You are my cup of tea ;)

4th March 2017

Life is like a cup of tea, it's all in how you make it.

It's only here, Tea Party day or cake day as it's been renamed :) I'm planning to have cake for breakfast and lunch today, quite possibly dinner too, it's all for a good cause - my belly, seriously though it's for Dementia who are passionate about helping families who are living with dementia, and they do this through their brilliant Admiral Nurses, who are specialist registered nurses. Time for a Cuppa 2017 will raise vital money to help us to fund more Admiral Nurses to support families in local communities and to run the helpline, which is open seven days a week and is for anyone with questions or concerns about dementia.  

Now for the good stuff, there has been so much baked, I know the best brownies in the world will be there (thank you Romana), Creme Egg brownies which I need to try, I was also handed a salted caramel cake from Essington Tea Rooms last night, how delicious will that be!  There will be a few Smart Pointable cakes too, the Dorset Pear cake is delicious, then there weetabix cake, that's nice too.  Thank heavens for Weight Watchers 80/20 rule.  I do hope we raise lots of money for this great charity whilst having a good catch up and get together.

There's not much else going on in my head this morning, yesterday was similar, trying to remember everything, co-ordinate it all, make sure everything's coming together.  If we didn't do that, it'd all fall apart and we wouldn't have a successful event. 

Weight loss success works in the same way!  We've talked about that chain of events that leads to success at the scales this week from leaving the meeting on weigh day to stepping back on those scales the week after.  Winging it won't help you to get the losses you hope for, doing a bit of planning, writing a shopping list, tracking etc will however help you get those results you want.  I plan to have one of those weeks next week, starting tomorrow with the planning and shopping, yep I've been a bit lapse this week, but back to it next.  That's the reality of life isn't it, it's not always going to be easy going, you're not always going to want to be on track and that's okay.

My brains not focused on blogging this morning, I'm just thinking about this tea party and getting it all right and in my car, so I'm gonna leave it here and hope that I see a lot of you this morning at United Reform Church Old Fallings Lane, Wolverhampton WV10 8BH Saturday 9.00am.  Can't make today, you could text us a little donation instead text DRYF47 £1 to 70070 (change amount to anything) or donate online at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/timeforacuppa let's make this one amazingly, successful event.

Can't wait to tell you all the total raised in tomorrows blog! 

Here's to a great day, followed by a healthy week, don't forget if you've not made a meeting this week, you can get weighed this morning when you come for tea and cake :)

Let's get this party started...

3rd March 2017

So much in life depends on our attitude.

Morning folks, guess who fell asleep with a glass of wine in their hand last night, yep, the tops now soaking in the sink, what am I like!  I won't lie though, I love to fall asleep in my chair, just rather the glass of wine was on the table next to me.

I enjoyed Beef Larb in taco shells for lunch, my lovely Sheila bought me spring onions to my meeting so I had all the ingredients I needed, how lovely is that, that people care so much to go out of their way. 

Today's going to be a busy one, getting ready for our Tea Party tomorrow - I do hope lots of people are coming along to the United Reform Church, Old Fallings Lane WV10 8BH, 10-12.00, can't wait, I won't be tracking anything tomorrow, just enjoying lots of cake for charity.  I may even bake, do my rock cakes, I do a mean rock cake and they don't have to look good because that's the point of them, see how my day goes and what I get through, plus my kitchens all tidy and lovely and I'm in that "I don't want to make a mess" phase. 

What about a beef madras for your Friday night fakeaway?  I've just found this recipe online, thanks to skinnykitchensecrets.com for it and at 2sp per portion you can afford to have real rice or you can do the cauliflower rice thing and have a next to no Smart Point supper leaving a few points for whatever you fancy.  Don't be put off by the ingredients, there isn't as many as it looks and once you've got them you can do other things with it, most of those ingredients were used in our famous butter chicken recipe (actually I'll post that underneath because it is lush and I've been fancying a curry for a while now, so that's gonna get made this weekend)

Fiery Beef Madras

Sauce Serves 4 = 2sp per portion 

For the curry paste

½ tsp each cumin and coriander seeds

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tsp each garam masala and curry powder

1 tsp chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric

Juice of ¼ lemon

For the curry

400g Lean stewing beef, diced

1 large onion, finely sliced

2 peppers, deseeded and finely sliced

1 pack of mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 beef stock cube

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp garam masala

1 fresh red or green chilli, finely chopped (optional if you like it fiery hot!)

Handful of fresh coriander

4 x tablespoons of low fat Greek yoghurt (to serve)

Method

Heat a large saucepan to a medium heat and pop in the cumin and coriander for around 30 seconds until they start to toast and pop and you can smell the lovely aromas. Remove from the pan and pop in a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder. Add the garlic and ginger and to a pulp and then add the rest of the paste ingredients with one tbsp. water and combine into a paste. Pop to one side.

Spray the same large saucepan with 1kal and then add the beef, seasoning to taste, and fry for a few minutes until the outside is sealed. Remove the beef from the pan and pop into a bowl to one side. Add the onions and fry for a few minutes and then add the peppers and mushrooms. Fry for a few minutes until the pepper starts to soften. Remove the veg from the pan into another bowl.

Spray the pan with 1kal again and add the curry paste to the pan with enough water to loosen it a little. Fry for a minute or two and then add the beef back to the pan, coating well in the paste. Add the veg back to the pan with the tomato puree and fry for another minutes and then add the stock cube and tin of tomatoes. Fill the empty tin with boiling water and add to the pan and stir to combine everything.

Turn the heat down to low and then cover and simmer for 1 hour (if you would like to cook the curry for less time, turn the heat up a little).  Take the cover off for the last 15 minutes to thicken the sauce. If the sauce won’t thicken, mix 1 tsp corn flour into a little cold water making a paste and pop into the curry. This will thicken it nicely.

Finish by stirring through a further tsp of garam masala, fresh chilli and fresh coriander. Season to taste. Remove from the heat and serve with some fluffy white rice and a dollop of fat free natural yoghurt, topped with a little fresh coriander.

Enjoy!

Butter Chicken serves 3 sp per serving, 14sp each

180g dried rice 18sp - cook according to instruction

550g chicken breast diced 5sp
5Tbsp Tandoori spice 3sp
1 ½ tbsp can't believe it's not butter light 3sp
5 green cardamom pods lightly crushed
1” cinnamon stick
4 cloves
2 small onions finely chopped I used 3 shallots
1 heaped tbsp grated ginger
1-2 green chillies slit lengthwise
2 tsp paprika
2tsp curry powder (any)
2 tsp garam masala powder
3 tbsp tomato puree 1sp
120ml Elmlea light cream 7sp
5 teaspoons sweet freedom syrup 4sp
1/2 tsp fenugreek leaf powder (Sainsbury's)
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander for garnish

Marinade chopped chicken for few hours in the tandoori spice then oven cook till tender.

Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan and add the butter. Add green cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves. Fry for 20 seconds, add the onions and sauté for 5-7 mins on medium heat until they take on a light brown colour.

Add the grated ginger and slit green chillies. Fry for a further minutes and add the curry powder, paprika, garam masala powder along with the tomato puree. Stir well and cook for a couple of minutes. Now gradually add the cream stirring continuously to mix all the spices with the cream. Simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. At this stage add a splash of water if the curry is too thick. Stir in the syrup and the fenugreek powder. Season to taste. Now add the cooked chicken pieces and simmer the curry on a low heat for 8-10 minutes. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice.

It's the one curry I've cooked from scratch at home that I will continue to do regularly, I really like it and I didn't think I would because when I think 'butter chicken' I thought a korma style dish and it isn't at all, it's lush. 

Okay, let's get on to my day, really looking forward to this weekend, I've got my bestie coming over tomorrow so we'll have a few hours of giggles after the Tea Party, then Sunday will be a very enjoyable day of doing whatever I fancy but I guarantee it will involve a champagne breakfast as I haven't "officially" celebrated receiving my Jean Nidetch award yet as I was doing Dry for Dementia month!

Here's to a fab Friday, let's make March marvelous this year BeYOUtiful, you up for that?

What's for dinner?

2nd March 2017

You don't have to be extreme - just consistent!

Well normality has been resumed in my world, the wine was opened and my fundraising toasted last night, it tasted so good, I was relieved that I still liked it! 

I had a good clean up in the kitchen yesterday too, my inner domestic goddess appeared, I love it when that happens, I've swapped the kitchen table for a smaller one and now the room looks so much bigger, I do wish tidy was my natural behaviour, but at 47, I can't see it becoming that way. 

I've got what I think is lean beef mince defrosting in the fridge, I couldn't tell when I took it out of the freezer, I need to start marking stuff up when I put it in so I'm not playing freezer surprise!  What to cook with it, I'm thinking tacos as I bought some shells earlier in the week, I need something quick as it's my busy 5 meeting, 12 hour day today!  Maybe this;

Beef larb 6sp,

Serves 1, 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.

Although I haven't got any spring onions or coriander!

I really fancy a curry, oh I'll have a think about it...

See this is why planning is worthwhile, I really do need to get some organisation back, I meant to do it yesterday but I started cleaning and as that happens so rarely I wasn't going to stop!

A question I'm asking my members this week is "how do you decide what to have for your dinner (or lunch or breakfast)?" How do you decide?  We all love to eat and yet how much thought goes into what to eat?

Anyway, with the busy day I have ahead of me, meal planning will have to wait, I'll just get the mince out and go with the flow, see what happens, but if I've got hoisin sauces, I'll be doing the larb in taco shells wihout spring onions, I could use red onions, that'd work too.

Right I'm off to refill my pint glass, my first water went down easily. 

Here's to making March marvelous, day 2 ;)

Have I mentioned I haven't had a glass of red for a month?

1st March 2017

Please grant me coffee to change the things I can, and wine to accept the things I can't.

Champagne breakfast anyone?  I'm tempted, I haven't got to go to work till half four tonight...  Why?  Have I not mentioned, I went Dry for Dementia in February :) well it's only the First of March which means I can enjoy a big glass of red wine later and my word I'm looking forward to it, I really am, I'm chuffed though because we've raised such a lot of money, I'm overwhelmed by peoples generosity, people who don't know me directly have left messages on my justgiving page as they follow mom and me on Facebook, how lovely is that!  Our total online donations are £1,411.50 including the gift aid and I have over £600 to pay in at home so we've already SMASHED £2k and that's before Saturdays Tea Party, wow, that's incredible isn't it, I have a feeling with the fund matching for Saturday from Barclays we're gonna end up with a very nice total indeed!  Make sure you bring your pennies on Saturday for the cake, raffle and other bits and bobs we have planned and if you can't make it there's always the blue collection tub in my meeting or you can still donate online https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/timeforacuppa or by text by texting DRYF47 £1 to 70070 (change the £1 to any amount of course).

Right back to everything else in the world, I had the best egg, beans and chips ever yesterday, it was the first meal I'd enjoyed in a few days if I'm honest, I've had a few days where I've just not been feeling the food love at all, which is quite unlike me, but lunch yesterday was epic, I think we can now safely say I have my appetite back, although my tea tonight will most likely just be a big glass of red before bed!

Lent!  Not religious if I'm honest and after what I've just done for a month, not a big fan of giving anything up!  I'd rather my members take something up, I liked a few of the suggestions when I suggested it in my group yesterday, one was for each day of Lent, fill a bag (any size) with things you no longer need/use and donate to charity - give up clutter!  One member is going to take up the plank challenge and another will be doing a random act of kindness each day - I like these, I'm tempted to spend a few minutes each day sorting my office, I'm not promising though as I've just had a month of having to do something and I don't want another month of having to do anything.

I was a right clumsy mare last night, the dumb dog was sat under the coffee whining and he wouldn't come out, so being a moron, I decided to try and find what he was crying at, got on the floor and started to go under the table when a hot mug of tea tipped over and went all over my head and face.  I will just say OUCH and you'll understand, luckily no lasting damage but I'd just like to point out a glass of red wine has never hurt me in this way!  See drinking tea bad for you, drinking red wine good :)

I need to get my routine back, I've stopped planning my shopping and meals again, yesterday I had a £40 food delivery just because I wanted pancakes and jif lemon for mom!  20 cartons of milk to make up the £40 - that's ridiculous!  I still don't have stuff I could do with but I hadn't got time to think.  I will do that today, spend some time, looking at what I have and what I need.  I'm getting cocking cos I've got down to my pre Christmas weight, I've got to be careful now, as I do still want to lose some more to get back to where I should be, summer shorts to fit in and as today's the first day of spring, that gives me roughly 12 weeks to make a difference.  Remember it takes 4 weeks for you to notice a difference, 8 weeks for friends and family and 12 weeks for the rest of the world.  That worked for me when I got back on it back in Sept/Oct and I plan to continue that success, I lost 11lb (which is the weight I'm back too now) so here's to getting another 11lb off - there I've put it in writing, that's always the hardest bit for me, putting a number on it.  Another 11lb and I'd be proper chuffed, I'm already happy with me, but 11lb off would mean my shorts fit, I'll be ready for sunshine and the odd lager :)

Happy Wednesday BeYOUtiful, here's to a great day!