Christmas Baking - Mincemeat Crumble Traybake

I love Christmas and nothing gets me in the Christmas mood more than a bit of festive baking.

One of my favourite recipes is Mincemeat Crumble Traybake. I came across it a few years ago in a supermarket magazine and it has now become a staple of my Christmas baking.

It is really quick and easy to make. It's takes 35 minutes to bake and uses only 5 ingredients, most of which can be found in your store cupboard. You can find the recipe here http://your.morrisons.com/Recipes-and-Ranges/recipes/index/R/Robertsons-Classic-Mincemeat-Crumble-Tray-Bake/.

Not only is it lovely to have a tin of these delicious slices ready for visitors, but also packaged in a lovely box as a little festive gift.

They are a great alternative to mince pies and when cooking, make the house smell amazing.

These will definitely be a family favourite for years to come.

Enjoy your festive baking.

Until next time.

Sarah xx

Scarlett turned 7!!

November is a double whammy of birthdays in the Thompson household, with both Scarlett and Tim celebrating.

The first one is Scarlett's 7th birthday. 7!!! How did that happen? When did my baby girl get so big??

The celebrations started on Friday night, when she had a friend over for an early birthday tea.

Scarlett made me a very precise list of food she wanted!

Ham, cheese and jam cobs

Sausage rolls

Mini sausages

Pork pie (especially for Scarlett's friend)

Crisps

Cucumber

Strawberries

Juice

We decided not to have any cake, as I would be making one the following day for her actual birthday! So instead they had ice cream with lots of different toppings and sprinkles.

After devouring all of the food and having a lovely time making pictures and playing with stickers, they had a bit of quiet time and watched Frozen (of course)!

On Saturday,  Scarlett spent the afternoon with her grandma, who took her shopping for a birthday gift.

In the evening we all went to the local PTA Bonfire.  The kiddywinks enjoyed watching the fire being lit, however weren't too keen on the fireworks as they were quite loud. Unsurprisingly we left before the end and have agreed that next year we shall watch the fireworks from our own garden.

Sunday was the big day, Scarlett turned 7!!

We started the day by opening cards.  Scarlett was very lucky and received some lovely gifts. Books, Princess Elsa dressing up outfit, girls world, clothes, pencil case and personalised pencils, Princess Elsa doll and money.

In the afternoon we had a little family tea party. With lots of food and cake!

Roast beef cobs

Sausage rolls

Mini sausages

Pork pie (especially for grandad)

Salad and vegetable sticks

Cheese and pineapple on sticks (requested by Scarlett)

Dips (Harissa dip and tzatziki, both syn free on slimming world)

Potato wedges (syn free on slimming world)

Coleslaw

Obviously after the food there was just enough room for cake!! Scarlett decided she wanted a chocolate cake covered in all of her favourite chocolate treats. So I was happy to oblige! 

The look of the cake was really effective and the inside just oozing with chocolaty goodness!

After the cake, there was just enough time for a bit of a sing and dance to the Frozen soundtrack.

Scarlett had a fantastic, if exhausting weekend! And there is still more to come. Next weekend we are taking her to London for the day as her main birthday treat.

I'm not sure who's the more excited!!

Until next time!

Sarah xx

Let's catch up!

So I've been absent for the past three weeks. Not good, sorry!!

Time then for a catch up on how I've been doing at Slimming World and some of the things I've been eating.

Over the past four weigh ins I've lost in total 4 1/2lbs. Really pleased with this, even though I had a gain of 1 1/2lbs last week, this week I lost 3 1/2lbs! 

A few things tried to crop up and sabotage my efforts (coffee mornings, star week and trips away), but thankfully on the whole, the scales were kind!! This now leaves me with 11lbs to get to target and 2lbs to reach 4 stone lost. I may move my target if I feel I'd like to lose more, but it's great to see my goal in sight!

Here are some of the new things I've tried over the last few weeks.

Vietnamese Turkey Noodle Soup - Extra Easy Express Cookbook

With it's vivid colours, abundance of flavours and jam packed full of vegetables, this was not only a joy to the taste buds, but a treat on the eye.

Turkey, carrot, cabbage, bean sprouts, spring onions and noodles all combined with ginger, garlic, chilli, fish sauce, fresh corriander and mint.

It was absolutely delicious. Fresh, light tasting and nicely filling. It's ready in 25 minutes and syn free on Extra Easy.

Special Prawn Fried Rice - Extra Easy Express Cookbook

Another quckie. Ready in 20 minutes and again syn free on Extra Easy.

Basically, cook the rice as per the packet instructions, then drain, refresh under cold water and keep to one side.

In a large frying pan sprayed with Frylight, stir fry ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. Then add Chinese Five Spice and mixed stir fry vegetables. Cooks for 5 minutes, then add the rice, cooked peeled prawns, spring onions and soy sauce. Cook for another 4 minutes, then serve piping hot.

Delicious and feels like a real treat.

Creamy Mushroom Pappardelle - Extra Easy Express Cookbook

Quark provides the creaminess in this lovely recipe.

Chunky pappardelle is tossed into a sauce of mushrooms, red pepper, chopped tomatoes, quark, Italian herbs, stock and tomato purée.

On the table in 20 minutes and syn free on Extra Easy, this is a tasty, quick recipe, that is made with ingredients usually found in the store cupboard/fridge.

Quick Chicken Cous Cous

I've mentioned this previously in one of my blog posts, unfortunately I ate it too quickly to get a picture. So here it is. 

Cous cous, red onion, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, mint, tikka chicken and fat free Greek yogurt. Yum!!! Completely syn free on Extra Easy.

My Big Slimming World Breakfast

Bacon, scrambled egg, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes. All visible fat was removed from the bacon and everything was cooked in Frylight. So the only syn is for the dollop of ketchup. Perfect!!

Mince Pies

As we had a Christmas Countdown taster at the weigh in session, I thought I would get everyone in an early festive mood, so I made mince pies.

I found the recipe on the Slimming World website and decided to give them a whirl. 

After making the pastry and letting it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes, I rolled it our very thinly and cut out 32 bases with a fluted cutter. Each base was placed inside of a bun tray and filled with 1/2 tablespoon of mincemeat. Out of the pastry remnants I then cut out 32 tiny stars to top each pie with.  

They were then put into the oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Once cooled, a light dusting of icing sugar is all you need. Very festive!

These are really lovely and at 3 1/2 syns per pie, guilt free. I'm planning on making a batch and popping them in the freezer. Ready for when I'm in the Christmas mood!

Tomato Speed Soup

This recipe I came across on one of the many Slimming World pages I follow on Facebook.  Someone then happened to make some for the taster evening and I thought I would give it a go myself. 

The ingredients sound odd, but the taste is amazing and not too dissimilar from a well known brand. And being syn free, it is a lot more appealing than the 11 1/2 syns for a tin of branded soup!!

You will need:

2 x tins chopped tomatoes

1 x tin baked beans

1 x tin carrots, drained

1/2 pint vegetable stock

And the secret ingredient 1 large pickled onion or 3 small.

Put all of the ingredients in a pan and heat until piping hot.  Blend until smooth and serve. Simple!!

Ready to eat in less than 10 minutes. And there's plenty to pop in the fridge or freezer for another day!

If you fancy a slightly creamier taste, I stirred in 1 small Philidelphia Light tub to the hot soup just before serving (this would count as 1/2 of your Healthy Extra A portion).

Give it a try!!

Fast Family Cottage Pie - Extra Easy Express Cookbook 

This is a fantastic recipe for when you want a big hearty meal in quick time!!  I made the full amount to serve four people and put half of it in the freezer.

It is done slightly differently to a traditional cottage pie as in the fact the mince part of the recipe (mince, onion, chopped kale, tomatoes etc) is all cooked in a frying pan. It is then put into an ovenproof dish and topped with mashed potato. Finally put under a very hot grill for a few minutes or until it is nicely golden brown. 

I served this with salad and it was absolutely delicious. Syn free and ready in about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Brandy Pots - Extra Easy Express Cookbook 

We were entertaining a guest for dinner and I wanted to make something nice for dessert.  I was a little  unorganised and needed something that used the ingredients I already had in the store cupboard/fridge and could be made quickly. 

This was perfect. Melted chocolate, quark, brandy, vanilla extract and sweetener blended together, spooned into four ramekins and topped with a vanilla Muller light yogurt and raspberry (it said a cherry, but I improvised). Then chill in the fridge until ready to eat.

These went down very well. Tim is a real chocolate lover and said they were delicious. I really enjoyed mine and at only 4 1/2 syns per pot, they were a lovely little treat.

Bacon and Spinach Fusilli - Extra Easy Express Cookbook 

Another great pasta recipe made in a flash (well about 20 minutes to be exact)!

Bacon, ham, spinach, garlic, sage, chilli and pasta the perfect combination. Lovely and filling and syn free on Extra Easy.

Nescafé Gingerbread Latte

In the past I've been quite partial to Starbucks Gingerbread Latte, it makes me feel all festive and gets me in the Christmas mood. But not now!  I cannot be wasting valuable syns or money on one. 

So when my friend recommended these, I did a little jig of delight. 

They smell and taste exactly like my coffee house favourite and at only 4 1/2 syns I can enjoy one guilt free. Maybe even add a squirt of cream on top for an extra syn!! 

Imagine a mug of this and a warm slimming world mince pie!! Love it!!

So that's where I'm at. I shall try and be a little more regular with my posts, whether Slimming World, craft or general life related!!

Thank you for being patient!!

Until next time.

Sarah xx

The week that was!

Howdy,

Here I am again to update you on my latest weigh in and tell you about some of the yummy things I've been eating.

So at this weeks weigh in I maintained, which is great. I've decided not to beat myself up anymore if I don't register a loss. It's about looking at the bigger picture and if I can avoid putting weight on I've done a good job.

This week we stuck to meals we'd had and enjoyed before. I do love cooking and trying new recipes, but sometimes I just want something quick, easy and delicious. All of these meals were made in 30 minutes or less.

Speedy Carbonara with Mushrooms

Once again this tasted delicious and has become one of my favourites.

Burger in a Bowl

Tim had been asking for this for a few weeks and I didn't fancy it, so this week I gave in and I'm so glad I did. Tasty and satisfying. Perfect!!

Lamb Korma and rice

You may remember that the last time I made a batch of Korma I froze a portion. I defrosted this in the fridge overnight which meant it just needed reheating, rice cooking and beans steaming. All ready in 15 minutes! Fast food at it's best!

Oven baked Salmon and New Potatoes

This is exactly what it says on the tin. Beautiful melt in the mouth salmon, that had been wrapped in foil and cooked for 20 minutes in the oven. Tender new potatoes, crisp and crunchy salad and a dill sauce (quark, lemon juice and fresh dill). No fuss but so delicious.

So there we have it. Lots of fresh, tasty, nutritious food and all ready to eat in less than 30 minutes!

Until next time.

Sarah xx

The week that was! (Well two weeks actually)!!

So my posts have become a little irregular and for that I apologise. 

I'd slightly lost my blogging mojo. But, after a few people mentioned how much they are enjoying reading my witterings (thank you lovely people, it's nice to know you are out there), I thought I better get back on it!

Anyway, enough of my jabbering on. Firstly an update on my last two weigh ins at Slimming World.

Last week I lost 1/2lb, not as much as I was hoping for but it still took me in the right direction. This week I lost 2lb, which took me to my 3 1/2 stone award. To say I was delighted is an understatement. Each time I get a certificate I pin it on the noticeboard in my kitchen as a reminder of how well I'm doing and how far I've come. It also keeps me focused in moments of weakness, which there can be a few!

Right let me tell you about some of the delicious things I ate during those two weeks.

Austrian Ham and Potato Hash

This recipe is from the October Slimming World magazine. Part of a section on simple, speedy and money saving recipes. This is syn free on extra easy, is ready in about 30 minutes and it claims costs approximately £1.30 a serving.

Basically stir fry chopped onion, garlic, celery and tinned new potatoes in a frying pan sprayed with Frylight for about 7 minutes, until lightly browned. Then stir in chopped canned lean ham, caraway seeds, paprika, grated carrots and stock and cook for another 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and most of the stock has been absorbed. We then topped it with an egg fried in Frylight. 

This was really lovely. I like recipes that can be made quickly and use ingredients easily available and usually in the store cupboard. I can see this one being a regular during the cool Autumn/Winter months.

Speedy Carbonara with mushrooms

This recipe is in the new paperback version of the Extra Easy Express cookbook, available from group for £6.99.

This is a much lighter version of a classic Italian comfort food. 

Ready in about 20 minutes and syn fee on extra easy, the combination of pasta, lean bacon, garlic, onion, mushrooms and egg is absolutely delicious. I did find the sound of the egg mixture being added to the cooked pasta a little odd, but it actually tasted really nice, as the heat thickens the egg as it coats the pasta. Yummy!

Grilled Gammon with egg, tomato salsa, chips and peas

This was fab. Lovely griddled gammon, Slimming World Chips, eggs fried in Frylight, a deliciously zesty salsa made with rocket, tomatoes, spring onions and lime and fresh peas. What more do you need?

This meal idea was in the August/September Slimming World magazine, takes about 40 minutes to make and is syn free on extra easy.

Lamb Korma with rice

Again from the August/September magazine, this recipe is great to make double of and freeze, which is what I did. Ideal for those days when you don't feel like cooking, but want something on plan and delicious.

Everything you want in a Korma, tender lamb, tasty vegetables and plenty of curry flavour. Serve it with Basmati rice, steamed green beans and wedges of lime. 

Takes just over an hour to make, but is completely worth it and is totally syn free on extra easy. Perfect!

Mixed Root Vegetable Soup

I bought the Little Book of Soups from group, as I decided that I'd like to start having soup for some lunches and they are ideal to have in the freezer ready for those colder autumnal days ahead.

This was the first one I made and it is lovely and warming, perfect for when it's chillier outside.  I made 4 servings, so I could pop some in the freezer. 

I served it topped with some fat free natural yogurt and a wholemeal roll (healthy extra B) spread with a tub of Philadelphia Light cheese (1/2 of my healthy extra A).

I plan on making some more soups from the book, over the next few weeks, Scotch Broth and Pea and Ham, so I'll keep you posted.

Minted Lamb Kebabs

We had my parents over for tea to celebrate George's birthday and also their Ruby wedding anniversary. We decided we wanted to make something we could all enjoy, so along with plenty of superfree salad and new potatoes, Tim made the lamb kebabs from the Fakeaways book. They went down a treat, even George loved them, Scarlett not so keen, but she's fussy!! And because they're syn free on extra easy you can enjoy as many as you like!

And that's it. Thank you to everyone who continues to support me on this journey, lifestyle change, whatever it wants to be called. I really do appreciate all of the encouragement, advice and nice things said to me. It keeps me motivated and if I can motivate others then I must be doing something right.

Until next time.

Sarah xx

The week that was!

Apologies for how late this post is!!

Phew, things are finally getting back to some sort of normality and routine now that school is back in session.  Fingers crossed my posts will become a little more regular! 

Firstly let me tell you about this weeks weigh in. I maintained, which, once I fill you in on how busy we've been, you will understand I am delighted with. Therefore I am still 2lbs away from reaching 3 1/2 stone. I have it in my sights and I'll be hoping to get closer to it this week.

So here is what I got up to and ate during that rather hectic week.

Tim's brother Sam and fiancé Hannah were getting married on the 30th August in Oxford and I had offered to make the wedding cake as their gift. We decided on a three tier cake consisting of fruit, carrot and chocolate cake. You may remember my trial run of the carrot cake that I talked about in a previous post.

With the cake preparation in mind we planned to eat things that we were familiar with and were easy to prepare. 

Hot and Sour Soup - Recipe can be found in the May/June edition of the Slimming World magazine.

Warm Breakfast Salad - As above.

Thursday was the busiest day, on my feet most of the day baking, filling and icing cakes! So by tea time I was rather pooped and neither myself or Tim had the energy to prepare a meal. We decided to have a Chinese takeaway, as I find this the easiest one to chose something healthier.

I chose a King Prawn Foo Young (basically an omelette with prawns, onion and peas) and boiled rice, I also stole a tiny drizzle of Tim's Sweet and Sour sauce! It was delicious, but I don't feel I was too naughty, just need to allow a few syns for any oil it was cooked in.

Friday was the day we travelled down to Oxford. After packing the car securely so that the cakes were safe, we set off just after lunch, arriving about 3pm. We stayed in a lovely apartment about 10 minutes drive from the centre of Oxford, you can take a look here http://www.theoxfordapartments.co.uk/Apartments_first_second_floor.htm. It was a fantastic base for our weekend.

After unloading the car and dropping off the cake at the venue in the centre of Oxford, it was getting towards tea time. So, as we didn't know the area we did a quick google search and decided to head for the local Harvester. I had a grilled chicken breast with jacket potato and lots of salad from the salad bar. Perfect.

Saturday was the big day. We had a brunch before we got ready to leave, as we knew we wouldn't be eating until late afternoon. I passed on the croissants and pain au chocolates and just enjoyed the rest.

The wedding was fantastic, we all had a wonderful time. The food was delicious. The kiddywinks had fruit salad to start, followed by sausage and mash and ice cream.  We ate seared seabass, followed by duck with mini roast potatoes and vegetables, then chocolate brownie and ice cream (which I gave to Tim and George).

The kids finally started to flag about 9.30pm, so we headed back to our apartment.

On Sunday we decided to have a visit to Stamford, as we'd read there was an Antique and Collectables Fair taking place.  We'd not been to Stamford before and it was beautiful. 

We decided to have some lunch at a local coffee shop. Unfortunately it wasn't as nice as we'd hoped. Sadly there wasn't a lot on the menu for me to chose from, so I plumped for the gammon and egg, with a jacket potato instead of chips. When it arrived there were no vegetables or salad and the gammon and egg were swimming in oil!! I ate what I could, but it didn't taste very nice. Next time we visit we will do a little research to find somewhere nicer to eat.

After a little walk round we set off home to get ready for George's birthday.

On Monday we celebrated George's 3rd birthday. I decided not to make a big cake, so instead made him some lovely chocolate cupcakes, just as he requested. We popped out into Loughborough for a nice lunch at Tylers. I had a lovely seafood salad, but didn't eat the ciabatta, the kiddywinks ate this as a snack later.

I had a tiny bit cake when I returned from weigh in on Monday night, it was delicious.

So there we have it, a very hectic week.  Hopefully next week will be a little calmer!

Until next time.

Sarah xx

The week that was!

Well, actually two weeks!!

My last weigh in before I went on holiday produced a maintain, which as I said previously, I was more than happy with. Last night when I returned back to group I was pleasantly surprised to see I'd had a loss, 4lbs!!! And I was crowned Slimmer of the Month, however I will have to wait until next week to get my certificate.

Wowzers, I really wasn't expecting that at all.

The week before we went away I didn't do anything different to normal, I ate lots of free and superfree foods and enjoyed syns. 

We stuck to our favourites that are pretty quick to prepare, Prawn and Salmon Pasta, BBQ Chicken, Hot and Sour Soup and Paella.

When we go away on holiday I still stick to the plan as much as I can. We usually go self catering, so it's much easier to plan shopping and meals. Tim is really supportive and loves the meals we eat, so we try and have some of those while we are away.

For the journey down Tim and the kids had sandwiches and I made a lovely Quick Chicken Cous Cous Salad (sadly there is no photo, as where we stopped to have our picnic was rather chilly and we ate everything very quickly and returned to the car)!

I found the recipe in one of the meal planners in the Slimming World magazine. It is made as follows:

Prepare the required amount of cous cous as per the packet instructions.

When fluffy, mix in drained chickpeas, finely chopped red onion, halved cherry tomatoes and chopped mint.

Top with Tesco Everyday Value Tikka Chunky Chicken and Fat Free Natural Greek Style Yogurt.

It was delicious and very filling. Even George had a few mouthfuls!

We like to go out and about a lot when we are on holiday.  Some days we eat out at lunch and just have a snack for tea and other times we have a picnic lunch and cook a lovely meal at night, like Warm Breakfast Salad and Gammon with new potatoes and salad.

A couple of times we ate at the local family run restaurant in the village, Ferry Cabin. It would have been very easy for me to have had their Fish and Chips, as they are amazing, but instead I chose beautifully Steamed Salmon with jacket potato and salad and on another occasion a really lovely Ham Salad, with jacket potato. On both occasions I did pinch a couple of the kiddywinks chips, but to be honest I didn't want or need anymore than that.

When we had picnics I either made myself a big Tuna Pasta Salad or my Slimming World Quiche with lots of superfree salad.  I also took lots of fruit for us all to munch on.

One of the days we had a really nice lunch at The National Trusts Colby Woodland Gardens, in Pembrokeshire. It was a Warm Mackerel Salad, which, as well as beautiful mackerel, included new potatoes, mixed salad leaves, tomato, beetroot, peas, walnuts, dates, a drizzle of oil and a side portion of mayonnaise. It was fantastic. I ate a few dates and walnuts, but passed most over to Tim, much to his delight. I also had a little mayonnaise, but didn't need the whole portion.

While having a day out in Laugharne, rather than drive back to the holiday cottage and prepare something, we decided to get the the kiddywinks Fish and Chips, so they could sit and have tea by the sea. So that I wasn't tempted to pick at them, Tim bought me two huge pots of mushy peas, they did the trick perfectly and tasted delicious.

That same day I had indulged in my holiday treat of a Cream Tea, however I did have a little helper, who now shares my love of them too!!

It just shows that on the Slimming World healthy eating plan, you can still enjoy meals out, picnics and the odd treat and still lose weight. And I never feel like I'm missing out, perfect!

Until next time.

Sarah xx

The week that was!

Again, apologies for my tardiness. Busy, busy!!

Last week I was delighted to achieve my 3 stone award, this weeks weigh in produced a maintain which I was more than happy with.

Once again we sat down and decided what we wanted to eat. A couple of favourites (Warm Breakfast Salad and Burger in a Bowl) and a couple of newbies. 

Prawn, Salmon and Pasta Salad with homemade Thousand Island Dressing

This recipe was in the Aug/Sept 2014 Slimming World Magazine and with the dressing is 1 1/2 syns per portion.

It's perfect if you are short on time, as it only takes 25 minutes to prepare. A lovely light, fresh salad which is great for this time of year, that is accompanied by the low syn version of the classic American dressing.

Yet another new favourite!

Tray baked Piri Piri chicken with wedges

This recipe came from the March/April 2014 Slimming World Magazine and is syn free on Extra Easy.

Now I know this will amaze some, but I've never had anything flavoured with Piri Piri before, so I had no idea what to expect. Now I know...spicy hot!!

I enjoyed this, but I'm not sure it will make it to the favourite list. It gave Tim a sweaty forehead which signifies it's spicy!! Full of flavour, but I don't think I'm that keen on the Piri Piri taste.

However if it is your thing, it's a very easy recipe and is ready in about 50 minutes. The chicken, onions, peppers and tomatoes are roasted together on one tray and the wedges on another. 

So there we go, another week gone by.

No weigh in next week as I am on holiday in Wales. I'll still be sticking to the plan, so fingers crossed the scales will be kind when I get back.

Until next time.

Sarah xx

Fabric Covered Lampshade Craft

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about a trip to Ikea George and I had. In it I mentioned a little craft I'd read about using an Ikea Lampan Table Lamp. So here is what I did with it.

This is what you will need:

. IKEA Table Lamp (LAMPAN)

. Some pretty fabric

. Pom Pom trim (optional)

. Fusible webbing/interfacing 

. Scissors

. A pencil

. An iron

. Large piece of paper for template

. Glue Gun

Firstly you need a template of the shade. I found it quite tricky and wish I'd seen this video on YouTube before https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ko_rBN6N7NQ. I allowed a little extra at the end for overlapping the fabric.

Using this template, you then need to cut a piece of fusible webbing/interface and fabric out. 

Following the instructions included with the webbing/interface, attach this using an iron to the back of your chosen fabric. This just makes it much sturdier to work with.

Then position the fabric around the shade and using a hot glue gun fix the overlapping edges together. I've glued it so that the fabric isn't actually attached to the shade and can be slipped off and changed when George grows out of the farm theme.

I thought about attaching a Pom Pom trim, but on this occasion I didn't think the fabric needed it. If I was making one with a different pattern I would maybe add some lace or Pom Poms.

And that's it. Plug in and enjoy. And all for less than £5!

This would make a perfect gift for a little ones bedroom and I am already thinking who I could make one for!

I originally read about and was inspired to make this project here http://www.hearthandmade.co.uk/2014/07/lampshade.html. Please take a look.

Until next time.

Sarah xx