Sunday Summary 64

Hey guys, hope you've all been enjoying this beautiful weather!

Sarah - That horrible realisation that you've not only not lost what you had planned to for your holidays but you've actually gained half a stone BEFORE going. Having to don a bikini when you're feeling fat is not an easy thing. To top it off you've enjoyed yourself a little too much and that extra 7lbs has easily become an extra stone. I feel crap. All my best intentions have totally gone out of the window. But tomorrow is a new day, a new week & time for me to banish this bloated belly for good. Wish me luck, any tips gratefully received!


Gemma -I'm really struggling. I've not really lost anything all month due to a combination of partying, birthdays and trips away. I've gained, lost and regained a few lbs. It's my birthday this week and I have the whole week off work so I'm going to try and fit some exercise in a hope to maintain my weight. With my birthday out of the way I hope the rest of August will more successful. Feeling a little deflated :(


How has your week been?

Ice cream and lollies... on a diet

It really isn't summer without an ice cream or lolly and the recent burst of sunshine here in the UK has got me thinking about the best way to indulge in an iced treat without blowing all the hard work you've done to get that beach body. Here is my quick guide to treats that wont make a dent in your daily Weight Watchers ProPoints budget and those treats that might have to come out of your weekly budget.

The mini version of the Twister lolly is only 1 ProPoint, I always have these in the freezer and if anyone else in the family wants one but doesn't find them big enough they can just have two right?

Co-operative rocket lollies and orange juice lollies are another firm favourite of mine and also come in at just 1 ProPoint each.

I just discovered that Fab lollies are only 2 Pro Points which I think is great for something coated in chocolate and you can usually get them on ice cream vans too so these could be a good pick if you are having a day at the seaside.

Magnums are my ultimate ice cream treat and they come in at around 7 ProPoints each depending on variety. I think this isn't too unreasonable if you have a few points left in your weekly budget. You could even count 3 points from your daily budget and 4 from your weekly?

If you fancy a slice of Vienetta but are afraid that you wont be able to control your portions these Weight Watcher ice cream waves are just the trick. They are quite small but for 3 ProPoints you can't complain.

Cornetto's are 6 ProPoints for the classic flavour but only 5 for the strawberry variety so you savvy dieters out there should check the difference in flavours to save yourself some points.

I generally avoid ice cream because my scoop is the size of about three normal scoops and if I have a tub I just don't know where to stop.
If you do fancy an ice cream beware because a Dairy Milk McFlurry is 9 ProPoints and this might rise to about 12 depending on what variety you have. A small ice cream cone in McDonalds is only 4 ProPoints so you can still have an ice cream treat but not blow your budget.

Ben and Jerry's Ice cream averages 5 ProPoints per scoop for flavours like Cookie Dough of Baked Alaska so be careful!

Sorbet is a great option for the calorie conscious and is only 1 ProPoint per scoop and 2 ProPoints for brands like Tesco Finest.

Hope this helps to keep you on track. What is your favourite treat to cool down in the summer sun?

NeuroDrinks

NeuroDrinks sent Gem & Sarah one each of their range of herbal drinks to test.  We obviously cannot confirm their claims after one drink but can confirm that they are tasty!!  At only 37 calories per bottle they really did hit the spot without damaging the diet.  Don't know about you but we don't like wasting our calories on drinks unless they contain alcohol ;)

Each drink contains different key ingredients in order to provide targeted benefits.  The above image shows both the ingredients and each drinks benefits. None of the drinks state what flavour they are, they are all fruity and quite sweet.  Neurosport has that kinda salty taste standard hydration drinks have.  Neurosun is Sarah's least favourite, it evokes memories of suntan lotion and has a fruity/coconut taste to it.  Neurotrim tastes like lychees and is Sarah's favourite - glad it's the one that supports weight loss!

The berry flavour NeuroSonic is Gemma's favourite. Gemma is definitely not a morning person so she will be taking it to work on Monday mornings to boost her mental performance. Gemma wasn't so sure about the milky NeuroBliss which claims to enhance your mood. She's all for mood enhancement but this cloudy drink reminds her of fabric softener.

Would you like to try some NeuroDrinks? Yes? You're in luck because we have a case of 15 mixed bottles to give away. Just fill in the rafflecopter form below, there are lots of different ways to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I do hope Lady Gaga drinks them out of her tea cup...

Glazed Loch Fyne salmon with green bean and bulghar wheat salad

This is the second recipe on Where Are My Knees? featuring the lovely Loch Fyne salmon. The salmon had a great flavour and texture and tasted just as good after freezing.The salmon fillet I was sent stretched so far and I managed to make loads of meals from it including fish pie (recipe here), risotto, stir fry and loads more.

Ingredients

• 140g bulghar wheat (I used cous cous because you can't get bulghar wheat in the valleys)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 skinless salmon fillets
• 6 spring onions , sliced
• juice and zest ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• juice 1 orange , plus 1 tsp zest
• 200g trimmed fine green bean

Method

1. Cook the bulghar wheat following pack instructions. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the salmon fillets and cook for 3 mins on each side. Stir in the spring onions and cook for 1 min. Add lemon juice, honey, orange juice and zest to the pan and bubble for 1 min more to make a sauce.
2. Meanwhile, boil the green beans for 4 mins or until tender. Drain. Stir the bulghar wheat with a fork, mixing in the green beans, lemon zest and a little of the sauce. Serve the salmon on a bed of bulghar and beans, with the rest of the sauce spooned over.
   
   
   This was such a tasty recipe, I really enjoyed it and I already had a lot of the ingredients so it was pretty cheap to make. Do let us know if you make it and what you think.

Sunday Summary 63

Gemma- Sorry for the lack of Sunday Summary this week, I was nursing a hangover after a great night out with fellow Where Are My Knees team member Sarah. I had been very good all week, managed to fit in a few gym sessions and ate well. It got to Friday and I had pasta stuffed with chorizo and chicken with garlic bread and continued my unhealthy eating all weekend... I went to Gourmet Burger Kitchen, had wine, cocktails and egg on toast with real butter as my hangover breakfast. Oh well, I had fun! I'm determined to lose half a stone by my birthday in August, I better start behaving!

Loch Fyne Salmon - Fish Pie Recipe

Loch Fyne  started with one idea – to grow oysters in the clear, fertile waters of Loch Fyne and it is a business whose success is built on an honest approach to superb quality food.
All Loch Fyne businesses work together to ensure that only the very best produce – farmed and fished to the highest quality and environmental standards – reaches the kitchens and plates of their customers. 
They sent me some gorgeous fresh salmon to try and create a tasty but healthy meal with.It's great to know that the main suppliers were the first two salmon farms to gain RSPCA Freedom Foods accreditation. Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall and his Fish Fight campaign certainly made me rethink were I buy my fish from what types I buy. Anyway...

I tried to use the salmon in lots of different ways but this is the first of a few recipes I have to share with you.

Fish Pie

I found this recipe on the Good Food site and it was so tasty! The great thing about the Good Food website is that they tell you the nutritional value of the food so you can easily work out the points if you are on the Weight Watchers plan like me.

Ingredients

500ml semi-skimmed milk
3 tbsp cornflour
100g cooked prawns in their shells
several thyme sprigs, preferably lemon thyme
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
750g new potatoes, such as Charlotte (no need to peel)
1 medium leek, thinly sliced (175g prepared weight)
400g skinned haddock fillet
350g skinned salmon fillet
175g skinned smoked haddock fillet
125g tub low-fat soft cheese with garlic & herbs
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp snipped chives

Method

1.  Mix 3 tbsp of the milk into the cornflour and set aside. Pour the rest of the milk into a saucepan. Shell the prawns, reserve the meat, then drop the shells and heads (wash them first if necessary) into the milk along with the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, garlic and a grind of pepper. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 20 mins.
2. Meanwhile, put the potatoes into a large pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins until tender. Drain. Steam the sliced leek for 3 mins, then remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Strain the infused milk through a sieve into a large shallow sauté pan. Lay all the fish fillets (not the prawns) in the milk. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and leave, covered, for 5 mins. Use a slotted spoon to transfer all the fish to a dish and leave to cool slightly. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
4. Stir the slackened cornflour, then stir it into the hot milk in the sauté pan. Return the pan to the heat and stir until thickened. Briefly stir in the soft cheese, remove from the heat, then add the parsley and season with black pepper. Stir in any liquid that has drained from the fish. Break the fish into big pieces as you lay them in a 2-litre ovenproof dish so that the different varieties are evenly distributed. Scatter over the prawns and leek, then season with pepper. Pour the sauce over and give a few gentle stirs to evenly distribute the sauce and combine everything without breaking up the fish.
5. Using a large fork, crush the potatoes by breaking them up (not mashing them) into chunky pieces. Mix in the oil, chives and a grind of black pepper. Spoon the potato crush over the fish. Sit the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins, or until the sauce is bubbling and the potatoes golden. Alternatively, make the dish completely, refrigerate it for several hrs or overnight, then bake at the same temperature as above for 45 mins.

Per Serving

413 kcalories, protein 42g, carbohydrate 30g, fat 15 g, saturated fat 4g, fibre 2g, sugar 7g, salt 1.42 g
11 ProPoints on Weight Watchers

Sunday Summary 62

Gemma - I couldn't go to weigh in this week but I have maintained. I've been good all week, been to the gym a couple of times and had a rather restrained night out. However...I came home after my night out and ate two cheese sandwiches and had a roast dinner today with real gravy and roast potatos. Why do I do this to myself?!
Going to hit the gym tomorrow and try and behave before my weigh in on Tuesday. I'm a little worried about the next few weeks because I'm going away on the weekend and it will involve food and drink. It is my brothers 21st soon and that is going to involve food, cake and alcohol. I think going to the gym as much as I can will be very important. Happy to maintain but I don't want any gains!

How do you cope with birthdays and other big events?