Weekly Meal Plan June Week 1

I was away this weekend which meant I didn't get a chance to weigh in on Saturday. The weekend was a planned weekend off tracking and counting while I visited my oldest friend. We drank a lot of prosecco and not a smartpoint was even considered while I was over there and it was brilliant. I really believe that we all need days like that to keep us sane and motivated. I woke up this morning ready to get back to my regular eating patterns and no matter what damage I have done over the weekend I will manage to get it back down in a week or so. I haven't checked the scales, and will be doing my best to avoid them until Saturday.

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: May Week 4

Its been a tough month, work has been pretty crazy for me and I just feel like the time has disappeared. Looking back over the month I haven't lost any weight but I have managed to remain below goal which is enough for me. This week I lost the pound I gained last week so I am back to half a pound under goal. I think I'm happy maintaining for the next few months. As nice as it would be to get down to my original goal weight, I am not putting any pressure on myself for it. 

My focus is on keeping my running up. I have had a couple of not great weeks between injury and ramping up but I know I can pull it back. I have 2 weeks until the VHI Womens Mini Marathon and 10 weeks until the Rock'n'Roll Half Marathon so I need to focus on sticking to my training plan. There is going to be lots of social events over the coming months so I just need to figure out balance. 

This weeks meal plan is an exciting one. I am off to Leeds to see my oldest friend on Friday so I have to be sure to stay on track right up until I get on the plane as I am sure I will be having a few treats while there. I have made her promise to push me out the door running both days, as I can't afford 2 days off training so I am not too worried. I am trying out 2 recipes from the new Hairy Dieters cookbook (I have smartpointed the whole book ->here<-) and you can find the recipe for my Crab Chilli Pasta ->here<-. 

Hope everyone has a good week! 

Hairy Dieters Fast Food! ***Flex Updates***

I was so excited when I found out that there was a new Hairy Dieters cookbook coming out, and one focused on quick meals. I have started using Jamie Oliver's 15 minute meals more regularly and I love something that can come together quickly in the evening! I got this after work on thursday evening but only got a chance to really sit down and go through it properly yesterday when I started to work out the smartpoints for it. There are some great recipes in there and I already have 2 marked to try this week which I am looking forward too! It looks like a fab book. I have worked out both the Smartpoints for the count and the no count plans but I have not worked out propoints. Apologies to anyone still following this plan, and if I get a lot of requests I may go back and work this out, but for the moment I just don't have the time. 

Chicken & Bacon Pasta Bake

Usually when I make a pasta bake, the basic recipe is always the same; a simple tomato sauce mixed with the pasta, some protein and whatever veg I'm using and then top it with cheese and you're done. And when I added this pasta bake to my meal plan I figured that is what I would do here too. Then I started thinking about how I could make it a little more special and a little more indulgent. The fact we were going to be having it for leftovers tonight so I wanted to make sure it was something we would be looking forward to a second time. 

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: May Week 3

I had my usual weigh in on Saturday morning but decided not to post my results on social media like I usually do. I told myself it was because I was heading out and didn't have time and because I knew I would  be posting it here that it wasn't really important. In reality I didn't really want to put it out there as it wasn't the result I wanted. I gained a pound. I couldn't really pinpoint the exact reason why I had gained, but I think in general I had just been a little bit more relaxed about my tracking and counting. Work has been pretty stressful and I think my focus was elsewhere. 

Taco Turkey Salad

Now the summer seems to finally be here, its time to look at some lighter options for dinner time! Salads are great but it can be easy for them to get a bit boring and repetitive so its nice to be able to mix it up a bit. This recipe makes use of turkey mince again and is really quick and easy to throw together mid week. 

Parmesan & Basil Turkey Burgers!

I am really loving turkey mince at the moment. It is so low in smartpoints and packed full of protein its the ideal ingredient for an easy, low smartpoint and tasty dinner! Because the flavour of the turkey itself is quite subtle, its a great carrier for all sorts of different flavours and great to experiment with. 

Weekly Meal Plan & Weigh In: May Week 2

I felt myself getting a little bit comfortable in what I was doing this week. I seemed to be a bit more casual about using a few weeklies and fit points than I usually am this week, particularly as we had a bank holiday Monday to contend with at the start of the week. I also was starting my new position in work on Tuesday so there was a little bit of celebrating/anxious eating in preparation for that. I made it through the week and got to Friday with just 14 weeklies in the bank and we had a work night out planned. I had thought I would be good right up til we got to the pub, I would have 3 or 4 gin and slimline tonics and not eat too much of the food. Not sure what happened, but there was pizza in work at 5pm, and I had 3 slices and then proceeded to eat LOADS of the food in the pub. Then I got home and had another drink, some crackers and crab pate and some chocolate.

Mini Apple Pie's

It's been a while since I posted a sweet treat. I tend to stay away from making sweet treats unless I have people to feed, otherwise I am stuck in the position of having lots of treats with a short expiration date and a big appetite - not the best combination. So a recipe that can make just enough for you to eat then and there is a winner.

Meal Plan & Weekly Weigh In: May Week 1

Having a very lazy bank holiday monday! Going to try and recharge my batteries in preparation for the week ahead. It may only be a 4 day week, but its a big week for me. I got a bit of a promotion in work and I am starting my new position as Business Analyst tomorrow. So I want to be as prepared as possible, and as well as sitting around relaxing I am doing lots of research into the role.