Monday Meal Planning

This week is going to be crazy busy. We are leaving for our summer holiday (back to the US for three weeks) on next Monday. I have to pack, which means going through everybody's clothes to see what we have and what is (still) needed, and making sure no one wears anything they want to bring after Thursday because Friday is the last laundry day before we go. I have to clean the house from top to bottom, not only because we are giving Larry's mum keys to the flat so she can keep an eye on it while we are gone and I don't want her thinking she needs to do anything, but also because we have a terrible damp/mould problem in our bathroom and the contractor is supposed to come sort it out while we are gone. We arranged it for then so it won't matter if they have to tear the bathroom apart and it is unusable for any amount of time. 

It's meal planning Monday and the meals this week are planned to use up what I have on hand as well as keeping leftovers to a minimum. So, tonight we are having grilled lamb chops that I marinated in some of my home made salad dressing. As a side, I am going to make a baked mashed potato casserole to use up some potatoes and bacon I have in the fridge. Basically it's twice baked potatoes, but in a dish. Just make some mashed potatoes, using your favourite recipe, add some cooked, crumbled bacon, sour cream, and some grated sharp cheddar cheese, spread into a greased baking dish and then top with some more grated cheese, bake until hot all the way through. You can add chopped green onion or anything else you want. We will have a green salad with this to use up the rest of the dressing. 

Tuesday is fish day and I have some tuna steaks in the freezer.  I am going make a spicy grilled tuna and serve it with spinach and fried potatoes, made using some boiled potatoes I have left over from making the baked potato salad last week. I have some strawberries (400 grams) I got on sale so I am going to slice them up and add some balsamic vinegar (@ 1/4 cup or 60 ml) mixed with honey (@  1.5 tablespoons) and a grinding of fresh black pepper. You can serve this with good vanilla ice cream or plain Greek yoghurt, it is delicious. I know it sounds weird but be brave and try it.

Wednesday I am making home made bagel dogs. I am going to make a few changes by skipping the seeds on the outside and putting a slice of smoked Bavarian cheese on top of the hot dog before I wrap it up in the bagel dough. We will have these with oven fries and sautéed green beans. 

Bagel dogs, recipe and photo courtesy of
Circle B Kitchen

Thursday we are having egg and chorizo wraps.  To make them I fry up some sliced chorizo sausage and diced onions add beaten eggs, 2 per person, and cook until the eggs are cooked through. Serve on tortillas/wraps with grated cheddar cheese and salsa. I am going to serve carrot sticks with these.

Friday will be whatever is left in the fridge/freezer.  Larry's mum is coming by to pick up keys and spend time with us before we go so I will try to make something nice but it will just be using up bits of this and that, most certainly involving eggs. I'll keep you posted on what it turns out to be.  

The weekend is going to be meals out because we won't be home at all. It is the nineteenth annual Dundee Blues Bonanza. It's three days of fabulous music with musicians coming from all over the world and not to be missed (by us anyway). Larry and I went last year and we had a great time. We hope to see some of the same acts as last year and maybe find some new ones to add to our list of favourites. Part of the fun is in seeing various friends every where we go. Last time there were people we knew at each of the venues and I would expect it to be the same this time. Last year we had to cut our Sunday fun short because Larry had to work on the Monday. This year we can dance into the wee hours because, while we do have to be up early for our ride to the airport, we can sleep all day on the plane if we need/want to. My plan is to have everything packed and ready to go except for the last minute things, like toiletries and meds, by Friday night so the weekend is free for fun. Wish me luck! 

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

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!

Pork Fried Rice

Today was a fast day so I made an easy pork fried rice loaded with tons of vegetables.  Because the meat is marinated you have to plan a little bit ahead but it is well worth the effort.

Pork Fried Rice

Pork Fried Rice 

Serves 5 at about 400 calories per serving, depending upon what vegetables you use. I used peas, courgette, onion and orange pepper and cooked up some cabbage separately. You could also exchange the pork for beef, chicken or tofu.

For the pork:
400 grams (about 3/4 lb) lean diced pork (or chicken, beef, tofu etc)
4 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes and/or black pepper to taste

Combine the above and let marinate for at least a few hours.

For the Fried Rice:

2 tablespoons wok oil, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
1 bunch scallions (green onions) thinly sliced, whites and green tops separate
450 grams (3.5 cups) cold cooked rice
3 cups very small pieces of vegetables of your choice (peas, carrots, shredded cabbage, onion, pepper, courgette (zucchini), etcetera)
1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder
pepper to taste

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan. Add the beaten egg, swirl the pan to make a thin even layer and cook until set. Use a spatula to chop the eggs as they cook, remove from the wok and set aside. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil into the wok and add the pork with marinade and the white parts of the scallion and fry until the pork is cooked through. Add the 5 spice powder, stir to combine, then add the last tablespoon of oil along with the veg. Cook just until the vegetables start to soften but aren't soggy. Add the rice, and the egg. Stir until fully combined and cook until hot. Sprinkle the green tops of the scallions over and serve with extra soy sauce on the side, if desired.

We really enjoyed this and it was a very filling meal for not too many calories.

Pork Fried Rice

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.

Friday Fish

Friday is usually beans on toast night but tonight we will be having something a little different.  Larry and I have a friend, Jackie, who will be 90 this September.  He is a wonderful man and treats Larry like a son.  The other day he came up to me and asked if I had anything planned for tea tonight (Friday) because if not, the fish man will be stopping so he is going to get some golden cutlets for us.  Golden cutlets are fillets of smoked haddock and they are Larry's absolute favourite fish.  Jackie knows this and every so often surprises him with some.  Usually I just put it under the grill and we have it on buttered toast but tonight I have decided to try something different.  I found this recipe and photo at Delia Online.  It looks quick, easy, yummy and not too unhealthy.  The only change I will make is to substitute finely chopped spring/green onion tops for the chives as that is what I have in the fridge today.  We will have it with a nice Greek Salad and some fresh bread.

Smoked Haddock with Creme Fraiche, Chive and Butter Sauce

For the salad, we will use mixed greens (from a bag), black olives, pickled yellow peppers, red onion and feta cheese.  I make my own salad dressing which we absolutely love on pretty much anything and everything!  You can easily switch out ingredients to change the flavour or to use what you have on hand.  If you want a nice emulsified dressing you need to use a blender, food processor or stick blender, if  you don't care if you have to shake the dressing before using you can just finely mince the garlic and shallot and then mix it up in a cruet.  Make this up at least a few hours before serving to allow the dried herbs to soften and the fresh garlic to mellow.  You could use all fresh garlic instead of half powder but you might find you need to add a bit of sugar if you do, to cut the sharpness of the garlic.

Greek Salad Dressing

In a blender combine until smooth(ish):

1 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 Teaspoon sea salt (adjust to taste)

Juice of one lemon plus enough balsamic vinegar to make 3 ounces

3 ounces red wine vinegar

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 shallot, peeled and cut in half

1 Teaspoon onion powder

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

With the blender still running, slowly add 6 ounces of olive oil so the mixture emulsifies.  Turn the blender off and add 2 Teaspoons each of dried basil and oregano and just pulse to combine, you don't want to make them invisible.  Pour into your cruet or bottle and store in the fridge.  This dressing tastes best served at room temperature so remove from the fridge about an hour before you want to eat. This is also delicious used to marinate meat for grilling.

Fast day 8 and catch up from yesterday

Sunday was, by special request, meat loaf night.  So that made yesterday spaghetti bolognese night.  My sister is married to an Italian and that is a tradition she  has given to me, making spaghetti bolognese with chopped up leftover meat loaf.  I make my sauce in the crock pot/slow cooker and I let it go all day so the flat smelled delicious!  I also made some meat balls to go in the sauce and some French bread that I turned into garlic bread.  Of course, since life is never easy I had to make a white Alfredo type sauce for the boy who eats nothing that looks like it grew from the ground.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to put up, sorry about that.

Italian Style Meat Loaf

500 grams of bulk Italian sausage, hot or sweet, your choice, we use hot
500 grams lean ground beef mince
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon basil
1 Tablespoon oregano
2 Tablespoons dried minced onion or 1 small chopped onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and press into loaf pan.  Bake at 350/170 until internal temperature reaches 165f.  I almost always use a digital meat thermometer rather than time when cooking meat, but you can expect it to take about an hour.  I usually bake potatoes at the same time to go with this and we had corn, which is one of the few "vegetables" picky boy will eat.  I made peach cobbler for dessert and that made enough for the boys to have dessert every night they eat with us this week.

I can't find Italian sausage here so I make my own.  We really like it and I use it to make patties for sandwiches as well.

500 grams or 1 pound ground/minced pork
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seed
1 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
14 - 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

I put all the seasoning ingredients in a resealable plastic bag and mix them together well.  Then I put the pork in and seal it up and squeeze the bag around until the seasonings are evenly distributed through the meat.  I usually make this up a couple of days before needing it to make sure the flavours are well blended.  If pork is on sale you can make this in any quantity you want and freeze it in appropriate sized portions. 

I don't know if any one actually needs a recipe for meat balls but just in case . . . here is a basic recipe you can tweak to suit your family.

Italian style Meat Balls (six large meatballs at 184 calories each)

1.5 pounds/750 grams extra lean minced beef

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoon basil

1 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Mix gently, not too much, and then form into six large meatballs, fry in a little bit of olive oil to brown and finish cooking them off in your sauce.  I put them in the crock pot/slow cooker with my meat loaf bolognese sauce to cook all day.  

"Alfredo Sauce"  is in quotes because it tastes like Alfredo but uses much less butter and has a lot less calories.  We really like it and you can use low fat/calorie ingredients to suit your taste/diet.  Since serving size is so individual, I just use a couple of tablespoons but my son probably uses 1/2 cup I have figured the calorie count for the whole recipe.

Alfredo style sauce (1031 calories for the recipe)

3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons plain flour
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) semi skimmed (2%) milk, more as needed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup (50 grams) grated parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
100 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (about 3.5 ounces or so)
freshly grated black pepper to taste
a pinch of nutmeg

In a sauce pan, melt butter and add flour to make a roux.   Slowly add the milk, whisking the entire time, stir until thick.  Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.  Add more milk if you decide it is too thick for your tastes.

The French Bread recipe, and the photo, came from here.  I haven't had time to search this blog properly but it looks like there are lots of great recipes.  The bread turned out wonderful and, after I cut the end off so I could make sure it wasn't poisonous  I made it into garlic bread to go with the spaghetti last night.  Every one loved it.

This post is already full of recipes so I won't post my bolognese sauce recipe.  I figure every body probably already has one they love to make or buy.  If you do want a recipe that is full of fresh veg and made in the slow cooker, let me know in the comments and I will do a later post on it.

Today is fasting day eight, and I am making a classic British dish called Toad in the Hole.  Don't ask me why it's called that, I have absolutely no idea, maybe one of my readers can enlighten us.  My recipe makes six servings, one each for Larry and I and two for each of the boys.  I will serve it up with green beans for all and left over peach cobbler for the boys.

Toad in the Hole  (six servings at 283 calories per serving)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

6 sausages, I used Morrison's Best Pork, Smoked Bacon and Cheddar

170 grams/6 ounces plain flour

3 eggs

185 ml/6 ounces semi-skimmed (2%) milk

Brown sausages under the grill or on top of the stove.  Place oil in a (9x13) baking dish and put into a cold oven.  Turn oven on to 400f/200c.  While the oven and dish is pre-heating, make the batter.  Either use a blender or a stick blender to mix flour, milk and egg until smooth.  Remove the hot pan from the oven, put the sausages in the bottom and pour the batter over them.  Bake about 35 minutes or until the centre is puffy and browned.  Don't be worried if the batter falls a bit after you take it out of the oven, it is supposed to do that.

Toad in the Hole

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.  

   

Week three, fast day five.

Today was a fast day so I was limited to 450-500 calories.  I had black coffee first thing this morning, as I always do, and then didn't have anything to eat until about 12:30 when I had a pot of low fat yoghurt for 100 calories.  In the mid afternoon I had a "tea" made with hot water, ginger, cinnamon and lemon juice.  I've been told that the ginger and cinnamon help to speed up your metabolism and there are only  about 20 calories so I figure it can't hurt and it doesn't taste terrible. For dinner I made a bastardised version of Somerset Stew served over steamed shredded cabbage.  Throughout the day I had coffee with a splash of whole milk, to total four tablespoons and 36 calories.  I measure it first thing in the morning and then use it as needed.  

The original recipe, and photo, for Somerset Stew came from the BBC.  

Here is my version of Somerset Stew.  This makes four very large servings at 219 calories per serving.

1 medium carrot, diced fine

1 medium onion, diced fine

2 stalks of celery, diced fine

420 gram can of Butter Beans, drained and rinsed

400 gram can of Mixed Indian Bean Salad in water, drained and rinsed (I bought it in Morrison's)

400 gram can of diced tomatoes

200 ml dry cider

250 ml water

2 Knorr Chicken Stock cubes

1/4 teaspoon of dried Thyme

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Steamed Cabbage to serve (1 cup is 33 calories)  

For those not fasting: Sausages, I used Morrison's Smoky Chipotle Chilli Sausages, and mashed potatoes.

Directions: In a large, non-stick, somewhat deep frying pan, brown the sausages.  Put them in a microwave safe dish and finish cooking that way.  Remove all but  tablespoon of the drippings and sauté' the carrot, onion and celery until lightly browned and softened.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  If desired, thicken the stew with 1 Tablespoon corn starch/flour mixed in 3 Tablespoons of cold water.   

We really enjoyed this, it had great flavour and was very filling.  Even with eating 1/3 of a sausage, because I just couldn't resist, my calorie count for the day totalled 452.