Finally making weight loss my priority ;)

2^nd November

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. Chinese proverb

I resisted the free food yesterday at training, it was a serve yourself buffet, there was salmon, boiled potatoes, chicken thighs with the skin on, white pasta, vegetables, loads of salad and dessert and I stayed with my Filling & Healthy day and had salmon, potato and vegetables, I resisted the chicken which I would normally have killed for and declined dessert!  Why?  Because I actually want a weight loss this week!  And I knew if I ate the chicken and the pudding, I was unlikely to get one, it wouldn’t have been ‘just the chicken’ it would have snowballed into the evening and over the weekend.  Nope I want to stay on track this weekend because this week losing weight IS important to me!  I don’t say that every week, some weeks I’m not fussed about my weight, however I’m aware how close we are getting to Christmas and I have a holiday planned so would like to shift a few pounds so that I can enjoy it and not come back to find my clothes don’t fit me!  Yes weight loss is once again a priority for me and I’m putting at the top of my list – where is it on your list right now?

 

Today is day 6 of Filling & Healthy, I’m enjoying it because I know I’m only eating the best food, that’s the beauty of it, someone else has done the research, given me a list and I just make my meals from it, what could be easier.  I won’t like I’m also liking that I’m not having to weigh everything, unless it’s a recipe of course, and I’m surprised that my portions aren’t much different really.  When I got home last night I was shattered, usually Friday is my day off so to have been out from 8am – 7am meant I got home hungry and really not in the mood for cooking.  Normally I’d grab something quick, a ready meal maybe or a takeaway, but instead I popped a small joint of beef in the oven which was in the fridge and when it had cooked an hour later, I made a couple of sandwiches on Weight Watcher brown bread and that did the trick, that was my version of F&H can’t be bothered tea and I enjoyed it too, plus I have beef left for today to make a roast dinner ;)

 

Crazy I know but it’s 5am and I’m wide awake – boo, but I’m not tired so won’t complain, anyway I’ve just watched a video about sweet potatoes (cos that’s what you do at 4am when you can’t sleep!) and found myself a nice little recipe to try for some flavoursome wedges. 

 

As I spent all day being trained yesterday, you can spend a few minutes being educated too, because it’s always good to learn stuff ;)

 

100g of sweet potato has 20g carbs as opposed to 55g in pasta and 79g in rice. They’re low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol and exceptionally high in Vitamin A and C.  They’re high in fibre, 1 sweet potato has 33% more fibre than a white potato.  Being full of natural sugars they will keep you fuller for longer, and their complex sugars have been linked to a lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes. They’re rich in potassium, which is good for your heart health, and packed full of magnesium which is good for the nervous system and apparently helps you chill out and de-stress!

 

Here’s the recipe;

 

Slightly Spicy sweet potato wedges

Spray oil

Smoked paprika

Ground cumin

Ground coriander

 

Wedge the sweet potatoes, place on a baking tray, use baking parchment or a liner so that you don’t have to use a lot of oil.  Spray wedges with the spray oil, sprinkle over a little of each of the spices make sure they’re all coated, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. 

 

They do sound delicious don’t they, and all filling and healthy or 100g = 3pp.  Every 100g of sweet potato contains,

 

% RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) per 100g sweet potato

Vitamin A – 384%

Vitamin C – 33%

Vitamin B6 – 14%

Magnesium – 7%

Potassium – 14%

Manganese – 25%

Total Carbohydrates – 7%

Fibre – 13%

Total Fat – 0%

Calories 90

 

What’s not to love ;)  So that’s your weekend challenge, make something with sweet potato, there’s a delicious sweet potato and spinach curry recipe here, Spinach is also really good for you but that’s another video and I’m not watching that one yet ‘-)

 

Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry

Total = 11pp if using only two tablespoons of coconut milk
Ingredients:
Paste:
1tsp each coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cumin seeds
2tsp paprika, ¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric,
1 tsp each ginger and garlic pastes, 1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 red chilli

Sauce:
75g chickpeas [cooked] (2pp), ½ onion (finely chopped]
1½ tbsp of the above paste,
1 sweet potato [peeled and cubed] (4pp)
red chillies [extra - if required], 1½ tsp fresh ginger [finely chopped]
200g tinned tomatoes
2tbsp coconut milk (1pp), handful shredded spinach leaves
1 tbsp oil (4pp)

METHOD:

·         Paste: Dry fry the seeds [adding cumin when you turn off the pan] and grind before mixing in the powdered spices while warm

·         Blend or pound this with the other ingredients to make the paste

·         Marinate the cooked chickpeas and sweet potatoes in this paste

·         Soften the onion in a little oil (1 tbsp = 4pp), adding the paste mixture, cooking until the excess moisture is gone

·         Add the ginger [and any extra chillies] and stir well before adding the tomatoes and around 100ml water, covering and cooking for around 10 minutes

·         Remove the lid, taste and adjust and reduce, stirring regularly

·         Add the coconut milk and spinach and warm through

·         Taste to check seasoning before turning out into your serving dish

Serve with brown rice for a delicious F&H tea, you’d only need to ProPoint the coconut milk, if you’re taking the oil out of your healthy oil allowance.

I’m planning a cooking fest today / tomorrow, have a massage booked this morning but I will spend a little time dabbling in the kitchen I thinks later.  What are you up to today?  Will you stay on track, are you going to follow ProPoints or Filling & Healthy – is weight loss a priority for you right now?  Remember there isn’t a right or wrong answer to that question, you just need to be honest with yourself.

 

Have a great day either way, take care of you, Eat Gorgeous & BeYOUtiful. xx