Smiling at the sun...

13th March 2016

Never let your fear decide your future.

Lovely sun this morning, bright red it was when I woke up and once it burns away this mist, it looks like it will be a lovely day.  I think we might venture outdoors today, if mom fancies a drive, we'll make use of our National Trust cards, if she doesn't I'll go play up the garden for an hour or two.

Ooo I cooked yesterday and it was delicious, I took the recipe from yesterday (which is one of my fav) and tweaked it a little, I bought a pack of chicken drumsticks from Lidls they worked out at 4sp for 2, they'd have been less if I'd removed the skin, and I put a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and seared the chicken, then put them in a roasting dish.  Next I added a large diced onion into the remaining oil and cooked for a few minute, added a decent glug of white wine.  I broke up 4 bulbs of garlic (leaving on the skin) and put them in the tray with the chicken, then added fresh thyme before pouring the onion mixture over the top of the drumsticks.  Finally I thinly sliced potatoes over the top and covered with foil, popped it in the oven for a couple of hours on Gas mark 3, removed the foil, sprayed the potatoes with spray light, then turned oven up until the potatoes were brown. 

It was delicious, served with savoy cabbage and seasoned with salt and black pepper.  A delicious meal for under £4, less than a pound a serving - bargain!   Might even have a bit for my breakfast!

Below is another Smart Pointed recipe, that I know is delicious because I've made it before.  I'd be inclined to use the frozen garlic I have in the freezer if I didn't have any fresh to hand.  Mmm, might make that in the week, next time I go shopping I'll get me some mince.  

Beef larb

Serves 1, 6sp, takes 20 minutes

oil spray
175g extra lean beef mince (4sp)
½ crumbled beef stock cube
1 small red chilli, de-seeded and diced
1 ½ tsp diced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, diced
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (2sp)
a handful of fresh coriander leaves
4 or 5 small lettuce leaves (I used spinach and threw it in just before end to wilt a little)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin sticks
2 spring onions, sliced
4 fresh mint leaves shredded (optional)

Spray a non stick frying pan with the cooking spray and heat until hot. Add the beef and stir fry over a high heat for 5 minutes until browned and cooked through. Add the stock cube with 2 tablespoons of water, chilli, ginger and garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the hoisin sauce and half the coriander leaves.

Arrange the lettuce leaves and carrot sticks on a plate, top with the mince and garnish with the spring onions, mint and remaining coriander. Serve immediately.

Yes if I can continue to eat this way and lose weight slowly, I'm happy with that, what I never want to do again is become obsessed and stressed by it all, life really is too short to let something as the numbers on the scales become so important, as long as I know I'm as healthy as I can be, that'll do me.

Whatever you've got planned today, enjoy it.  

Take care of you BeYOUtiful. You're worth it xx