Countdown to christmas weigh in

This week in my weight loss journey I am again thinking forward to christmas, as you may remember in my last blog I had some thoughts on my christmas dinner options as we do not do the traditional christmas dinner and instead do a 'pick and choose' buffet throughout the day.

Nommy!

Normally we just buy party food and chuck it in the oven and pig out all day, but this year I am going to look into some other options:

Healthy Crisps:

Firstly, ignore the dip, I won't be making that, but crisps are a big part of the Christmas meal, so if they are healthier that can cut out a lot of naughty calories. Bear in mind that with the recipe it asks for Olive Oil however we would use Frylight here instead.

Ingredients

3 large potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oilSalt

Method

1. Toss potatoes in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil, and pepper until well coated. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Arrange potato slices in 1 layer on 2 cookie sheets. 
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until chips are crisped and lightly browned. 
4. Remove from oven, season with salt and cool.

I am going to keep looking for more healthy recipes as I go, I am thinking something like stffed mushrooms, peppers, potato skins etc. I think the route to take is homemade as far as possible to avoid extra calories that I don't know about.

This week I have lost 2lbs! YAY! My scales hinted at being 18st 7lbs last week but changed their mind by weigh in day, so I am glad that I have kept it off this week, obviously the new batteries in the scales are helping me out!

Current Weight: 18st 7lbs

Target weight loss: 1 stone

Pounds left until target: 12lbs

Weightloss so far: 4lb

Target weight: 17st 11lbs

Some quick, easy and healthy recipes I am going to try!

So like all of us I am always trying to find new things to try that aren't desperately bad for me so that I do not get stuck in a food rut. This happens quite a lot in our household, you try something, find you like it then eat that at least once or twice a week for quite a few weeks. Due to this, I went looking for something else to try that both I and the other half can eat (we seem to like/dislike the opposite of the other), as I refuse to cook two different meals every night, when he wants steak I let him get away with it. ;)

So below are a couple that I have found and will be looking to do relatively soon:

Let's start with a recipe that caught my eye and is not a main meal but we are always looking for healthy treats/ nommy snacks!

Banana and Oat Cookies!

Your ingredients

I am sure I am not alone in that sometimes i overbuy Bananas or just don't get round to eating them before they decide they have had enough and your time is up!

Well here is a recipe that uses overripe bananas (the more bruised the better) and porridge oats... and that's it! I am all for recipes that have very little ingredients but taste great, it means you don't have to spend £30 on a single meal buying all those special ingredients that you don't normally have in your pantry.

So here is the recipe:

Banana & Oat Cookies
Makes approx. 18 cookies after mix-ins

3 very ripe medium bananas (the bananas I used were completely brown)

1.5 cups  oats

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (this is a must).
2. Mash the bananas and oats together in a large mixing bowl using a fork. The end result should be about the same consistency of normal cookie dough. If the mix is too dry, add more banana, if it’s too wet, add more oats.
3. Place tablespoon-sized scoops of the dough about 1-inch apart on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. 
4. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden-brown.
5. Leave to cool.

Optional mix-ins:

1 tsp each vanilla, powdered ginger, cinnamon

Chocolate chips 

Raisins & unsweetened cocoa powder

Source: http://blog.freepeople.com/2014/08/bananas-oats-meet-easiest-cookies/#ixzz3BgGmMeIk

Inside out Chicken Kievs!

Source: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2214/insideout-chicken-kiev

I am a Chicken Kiev fiend, I admit it! I love them, however on my diet (and most diets) they are a big no no, mainly down to the sheer amount of calories in a good kiev. You can purchase 'lighter' kievs but they will still normally set you back about 400 calories per kiev, and you are not going to eat them on their own!

So, imagine how happy I was to find a healthier version of them, where I can regulate how much calorific content they have! Again, this recipe only has 3 ingredients so ticks my shopping basket box, and although it calls for garlic butter, you could make this yourself with your own ingredients so that you can swap out the more fattening ingredients for a lighter version.

Prep:5 mins

Cook:20 mins

Skill level: Easy

Serves 4

kcalories

218

 

protein

34g

 

carbs

5g

 

fat

7g

 

saturates

4g

 

fibre

0g

 

sugar

0g

 

salt

0.37g

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

25g garlic butter, softened

25g crispy breadcrumbs

Method:

1. Place the chicken on a baking tray, rub with a little of the butter, season and cook under the grill for 15 mins, turning once until cooked through.
2. Mix together the remaining garlic butter and breadcrumbs. 
3. Remove the chicken from the grill and top each breast with a smear of the breadcrumbed butter. 
4. Return to the grill and cook 3-5 mins until the breadcrumbs are golden and the butter melted. 

Serve any buttery juices, alongside new potatoes and peas or broad beans.