for later use.

1 egg, lightly beaten (the calorie count includes half the egg as it is only used as a wash)

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan, sauté the onion and leek until soft, add the spinach and garlic and continue cooking until the spinach is dry, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and let cool. Use parchment/greaseproof paper to line a baking tray, spray or brush with a little oil to prevent sticking. Put the two pieces of puff pastry on the prepared paper.  Using a sharp knife slice the fish pieces in two as in the picture below. Place the fish on the pastry, as shown.   Put the spinach on the bottom piece of fish and place the top back on.  Bring the puff pastry up around it to make a nice case.  I left a vent in the middle but you could could cut a design into it or lattice it, whatever you prefer.  You can make prettier parcels by using bigger pieces of puff pastry but as there are millions of calories in puff pastry I used the smallest amount that would cover the fish.  At this point I put the parcels into a plastic bag and then into the fridge because we don't eat until 8:00.  

Slice the fish in half like bread.

Divide the spinach mix evenly between the two pieces of fish, put the tops back on.

Bring the pastry up around the fish to make parcels.  Leave or cut vents to let the steam escape.

Brush with the beaten egg before placing into a preheated (200/400/gas mark 7) oven. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until nicely browned and fish is done.  

Served with a tomato and fresh mozzarella salad.

Fast Day and Weigh In

My weekly weigh in today puts me down another pound for a total loss of 4.6.  No complaints here!  It is an interesting mind set, fasting on a Monday.  After a week end of indulging it is almost a relief.  This weekend was less indulgent than most because I am still getting over a cold and didn't feel like going out as much as we usually do.  I stayed in Friday night.  Saturday night, Larry and I went to a birthday party for a friend and, in case you have been anxiously waiting to find out, I did manage to pick up a nice outfit for myself. There was a buffet of sandwiches and nibbles and I did have a few bites but saved myself for a small piece of the toffee flavoured birthday cake . . . yummy!  Sunday morning Larry and I went out for breakfast and then I spent the afternoon doing some baking for the boys for the week.  Their Easter holidays ended this morning so I made some chocolate muffins and some Nutella bread for their breakfasts and  I made a peach cobbler for dessert after their dinners this week.  I guess I am getting old because I had a baking brain freeze yesterday.  I was making the muffins, which called for the butter to be melted, so I put it in the microwave to do just that while I mixed up the rest of the ingredients.  And then, of course, forgot to add the butter.  It wasn't until I opened the microwave to put something else in that I realized.  Oh well, the boys ate them this morning, Cam loved them and Connor said the texture was weird but they tasted fine.  

Except for Oxo and coffee, I am saving all my calories for dinner and tonight I am making a recipe courtesy of Karen S Burns-Booth at Lavender and Lovage.  She takes beautiful photos of her recipes and this one is Cajun Chicken Kebabs.  If you have never been to her blog before, get thee there now.  It is very well done and full of great recipes.

Cajun Chicken Kebabs at 209 calories/serving without pita bread, according to My Fitness Pal.  My pita bread is 130 calories per piece which puts the total for this meal at 339 calories/serving.  Other than doubling the recipe, the only thing I did differently was to add 1/4 teaspoon each onion and garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon each of fresh lemon juice and zest, and 1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander to the yoghurt sauce.

Well, I can tell you we enjoyed these very much!

Friday Blues

Well, yesterday was a bust.  I woke up with a scratchy throat that, by 10:00, had manifested into full blown fever, sore throat and cough.  I had to cancel my much anticipated girl's day out.  Boo hoo!!  

I was pretty hungry after fasting on Wednesday so I had eggs and toast for breakfast.  Lunch was a half portion of leftover Somerset Stew from Monday night and tea was some leftover ham and potato soup I had pulled out of the freezer along with warm bread.  Add a few biscuits for a snack and I stayed well under my calorie limit for the day. Isn't it amazing what not feeling well does for the appetite?

Today I am still a bit under the weather so had to cancel my plans to have coffee with Larry's mum.  Not only am I not sure I have the energy to get down town and back but I wouldn't want to expose her to illness. Too bad, really, I was looking forward to it.  This woman is an absolute treasure, very active, feisty, and  still completely independent at 85.

Another easy day food wise, just porridge for breakfast, cup soup, crackers, and two Laughing Cow Light cheese triangles for lunch.  I have to say Morrison's Nu Me Tomato, Red Pepper and Chilli cup soup is really good.  Very thick with a lot of flavour.  I can highly recommend it.  

My boys go to their Dad's for Friday night tea so Larry and I are just having more soup from the freezer.  It can't be helped, I'm not up for cooking.  To be fair, I don't really cook on Friday night anyway.  Friday night is usually Beans on Toast night.  The boys don't care for it but we absolutely love it, so I make it when they aren't home.  I can hear you muttering, "Beans on Toast? What kind of dinner is that for a self-proclaimed foodie?"  Well, I can tell you it isn't just opening a tin of beans, heating it up, and pouring it over toast!  I'll give you my recipe today but can't put up a picture until next week when I actually make it again.  If you make them, let me know what you think.

"Gourmet" Beans on Toast (2 servings of baked beans at 189 calories per serving. I left off the calorie count for the toast because that varies so much depending upon what bread you buy. If you use "diet bread" you can easily fit this meal into your fast day.)

2 Teaspoons butter (you can use less or use a spray if you use non-stick cookware and that would reduce the calorie count)

1 medium onion, diced

1 can baked beans in tomato sauce (any value brand is fine because you are adding stuff to it)

1/4 cup (60 grams) HP Sauce with Guinness

2 Teaspoons demerera or light brown sugar

1/8 -1/4 Teaspoon of chili flakes, depending on your tolerance for spicy

1/8-1/4 Teaspoon of black pepper, 

4 slices of toasted bread

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and then sauté the onions until they are cooked to your preference.  For this, we still like a bit of crunch left in the onions so I just cook them for a few minutes.  When the onions are ready, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the toast, and heat through.  Serve over the toast.  

Fast day six

I'm fasting again today.  It's not my usual fast day, that's tomorrow, but I've got a day out tomorrow with some friends so had to switch it to today.  I've planned grilled chicken with spinach salad and a balsamic vinaigrette.  It's a recipe I got from skinnytaste.com.  There are a ton of fabulous recipes on this site and they are all labelled with nutrition, calorie and WW points information.  I'm going to make spaghetti with pesto sauce for the non-dieters in the family to have with this.  The only change I made to the original recipe was to use regular balsamic vinegar, instead of the white balsamic that was called for, and only because that is what I had on hand and I didn't want to buy something else.  

On a random note, I need a new outfit for Saturday.  It's a friend's 50th birthday party and I have nothing to wear.  Not literally but I would really like something new.  After my less than productive shopping trip yesterday, during which I bought a very nice shirt for Larry to wear and nothing for myself, Larry is taking me to go look for something tomorrow night after he gets home from work.  I hate shopping for myself and, as anyone who is overweight can attest, nothing ever looks nice on me. I figure if Larry goes with me he can give me an honest opinion and maybe I will be able to find something.  

Grilled Chicken with Spinach Salad and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Recipe and photo owned by Gina at skinnytaste.com  (serves 4 at 183.1 calories per serving)

Salmon Burgers

Today is a fixed day so my calorie limit is between 1500-1600.  To maintain my weight I need about 1850 calories.  According to the 5:2 plan, fast days should be limited to 25% of your maintenance caloric need.  This is why I try to limit my calories to 450 on a fast day.  You can find your maintenance rate here.  This site will also tell you what your caloric intake should be for weight loss, which is what I use as my fixed rate.  Because this is meant to be a way of life, not a temporary fix, it needs to be as easy as possible.  So far, so good!

Yesterday was my third weigh in day, with the first being the day I started.  I am down 2.6 pounds, which is great!  I am quite happy with that.  I want to lose another 10 pounds before July when I am Matron of Honour in my daughter's wedding.  After that, my goal will be to lose another 20 pounds.  That will not put me at my so called ideal weight but it will put me at a healthy weight which will work for me.  I can't realistically expect to weight at 50 what I weighed at 18.  

Breakfast today was 1/2 cup of porridge oats cooked with 1 1/2 cups of water and served with one tablespoon of demerara sugar, four tablespoons of whole milk and 20 grams of dried cranberries.  This meal totals 304 calories and is one of my favourites.  I eat it a lot.  I had cereal and milk for lunch. Boring I know, but I was going to go shopping and just wanted something quick.  I am terrible when it comes to making myself lunch.  I don't mind making my breakfast but lunch is usually just something quick like cup soup with crackers or cereal and milk. 

After I got back from shopping, where I bought nothing for myself but stuff for everybody else (it's a mom thing), I was starving and we don't eat tea until 8:00 or 8:30.  I snacked on some Laughing Cow Light Blue flavoured cheese on toast for snack and then couldn't resist some crisps.  I mean, really, what evil person bought those?  I ended up going over my calorie goal but still kept it well under the maintenance level.

Tonight's tea, the high point of the day, was Salmon Burgers and 7 Layer Salad.  The recipe for the burgers calls for a lime and red onion mayo but I don't care for mayo like that, it has to be mixed in something.  So, I made a coleslaw with lime and red onion dressing to put on top.  Just fyi, the burgers require chilling for at least half an hour before cooking so this is a plan ahead meal.  Larry and I both ate our salmon without a roll and we really didn't miss it.  In fact, Larry has decided this is his new favourite meal.

Salmon Burgers Photo and recipe courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens  (4 servings at 339 calories per serving, not including roll, and when made without the lime mayonnaise.)

Coleslaw with Lime and Red Onion Dressing  (4 servings at 62 calories each)

1/2 cup finely diced red onion (more or less to taste, we like a lot of onion)

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream (4 Tablespoons)

1/4 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (4 Tablespoons)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

1 Teaspoon lime zest

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt (just a pinch)

fresh ground pepper to taste

3 cups shredded white cabbage

In a medium size bowl, make a dressing with all ingredients except the cabbage.  Stir in the cabbage until evenly coated.  Chill about 30 minutes for flavours to meld.

Seven Layer Salad (6 servings at 155 calories per serving)

This beautiful Trifle bowl was a gift to me from Larry's mother.  She received it as a wedding gift over 60 years ago.

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, cored, torn into bite sized pieces

2 green onions, chopped fine

1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine

2 stalks of celery, chopped fine

240 grams of frozen petite pois, thawed but not cooked, pat dry with paper towels

1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise mixed with 1 Tablespoon white sugar

1 cup shredded mature/sharp cheddar cheese

3 extra lean rashers of smoked bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces

In a serving dish, layer the first four ingredients in the order given then spread the mayo/sugar mixture evenly over the peas.  Top with the cheddar cheese and bacon.  You can reduce the calories even  more by using reduced fat cheese but I am of the mind that I would rather use less of the good stuff.  The original recipe calls for double the dressing recipe, which you could do but that would raise the calorie count significantly.  As already mentioned, I am not a mayo fan so I use the least amount possible to still make a nice dressing.   This is a very versatile salad and you can make it with any vegetables you have on hand.  

   

Begin at the Beginning

Today is the first day of my third week of this new eating style.  I refuse to call it a diet since I have always felt diet to be a dirty four letter word.  I hate diets!  Healthy eating?  That I can do.  This is a way of eating that should be sustainable over time.

I do not want to argue over the benefits/dangers of "fasting" two days a week.  It is my choice and I am going to do it.  Am I hungry on my fast days? Yes!  Will I die of starvation on my fast days?  Definitely not.  I can go one day without eating three squares and two snacks.  In a typical week my fast days, which will average around 450 calories, are going to be Mondays and Thursdays.  This week, because of making plans with a friend who is off work on Thursday, my second fast day will be Wednesday.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday will (normally) be set days, meaning I will try my darnedest to not go over 1500-1600 calories.  Saturday and Sunday . . . all bets are off and I can eat and drink what I like without worrying.  

I use My Fitness Pal to track my calories Monday through Friday.  It has a marvellous data base and you can input your own recipes so there is no excuse for not keeping on top of my calorie count for the day.  I have also joined a forum for the 5:2 eating plan just for the extra support.  You can find it here: 5:2 Fast Diet Forum.  They have a great FAQ section.

I have started this blog as another way of being accountable.  I plan to post recipes and links to blogs/websites that I find helpful. I love to cook and this is just another challenge to creating healthy meals for my partner and my two boys.  I hope to inspire you and be inspired by you in this journey to better health.  Thanks for coming along!