Classic BLT sandwich

A tasty classic that’s great for lunchboxes! Tuck into this hearty Slimming World style sarnie...

ingredients

• 6 tbsp fat-free natural fromage frais
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp granulated artificial sweetener
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 slices wholemeal bread from a small 400g loaf
• Iceberg lettuce, shredded
• Tomatoes, sliced
• 2 rashers of grilled lean bacon with all visible fat removed

method

1. To make the mayonnaise, mix together the fromage frais, white wine vinegar and artificial sweetener. Blend the mustard powder with the water and stir into the dressing. Season with the salt and pepper.



2. Lay out the bread and assemble the sandwich by firstly spreading on the mayonnaise. Add as much as you want – any leftover mayonnaise can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to five days.
3. Layer the lettuce, tomato and bacon onto one slice of the bread then top with the other slice. Serve on its own as a lunchbox filler or alongside a huge crispy salad.

Tip: If you fancy it, add cooked chicken and sliced red onion to make it into a mega sandwich.

Credit : http://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/

Quick, Easy & Cheap, Slimming World Egg & Bacon Sandwich Filling -

Preparing food well in advance not only saves me tons of time but also stop me thinking things such as “what can I eat” “what should I have for lunch/dinner” etc etc. Without these questions not does it stop me opting for the quick and easy junk food options, but it also saves me from failing, failing my over all goal which is to eat healthy.


Today I’m going to show you how I bulk prep egg & bacon sandwich filling, part of my guide to slimming world sandwiches. Not only is it quick, easy, unbelievably cheap, it’s also very low in syns.

Here we go!

Ingredients

• 10 Eggs
• 2 Packs of Cheap Bacon (smoked/unsmoked)
• 7 Heaped Tbsp Light Mayo
• Salt & Pepper to Season

Place all the eggs into a pan of water and bring to the boil, approximately 10 – 15 minutes.
While the eggs are on the boil trim all visible fat off the bacon, this part that takes the longest, but once it’s done we’re home dry!

Once you’ve removed all the fat, fry the bacon in a pan with a few squirts of frylight to prevent it sticking.

Did you see how much fat I cut off the bacon…393 grams!
Drain off any excess fat that comes out of the bacon, we don’t want this!

Put the bacon to one side and allow to cool. While your waiting for the bacon, remove the eggs from the heat, drain and run under cold water. When the bacon’s cooled, shred it to any size that you desire. Now your eggs are cold, shell and grate them using a cheese grater.

Mix the eggs and bacon together in a large bowl with 7 heaped tablespoons of light mayonnaise (less if preferred) and mix throughly, season to taste.

That’s it! All done

Tweaking the recipe, something different every day

Once I had the base for my weeks sandwiches it was just a case of tweaking each one day any way I felt. The mixture is fine in the fridge for the week and saves me so much time; I don’t have to cook anything, there’s no real preparation need once it’s made; it’s simply the case of adding the filling and some salad to bread, and that’s it. The best part of all, no more boring sandwiches like the flat wafer thin ham sandwiches I used to live on; could it get any worse?
Here are the variations I had for the week using this one filling.
Monday – Filling on its own
Tuesday – Filling with finely diced red onion & sweetcorn
Wednesday – Filling with lettuce & Red onion
Thursday – Filling with watercress & Red onion
Friday – Filling with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and red onion

As you can see I had something different every day of the week while using the same filling. I’ve got to say these big bulky fillings beat the dull and boring ham sandwiches I used to have; not only do they taste 10x better but they are also 10x more filling.
You’ve probably noticed that I’m not the biggest lover of tomato/cucumber and my salad selection is limited. This is only me, you can pack your sandwich with whatever you want, your imagination is the limit.
Credit : http://www.fatboysdiet.com

Amazingly Cheap, Slimming World Chicken & Bacon Sandwich Filling

I’m loving these prepared sandwich fillings, especially the latest one I’ve just finished; roast chicken & bacon.
This filling is super simple to make, tastes amazing, and stupidly cheap, so let’s jump right in shall we!
Ingredients

• 1 large chicken
• 3 pack cheap bacon
• 9 heaped tbsp light mayo
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

First things first, you need to pop the chicken in the oven and get that cooking, you should remove all the skin before cooking to avoid adding fat meat, and the temptation of eating it. I personally leave it on and discard it at the end; I think it keeps the chicken nice and moist, and I can’t be arsed removing it raw!

Cook the chicken until the juices run clear (no blood). If you’re unsure how to cook a chicken, 
While the chicken’s cooking you can remove all the fat from the bacon, and then roughly cut into smaller pieces, nothing fancy just easier to cook.




Fry the bacon in a pan with a few squirts of fry light, draining any fat that may come out the bacon as it cooks. Cook all the bacon and then put aside in a bowl ready for later.
When the chicken’s cooked, place on a plate or cooling rack and allow to cool (enough to handle).

Remove as much chicken from the bones as possible, discarding any fatty bits, AND the skin. Don’t eat it…I know it’s tempting.



Now you’ve got the chicken, you now need to shred it into smaller pieces. As you can see from mine below I’ve got small bits and large chunks, it’s no big deal how you do it just remember the smaller the bits the further the mixture will go.
If you want to shred your bacon bits any more, now’s the time, if not mix the chicken and bacon bits together in a large bowl.

Add 9 heaped tablespoons of light mayonnaise, and mix thoroughly.
Season with salt a pepper, be careful with the amount of salt you put in as bacon is usually quite salty to start with.

Credit :  http://www.fatboysdiet.com/

Tortilla Restaurants (Slimming world friendly)

  

Credit : http://vicki-kitchen.blogspot.com

I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of a new Cardiff restaurant the other week, The restaurant is called 'Tortilla' and I have to say it was amazing.

I know Slimming World does not endorse any restaurants but I was lucky enough to have a long chat with the chef Bruno Piers and from what he told me a lot of the ingredients they use would be very 'Slimming World friendly'.

Although they do the usual burritos and tacos which we all know are high in syns they also do this other dish called a 'Naked Burrito' and this is a lot of the yummy fillings that go into burritos but are served in a bowl so you don't get the high syn tortilla wrap. You have a choice you can eat in or have a takeaway and the friendly staff really help to give the place a great atmosphere.

When I spoke to Bruno he explained they use only fresh ingredients and in fact don't even have freezers on the premises. He was very open and honest and said they use a very little oil to stick the spices onto the grilled chicken option and a very little oil in the rice before they cook it.



To assemble your Naked Burrito you stand in front of a counter and choose your fillings so it's very easy to make sure you have lots of the speed foods like the salad and free foods like the beans to fill you up.

Mine was started with rice, then some grilled chicken then lots of lettuce and fresh salsa and a mixture of fresh coriander and onion. I also had a few lime wedges to squeeze on top and have to say it was absolutely delicious. Tasted really fresh but was also filling due to the beans and rice it was spicy but not too hot. They serve hot sauces if you like things spicier!!

To be on the safe side I counted the dish as 6 syns for a tbsp of oil but don't think it was anywhere near that much there was no oily or greasy taste to the food.

I was so thrilled to think there was somewhere I could go for food when on a shopping day out with my family or with the girls and no one had to think I was having 'diet' food or we coudn't eat somewhere as there was nothing I could have which has happened countless times in most chain restaurants.



Tortilla has many branches throughout the UK and I will definitely be back again. Have a look at the website to see what they make everything looks so good :)

http://tortilla.co.uk/

Hoisin prawns (Slimming World friendly)

  

Credit : http://vicki-kitchen.blogspot.com

 

This recipe came about when I had a few leftover peppers and luckily got some reduced raw king prawns in ASDA , Well they say necessity is the mother of invention....

I love Chinese food and I think hoisin sauce goes really well with seafood, I buy my Chinese sauces either online or at Chinese supermarkets but most supermarkets sell it now but don't buy ones labelled as 'stir fry' sauces they are highish in syns you want to get ones just labelled 'hoisin sauce',

Hoisin is quite strong so I add some light soy to make it a lighter sauce. I think you could make this with cooked chicken maybe or some already cooked prawns but if you use them add them right near the end so they don't overcook.

I served this with some egg noodles which are syn free but remember to use dried not fresh as the fresh ones some have syns.




Hoisin prawns


150g raw king prawns
2 red or yellow peppers (sliced)
1 large onion (sliced)
100g mushrooms (sliced)
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
spray oil




Spray a large wok or large frying pan with the spray oil and over a medium heat stir fry the onions, mushrooms and peppers until just starting to soften.

Add the raw prawns and stir fry them until they turn pink, Add the hoisin sauce and soy sauce and mix well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until everything is hot (Add a splash or so of water if the sauce seems too thick).

Serves two at 2 syns each.

Sweet chilli salmon kebabs ( Slimming world friendly)

  

Credit : http://vicki-kitchen.blogspot.com

 

This recipe is super quick and easy it makes salmon go a lot further and it's change from just a plain salmon fillet. It cooks in around 20 minutes so it's a great one to cook after work looks fab on the plate you would need perhaps a nice side salad for extra speed food or maybe some stir fried vegetables. If you don't like salmon you could use any firm fleshed fish cod especially would be nice.

I served two kebabs per person so makes it a nice filling dinner. Its a bit hard to be exact on how much vegetables you need as it depends on the size of your skewer! I served with some noodles  simply cooked then tossed in some soy sauce but you could serve with rice if you prefer.



Sweet chili salmon kebabs  (serves 2)


2  large salmon fillets (1 per person)
1 red pepper (cut into pieces)
button mushrooms (cut in half)
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
spray oil




Heat your oven to Gas 6/400/200 then cut each salmon fillet into 6 even pieces , Thread the skewers starting with a mushroom half , then pepper , then salmon and continue finish with a mushroom half this helps to hold it all together.

Line a baking tray with some baking paper or foil (to save the washing up) and lay each kebab on the foil. When all done spray lightly with the spray oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the fish is cooked and the vegetables are soft.

Remove from the oven, brush with the sweet chili sauce and serve.



1.5 syns per person

Nigellas spicy Korean beef bowl (Slimming World friendly)

 

 

 Credit : http://vicki-kitchen.blogspot.com/

I know I'm a bit obsessed with Nigella Lawson new book 'Simply Nigella' and I'm making loads of the recipes but Slimming World friendly so look out in future weeks, This recipe was not only really easy to make but it was really tasty too my family really enjoyed it.


The chili sauce used is Sriracha and I found it in the ethnic foods aisle in ASDA but saw they had it yesterday in Marks & Spencer and its fabulous because its so tasty with chili and garlic you don't need to add any other spices or seasonings apart from the soy sauce which means you don't need to add any salt. The original recipe asks for short grain brown rice to be used but couldn't find any so used long grain brown rice and it was fine.



The measurements are in cups and I picked up measuring cups really cheaply in the supermarket but you can use a mug as a measure if you prefer.



Nigellas spicy Korean beef bowl


500g minced beef (less than 5% fat)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1  1/4 cups brown rice
1/4 cup (4 tbsps) sriracha sauce
1/4 cup (4 tbsps) soy sauce
1 bag beansprouts


Place the beef, rice, sriracha sauce, soy sauce and tomatoes in a slow cooker and rinse out the can with cold water and add that too. Mix everything together really well and then cook on low for 4 hours.

Put the beansprouts in a large bowl and pour a kettle of boiling water over them and leave for 1 minute then drain and add to the slow cooker and mix everything together very well, Put the lid back on and leave for 5 minutes then serve.


Serve 4 at 1/2 syn per portion


NOTE:  I made it in the slow cooker but Nigella says you can make it in a oven in a heavy based cast iron dish with a lid on and cook on Gas 4/180/350 for 2 - 2/12 hours and add the beansprouts the same way at the end.

Chili beef noodles (slimming world friendly)

 

Credit : http://vicki-kitchen.blogspot.com

  I love this dish, its really quick and easy to prepare. I have started buying frozen ginger and garlic paste which cuts down on prep time even more. I used sambal olek chili paste but you could use any chili paste or a fresh red chili chopped if you prefer.

Chili beef noodles



250g extra lean beef mince
250g dried egg noodles
4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp chili paste (2 tsp if you like it hot or use a chopped fresh red chili if you prefer)
1 red pepper (sliced)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (or use frozen paste but NOT the jarred kind that stuff is horrible)
1 medium red onion (chopped)
1/2 pint beef stock
spray oil


Place noodles in a pan of salted boiling water and boil until just soft (about 3 minutes then drain and set aside)

Spray wok or large pan with spray oil and add minced beef and red onion and stir fry until mince is brown and onion is soft.

Then add ginger, garlic and red pepper and stir fry for a few more minutes. Add stock and soy sauces and bring to boil then simmer for a few minutes.

Add the noodles and stir carefully and cook for a few more minutes until almost all sauce is absorbed.

(syn free on extra easy) 

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Thick vegetable and green lentil soup (slimming world friendly)

 

 Credit : http://vicki-kitchen.blogspot.com

  Well, it's September so I am starting to think about soups and stews and hearty meals and will be starting to use the slow cooker more as Autumn goes on.   This soup is almost a stew really thick and hearty with tons of flavour. The lentils make it really filling so it is a meal in itself. You can add any veg you like really I often use leeks too just didn't happen to have any today also if you want it to go further you can add some canned chickpeas or beans at the end . A great way to use up odds and ends of veg left in the fridge as the rest of the ingredients are just store cupboard bits and pieces. Its syn free on slimming world .



I posted this for my friend Denise in the US who asked me if I had any vegetarian recipes that weren't curries : )

Thick vegetable and green lentil soup

4-5 carrots (peeled and diced)
2 onions (chopped)
3 sticks celery (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed) 
1 mug of green lentils
1 tsp chili paste (or a fresh red chili chopped if you prefer)
2 pints vegetable stock
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tin chopped tomatoes
spray oil
salt and pepper 



  Spray a large pan with the spray oil and add the carrots, onions, celery, sprinkle with salt and fry over a low heat until vegetables are softened. Add the chili , garlic, oregano and lentils and stir for a few more minutes. (Its smells amazing at this point really herbal and rich)

  Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil then turn heat down and simmer until the soup has reduced and thickened. Takes about 30-45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy!!

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Quick keema curry (suitable for slimming world)

 

Credit : http://vicki-kitchen.blogspot.com

This curry is so quick to make you can have dinner on the table in 20 minutes as long as it takes to cook the rice to go with it. Its a recipe I have had for a while but again tweaked it a bit to how I like it. Thats the great thing with recipes I see them more as a guideline I usually follow them correctly the first time I make something then when I make it again I sometimes make notes on the recipe like 'more garlic' or 'bit less chili' so you can make meals  to your own taste.

Its not an authentic recipe I used minced beef instead of the minced pork that was in the original recipe as thats just what I had in the freezer. The addition of fresh tomatoes really make a big difference to the flavour too. I use sambal olek chili paste as it adds just the right amount of heat for me but my husband keeps his bottle of jamaican hot pepper sauce handy as he likes it hotter! You can easily add heat after its made but its harder to cool things down once too much spice is in there.



Quick keema curry

1lb extra lean minced beef
2 onions (sliced)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp chili paste (or a chopped fresh chili)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger  (or use the frozen garlic and ginger paste)
1/2 punnet fresh cherry tomatoes (halved)
spray oil


Spray wok or large frying pan with oil and fry the onions sprinkled with the salt for a few minutes until soft but not browned .

Add the turmeric, chili, minced beef, garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few minutes until meat is browned and cooked through.

Add the tomatoes and then cover and cook on a low heat for 5-10 minutes. Season to taste.

Syn free on slimming world

Enjoy!

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Beef and broccoli in black bean sauce (slimming world friendly)

 

Credit : http://vicki-kitchen.blogspot.com

 

  Another fab one from 'Gok cooks chinese' with just a little tweak or two it is suitable for slimming world. Tastes really good and quick too just need to get a few basic storecupboard bits in for the sauce. I managed to get some salted fermented black beans from a chinese supermarket in my local city and they were suprisingly cheap and a big tub of them will last for ages. I picked up the shaoshing rice wine and soy sauce there too as you can get huge bottles of them for practically the same price that you can buy little bottles in supermarkets. I also now use the frozen garlic and ginger paste I got in my local supermarket again much quicker to use and tastes just as good.




Beef and broccoli in black bean sauce

1 head of broccoli (broken into small florets)
2cm piece of fresh ginger (grated)
2 cloves garlic (crushed) .....(or use the frozen garlic and ginger paste if you can get it)
2 spring onions (chopped)
1 tbsp fermented black beans (soaked for 5 minutes in warm water then drained)
250g thin beef steaks (trimmed of fat and cut into strips)
1 fresh chili or 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tbsp shaoshing rice wine (or 1 tbsp dry sherry)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
spray oil

Place the broccoli in salted boiling water just for 3 minutes and then drain well.

Spray wok with oil add the ginger, garlic and spring onions and stir fry for 10 seconds, Add the black beans and stir fry for another 30 seconds keep everything moving so nothing scorches.

Add the strips of steak and chili and stir fry for about 3 minutes until strips are brown, Add the broccoli, shaoshing rice wine, soy sauce and 2 tbsp water . Mix everything well  , Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Syn free and I served it over egg fried rice (recipe to follow later)

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