Slowly but surely..

The weightwatchers meeting I go to has not been on the last few weeks,the church hall one of the many casualties of the flood.It was held in another venue tonight and although it is a journey that would normally take five minutes we were stuck in traffic for 50 mins!! Because the bridge is down in Workington people are having to travel long distances to get home and it is causing massive tailbacks and the smaller villages are being used in an attempt to find a shortcut.

We made it just in time for me to get weighed,3 lbs lost :-)) Total loss of 19lbs in around 3 months.Slowly but surely getting down to my goal weight of 11 st 7 .I have found it surprisingly easy to follow.I am taking each day at a time and am not banning any foods,if I feel like something I will have it.It is easy to do with the plan as you have the ability to save points and earn activity points.I wear a pedometer and that turns my steps into extra points and acts as a real incentive to be more active.It is quite amazing how many steps I can accumulate just going about my normal day to day activities in the house.

I have also found alternatives to fattening foods that I love like crisps,Weightwatchers do some nice things but they are expensive and alternatives can be found with the same point value but a more reasonable price,sainsbury do a very nice baked crisp that hits the spot:-) I found some caramel rice cakes in Aldi and I can have 5 of these (very slim) with a thin spread of peanut butter and a chopped banana as a sweet snack when I want one.I often get a craving for something savoury on a night so I have taken to having a cup of hot water with an oxo crumbled in and this usually takes away the craving.Sugar free jelly is another thing I have in the fridge all the time now.

I am eating so much more food than I was before,I eat regularly throughout the day and make sure that if I go out I always carry a snack.I am much more organised.I have always done a weekly menu plan but now work out all the point values for each day and I have been making meals to freeze so I have very healthy "ready meals" in the freezer labeled with the point value for the days when I am not able to cook.

I love food and refuse to eat bland! I adapt recipes to suit my taste as I know this will be key in the long run to sticking with it and not feeling deprived.

Here is a recipe I made last week that was a big hit for me and even my more traditional food loving husband loved it.

Servings: 4 ( I had 2 portions to freeze)

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 50 min

Level of Difficulty: Easy
Roasted sweet vegetables combine with cracked wheat for a full flavoured, sunrise-coloured, comforting dish.
Ingredients
5 spray low-fat cooking spray, low-fat
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into eighths and then in half
4 medium carrot(s), peeled and sliced in half and then into wedges
1 portion butternut squash, seeds removed, peeled, and flesh cut into small pieces (I also added 2 red onions and sprinkled dried rosemary over everything before roasting)
100 g dried bulgar wheat
600 ml fresh stock, vegetable (I used chicken stock and white wine)
2 sprig fresh mint, small bunch, chopped
1 teaspoon salt, and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7/220ºC/425ºF and place all the vegetables in a large roasting tin.
Spray with the cooking spray and season then roast for 30 mins, turning occasionally, until softened and charred on the edges.
Transfer into a large saucepan and add the wheat and the boiling stock and seasoning. Stir together, cover and leave for 20 mins.
Add the mint and taste to check the seasoning before serving.

This was delicious! It could be eaten alone but as the oven was on to roast the veg I put two chicken breasts in foil parcels, poured over  a couple of tbs of sweet chilli sauce before sealing and cooking.