Cinnamon Apple Chips

Hi all.  Hope you had a great weekend! Mine was fab. The weather here in Ireland is still fairly mild and I enjoyed a lovely walk with my teenage daughter on Sunday morning.  It's so nice to be able to spend quality time with her.  Love all those girly talks about everything and anything... 
We were trying to come up with an afternoon snack idea and decided to make something quite simple with ingredients we had in the fridge; so we settled for cinnamon apple chips.
I made them very often last winter and love the smell of cinnamon lingering in the house! It reminds me of Christmas: my favourite time of the year.


This is how I make them:

INGREDIENTS: (syn free)
1 serving

1 apple
ground cinnamon
frylight


METHOD:

1. Slice the apple using a potato peeler and place the thin slices in a microwavable plate previously sprayed with Frylight. Make sure that the slices are spaced out.
2. Sprinkle some ground cinnamon on them.
3. Put in the microwave for about 8 mins.
4. Place them in a wire rack to cool. 
5. When cooled, serve them and enjoy! :-)

XOXO

Fakeaway Friday: Mushy pea curry

Hi all. Thank crunchy it's Friday! 

It has been a long week!! We survived our first week back to school but finding really hard to settle back into the routine. I really don't know where the time goes sometimes...my 13-year-old daughter has started 2nd year in Secondary school and my 10 year old son is now in 5th class!

Before I started Slimming World we used to get take away meals on Friday nights and eat it in front of the TV watching a nice movie. I used to look forward to a night off cooking after a full week of doing cleaning, washing, school runs and helping with homework.

Since I joined Slimming World in September 2013 however, I have been very conscious of what we eat and try to prepare healthy meals all the time (although I admit I do cheat once in a while...oops!) The main thing is I get back on track straight away; whenever I am tempted to have a bad meal I say to myself: "NO FOOD TASTES AS GOOD AS SKINNY FEELS"...

I love cooking and trying new recipes.  I sometimes get inspired by a recipe I have seen on a magazine or website, and sometimes I like to make my own recipe Slimming World friendly.

Tonight we were so tempted to order a Chinese dinner as a Friday night/back to school treat. It would have been so easy. Instead I decided to get into the kitchen and make a curry! Well done me!! (Round of applause).

Soon after I joined Slimming World last year, I heard talking about mushy pea curry. Well... I must admit it took me about 8 months before I found the courage to try it! Don't get me wrong, I love curries, but I can't stand mushy peas. I don't like their taste, texture and I am also put off by the smell. Yuck!

Surprisingly enough, not only I loved the mushy peas curry but even the kids seem to really enjoy it! It tastes as good as any takeaway and syn free on Extra Easy.

How things change in a year...we still have family nights and we all watch a movie together but we also enjoy a beautiful healthy meal!

Here is the recipe:

MUSHY PEAS CURRY

INGREDIENTS: (syn-free on Extra Easy)
Serves 4

For the sauce:

2 tins of mushy peas
1 tin of baked beans
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp curry powder (I like using the hot curry powder, but you can use the mild one if you prefer)

Add:

4 medium sized chicken breasts
2 medium sized green peppers
1 onion
2 garlic cloves


METHOD:

1. Blend the mushy peas, baked beans, chopped tomatoes and curry powder and set aside.
2. Dice up the chicken and vegetables, spray a pan with Frylight and cook till softened.
3. Add the sauce and simmer till chicken is fully cooked.
4. Serve with boiled rice or Slimming World chips.  

We can never agree whether to have it with chips or rice so I usually make a bit of both and everybody is happy!

After this lovely dinner it's time to put my feet up and enjoy a lovely glass of red wine.(175ml 6 syns)

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

TALK SOON,

 XOXO

Bolognese Pasta sauce

What can I say ... I am Italian, and as a true Italian I love my pasta! I have to have it at least once a week and it's always a bit hit with my family.  
There are so many sauces you can serve your pasta with, but one of our favourites has to be with Bolognese sauce.  Here is how I make it Slimming World friendly:

INGREDIENTS: (syn free on Extra Easy)
Serves 4



350 gr extra lean mince
1 large onion
3 medium carrots
3 celery stalks
2 garlic cloves
1 tin of tomato purée
700 ml beef stock (made up with 2 stock cubes)


METHOD:

Dice the onion, carrots, celery and garlic.  Spray a large saucepan with Frylight and cook the vegetable till softened.

Stir in the extra lean mince meat and cook it for a few minutes till browned.

Stir in the tomato purée and the beef stock and let it simmer

About an hour later your sauce should look like this:

If you don't mind using a few syns and want to give your pasta that authentic Italian flavour you can add 175ml of red wine when you add the extra lean mince meat (6 syns. It works out at about 1.5 syns per serving).  

When the sauce is ready, boil your favourite pasta shape in salty water, drain and serve with your bolognese sauce.  If you like it,you can sprinkle some parmesan cheese (HEA)

Buon Appetito!

Balsamic Vinegar Chicken

This is an old favourite family recipe that I decided to make Slimming world friendly.  Still love it and it can be adapted to most meats.  Also a good idea to use it to marinate chicken or steak for a summer BBQ.  So tasty!


INGREDIENTS: (syn free on Extra Easy)
Serves 4

chicken legs or thighs (appox. 700/800 gr) with no skin
5 tbsp balsamic vinegar  
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste



METHOD:

1. Mix the vinegar and herbs in a bowl. Coat the chicken in it and marinate in the fridge for a few hours.  I usually get it ready in the morning and cook it in the evening.
2. After a few hours place it in an oven-proof dish and cook in the oven at 180 degrees for about an hour or until the chicken is fully cooked.
3. Serve with Slimming World chips and a crispy salad. 

Magic Pancakes

This is gotta be the most filling Slimming World breakfast!  I absolutely love it and feel like I am having a real treat. Perfect for a weekend breakfast: what a way to start the day!!

INGREDIENTS: (syn free if using oats as a HEB)
Serves 1

35 gr oats (HEB)
1 muller light yoghurt (I usually use the vanilla flavour)
2 eggs

A few drops of vanilla essence

Sweetener to taste (I prefer them without it but I don't have a sweet tooth)
Fresh fruit 

METHOD:

1. Soak the oats in muller light yoghurt overnight.
2. In the morning add the 2 eggs and blend everything together.
3. Spray a pan with frylight and spoon the batter as you would for regular pancakes.  The only thing is that you have to make sure that one side is done before flipping it or it will break.
4. Serve with a chopped banana and fresh strawberry and enjoy! 

Yummy!

I can guarantee it will fill you up for hours :-) 

xx