Going a bit organic ;-)

1^st April 2013

“There are things I can't force. There are times when the greatest change needed is a change of my viewpoint." Denis Diderot

Going wine free till the weekend now and no that isn’t my April Fool, I mean it – I want a weight loss on Thursday on those darn scales!

Yesterday was a perfect Sunday, took Alfie out for half hour on morning, then scrapbooked for a few hours, after which I had a bath and continued to read a new book I’d started whilst walking Alfie, well I couldn’t put it down and had finished it before I went to bed only stopping to eat and to pour a glass or two of red wine.  I did manage a second walk, this time for an hour so at least I had 4pp on my pedometer by the end of the day.  My book was a chick lit type called ‘Please don’t stop the music’ by Jane Lovering, I actually think I’d downloaded it for free a while ago and then I opened it by accident so had no idea what it was about, which actually made it more enjoyable as I got into the story.  It’s £1.97 on Amazon in kindle format now but I’d have paid that if I’d known I was going to enjoy it as I did, if you do download it don’t read the synopsis just start reading, easy enjoyable read without being lame.

Foodwise yesterday, I had poached egg for brekkie on a slice of wholemeal toast (5pp), I finally found an organic version without all those preservatives in that I don’t want and it wasn’t any cheaper than some, for dinner we had another delicious Waitrose meal Chicken, white wine & tarragon sauce (6pp), served with broccoli, mushrooms & buttery swede, carrot & potato mash (3pp).  My tea was a crust of bread topped with St Agur cheese for 8pp – nice, then I had a slice of bread topped with hummous which added another 5pp to my daily total but that’s still better than chowing down on that 76pp chocolate rabbit that’s in the cupboard still, although I think I’ve found a home for that now.  Actually if you have too many unopened chocolate eggs in your house and you can sneak them out, bring them to your meeting and I’ll find a home for them, the food bank will be happy to take them I’m sure.

We’re off out visiting today; it’ll be nice to have a drive out and a natter with my mate before work resumes tomorrow, so I better get Alfie walked and a few things done first.

Just thought you could of course have a go at making your own Chicken in tarragon sauce, there’s a recipe from Weight Watchers website at the end of my blog, there are so many good recipes to try there and I have been told to try this one a few times.

Chicken in creamy tarragon sauce with rosemary potatoes

ProPoints® Value: 9
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Chicken and tarragon make the perfect partnership in this easy meal that’s ideal for a stylish supper.

500 g Potatoes, New, Raw, scrubbed

5 spray(s) Cooking Spray, Calorie Controlled

4 medium Chicken, Breast, Skinless, Raw

1 medium Onion, All Types, finely chopped

2 pub measure Vermouth, Dry, (50ml) or dry white wine

200 ml Stock, Fresh, chicken or vegetable

100 g low fat soft Cheese (Or garlic & herbs Low Fat Soft for extra flavour.)
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Oil, Olive

1 teaspoons Rosemary, Fresh, or thyme, chopped

1 pinch Salt, and black pepper, freshly ground

·       Cook the potatoes in boiling, lightly salted water for 20 minutes, until tender.

·       Meanwhile, spray a large non-stick frying pan with calorie controlled cooking spray. Add the chicken breasts and cook over a medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until golden. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat until softened. Pour the vermouth or wine into the pan and let it bubble up for a few moments.

·       Whisk the stock and low fat soft cheese together until smooth. Stir in the chopped tarragon and season with black pepper. Add to the frying pan and cover with a lid or a piece of foil. Simmer over a low heat for 20-25 minutes.

·       Drain the potatoes thoroughly. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the potatoes. Cook for a few minutes, turning often, until golden. Season and sprinkle with the rosemary or thyme.

·       Check that the chicken is thoroughly cooked by piercing the thickest part with a sharp knife – the juices should run clear. If there is any trace of pink, cook for a few minutes longer. Serve the chicken with the potatoes, garnished with tarragon sprigs.

Add extra tarragon sprigs to garnish if desired.

Eat Gorgeous always xx