Walking, Eating, Drinking, Watching, Reading, Sleeping - perfect Sunday!

18^th February 2013

It takes courage to show your dreams to someone else. Erma Bombeck

If you live in my area, it was a beautiful sunny day yesterday and I got up and whilst walking the dog decided I wanted to go walk up a hill, so I jumped in my car and headed towards the Wrekin at Telford, unfortunately the sun wasn’t shining there but I still had a brisk walk to the top and back in an just over an hour, real bracing it was and earned me 4pp.  I then came home and pottered about the house, perfect Sunday.

I’ve rediscovered the power of honest tracking and since Wednesday everything has gone down in my new journal and I’ve even ended the weekend with 30 of my Weekly ProPoints still in tact to see me through till Wednesday, I’ve earned and used 35 Activity ProPoints and I’m hoping for 1lb lost, if I can do that I’ll be happy because I haven’t undereaten or eaten anything that I hope will help me lose weight, I’ve eaten food I wanted to eat.  What I’ve do now is ask myself, “what do I want or need to eat at this moment rather than what can I have” which in my head gives me different answers and they’re usually the right ones, I’m listening to my body and my mind and hopefully its going to pay off.

I was reading a book yesterday that said, “If you were reborn tomorrow, what advice would you give yourself about your relationship to food and nourishment.  How could you use that advice today?”  Good question to ponder on I think.

Well I’ve got a couple of recipes to share with you, one of which is super low and filling, and I just loved it but each to their own of course.

Easy cottage pie (made 6 portions - 9pp each)

1tbsp oil (4pp)

Tin of Princes mince beef in gravy with onions (11pp) or any tin but check propoints

2 carrots

2 onions

2 courgettes

1 red pepper

250g mushrooms

4 beef oxos (2pp)

750g potatoes (boiled & mashed for topping) (15pp)

200g mature cheese (22pp)

I diced all my veggies using my gadget – you just want them as small as possible, then fry in the oil them in large frying pan, throw carrots and onions in first as they’ll take the longest to cook. 

this is how small the diced veg looks.

Once they look cooked add the tinned mince and then top the tin halfway with boiling water and crumble 4 oxos in it then swill round to get all the remaining contents of tin, add this to frying pan and stir through.  Either put in individual dishes or one big one top with cheese and grill till brown.  Delicious!
 

You can shave ProPoints off by using less cheese as topping or none at all, your choice.

To shave even more ProPoints off, don’t add the tin of mince, just add oxo’s, seriously it works, I could have eaten a plate of the veggie and oxo mixture with potato or chips even.  All you’re ProPointing in the veggie oxo mixture is the oxo and you get the entire pan of niceness for 2pp for the oxos and 1tbsp 4pp oil total!  I will definitely be making a batch of this up for in my freezer for hungry days.

Veggie one on left, meat one on right

Both on plate together, we did a taste test, mom preferred the meatless one (I hadn't told her).

So my sister made me lemon chicken yesterday which was tasty too, so here’s the recipe for that;

 

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken 9pp per portion - serves 4
1tbsp  flour
1 tbsp of butter
450g chicken
1 lemon
125ml of chicken stock
2tsp Italian style tomato & herb grinder

salt and pepper

Rinse the chicken pieces with water, and then lightly coat them in the flour. Set aside.
Plug in crock pot and turn setting to Low heat.

Heat 1/2 tbsp butter in a large non-stick frying pan, over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add half of the flour-coated chicken pieces. (You don't want to over-crowd the pan, so you'll cook the chicken in two batches) Season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on each side.

(You're not cooking the chicken all the way, just getting a golden-brown crust)

Remove chicken from pan and place in slow cooker.

Add the remaining butter in pan, and cook the remaining flour-coated chicken pieces on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and place in slow cooker.

Sprinkle the Italian seasoning evenly over the chicken. Pour the lemon juice and chicken broth over the tops. Cover with lid, and cook on low heat for 3 hours.

Either serve chicken pieces whole or shredded, with the lemon sauce. Enjoy!

So on that note, I’m off to get ready for work, lots to do, I’ve got an idea of my meals for the week (made a note in my journal of suggestions) I just need to get a few ingredients, I’m fancying forty clove of garlic chicken, haven’t had that for a while and maybe liver and onions one day, ooo fish and chips too, then there’s some faggots in the freezer – ooo I do likes me dinners ;-)

Have a marvellous Monday and remember to Eat and Be Gorgeous.