It's the week of the hot stuff!

10^th October 2011

It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out--it's the grain of sand in your shoe. Robert Service

The weekends really do fly by don’t they, to be honest so do the weeks in my life, I’m actually looking forward to getting on the scales today, I feel good and even though I’ve indulged at the weekend, I haven’t gone crazy.

Finished my different food list on 72, managed to add bacon, scone, cream to the list, not quite 120 but it gives me space to build!  I’m going to think a bit more about my meal choices from no on though, try and be more varied. 

I was chatting to a friend yesterday about how difficult it is to stay on track when you’re tired and just want something quick for the family and you don’t really want to cook.  She’d just ended up in Burger King and had also indulged in a couple of crunchies and crisp.  Fast food is a toughie and I know you can knock a meal up really quickly but sometimes you just don’t want to.  I started thinking about alternatives, the only thing I come up with so far was pitta breads toasted and stuffed with those tikka pieces that are already cooked in the supermarkets and a bag of salad leaves stuffed in them too.   Microwave chips are really quick too, even though a box would set you back 4pp according to the esource info, the box contains 100g.  you can’t beat a chip butty and that would be just enough chips.

If you have any suggestions for fast food that’s not going to break the bank, let me know because a Burger King Whopper is 17pp and then regular fries would add another 10pp, the cheeseburger is only 8 or a Whooper Junior with cheese 10pp, they do a flame-grilled chicken salad for 3pp.  Yep the Eating Out guide is definitely worth investing in and carrying in your bag!

I had KFC on Saturday but I actually didn’t eat again all day, I also shared my 3 pieces with Alfie so probably only had 2, they would be 12pp for the 3 because I like the wings and the drumsticks which are only 4pp each then the fries cost me another 14 because I ate 2 packs and coleslaw and beans I had a spoonful of each so another 4pp and lastly I did eat 2 corn cobs which were 4pp each.  I probably had 34pp in one meal which explains why I didn’t need to eat again that day.

Eating out really is a toughie if you don’t plan it and think through your options.  This week is National Curry Week, now curries can set you back a huge amount of ProPoints yet if you make your own or choose wisely you can enjoy the most tasty of dishes.  Esource had lots of suggestions for you to cook, or check the jar of curry sauce you buy some are much lower than others and mix it with lots of cooked vegetables for a superfast supper.

Here’s one to use your leftover chicken;

Leftover Roast Chicken Curry

Serves 2, 7pp each

300g leftover chicken
One bag spinach de-stalked and washed
400g tin tinned tomatoes
1 onions chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped small
thumb ginger peeled and chopped small
¾ or 1 fresh red chilli chopped small
1 tspn garam marsala
½ tsp crushed black pepper corns
½ tsp fenugreek
handful fresh coriander
300 ml chicken stock
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
1 tbsp oil

Fry the onions until soft  Add the garlic, chilli and ginger, and fry until golden
Add garam marsala, crushed black pepper corns and fenugreek and fry for one minute.  Add just-washed leaves of spinach, put lid for a few minutes to wilt leaves
Add left-over chicken, tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, or more if you want – reduce to consistency you fancy.  Add coriander and yogurt, and stir in.

Or instead of the curry why not make burgers with them, you could even feed these the kids just omit the chilli if they’re not keen on the spicy.

And then here’s a couple of old recipes I’ve dug out;

Vegetable Curry – serves 2, 1pp each

1tsp olive oil (1pp)

1 onion, diced
1tbsp medium curry powder (1pp)
1 courgette, sliced
200g cauliflower, cut into small florets
400g chopped tomatoes
100g spinach

heat oil in large saucepan and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes.  Add the curry powder and fry for 1 minute.  Add the courgette, cauliflower and tomatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted.  Season to taste.  Serve alone or with rice for additional points.

Mushroom Curry Serves 2, 2pp each

Low fat cooking spray (1pp)                                             2 medium onions slices

300g (10.5oz) mixed mushrooms sliced thickly            2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tin chopped tomatoes                                                     3 tbsps tomato puree (1pp)
4 tbsps low fat natural yogurt (2pp)                                 salt & pepper
1 tsp of each - turmeric, coriander, chilli powder, cumin and garam masala

In a non stick pan fry the onions until golden brown using the spray oil. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and heat gently until simmering, then cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 5 mins then take off the lid and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, and serve.   To make a mushroom and spinach curry, just add two handfuls of chopped spinach when you take off the lid and cook till wilted.

Whatever you’re eating today, enjoy it and ProPoint it!