My 13 Week Challenge - Week 3: A Huge Sigh of Relief

Tonight I had my 3rd weigh in of my 13lbs in 13 weeks challenge.

Week one, I did plenty of activity, but over did it with the Easter chocolate and gained 2lbs.
Week two, I kept up my activity and worked hard at making the right food choices, unfortunately 2 days before weigh in my period came and I gained another 2lbs, I was so upset and annoyed that I couldn't bring myself to blog about that one. I moved on from that and used my anger as fuel to have an absolutely fantastic week.

This week, I kept up my activity, I even went on a 13km walk with my friend and I clocked up 28 activity points over the week. I put in a huge effort with my food and stuck with Simple Start for the week. I did go off track for one meal out when my parents came to visit, but I managed to reign it back in right away and I am so proud of that. I had a very enjoyable week and I feel great.

So you can imagine my huge sigh of relief when I stepped up on the scales tonight and finally saw a minus. I was secretly hoping for 2lbs but I wanted to be OK with any loss so I was trying not to get my hopes up. I lost the 2lbs, but not only did I lose the 2lbs I had my single biggest weekly loss ever. I lost 4.5lbs!

Thank Goodness! I am so relieved to see a loss after 3 weeks. It was definitely well deserved on my part. Now I am on schedule with my 13lbs in 13 weeks challenge.

8.5lbs to go and 10 weeks left. I can do it!

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!

   

Confessions of A Perfect Person

I started this blog as a means of tracking my weight loss journey & keeping myself motivated, It turned into so much more along the way and I have loved every second of it. I always wrote about the good times but most importantly I wrote about the bad times,

Me before I started at 13st 10.5lbs  & when I reached goal at 11st 7lbs

The last few months have been difficult for me, my bad habbits crept in, I lost control and my weight crept up and I have found myself 13lbs over goal. During the last few months I have avoided blogging, I felt that if I couldn't blog from a positive place then I shouldn't do it, I became a leader a year ago and since then I have felt that I needed to be seen as 100% focused and on track all of the time, I needed to be perfect. I was afraid to come on here and tell you all how horribly wrong things were going because I was trying to maintain the image of a perfect leader. So I didn't tell you about the time I ate a whole pizza, or the time I ate an extra large chocolate bar in one sitting or the time I went to the cinema and had a medium popcorn, 2 scoops of Ben & Jerrys and a share bag of minstrels all to myself...yes I have done all of these things! The truth is I am not 100% perfect.The truth is there is no such thing.

Me now at 12st 6lbs

I am a perfectly normal human being.

I have my struggles
I have food issues
I have weight problems
I can fall of the wagon
But I can get back on!

So that is what I am doing right now, I am owning up, I am being honest, I am writing about the bad times and I am getting back on track.

where I will be for the next 13 weeks and beyond!

I am setting myself a goal. I want to loose 13lbs and get back to my goal weight by July 1st, That gives me 13 weeks. I know this goal is realistic and achievable and that's very important, I lost 31.5lbs in 32 weeks to get to goal ,so I averaged out at a 1lb a week weight loss.

Do you need a goal to help keep you focused? Why not join in my challenge and aim to loose 13lbs by July 1st. In 13 weeks I will be confident in my summer clothes and fingers crossed wearing a bikini to the beach! who's with me?

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!

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!

If you're gonna do it, do it right!

If you're gonna do it, do it right! These words have been in my head all day today...and no its not because I heard the song on the radio. I went back to class this morning. I haven't been in almost 6 months, not since I became a leader. Over the last few weeks I really have lost the plot altogether. My motivation was decimated and I have been stuffing my face. Really stuffing my face! On Monday night driving home i ate a large bar of chocolate, 2 small bars of chocolate and a share bag of jellies...

Yes I am ashamed to admit that but thats just a snippet of the kind of behavior I have been indulging my mouth in of late. I knew what I was doing was going to cause me to gain weight, I knew it was unhealthy and I knew what I should be doing about it, but yet I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was completely in denial and telling myself it was ok and that I deserved to eat the food and I needed to eat the food!

last night I got to a desperate point. I was very upset and disappointed in myself. something had to be done and it had to be done ASAP. What would I tell anyone else in the same position to do, what would I tell a member to do? Go to class! So, I text my leader Sue to let her know I was thinking about attending her class the following morning, she replied ''see you in the morning'' I had no excuse, I had no choice but to go then.

Off to bed I went, feeling a tiny bit better, having made the decision. It was the best decision I have made in weeks! I attended class, got weighed, 7lbs over goal, not pleasant for a girl who swore she would never, ever go back to her old habits, ever! 7lbs is almost a quarter of the total weight I lost to get to goal, that is a scary thought! The meeting this morning was great, exactly what I needed. I had a refresher course with Sue at the end just like a new member would have their get started session and sue gave me some great advice that I am going to stick by for the week.

I am not going to focus on the gain or my past behavior. I am going to act like I have never done Weight watchers before, I am going to do Simple Start for the week and I am going to do it 100% by the book, no adaptions, no cheating! I am going to do it right! 

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.