Avocado & Greek Yoghurt Dip With Home made Tortilla chips

Chips & dip is a wonderful combination, great for parties, for snacks, nibbles for watching a movie. Unfortunately they are typically very high in calories and therefor not so great for us weight watchers. I have come up with a wonderful chip & dip combination that wont break your Pro Point bank. And if I do say so myself it's absolutely delicious!

Avocado & Greek Yoghurt Dip with Home Made Tortilla chips

Serves 2

7 Pro Points per recipe on the Pro Points plan

4 pro Points per recipe on the Filling & Healthy plan

Avocado & Greek Yoghurt Dip

Ingredients

1  Large Avocado 

Juice of half a Lime

3 tbsp 0% Greek Yoghurt

2 garlic Cloves, Crushed

1 Inch piece of Ginger, peeled & grated

Half a tsp Smoked Paprika

Half a tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Small dash of water\

2 Weight watchers Wraps

Calorie Controlled Spray

Sea salt & Ground Black Pepper

Method

Half the Avocado, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh,

Add it to the blender,

Then add the remaining ingredients,

Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides half way through

Home Made Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 180c

Cut the wraps into triangles,

Place on a lined baking sheet,

Spray with Calorie Controlled Spray,

Sprinkle with Salt & Pepper or seasoning of your choice,

Bake for 8 minutes or until crisp and lightly golden

leave to cool

Serve & enjoy a very tasty savoury snack!

   

A great start with a Chorizo & Feta Omelette

Happy New Year to you all!

This week is back to class time, as the kids get back to school, us weight watchers members get ourselves back to class and on the scales. It's a scary, daunting prospect for a lot of us, but it's a step in the right direction and its onwards and downwards from there!

I have a lovely recipe to get you inspired and you won't feel like your on a diet at all, thats the joy of Weight watchers, nothing if forbidden you can have everything in moderation, so there is no need to eat dry, bland food in order to loose weight.

Chorizo & Feta Omelette

Serves 1

7 Pro Points per serving
or
3 pro Points on Filling & Healthy

2 Medium Eggs
1 Tbsp Skimmed Milk
1 Tsp Oregano
Salt & Pepper to taste
30g Chorizo, diced
30g Light Feta, diced
1 small Onion, diced
1 tomato, halved & sliced
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar

Heat the grill to 200 degrees.
Whisk the eggs, milk, oregano, salt & pepper in a jug and set to one side.
Spray a small/medium frying pan with fry lite and heat to a high heat.
Fry the onions for one minute & add the chorizo, fry for a further minute.
Reduce to a medium heat.
Add the tomato & balsamic vinegar and simmer until the balsamic has caramalised with the tomato.
Pour over the egg mixture and sprinkle the feta over the top.
Cook until bubbles appear on the surface.
Place the frying pan under the grill until the omelette is fully cooked (alternatively you can flip and cook the other side on the hob)


Serve with home made potato wedges or a side salad & enjoy!

Quinoa Buffalo Bites

Quinoa Buffalo Bites

The whole recipe works out as 6 Pro Points on the Filling & Healthy program

5 Bites are only 1 Pro Point on Filling & Healthy

1 bottle of Franks Buffalo Wing sauce

2 cups cooked Quinoa

1/2 Cups Paxo Breadcrumbs

1 Egg

Salt & Pepper

1 can Cannellini Beans, mashed

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

In a bowl combine the Beans, Quinoa, Egg & Breadcrumbs with 4 tbsp of Franks Buffalo sauce, add salt & pepper to taste.

Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Form into balls, using about half a tablespoon of mixture to make about 30 bites.

Heat a frying pan and add oil.

Add the bites and cook until crisp & golden on all sides (about 5 minutes)

repeat with remaining balls.

When all the bites are cooked, roll each bite in the leftover Franks sauce being careful not to break the balls.

Serve as finger food at a party or accompany with salad for a tasty lunch or dinner.

Or you could be a little naughty and serve them with home made oven fries with taco sauce and cheese for a friday night fake-away!

Filling & Healthy Granola Yogurt Pot

Filling & Healthy Granola Yogurt Pot

Ok, so it's not really granola, but it certainly does the job when your on a Filling & Healthy day or even for those looking for a low pro Pointed breakfast or snack. 

Serves 1

Free on Filling & Healthy

2 Pro Points

3 tsp Filling & Healthy Jam, I used a mixed berry one I made during the week.

80g 0%Greek Yogurt

1 tsp Vanilla extract

20g Toasted oats.

1tsp Sweetener, I used Stevia

1tsp Cinnamon

Fry Lite

Preheat oven to 200

Place your oats in a small oven dish or baking tray, sprinkle with Cinnamon and sweetener and spray with a little Fry Lite.

Bake in the oven for 5 Minutes, mixing once half way. Oats should be lightly golden.

Place the jam in the bottom of a glass.

Mix the yogurt with the vanilla and layer it on top of the jam.

When the Oats are done and have cooled a little place on top of the yogurt. 

Serve and enjoy!

Candied Walnuts & Autumn Salad

Autumn is here with out a doubt and to be honest I am relishing in it. I love this time of year! ok, maybe not the rain, but I like the fresh chill in the air, I like coming in and putting the heating on in the evening and I love the warm, comforting food that comes with this time of year.

While out shopping today I came across some Kale for 99c a bag in Lidl. I've never had kale before, Its one of Autumns many seasonal veggies, so now is a great time to enjoy it at its best. I decided to give it a go and I made a really tasty salad with it using some Candied Walnuts I made earlier today.

Candied Walnuts

3 Pro Points for 10g

70g Walnuts
50g Sweet Freedom Syrup
25g Brown Sugar
4 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 150

Mix the syrup, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat, stirring frequently.
Pour the syrup mixture into a bowl and stir in the Walnuts, Mix well
Leave the Walnuts to soak for 3 minutes

Place a sheet of baking parchment under a wire cooling rack and spread the Walnuts over the rack
Leave the excess syrup to drip off for a couple of minutes
Place the Walnuts on a lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 5 minutes, toss half way.
keep a firm eye on them as they burn quickly.
Leave to cool on the tray and transfer to a jar or air tight container.

Autumn salad

Serves 4

8 Pro Points Per Serving

To bulk up the salad for a main meal add a grilled chicken breast for an extra 4 pro Points per serving

A bunch of kale (I used half a bag from Lidl)
Half a Butternut Squash, cubed
1 cup Cous Cous
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
70g Goats Cheese
30g candied Walnuts
Fry Lite

Bring one cup of water to the boil, stir in vegetable stock cube and add one cup of Cous Cous, Cover and leave for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
Spray a large frying pan/wok with Fry Lite and turn on a medium heat
Saute the Butternut Squash for 10 minutes, until tender
Remove from the pan and let cool,
Spray the pan again with fry light and add the Kale, Wilt the kale for a couple of minutes until it turns a dark green colour but is still crunchy.
Remove from the pan, let cool and chop roughly.

In a large bowl, mix the Cous Cous, Kale and Squash together.
Crumble over the Goats Cheese and Toss.
Sprinkle the Walnuts on top and serve.

The slight bitterness of the crunchy Kale meets the soft sweetness of the Butternut Squash. The creaminess of the Goats cheese contrasted with the sweet crunch of the Candied Walnuts, This salad is bursting with flavour and texture, definitely a must try this season!

Filling & Healthy Pumpkin Bread and White Chocolate, Pumpkin Muffins

I love pumpkin!

From Pumpkin Pie to Pumpkin Spice Lattes I have become a little Pumpkin addict! I am blaming my friend Mandi, who is originally from America for the addiction. I found cans of Pumpkin puree in my local Supervalu and I just about exploded with excitement, but at €2.49 a can, its pricey.
Mandi, however, very kindly gave me two cans of Pumpkin puree courtesy of her mothers care packages. I was excited to use it as soon as possible, pumpkin pie being the obvious option but not necessarily the most Weight watchers Friendly!
I came up with a few ideas and I settled on Pumpkin bread and some muffins to start with and off I went on a Pumpkin baking spree!

First off for these recipes you will need pumpkin puree and Pumpkin Spice. If you can't get your hands on canned Pumpkin you can make your own Puree from roasting and mashing fresh Pumpkins. Pumpkin spice is a mix of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, All Spice and Ginger, here is the mix I used for mine - http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-pie-spice-recipe/

Filling & Healthy Pumpkin & Oat Bread

Free on the Filling & Health plan

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree (canned or home made)
1 Cup Low Fat Natural Yogurt
4 Cups of Porridge Oats
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Pumpkin Spice
3 Tbsp Sweetener of choice
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Dash of Skimmed Milk
Fry lite

Preheat Oven to 180

Stir together the Pumpkin and yogurt in a mixing bowl.
Add the Eggs, Pumpkin Spice, vanilla, oats, sweetener and baking powder and mix well, adding a dash of skimmed milk as needed.

Spray a 2lb loaf tin with Fry Lite and fill with the bread dough.
Bake in the oven for 40 - 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and turn onto a wire rack to cook further.

White Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12

1Pro Point each on the Filling & Healthy Plan

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree (canned or home made)
1 Cup Low Fat Natural Yogurt
4 Cups of Porridge Oats
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Pumpkin Spice
3 Tbsp Sweetener of choice
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Dash of Skimmed Milk
80g White Chocolate Buttons (Smashed in a bag using a rolling pin)
Fry lite
2 Squares White Chocolate

Preheat Oven to 180

Stir together the Pumpkin and yogurt in a mixing bowl.
Add the Eggs, Pumpkin Spice, vanilla, oats, sweetener, baking powder and White Chocolate,
Mix well, adding a dash of skimmed milk as needed.

Line a cupcake tin with Muffin Cases and spray the cases with Fry Lite.
Using an Ice Cream scoop, pack the scoop with the muffin mix and empty into the muffin cases.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack
Melt the 2 squares of White Chocolate and drizzle over the tops of the Muffins.

Filling & Healthy Lasagna

The joy of filling & Healthy is that you can enjoy lots of your favourite meals that may otherwise be high in pro Points, some small changes may have to be made for them to be Filling & Healthy but nobody will be any the wiser! One of my favourites, and a dish I didn't make very often when following the Pro Points plan is lasagna. Here is my take on a Filling & Healthy Lasagna

Filling & Healthy Lasagna

Serves 4

Free on Simple Start or Filling & Healthy.

500g Extra Lean Mince Beef

2 Medium Onions, Diced

1 Red Pepper, Diced

1 Green/yellow Pepper, Diced
1 Courgette Diced,

250G Mushrooms, Finely Sliced

2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes

1 Tbsp Tomato Puree

1 Clove of Garlic

1 Tbsp Oregano

1 Tbsp Basil

Pinch of Celery Salt

Salt & pepper

Fry Lite

Whole-Wheat Lasagna Sheets

White Sauce

2 Tubs Low Fat Cottage Cheese

1 Large Egg

1 Tbsp Oregano

Spray the bottom of a large, heavy bottom saucepan with Fry Lite.

Over a medium/high heat, fry the Onion for 2 minutes and add the Mince Beef, brown off.

Add the chopped Peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Stir in the tins of chopped Tomatoes, Tomato puree, Garlic &Herbs.

Turn to a low heat and let simmer for at least 30 minutes,
Add in the mushroom & courgette and cook for a further 10 minutes

Preheat Oven to 180.

In a jug mix the Cottage Cheese, Oregano & Egg together, you can leave it lumpy but I blend mine with my hand blender.

Layer the Lasagna sauce and Whole-Wheat sheets alternatively and top with the cottage cheese mix. 
Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with Filling & Healthy garlic bread and salad, enjoy!

Diet ''Cheat'' Cake!

I want cake...I want cake now!

Sometimes in life you just need a piece of cake. The great Thing about weight watchers is that you can indeed have your cake and eat it. Thats the topic I was discussing with my members in my classes this week. A slice of cake in a coffee shop (or even home made) can cost you up to 19 Pro Points! But there are lower alternatives available. 

Last weekend while away for a weekend with my friend Mandi we simultaneously got cake craving, Funny how that happens! Both of us ae following weight watchers so we started thinking about what we could make that wouldn't cost us too much from our Weekly Pro Point allowance. Mandi got to google searching and came across a very strange concept for a Weight Watchers friendly cake.

The concept is taking a box cake mix and mixing it with a can of diet soda in replace of the oil and eggs.

I am not normally a fan of using box cake as I love to bake from scratch but the idea of a low Pro Point cake was too good so we decided to try it out using Betty Crocker Devils Food Cake Mix and a can of Coke Zero. We ended up with a lovely moist chocolate cake! We made some extra light cream cheese frosting  and the cake worked out at 6 Pro Points Per slice! Apologies there is no photo of that cake, it got gobbled up before I thought to take one.

This weekend I decided to try out another cake using the same concept as the chocolate cake. 

I found the Betty Crocker Orange & Chocolate Swirl mix on sale in Tesco for 1.59 and decided to try it out using a can of Tesco Orange Zero, a 4 pack cost 1.69 so not only is this a really tasty Weight Watchers friendly cake, its very affordable too and works out at 4 Pro Points a slice.

Diet Orange & Chocolate Swirl Cake

4 Pro Points per serving

Serves 12

1 Box Bettry Crocker Orange & Chocolate Swirl Cake Mix

1 330ml Can of Orange Zero 

Preheat fan oven to 160

Spray a cake tin with fry light

Follow the instructions from the box adding the can of soda in replace of the oil & eggs.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack and serve.

Really, it's as easy as that and nobody would know it was from a box or Weight Watchers friendly!

You can try out any variety of box cake & diet soda combination and let me know how it turns out if you try your own.

Sarah x

Beetroot & Beef Curry

I adore beetroot. Growing up I could sit and eat a whole jar of pickled beetroot to myself. When had salads during the summer I would have to eat the beetroot last because I loved it so much.

As I have gotten older my beetroot taste buds have expanded, there is rarely a time now where you wont find a pack of vacuum packed beetroot in the vegetable drawer of my fridge. I love it in salad with rocket & goats cheese. I love it roasted along side my Sunday roast and I have even made chocolate beetroot cake, it was so good and definitely a post for another day!
So when I was doing my grocery shopping earlier this week, you can imagine the excitement that came over me when I spotted fresh beetroot on the shelf next to the turnips. Oh yes my friends beetroot season is here!

Enjoying a relaxed saturday at home I decided to see if there was anything a bit different I could do with my bunch of beetroot. A little google search and I found that beetroot Stews and curries were a thing. Beetroot Curry? Well that sounded interesting!

Beetroot & beef Curry

Serves 4

6Pro Points per portion.
Free on F&H

750g Beetroot
2 onions
450g Lean Diced Beef
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
1tsp Ground Ginger
2 tsp Chilli Powder
6 Cardamon Pods
2 tsp Sweet Freedom Syrup
2 tsp Cumin Seed
1/2 tbsp Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
Ground Pepper
4 tsp Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
2 Beef Stock Cubes
2 tsp Garam Masala

Place the whole beetroots (or half if very large) in a pot of boiling water and bring to the boil,
reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20/30 minutes until tender.
Wearing gloves, run the beetroot under cold water and rub the skin off with your fingers.
Dice the beetroot into 1" cubes and let cool, set aside 2 3rds of the beetroot.
Place the remaining 3rd into a food processor with the tomato puree, garlic, ginger, chilli powder, cardamon pods, syrup, cumin, coriander, cloves & ground pepper, blend into a paste.
Preheat the oven to 150.
Heat the oil in the bottom of casserole dish.
Fry the beef until just brown and remove the beef from the pot.
Lower the heat & add the onions to the pot and fry until softened,
then add the paste and fry for 5 minutes.
return the beef to the pot along with 2 beef stock cubes and enough boiling water to just cover the beef.
Bring to the boil, then place the lid on and bake in the oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours remove the lid and bake for another 30 minutes.
Place the pot back on the hob, add the remaining 2 3rds of beetroot and hear through,

Serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Spicy Sweet Potato, Chickpea & Spinach Curry

The weather is starting to change and we are heading into Autumn. I have noticed over the last week or so that my eating habits are changing. I am feeling more like warm, hearty comfort foods again and its a welcome change for me.

Myself and william have also decided to eat more vegetarian meals so we are not eating so much meat. Not that there is anything wrong with meat, we love meat! but I think we eat a lot of it and it would be good for our health and our wallets to have some meat free days too.
I made this vegetarian curry last week and it was a hit! Its a hot one, so if you dont like spice just leave out the fresh red chilli.

Spicy Sweet potato, Chickpea & Spinach Curry

Free on Simple Start/ Filling & healthy

10 Pro Points per serving
*to reduce pro points try using Fry Lite instead of Olive Oil.

Serves 4

20mls of Olive Oil
1 Red Onion, Diced
1 White Onion, Diced
3 Tbsp Curry powder
1 red Chilli, Diced (optional)
1 tsp Ground Ginger
2 very large Sweet potatoes, Cubed
1 400g Tin of Drained Chickpeas
300g Low Fat Natural Yogurt
1 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
400g Spinach


Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the onion and curry powder, mix well and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion is soft.
Add the chilli if using and the ginger, sweet potato and chickpeas, cook for 5 minutes, then ass the tomatoes along with 200ml of water and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
remove the lid and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring occassionally until the sweet potato is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.
Stir in the low fat natural yogurt and cook for a couple more minutes, then stir in the spinach and cook until wilted.

Serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Homemade Beetroot Hummus

This homemade hummus is so quick and easy to make, great for those mid afternoon munchies!

Homemade Beetroot Hummus

Free on Filling & Healthy.
Whole recipe 15 Pro Points,
2 Tbsp is 1 Pro Point

400g Can of Chickpeas
400g Ready Cooked Beetroot
1tbsp Ground Cumin
2 Cloves of Garlic
1tsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Blend the drained Chickpeas, Beetroot, Cumin & Garlic in a food processor until a thick lumpy paste has formed.
With the processor on a low speed slowly add in the Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar then blend on a high speed until smooth.

Serve with toasted Bagels, Carrot sticks or toasted Pita Bread.

Filling & Healthy Rhubarb Breakfast Crumble

Dont worry I did not have dessert for breakfast! This is a savoury crumble but you could make it a dessert by adding sweetener to it if you fancied.

I was out and about very early, not like my typical Sunday where I grab a nice lie in and then make a yummy Filling & healthy Brunch. Today i was Babysitting at 9am, so I was up at 8am and grabbed a bowl of Bitesize Shredded Wheat. When I got back home at Midday I was feeling peckish and I started to stew some Rhubarb & cooking apples, I was going to have them with yogurt when William came up with the bright Idea of turning it into a sort of Crumple, Genius!

Filling & Healthy Rhubarb Breakfast crumble

2 sticks of Rhubarb, chopped
2 cooking apples, peeled & chopped
Porridge oats (I didn't Measure them, so this will need t be done by eye)
Cinnamon
Ground Clove
Ground Ginger
water
0% Greek Yogurt

Preheat oven to 200 Degree C

Place the chopped fruit into  saucepan with a tbsp of water, Stew on low/medium heat for 20 minutes
Pour out a large portion of Oats (enough to cover the top of your baking/pyrex dish)
gradually mix in the water to the Oats a bit at a time, to make a spreadable paste like consistancy and mix in the spices.
when the fruit is done pour it into your baking dish and spread the Oat mixture on top.
Sprinkle the top with more Oats and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until golden on top.
Serve with a dollop of Greek Yogurt and enjoy!

Filling & Healthy Falafel

I was inspired to try and make Filling & Healthy Gluten Free Falafel after a conversation with my friend Amy, who told me that she misses being able to have them since she began to suffer from a gluten & wheat intolerance.

Filling & Healthy Gluten Free Falafel

Makes: 10

(If you were to eat all 10 you will need to take 2pp for the Gluten free Flour out of your weekly 49)

1 Can Chickpeas, drained
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 small Onion, finely diced
1 tbsp fresh/dried Parsley
1 tsp ground Coriander
1/2tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 1/2 tblsp Gluten Free Flour (alternatively use regular flour)
1/2 tsp Gluten Free Baking Powder (alternatively use regular baking powder)
Salt & pepper to taste
Fry Lite

Preheat oven to 200.

Place the drained chickpeas into a food processor, add the garlic & onion and blend together.
Add the remaining ingredients and blend well, until a thick paste has formed.
Form the paste into small balls and place on a lined baking tray that has been sprayed with Fry Lite.
Spray the tops of the balls with more Fry Lite.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, turning halfway.

I made a delicious Filling & Healthy salad out of my Falafel. I placed 3 of the falafel on a bed of  Rocket & Spinach leaves, topped with left over Whole-wheat couscous, a sprinkle of Feta cheese (taken from my 49 weekly pro Points)
You could also make some Filling & healthy Humus and make a falafel wrap/pitta with shredded lettuce or red cabbage. Yummy!

A Simple Dinner For Your Simple Start

Whole-wheat Couscous is free on simple start/Filling & Healthy, eager to have another Filling & Healthy food in my cupboard for dinner & lunch inspiration I had been keeping a vague eye out for whole-wheat couscous for the past couple of weeks. I hadn't managed to find it in the supermarkets I tend to visit on a regular basis.
While In Bantry on wednesday, putting up posters to promote my new class opening there, I came across a small organic supermarket and found a bag of whole-wheat Couscous there.

I was very keen to use it and decided that I would Make it for dinner today. I had a busy day, I went for a fabulous walk with my friend Amy & her dog in Ballincollig park, I hadn't been there before and it was stunning. I headed off after that to do my weekly grocery shop and then did a spot of cleaning at home for the rest of the afternoon. I wasn't feeling in the mood to do anything too timely in the kitchen after that and I decided on simple roast veg for the Couscous.

I wasn't really expecting anything amazing and I did worry that the vegetarian meal would not be enough for my boyfriend William. I knew I was onto a hit when after two mouthfuls william said ''we have to have this again, its delicious!'' and for once he didn't go back for seconds, he was full!

Roast Veg & Whole-wheat Couscous.

Serves 3 ( I made enough for 2 dinners & one lunch)

1/2 Butternut Squash, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
3 Carrots, diced
1 Large Onion, cut into wedges
5 Baby Potatoes, quartered
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Cumin
Turmeric
2 Cups Whole-wheat Couscous
Fry Lite
0% Total Greek Yogurt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200

Place the chopped veg into an oven proof dish and sprinkle on your desired amount of seasoning, toss and spay with Fry Lite.
Place in the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes
When the veg is done, turn off the oven & leave the beg inside to keep warm.
bring 2 cups of water to the boil & add the 2 cups of Couscous, remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave for 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork & serve with the roast vegetables.
Top with a tbsp of 0% Total Greek Yogurt & enjoy!

Sometimes a simple meal can be very tasty & satisfying, this meal is certainly that. It is easy to prepare and cook so is suitable for people who are not that confident in the kitchen. The leftovers would be ideal cold for lunch the next day with some rocket & spinach leaves thrown in, which is what William is getting to take to work tomorrow.

As you all probably know by now I have become a Weight Watchers leader so spread the word!
I am Opening two new classes on Monday 28th April.

10:30 am in The Westlodge Leisure Centre, Bantry
6pm The West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen.

I also have a class on Tuesdays in Youghal at 5:45pm.

Porridge Bread Scones & Home Made ''Nutella''

Firstly I would like to apologies for my disappearance lately, I have been very busy. I have been doing my Weight Watchers leader Training. I passed my assessment last week and I am now officially a Weight watchers Leader! I am very excited and also eager to get going with classes. I will have more news soon about where my classes will be, for those of you interested in that.

Now I would like to make a splash back into blogging with my new recipe.

Porridge bread is by no means a new creation to us Weight watchers people, since the beginning of Simple Start in January we have all been raving about its wonderfulness. It truly is genius! However I did begin to get a little bored with the bread and mine was ever turning out quiet right, it was always a bit soggy in the middle. I would leave it in the oven for double the stated time but no such luck would come about.

So I decided to try turning the bread dough into scones instead and it worked a treat, they cooked perfectly and I am now in love with them. The scones, like the bread is free on Simple Start or Filling & healthy. I have worked out the Pro Points for those of you who prefer to count. I am now a complete convert to Filling & Healthy myself, so I do recommend you give it a try if you haven't already.

porridge Bread Scones

Serves 12

Free on Filling & Healthy
or 4 Pro Points each.

500g  tub Low Fat Natural Yogurt
Twice the empty Yogurt tub filled with Porridge Oats
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp bread Soda

Preheat oven to 180c

Empty the Low Fat Natural Yogurt into a mixing bowl,
Fill up the Yogurt tub twice with Porridge Oats and mix into the Yogurt along with the Salt and Bread Soda. Mix well to form a wet dough.
Grease a 12 spaced Bun Tin with Fry Lite. Using an Ice-Cream/Potato Scoop, Scoop the dough between the 12 spaced Bun Tin. Sprinkle over Wheat Germ if desired and bake in the oven for 40 Minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Place on a wire rack to cool.

*update - I got a new oven and now my Porridge Bread Scones cook in 20 - 25 minutes, so make sure you keep an eye on them.

Now the scones are just to get you started, the real delight is the home made ''Nutella'' I have come up with. It is what I would describe as a healthy grown-ups Nutella, a dark Chocolate and Hazelnut spread. It works out much the same in Pro Points as Nutalla does but it has less Sugar and no Palm Oil, so is much better for us. I am really in love with this one! It is the perfect accompaniment for the scones and will curb any Chocolate craving!

Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Spread

2pp for 1Tbsp or 3pp for 2 Tbsp

150g Whole Hazelnuts
60g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
50g Sweet Freedom Syrup (Light or Dark)
120ml Skimmed Milk
1tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 180c

Place the Hazelnuts on a lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
when the hazelnuts are done place them between 2 pieces of Kitchen paper and rub to remove the skins (this is tiresome work but do prevail!)
Place the skinless Hazelnuts in a food processor and blend on a medium/high setting for 10 minutes or until a peanut butter consistency is achieved, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until well combined.

Spoon into a sterilised jar, I used 2 small ones and refrigerate and use within one week.

Enjoy! :)

Filling & Healthy Porridge Oat Pancakes

I have had a longing for pancakes for days now. It's seeing all the pancake mixes and toppings filling the shelves of the supermarkets. Pancake Tuesday is on it's way and gosh do I love pancakes!

I am filled with lovely thoughts of stuffing myself with pancakes all day on Pancake Tuesday. The reality is I will probably have 3 or 4 and be stuffed! While I am saving myself for ''Real'' Pancakes on Pancake Tuesday I don't want to waste any of my weekly pro points on them right now. I have been making alternative filling & healthy pancakes to keep me satisfied for now.

Most of us know of and love the banana & egg pancakes that have been circling around for a while now. I had them yesterday. While they are quick, easy and a good substitute for pancake cravings, sometimes I am a little bothered about the banana taste that comes with them.

Today I decided to try out a different method and the results were very, very surprising! These pancakes tasted very much like the real deal and were very satisfying and filling. I will be opting for these pancakes instead of the banana ones so long as I am following the filling & healthy program.

Porridge Oat Pancakes.

Free on Filling & healthy
Makes 4 Pancakes.

4 scoops of Porridge Oats (I used the red scoop that comes with microwave porridge oats, this works out at 60g)
2 eggs.
A large dash of Skimmed Milk (I did not measure the milk, I added in a little at a time until i got the desired batter consistency for pancakes)
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp Baking Powder
Fry Light

Pour all ingredients into a baking bowl and blend using a hand blender. Alternatively mix together with a spoon or whizz in the food processor.
Spray your frying pan with some Fry Light and heat the pan to a medium/high heat.
Using a serving spoon or ladle pour some of the batter onto the frying pan.
These pancakes cook very fast so keep an eye on them.
After a minute flip over to the other side and cook for a further minute.
Repeat with the remaining batter and serve with your favourite topping.


You can make these pancakes gluten free by using gluten free oats and baking powder.

Happy Valentines with Mini Maltesers cheesecakes!

Happy Valentines

Whether you have splurged and forgotten completely about weight watchers for today or you have planned valentines into your week. I hope you have enjoyed a wonderful valentines.

I myself planned it into my weeklies, I knew I wanted to splurge a bit so I made sure I had the weeklies left to do it. I lost 3lbs on Tuesdays weigh in, so I am most definitely back on track and 0.5lbs under my goal. I am doing a filling and healthy week. Being at goal and on maintenance I get 90 weekly pro points if doing filling & healthy.

My plan was to stick to filling & healthy foods for the whole day and then tonight I enjoyed my favourite chinese takeaway dish - Shredded Crispy chicken in Sweet Chili Sauce, which I have guessed to be 12 points for the half portion that I had. I made my own egg fried rice, which was free on filling and healthy, using boiled brown rice and one egg.

I had one small vegetable spring roll - 4pp, and a very small hand full of prawn crackers - 4pp

In total my valentines dinner cost me 20 pro points, not bad!

Then came dessert!..The most important part in my eyes.

I have been day dreaming and searching google for days for the perfect cheesecake inspiration. I wanted a cheesecake that could be at least a little part Filling & healthy.

This was the result of my endless research & daydreaming.

Mini Malteser Cheesecakes

5 Pro Points each on Filling & healthy

serves 4.

250g Quark
8 Weight Watchers Chocolate Digestives.
3 Tsp of Low Fat Spread, melted.
30g Icing Sugar.
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract.
8 Tbsp Hot Water
1, 12g Sachet of Powdered Gelatin.
1, 37g Bag of Maltesers.

In a food processor mix the biscuits until they resemble breadcrumbs, mix in the melted butter.
Spoon the crumb mixture between 4 mini pie dishes, use the back of a spoon the press the mixture down.
Pour the hot water into a jug and mix in the powdered gelatin until dissolved, set aside to cool.
In a food processor mix the quark, sugar and vanilla extract together until smooth & creamy, scarping down the sides as you go.
Mix in the gelatin a bit at a time.
Gently crush the Maltesers, setting aside 4 whole ones.
Fold in the crushed Maltesers to the quark mixture.
Spoon the Quark mixture between the 4 mini pie dishes.
Gently crush each remaining Malteser, one at a time, and sprinkle on each Mini Cheesecake.
Chill the Cheesecakes for 2 hrs, until set.

Serve & enjoy!

If you do not have mini pie dishes you could make this in glasses, cupcake cases, or make one large cheesecake in a cake tin.

Simple Start Potato Gratin

Tonight is Steak Night!

Sirloin or Fillet steak is free on Simple Start which is great news because I love steak, but steak makes me think of chips, delicious home made chips from the deep fat fryer oh and dont forget the creamy pepper sauce to pour all over it.

What came into my mind today while trying to decide what to accompany my steak with, was mothers garlic & cream potato gratin. Layers of thinly sliced potatoes smothered in cream and garlic and topped off with a layer of cheese that melts in the oven, It's heavenly. On weekends home from college my mother would often make it and I would sit down with my parents and savor every mouthful as we caught up on the past week, good memories.

Potato Gratin before baking in the oven.

But I cant have that tonight, it's not Simple Start Friendly! As much as I might have wanted to give in and make it, because after all the thinking about it I now had a longing for it, I didn't give in. Instead I thought about how I could make a Simple Start version that would curb the craving.

This is the result...

Simple Start Potato Gratin

Free on Simple Start/Filling & Healthy, without the cheese, or use the cheese as a treat like I did or take from your weekly 49 pro points.

5pp per serving.

Serves 4

750g Potatoes, finely sliced, I left the skin on but you can peel if preferred.
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed. (I used garlic puree)
Salt & Pepper
200ml Skimmed Milk
40g Low Fat Grated Cheddar Cheese.
Fry Lite

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
Spray an oven proof dish with Fry Lite
Layer the finely sliced Potatoes in the oven proof dish, Lightly seasoning with Salt & Pepper and Garlic on every second layer, repeat until all potatoes are used.
Pour the Skimmed Milk over until it reaches just below the top layer of potatoes.
Microwave the dish on high for 10 minutes,
Then cover with foil and bake in the oven for one hour,
Ten minutes before the end take off the foil and sprinkle the cheese on top.

My delicious steak dinner.