Another new product for me – Lo-Dough!

So what is Lo-Dough I hear you ask? Well, it’s a completely unusual bread or pastry alternative.

I’d seen it advertised on Facebook for a while now but was never sure. For one, I thought it was expensive, but when I saw they had a 10% off voucher, I decided to google it.

It seemed to be a very good product and low in syns, so thought I should give it a go.

There was another reason to! The ingredients, or to be precise, one in particular. So what is it made from?

Water, Wheat fibre (gluten free), Dried Free Range Egg White, Stabiliser (E464), Konjac Flour, Psyllium Husk Powder, Salt.

My hubby follows a diet during the week, which he picked up from his native South Africa – The Banting Diet!

The basic principle is that you don’t eat carbs or sugar!

One ingredient they recommend as an alternative is Psyllium Husk. I’ve bought it and used it to make a bread alternative etc for him! It’s expensive!! This put this product cost into perspective for me.

It comes in packs of 2 in the shape of a circle, around 8″ wide. A pack of 6 costs £14, so with 10% off it came in at approx £2.30 a piece!

I looked at their website again!

https://lodough.co/

It was a lot more versatile than just being used as a pizza base alternative. This excited me!

I quickly put my order in. Within an hour I got an email back saying it had been dispatched! Wow, what service!

It arrived very quickly and I couldn’t wait to try it!

It’s extremely light and doesn’t roll out, which can make you a bit nervous to begin with.

I decided for my first try, I would revisit a childhood favourite- egg custard!

See how it turned out on my YouTube channel.

I was surprised at how it tasted.

Next, I thought I should go back to basics and do the pizza!

My hubby was blown away by it. The base really worked. Better still at only 2 syns on SW and fitting in with the Banting diet, it meant it was something both of us could enjoy!

Every month we get a magazine from Tesco. My hubby has started to take a real interest in it. So much so, he actually cooked 2 meals for me recently from them! He never cooks! I have a lot to thank Tesco for, that’s for sure!!

In a recent magazine, he spotted a Mexican Pizza recipe and suggested we use the Lo-Dough to make it! It looks like he now has the Lo-Dough bug too! Possibly something for dinner next week. Who knows !

My next recipe is going to be a chocolate brownie. Instead of using it as it is, you make it into breadcrumbs. I can’t wait to see what it comes out like!

If you want to try it too, use discount code RECIPES10 to get 10% off!

After avoiding it for so long, it’s now definitely a product which I will use regularly. @Lo-Dough is certainly an amazing product.

Give it a try and let me know how you get on!

On my pizza video, I also give you a review of another new product that you MUST try! Misfits is a nutritious, high protein snack. They have a fab offer on at the moment where you can get a taster pack for only £3 instead of £11.99 with the cost Taste3!

https://missfitsnutrition.com/collections/all

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see other recipes and products.

When you take flexible syns too far!

Ok, confession time!

If you follow my vlogs you will know that after 4 weeks of maintaining the same weight, I decided to do a week of Extra Easy SP on Slimming World.

For those who don’t know, EESP is a way to give your weightloss a kick start. You focus on foods that are classed as ‘Speed’ – your body burns the calories quicker, or ‘Protein’ which keeps you fuller for longer!

Basically, you don’t eat potatoes, pasta, rice, bananas, grapes and anything else that isn’t classed as speed or protein.

For me, I only had a few pounds to get within my target range. My motivation to get there isn’t what it used to be as everyone I know, including my hubby, parents and friends didn’t like me at my target range. They said I looked too thin. I don’t agree, so still strive to get there. I’m also not going to drop a dress size if I get back down to my target range!

So I embarked on an EESP week. I had originally planned to just have a normal ‘on plan’ day on the Sunday, as I really enjoy my Sunday roast, which includes the roast potatoes, but the other 6 days, I would be strict!

Every day, you are entitled to have up to 10 syns. As I usually don’t really have my syns, this wasn’t going to be a problem!

I was extremely good all week. I kept to my EESP plan every day. I recorded in on my vlog as an added incentive.

Follow my week here:

Come the weekend, I usually enjoy a glass of wine! I decided I would use my syns for this on Slim Zero wine. At only 3.5 syns for 125 ml, I could have 357 ml of wine each day. To make sure I didn’t go over, I weighed out my wine! Yes you heard me right, I weighed out my wine!

Come Sunday, I was so focused, I decided I didn’t need my roast potatoes. One week without them wouldn’t hurt. The feeling of getting to my target range was more important, so it was roast butternut for me instead!

I went to the gym everyday, and walked the dogs twice a day to make sure I had plenty of body magic!

Come Wednesday for my weigh in, I was soooo excited as I stepped on the scales.

I cannot begin to describe how I felt when I looked at the number in front of me! 1lb off! 1lb off! I couldn’t believe it. All that effort, commitment and focus for 1lb off! I was gutted.

Now, I don’t know why I was so surprised. Historically EESP hasn’t never been great for me. The norm is that the following week I see a greater loss. I’m not sure if it is because I work out so much that my body craves the carbs or what it is, but the following week is always better. What I should have done is kept this in my head and gone home refocused. Instead, I went home extremely deflated and just lost my way!

I decided to have a glass of wine with my dinner. That is ok on SW as you can normally have 15 syns a day! I should have gone for my Slim Zero wine? Or measured it out! But no, instead I poured myself a very large glass of normal white wine. With 10 syns for 250 ml, the second glass definately wasn’t on plan and so neither was the chocolate I ate!

The next day was no better! Don’t get me wrong, all my meals were planned and in plan! It was the biscuit here and there, and the large glass of wine with my meal that weren’t! Come Friday, we decided to go to the Fish and Chip shop for dinner! Normally this isn’t an issue as I would have chicken meat and salad! Not this Friday! Oh no. It was chicken meat, salad and a small portion of chips. Now that in itself would have been ok, if I hadn’t then had a bottle of full sugar wine and some more chocolate!

Saturday I woke up with good intentions again! It was all going so well, until the crisps came out as nibbles! Initially I went for the baked ones – well they are healthier, but as the evening started I hit the full fat ones. On a good note, I was drinking slim wine, just too much of it to be in my syns! Then my hubby got the biscuits out! That was Saturday completely out of my syns!

Sunday was Mothers Day. I had booked to take my parents out for a meal. It was a set meal and normally this wouldn’t be a problem as I would ask the pub to change it for me. Not Sunday, I went full on! Starter was ok as it was scallops. Main was turkey roast with all the trimmings, including pinching a couple of my dads onion rings! The final course was a cheese board which was huge! All enjoyed with a bottle of white wine.

When we got home, a further bottle was enjoyed!

By Monday I decided to draw a line. I had stepped on my scales and seen the damage! I was putting a stop to this!

As usual, I had planned my meals and they were all on plan!

For days now I had been craving Jammie Dodgers. Now I really had to have them! So on the way home, I called into Tesco and grabbed a packet! My hubby and I shared them on the train journey home!

By the time I got home something clicked. If I had actually given in to my craving last week when I wanted the Jammie Dodgers maybe I wouldn’t have gone so far off the rails! Maybe, if I had stayed within my syns, my weight would have come down. Maybe, I needed to remember why I am doing this!

I decided there and then enough was enough! I had to get my syns back under control!

It is a bit late for this weeks weigh in, but you have to start somewhere!

I’m know I am going to get a gain this week and I completely deserve it! I am going to buy a 6 week plan and give myself a strict target each week.

I know I can do this, and I will.

Sometimes, when you don’t have the same motivation and drive it is hard, but with a little bit of commitment you can. I’m going to ignore everyone telling me I don’t need to lose anymore, or I look good as I am. I know I won’t go down another dress size when I’m at my chosen weight, but I know how much better I will feel, and that is the most important thing!

So whatever you goal is, don’t let others sabotage it. They may not mean to, but mentally it can effect you! As does a bad week on the scales!

Take a step back, focus on what you want and put in place everything you can to help you get there!

Next week is another week!

Soup has never been easier!

If you have read my previous post, you will know that this week I have been suffering from the worst flu I have ever had!

Thankfully for me, I had planned my weekly meals.

One of these meals was lunch to take to work! Monday and Tuesday was a rice dish. The next 3 days was soup!

I find most shop bought soups don’t fill me up. I need my soup to be chunky and full of textures, so making my own is the perfect option.

On Tuesday evening, I had a Tesco delivery coming. With it was the key ingredient for my soup! Tesco does an amazing bag of chopped vegetable for soup. It is packed with chopped carrots, swedes, potatoes, onions and parsley. I know you can chop your own up, and it maybe slightly cheaper, but when you work full time, sometimes it’s worth taking a little shortcut.

The bag contains 720g, so makes 3 generous portions.

I pop this into my slow cooker along with a mug of dried red lentils, 1 pint vegetable stock, tin of chopped tomatoes and some ground pepper. I then leave it on low overnight. It is as simple as that!

If you like your soup smoother, just pop it into a blender. If you like it wetter, add more water ! It is really that easy!

Waking up Wednesday feeling as poorly as I did to such an easy tasty soup was heaven.

The plan was to spoon it into 3 microwaveable dishes for the week ahead, to put in my daily lunch boxes . Whilst I was no longer going to work, knowing I had 3 ready made, healthy lunches in my fridge, was a life saver!

This is one of the easiest, tastiest soups you will ever make. It took me seconds to throw it into the slow cooker, but will give me 3 days of lunches!

If that doesn’t get you running for your slow cooker how about the cost? This pot did 3 portions at around 60p a serving! The average chunky soup in a can costs from 75p to over £1!

Still not convinced? Ok! This is one of the easiest, tastiest soups you will ever make. How about it being totally free on Slimming World, compared to 5.5 syns and above for tinned chunky soups!

I read quite a lot that doing Slimming World is expensive. It doesn’t have to be! It also doesn’t mean you have to spend hours in the kitchen!

Give it a try! Experiment with ingredients! You won’t regret it!

Thinking about those less fortunate!

Last week I got a text from a delivery company to say the wine I’d ordered from Slimline Wine was being delivered ! I was so excited ! As I left work I had a smile on my face.

As I started my walk to the train station, I passed my first homeless person!

I see many homeless everyday on my walk to and from the train station. It is so sad to see so many of them. Mostly men, but sometimes women too.

It goes through my mind every time I see them, why are they here? Some, I know have mental health problems, other have fallen on hard times. But what is the story for the others.

I’m going home to a lovely warm house, food on the table (well when I cook it there will be), and my latest wine order! When did these people last have that?

As the temperature drops, I can’t believe they would choose this to a home indoors ? Who would, so why are they here?

I do try to support them as much as I can. The odd £1 here, a sandwich or cup of tea there. I do try to avoid giving money, as I know some would use it for drugs or alcohol, but not all. If I am popping into a shop and I see one of them outside, I will add something extra to my shopping, to give them.

As I pass them each day, I wonder how many of them feel invisible? How many people have walked past them that day and not even acknowledged them?

On this particular day, I’m rushing home to get my train. Suddenly, I stop myself in my tracks. I know, on my journey home, I am going to see some people who won’t have that luxury of a bottle of nice wine tonight. They probably won’t even have a bed. I feel very selfish. I turn around and head to the local Tesco shop by where I work.

Inside I look around. There are still a good amount of sandwiches available. I decide to pick out a few packs.

On the way to the station, as I pass a homeless person I offer them a sandwich. The first ones got a choice. You can’t imagine the excitement of the first man, when he saw the tuna sandwich. It made me feel so humble.

As I continued my journey, I passed out sandwiches. As I reached the station I still had 1 pack left. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Then I saw a pile in a door way which obviously belonged to a homeless person. I gently placed the last sandwich down on an old sleeping back. It should be a nice surprise for when they return.

I appreciate that not everyone is able to do what I did. I certainly couldn’t afford to do it every day. There are far too many homeless people around to make an impact on my own. What is important though, is that we do what we can. It doesn’t have to cost us anything. A simple hello or smile is free.

We might not realise it, but that simple acknowledgement could mean everything for that person.

I also try and give them items of warm clothing, hats and gloves. Rather than put in a charity bags, I like to know I’m making a direct difference to someone.

If you are trying to lose weight and have chocolate or biscuits you don’t want, why not pass it on to them? They would appreciate anything. Everyone I have spoken to, or helped has been so grateful and polite.

A couple of years ago I got to know a lovely young man and his dog, who were homeless. He never wanted money, but was always so grateful for a cup of tea or something to eat.

He was partially blind. He couldn’t get a job because he didn’t have an address !

One day, someone decided to set up a ‘Just Giving’ page for him. The aim was to get enough money together to get him a little place to live. People donated as much as they could afford . Others provided donations such as old plates etc. The smallest of donation all added up.

Very soon he was off the streets and safe!

Unfortunately, not everyone on the street is so lucky .

So the next time you see someone who is homeless, don’t put your head down and ignore them. Say hello. Give them a smile.

The small things in life can make a huge difference.

Easter is coming……aaahhh all that chocolate and temptation!

How many of you have a passion for anything chocolate? Probably quite a few of you I would say. So Easter is going to be a particular challenge for you.

We all associate Easter with chocolate but there are also other temptations in our way around that time too:-

4 day weekend
Easter Eggs
Lamb dinners
Hot Cross Buns
Easter Egg hunts with the kids
Weekend activities
Family get together’s
Work goodies

So basically you are doomed right? Not necessarily. The key is to plan ahead!

4 Day Weekend

We all know that the weekend can be our biggest weakness and now we have just doubled it! Make a plan for each day. Consider what things could get in the way? Are you taking the kids out? If so, rather than take away burger and chips, could you take a picnic, have a larger healthier breakfast before you go, or pack your own little bag full of fruit and healthy snacks.

If this includes activities that mean you will be surrounded by lots of sugar like an Easter egg hunt, take something sweet with you that is lower in syns like a hifi bar, fruit or check your Slimming World App to see what syns are in it before popping in your mouth! It may be that you can still have it, you just need to plan it in.

A lot of us use the long weekend to catch up with family which will involve either a sit down meal or buffet! Don’t be afraid to speak to the person preparing the meal to ask for Slimming World friendly options. Offer to bring some things along or offer to help. I know when I do a roast for the family, whilst my husband and father want the good old fashion traditional roasted potatoes, my mum would prefer my SW friendly ones! You will be surprised that suddenly others around the table will head for your healthier options!

If you are eating out, check the menu on-line. If you can’t see anything call them. Most restaurants will be happy to come up with alternatives for you. If you order in advance, its also easier than having to try and explain what you want on the day with all the other guests trying to get their orders in.

Devil Food

So you have managed to find your way around what to do at the weekend for food, but there is still this problem with the amount of Easter Eggs, hot cross buns and sugary goodies that will be in your face for the days before, during and after Easter! How do you cope? Simple – you take control!

Slimming World is not a diet! Its a healthy way of life! Nothing is out of bounds, you just have to plan, measure and enjoy!

Easter Eggs

First question. How many syns are in your Easter eggs? Don’t know? Well that will be your first mistake! You will be surprised how much is in the smallest of eggs. Here is an example:-

How many of you were shocked when they saw the total syns? Can you see why its so important to know the value before you even go anywhere near them! It doesn’t mean you can’t have them though. You just need to plan. Get yourself some little food bags and a set of scales. For instance the shell is 54 syns for 200 g so if you weighed out 50 g into 4 bags you would have 13.5 syns worth of treats. You can have up to 15 syns a day, so as long as you don’t sneak another extra piece in, you will still be within your daily syn allowance. It sounds a bit of a pain doing this, but you will be so pleased you did the next time you step on those scales.

If family and friends want to buy you something for Easter, ask for something else other than an egg? Maybe fruit or flowers? If you want something sweet,think about your current treats. Would they be a better option, such as bags of mini sized chocolate or wine gums? Even the hifi bars.

Here are some ideas:

Cadbury Creme Egg – 40 g 9 Syns
Cadbury Mini Creme Egg (89g bag each) – 2.5 Syns
Cadbury Curly Wurly (14g treat) – 3 Syns
Cadbury Curly Wurly (26g bar) – 6 Syns
Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar (15g treat) – 4 Syns
Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar (6g miniature heroes) – 1.5 Syns
Cadbury Dairy Mini Eggs (25g bag) – 6.5 Syns
Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut (49g bar) – 12.5 Syns
Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut 120g bar (each chunk) – 1.5 Syns
Cadbury Dairy Chocolate Buttons (14.4g) – 4 Syns
Cadbury Dairy Chocolate Buttons (30g) – 8 Syns
Cadbury Egg n Spoon, 4 pack (34g each) – 9.5 Syns
Cadbury Flake (14g treat) – 4 Syns
Cadbury Flake (20g multipack) – 5.5 Syns
Freddo (18g bar) – 5 Syns
Fudge (13.5g treat) – 3 Syns
Fudge (25.5g bar) – 5.5 Syns
Cadbury Milk Chocolate Fingers (each) – 1.5 Syns
Cadbury Milk Tray Assortment (each) – 2.5 Syns
Cadbury Mini Eggs (25g) – 6 Syns
Cadbury Mini Eggs (each) – 1 Syns
Cadbury Roses Assortment, (each)- 2.5 – 3 syns
Mars Celebrations – All varieties, (each) – 2 syns
Time Out Wafer (21.2g bar) – 5.5 Syns
Twirl (14g treat) – 3.5 Syns
Twirl (21.5g finger) – 6 Syns
Twirl Bites (25g) – 6.5 Syns
Wispa Bar (25.5g bar) – 7 Syns
Haribo Starmix (each) 0.5 Syns
Haribo Starmix (16g bag) – 25 Syns
Haribo Sweets – all varieties except Pinballs & Jelly Beans (25g bag) 4.5 syns

Hot Cross Buns

You can just taste them, warm oozing with melted butter on them right? They are a massive temptation. I am not really that bothered about chocolate by oh Hot Cross Buns! Thankfully I don’t like butter either, but that doesn’t make me a saint. Before starting Slimming World I didn’t really think about the calorie content and definitely not the syns. Again they can still be on the menu, you just have to know what you are having and plan them in!

Thankfully this year there are a huge variety of Hot Cross Buns in the supermarkets, in different sizes and flavours, which means you can choose how many syns you want to use on them.

Sainsburys pack of 6 – 70g – 10 syns
Tesco Mini pack of 8 – 32g – 4 syns
Marks & Spencer Mini Double Chocolate pack of 9 – 28g – 4.5 syns
Waitrose Mini Chocolate Orange pack of 9 – 32g – 5 syns

So if like me one is never enough, if you go for the mini options you can still have 2!

A word of caution. If you do like butter or jam on yours, remember to add those syns too!

Jam – 1 level teaspoon – 0.5 syns
Jam – 1 level tablespoon – 2 syns
Butter – 1 level teaspoon – 2 syns
Butter – 1 level tablespoon – 5.5 syns

Please be careful too that you are having level spoonfuls, otherwise you will seriously be kidding yourself about how many syns you are actually having!

So don’t deprive yourself of a treat over Easter. Just remember to plan and weigh!

Happy Easter.

EASTER+BANK+HOLIDAY+SALE+(1)