7th February 2011 facebook email

Every man dies but not every man lives William Wallace
Today’s the day, I get weighed after completing a week of religiously tracking and planning my meals, cooking recipes, walking the dog everyday and generally trying to make my life fit around the plan and enjoying it. Which I feel I’ve done so even if I don’t lose weight, I do feel great.

One thing I did notice when looking back over my tracker was that I’ve upped my intake of fruit and vegetables this week, do you struggle to reach your 5 a day? Now it’s 8… Yep just as we have got used to our ‘five a day’ portions of fruit and veg, we are told eight a day is the minimum to protect against heart disease. Following this advice from researchers at Oxford University may seem daunting but hitting 8 is a lot easier than you think, especially as you’re already thinking about your diet and fruit is now zero pro points. Just think about where there are opportunities to add a portion of fruit or veg, a banana with your breakfast maybe, or a few handfuls of frozen berries added to your porridge. A smoothie could make a great mid morning snack, or a yogurt with some fruit. Why not slice a tomato, cucumber or add salad leaves to your lunchtime sandwich. You could have a piece of fruit or two for your afternoon snack instead of that Kit Kat. And finally veggies with your evening meal, occasionally why not have a vegetarian main meal, I plan to do that with leeks this week, the humble leek bring a touch of silky elegance to all sorts of roasts, stews and soups according to Waitrose free paper! The suggest you try it with cheese, chicken, potato, beacon or use it as the main act with chick peas and stock in a warming broth.

I’m going to make the following with mine!

Leek and mustard bake Serves 4 total 25pp – 6pp each

700g baby leeks (wash & cut in half lengthways)
50g low fat margarine (5pp)
50g plain flour (5pp)
600ml skimmed milk (6pp)
100g low fat soft cheese with garlic & herbs (4pp)
1 tbsp wholegrain Dijon mustard (1pp)
50g low fat cheddar cheese (4pp)
salt & pepper


· Preheat oven to Gas Mark 5 / 190oC. Steam leeks for 5-10 minutes or until softened.

· Meanwhile, melt margarine in a non-stick saucepan and stir in the flour to make a ball. Remove the pan from the heat, add the milk and whisk until the roux ball is completely broken up into the milk.

· Return to a low heat and whisk until the sauce thickens. Add soft cheese and mustard, season to taste.

· Place the steamed leeks in the base of an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle with the cheese, then bake for 15 minutes until bubbling and golden.



Whatever you’re eating today – make sure you enjoy it xx