Tuesday, 26 August 2014

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








Thursday, 14 August 2014

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


Wednesday, 6 August 2014

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.htmlPlease take a look.

Until next time.

Sarah xx






Monday, 4 August 2014

The week that was!

So after the disappointment of putting 1/2lb on last week, I gathered my thoughts and channelled everyone's positive comments and planned a good week.

And it was a good week. I lost 2lbs which gave me my 3 stone award. I'm so happy. I feel this one is a real milestone and I'm now well over half way to my target.


As usual we sat down on Sunday night and made a list of meals we would like to eat in the week ahead.

We enjoyed a few of the usuals, Burger in a Bowl, Warm Breakfast Salad and BBQ Chicken.

We also tried something new.

Perfect Paella


We both love Paella and thought we would give this one a go.  The recipe is from the July 2013 Slimming World magazine and is syn free on Extra Easy.

It takes about an hour to make and the recipe is really easy.

The combination of flavours, saffron scented rice, garlicky tomatoes and delicious seafood has made this famous Spanish dish a firm favourite in our house.

They suggest other versions too, a vegetarian one using fennel and asparagus or a chicken and ham one. Both sound yummy.

The kiddywinks and I have a busy week ahead meeting up with friends and family, so I will need to plan in some lovely lunches to take on picnics.

Fingers crossed for a good week.

Until next time.

Sarah xx