Disclaimer!

Disclaimer
Beverley has prepared the content of Bev's World irresponsibly and carelessly. She therefore disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, originality or completeness of the drivel presented on this blog or on other linked websites or on any subsequent links. She vehemently denies that the information may be relied upon for any reason. Beverley shall not be liable for inflicting laughter, shame, disgust, torrents of tears and the eventual desiccation or crashing boredom on readers.

Find me on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/BeHappyOwls or search for Be Happy Owls

Saturday 2 November 2013

Finally making weight loss my priority ;)

2nd November
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. Chinese proverb
I resisted the free food yesterday at training, it was a serve yourself buffet, there was salmon, boiled potatoes, chicken thighs with the skin on, white pasta, vegetables, loads of salad and dessert and I stayed with my Filling & Healthy day and had salmon, potato and vegetables, I resisted the chicken which I would normally have killed for and declined dessert!  Why?  Because I actually want a weight loss this week!  And I knew if I ate the chicken and the pudding, I was unlikely to get one, it wouldn’t have been ‘just the chicken’ it would have snowballed into the evening and over the weekend.  Nope I want to stay on track this weekend because this week losing weight IS important to me!  I don’t say that every week, some weeks I’m not fussed about my weight, however I’m aware how close we are getting to Christmas and I have a holiday planned so would like to shift a few pounds so that I can enjoy it and not come back to find my clothes don’t fit me!  Yes weight loss is once again a priority for me and I’m putting at the top of my list – where is it on your list right now?
 
Today is day 6 of Filling & Healthy, I’m enjoying it because I know I’m only eating the best food, that’s the beauty of it, someone else has done the research, given me a list and I just make my meals from it, what could be easier.  I won’t like I’m also liking that I’m not having to weigh everything, unless it’s a recipe of course, and I’m surprised that my portions aren’t much different really.  When I got home last night I was shattered, usually Friday is my day off so to have been out from 8am – 7am meant I got home hungry and really not in the mood for cooking.  Normally I’d grab something quick, a ready meal maybe or a takeaway, but instead I popped a small joint of beef in the oven which was in the fridge and when it had cooked an hour later, I made a couple of sandwiches on Weight Watcher brown bread and that did the trick, that was my version of F&H can’t be bothered tea and I enjoyed it too, plus I have beef left for today to make a roast dinner ;)
 
Crazy I know but it’s 5am and I’m wide awake – boo, but I’m not tired so won’t complain, anyway I’ve just watched a video about sweet potatoes (cos that’s what you do at 4am when you can’t sleep!) and found myself a nice little recipe to try for some flavoursome wedges. 
 
As I spent all day being trained yesterday, you can spend a few minutes being educated too, because it’s always good to learn stuff ;)
 
100g of sweet potato has 20g carbs as opposed to 55g in pasta and 79g in rice. They’re low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol and exceptionally high in Vitamin A and C.  They’re high in fibre, 1 sweet potato has 33% more fibre than a white potato.  Being full of natural sugars they will keep you fuller for longer, and their complex sugars have been linked to a lower risk of Type 2 Diabetes. They’re rich in potassium, which is good for your heart health, and packed full of magnesium which is good for the nervous system and apparently helps you chill out and de-stress!
 
Here’s the recipe;
 
Slightly Spicy sweet potato wedges
Spray oil
Smoked paprika
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
 
Wedge the sweet potatoes, place on a baking tray, use baking parchment or a liner so that you don’t have to use a lot of oil.  Spray wedges with the spray oil, sprinkle over a little of each of the spices make sure they’re all coated, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. 
 
They do sound delicious don’t they, and all filling and healthy or 100g = 3pp.  Every 100g of sweet potato contains,
 
% RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) per 100g sweet potato
Vitamin A – 384%
Vitamin C – 33%
Vitamin B6 – 14%
Magnesium – 7%
Potassium – 14%
Manganese – 25%
Total Carbohydrates – 7%
Fibre – 13%
Total Fat – 0%
Calories 90
 
What’s not to love ;)  So that’s your weekend challenge, make something with sweet potato, there’s a delicious sweet potato and spinach curry recipe here, Spinach is also really good for you but that’s another video and I’m not watching that one yet ‘-)
 
Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry
Total = 11pp if using only two tablespoons of coconut milk
Ingredients:
Paste:

1tsp each coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cumin seeds
2tsp paprika, ¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric,
1 tsp each ginger and garlic pastes, 1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 red chilli
Sauce:
75g chickpeas [cooked] (2pp), ½ onion (finely chopped]
1½ tbsp of the above paste,
1 sweet potato [peeled and cubed] (4pp)
red chillies [extra - if required], 1½ tsp fresh ginger [finely chopped]
200g tinned tomatoes
2tbsp coconut milk (1pp), handful shredded spinach leaves
1 tbsp oil (4pp)
METHOD:
·         Paste: Dry fry the seeds [adding cumin when you turn off the pan] and grind before mixing in the powdered spices while warm
·         Blend or pound this with the other ingredients to make the paste
·         Marinate the cooked chickpeas and sweet potatoes in this paste
·         Soften the onion in a little oil (1 tbsp = 4pp), adding the paste mixture, cooking until the excess moisture is gone
·         Add the ginger [and any extra chillies] and stir well before adding the tomatoes and around 100ml water, covering and cooking for around 10 minutes
·         Remove the lid, taste and adjust and reduce, stirring regularly
·         Add the coconut milk and spinach and warm through
·         Taste to check seasoning before turning out into your serving dish
Serve with brown rice for a delicious F&H tea, you’d only need to ProPoint the coconut milk, if you’re taking the oil out of your healthy oil allowance.
I’m planning a cooking fest today / tomorrow, have a massage booked this morning but I will spend a little time dabbling in the kitchen I thinks later.  What are you up to today?  Will you stay on track, are you going to follow ProPoints or Filling & Healthy – is weight loss a priority for you right now?  Remember there isn’t a right or wrong answer to that question, you just need to be honest with yourself.
 
Have a great day either way, take care of you, Eat Gorgeous & BeYOUtiful. xx

No comments: