Being Sick is NO Fun!!!

There is nothing worse than being sick! No matter what it is that is wrong, you just want to feel better and crave anything that will give you that warm nice feeling. For a lot of us the first thing you think of is food. Lovely comforting, rich warm food. So being sick while trying to lose weight is a bit of a nightmare.

My immune system seems to hate me lately, it's just one thing after the other. For the most part I have been ignoring it which is never a good thing. I have let myself get run down and so am letting everything in. Unfortunately

Garlic Chicken Curry with Coriander Sauce

I got this recipe from the February Weight Watchers magazine. I buy the magazines every month, I love them. Variety is so important to staying on track, eating the same things every week is going to get boring and before you know it you have fallen off the wagon. My best advise to keep things fresh and find new recipes wherever you can. I personally wouldn't call this a curry, delicious yet, but not a curry. I made this for a friend who I had not seen in a long time, and she couldn't believe that it was a healthy 'diet' recipe. She had actually asked how bold dinner was in terms of my weight watchers. This one is a recipe I will definitely use again.

Getting back to basics!!

Well here I am, 4.5lbs above my goal weight and I am not impressed!!! I was up a whopping 2lbs this week which I was not expecting at all.

I had run my 10k and I had been good food wise, right. I mean I definitely needed more fuel this week...didn't I?


I may have rediscovered my love of toast and jam, but I had tracked it all....hadn't I?


The couple of bites of food here and there really weren't much, surely it was only a few pp over all, right??

First 10k done!!

Today was the day of the Great Ireland Run - the day I have been dreading since I got back from Vegas. My training had come to a screeching halt before I headed to vegas and I was not able to get back on track after coming home. I was determined to get out there and do my best, all I really wanted to do was cross the finish line faster than last years mini marathon time which was 1hr35 minutes. And to be honest between the queueing for the toilets after 2k - and all crowding last year I would have been very upset if it took me longer than that. 

Chicken Biryani

I love Biryani from an Indian, but in all the books it says it is so high in propoints that I do not really order it anymore. I don't really know how its made authentically but this recipe is pulled together from a few different ones I found online and adjusted the spices to my taste. Its not the most authentic biryani but it works well and is fairly easy to make.

So This Happened....

I'm in the latest Weight Watchers supplement in the RTE guide!!!! I have been dying for it to come out and almost afraid to post or talk about it in case I dreamed the whole thing. But there I was, on the cover of the RTE guide when I popped into Tesco this morning on my way too work. I actually still can't believe its me. I had always wanted

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with Roasted Pepper Sauce

This doesn't sound like a weight watcher friendly meal, and it doesn't taste like one either. This is absolutely indulgent and delicious (if I do say so myself, and unbelievably filling. For anyone that likes italian give this ago. The recipe serves 4, and you can easily freeze half of these before cooking, or use half the mixture to make burgers for another night (this is what I did, 2 different meals in the same week done easily - all you need is to add points for the bun/pasta/sauce). Anyway this is not too difficult but it is a little time consuming. I made it mid week but we ended up eating quite late because of it, so just keep that in mind if you give it a go.



Meatballs:

Serves - 4
Propoints per serving - 4pp (3pp if no mozzarella is used)
Filling & Healthy  - 1pp
Ingredients:
500g extra lean mince (less than 5% fat)
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
0.5tbsp tomato puree or tomato ketchup
A good splash of worcester sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
0.5 tbsp paprika
salt and pepper
80g - 100g light mozzarella drained and chopped into small pieces

Using a food processer , mince the onions and the garlic until you end up with a puree. You can add a few drops of water if your find the mixture sticking a little.

Add this to the mince with the tomato puree, paprika, oregano and worcester sauce and mix well with your hands. Season well.

At this point you want to add some egg white to bind this but you don't want to make the mixture too wet. Add a little at a time and the mixture will hold its shape well but is not sticky.

The mixture should make 16 meatballs. Taking 1/12th of the mixture, flatten it into a disc in your hand and place a small piece of mozzarella in the centre. Close the meatball around the cheese and roll in your hands until a smooth ball is formed. You want to make sure there are no cracks left in the ball and you have not put too much cheese in otherwise they will burst when cooking. Repeat with the rest of the meat. Leave these to sit in the fridge for 10/15 minutes while you make your sauce (recipe for the sauce below).

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan. Heat a good non stick pan over a medium high heat and mist with spray oil. Brown the meatballs all over, be careful not too move them around too much as you run the risk of breaking them up but you want to ensure that all sides are browned. This should take about 5 minutes. I usually do this in batches as it is easier to control this way.

Place the meatballs in an overproof dish and cover with your sauce. Place in the preheated oven for 18 minutes. At this point they should be cooked through but you may want to double check by cutting into one before serving.

While they are in the over you can cook whatever accompaniment you choose to go with these, I used 50g (dry weight) spaghetti per person for an extra 5pp. Serve 4 meatballs per person with 1/4 of the sauce on top of the pasta and enjoy. You can top with 5g grated parmesan for an extra propoint but as there is cheese in the meatball its not necessary.


Roasted Pepper Sauce
Serves 4
Propoints per serving: 0
Ingredients:
2 peppers (red and yellow work best)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sweetener
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to the highest temp and place the peppers on an oven tray. Roast until the skin is blackened turning occasionally to ensure even cooking. When these are done place in a ziploc bag and leave to cool. The skin should then come off easily. Peel and deseed and blend to a smooth puree in a food processer. Leave to one side.

I like all of my sauces smooth rather than chunky, but to go with the meatballs this is especially important. I find it easier to do this before cooking and as with the meatball recipe I mince my onions and garlic before cooking. You can however choose to just chop these and use a stick blender to puree the sauce after. The rest of the method does not change though.

Mist a non stick saucepan with spray oil and heat over a low heat. Add the minced onions and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly. If they start to stick add a little water. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and the roasted pepper puree and still well. Add the oregano, sweetener and season well to taste. Leave simmering over a low heat for 10 minutes and ready to use.

This sauce goes really well just with pasta/rice/couscous for a vegetarian dinner. Can be poured over chicken breasts or pork chops before baking and served with a baked potato. Its really versatile, easy and yummy!

Back to Reality!!

Vegas is most definitely not a place for weight watchers! It is the city of indulgence in every sense of the word, which also means it is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I was there for 4 days and loved every second!!