Morning!

21^st October 2017

You can’t always be strong but you can always be brave.

Supermarket online shop done ready for delivery tomorrow night, had to wait till then to use the coupon and get cheap delivery!  Every penny counts, just like every Smart Point, I was saved by Weight Watcher chocolate yesterday, had a real craving for chocolate and enjoyed a Sticky Toffee bar, plus a Chocolate muffin baked from the Sweet book, love it when members bring food to the meetings!

I got a little creative in the kitchen yesterday morning, drained, then mashed up a can of butter beans, added a couple of finely chopped spring onions (you could add any veggies here to be honest), then added a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard (again garlic would work well, any herbs you like, chives maybe) and grated cheese (88g of Cathedral city lighter cheddar for 9sp, or 79g protein cheese for 1sp) I’d be inclined to use the protein cheese next time and maybe top with a little of the good stuff.  Season with a bit of salt and black pepper, put some greaseproof paper on a baking tray and make patties from the mixture.  Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, 200c or 400f (gas mark 6).  They were good, shared recipe with colleagues and one came up with the idea of making hers like pizza;

I love it!

I love eating is the truth of the matter, but I’m getting better and doing less damage, think I need a good stew in my life, might need me a Penn Road butchers order, some sausage, beef and a chicken maybe.  Yeah I’ll message him in a bit, see if he can deliver later.

Right now to today, I have a carton of soup in the fridge needs eating today so mom and I can share that for lunch, then a ready meal for tea.  I liked the chicken and chorizo paella I had last night, defo recommend that one, had it from Sainsbury’s. 

Ooo instead of stew, I might do 40 cloves of garlic chicken, I could leave that in the slow cooker tomo whilst I was at training and it would be lush when I got home, yeah think that’s the plan then I can do a plan for next week to make stew.

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

Serves 4

13sp per serving using thighs,
5sp per serving using breasts,
9sp per serving using legs

2 tbsp regular olive oil (9sp)
Either
Use 8 chicken thighs (skin on, bone in) (42sp) or
use 8 skinless breasts for 8sp or
use 4 skinless legs for 27sp or

1 bunch (about 6) spring onions
small bunch fresh thyme
40 garlic cloves (approx 3-4 bulbs), unpeeled
2 tbsp dry white wine (1sp)
1½ tsp sea salt flakes or ¾ tsp pouring salt
Ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Heat the oil on the hob over a high heat in a wide, shallow, ovenproof and flameproof casserole (that will ultimately fit all the chicken in one layer, and that has a lid). Sear the chicken, skin-side down. This may take two batches, so transfer the browned pieces to a bowl as you go. Once the chicken pieces are seared, transfer them all to the bowl.

Finely slice the spring onions, put them into the casserole and quickly stir-fry them with the leaves torn from a few sprigs of thyme. Put 20 of the unpeeled cloves of garlic (papery excess removed) into the casserole, top with the chicken pieces, skin-side up, then cover with the remaining 20 cloves of garlic.

Add the vermouth (or white wine) to any oily chicken juices left in the bowl. Swill it around and pour this into the casserole. Sprinkle with the salt, grind over the pepper, and add a few more sprigs of thyme. Put on the lid and cook in the oven for 1½ hours.

Right that’s me off to work, catch ya tomorrow, and see some of you in a little while.

Be BeYOUtiful!