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?

Bio Synergy Skinny Water & Skinny Bars

We were all sent a bottle of Skinny Water and a vanilla flavoured Skinny Bar from the people at Bio Synergy. Both of these products are supposed to help curb hunger and the bars are packed full of protein so help keep you fuller for longer. Gemma has also been sent some Acai Berry supplements that are designed to help aid weight loss.

Here's what we thought:

Lucy - I tried the Skinny Bar as soon as I opened my parcel, it was about two hours before I was due to start work I was a bit peckish but didn't really want to eat before I started work. I still felt slightly peckish afterwards but then I sort of forgot about the hunger pangs and didn't even really feel hungry when I got my break at work - three hours after starting. I really enjoyed the bar, it tasted nice although at first I found the texture a little bit weird but I'd definitely buy them myself, I'm not sure if it's more of a psychological effect they have or not but I think the bar really worked in terms of keeping me satisfied until I was able to have a proper meal. As for the water, I didn't really enjoy it and I didn't feel any effects of it. Perhaps I was being a little too adventurous for it but I had the water before I started a four hour shift, a couple of hours after breakfast, knowing full well that I wouldn't get a break whilst at work. However, by the time I'd finished work I was absolutely ravenous and could have quite happily eaten a scabby horse. I didn't enjoy the taste of the water either, it was nice at first but the more I had the less I seemed to like to somehow. If it's available in other flavours and is reasonably priced then I'd probably give it another chance but after my first try of it I'm not impressed!

Sarah - I really did not like the bar. It has a really strange consistency and reminded me of a vanilla flavoured chewy rennie tablets. Yuck. I had it after dinner before I went out with the girls (I was driving so no further calories consumed) and can't really say if it worked. I could have quite happily have eaten but being in the pub meant that there was nothing available. If I had of been at home I know I would have reached for that chocolate bar. The bars work out to 5 syns on the Slimming World plan. I also didn't like the taste of the water. It is meant to be Pomegranate flavour but all I could taste is the artificial taste of the sweeteners. Having tried both of these only once I could not comment as to whether they do what they claim but personally would not buy either of them based on the taste.

Gemma - I received the skinny cola, I enjoyed the taste and it contained zinc which helps to metabolise the fat in our diet. It also contained l-carnitine which is found naturally in the body where it assists turning fat into energy. I only really drink tea or water so this made a nice change for me. I quite liked the vanilla Skinny Bar, it had a white chocolate flavoured coating and was more than 30% protein. I always feel fuller for longer when I eat a protein breakfast and I found that this bar had a similar effect. I ate it on my break at 10am and it kept me full until lunch at 1.00. It was only 3 pro points on the Weight Watcher plan which is the same as a Breakaway or Curly Wurly, not bad at all. I think these bars would be great for those who run long distances or who work out a lot. keeping you full and giving you energy.
I have also been taking the Acai Berry supplement for 30 days. The capsules contain Acai berry which is the most nutrient-dense berry, and studies have shown the fruit to boost energy and stamina, increase your natural immunity, and boost your metabolism. In 2011 I was losing 1.3lbs a week on average, this year that has increased to 1.5lbs a week so far. I'm not sure if this is down to the supplements or the new year drive to lose weight but I'm happy with the product and I'm going to order another 30 capsules.

Sarah V - I really disliked the taste of both the water and the bar! The texture of the bar is very odd, a bit like nougat and I'll be honest, I couldn't finish it. The calorie count was about 100 calories which isn't THAT amazing, considering there are lots of other tastier products out there for about the same. But it's all down to personal taste I suppose and I know some of the other girls liked the bar!

Charlene - I enjoyed the bar I received, it was the Vanilla flavoured one. I was running late for work and it was on the kitchen worktop, so I grabbed it knowing I wasn't going to get breakfast for 2.5hrs. It has a strange chewy texture, and tastes almost like white chocolate. It's very sweet so I only managed to eat half of it, but I didn't find myself getting hungry until my break 2.5hrs later. It's hard to tell whether this was a coincidence or not after sampling 1 bar, but I'd probably try one again if I saw them in the shops.

Baking Mad Monday - Blueberry Muffins

Week four in our Baking Mad challenge and it's Lucy's turn this week!

Baking Mad provided the flour and sugar, the same types as in Sarah's post and then the rest was purchased especially to make these muffins.







So, I chose to make healthy Blueberry muffins and THEY WERE SO GOOD. I've never actually made normal blueberry muffins because, for some reason, I always thought they'd be really difficult to make. I'm not sure where that thought process came from though because these were probably the easiest muffins that I've ever made! Admittedly they don't make for the prettiest end result but that small fact can be overlooked as far as I'm concerned and if I didn't know they were low fat then I certainly wouldn't ever have guessed. If you have a spare 45 minutes or so then I definitely recommend you knock some up, promise you won't regret it! AMAZING.

Here's what you'll need:

• 250g self raising flour (Allinson Nature Friendly)
• 1 & a half tsp baking powder
• 50g low fat margarine
• 75g Half Spoon granulated sugar (Silver Spoon)
  
• 100g blueberries
  
• 2 large Happy Eggs
  
• 235ml milk
  
• lemon juice from half a lemon
  

Method

• Preheat the oven to 18°C, fan oven 160°C or Gas Mark 4
• Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cases
• Sieve flour and baking powder into a large bowl, add the margarine and rub gently until it resembles breadcrumbs
• Stir in the sugar and blueberries
• Whisk together the eggs, milk and lemon juice. Add to the flour mixture and stir gently but do not over mix
• Spoon the mixture into the pre-prepared muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Serve warm for breakfast or afternoon tea. Yum!

Baking Mad Monday - Banoffee Layer

It's Charlene's turn to take part in the Baking Mad low calorie baking challenge this week!



As with the rest of the girls, Baking Mad sent me most of the ingredients, and all I had to add were bananas, dates, low fat spread, lemon juice and crème fraiche.

I was impressed with how quick this was to make - it was ready within 15 minutes, most of that time was spent poking at the dates and trying to get them to turn to 'toffee' as the recipe suggests. I'm not a fan of dates, but the addition of a little bit of sugar made them almost like toffee and a small amount in the layered dessert was a nice addition!



INGREDIENTS:
4 low fat oatcakes
3 tsp half spoon granulated sugar (silver spoon)
1 tbsp low fat spread, melted
75 grams pitted dates
2 bananas
Lemon juice
2 tbsp crème fraîche low fat
1 dark chocolate square

DIRECTIONS:
001. Place the oatcakes in a food processor and process until the become crumbs. You could also put the biscuits into plastic bags and beat with a rolling pin.

002. Mix the crumbs, 2 tsp sugar and melted low fat spread.

003. Place the dates, remaining sugar and 4 tbsp water in a small pan and heat gently until the dates have become soft. Beat the mixture so it resembles toffee.

004. Slice the banana and toss in the lemon juice to avoid browning.

005. Spoon half the biscuits crumb in the bottom of two glasses. Top with sliced banana then the date puree followed by crème frachie. Repeat the layers until all the ingredients have been used finished with a dollop of crème fraiche and banana.

006. Grate the chocolate over the cream and serve immediately.



Mmmm, it felt really indulgent eating these, and it was guilt free knowing that there was no fatty cream, biscuit base or sugary toffee to sabotage my diet! I will definitely be making these again, and also trying them with different fruits. They look great too, so would be a perfect way to impress if you're having friends over for dinner!

Baking Mad Monday - Chocolate Brownies

It's Sarah V's  turn to take part in the Baking Mad low calorie baking challenge this week! 

I haven't had much free time lately. Well, ANY. But I managed to grab half an hour yesterday to put these brownies together. It was a good thing as they were super quick and easy to make, and only used one bowl!

As Sarah said last week, the point of the Baking Mad challenge is to make lower calorie treats with Half Spoon granulated sugar by Silver Spoon. Baking Mad provided me with some products to use:

In addition I had to supply baking powder, low fat margarine and an egg.

I chose the brownies as I LOVE chocolate. I was quite interested to try them as my favourite brownie recipe is incredibly decadent, with a whole block of butter in it - these are a lot better for you!

Low Calorie Brownies

Ingredients
70g Margarine (low fat)
25g Good quality orange 70% dark chocolate, broken up
1 Happy Eggs lightly beaten
0.50 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract Blend (Nielsen-Massey)
60g Half Spoon Granulated Sugar (Silver Spoon)
25g Plain White Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly) sifted*
1 tsp Cocoa Powder
0.50 tsp Baking Powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/ 350°F gas 4.
2. Grease and base line a 14cm square tin.
3. Put the chocolate and low fat margarine in a large bowl over a pan of just-simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir until the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and stir until smooth.
4. Add the other ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Spoon into the tin, levelling the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake for 25 minutes or until risen and firm around the edges but a little soft in the centre. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes. The brownie will continue to cook as it cools.

Although the recipe stated plain flour, I'd actually been sent Self Raising. Based on the small quantity, I tried it with Self Raising and it was fine. I think the brownies needed a raising agent to bulk them out a bit.

The brownies were yummy! Very light, and a bit more cakey than full fat brownies, but still chewy in the middle and lovely and chocolatey. The orange chocolate added a nice touch. I took them to work today and no one realised they were low fat!

Yummy!

Baking Mad Monday - Beetroot & Chocolate Cupcakes

Our friends at Baking Mad have set us a low calorie baking challenge, over the next 5 Mondays we are all going to attempt one of their recipes and would like you lot to vote for your favourite at the end. All of the recipes use Half Spoon granulated sugar by Silver Spoon which is sugar with a touch of sweetener. It reduces the calories as you only need to use half the amount of standard sugar but because the texture doesn't change you still get the same results, excellent!

First up is Sarah, being a cupcake addict she has chosen to bake the beetroot and chocolate cupcakes

Baking Mad provided us with some of the products for this challenge:

And we then purchase the rest ourselves:

Ingredients
3 x Eggs
150g Half Spoon Granulated Sugar
250g Beetroot, peeled & grated
0.5tsp Vanilla Extract
180g Plain White Flour
180g Ground Almonds

2tsp Baking Powder

2 tbsp Cocoa Powder

0.25tsp Salt

284ml Buttermilk

For the topping:

100g Plain Chocolate

2tsp Quark

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C, gas 4. Line two 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk up the eggs and sugar for 4 minutes until they are light and fluffy.
• Beat in the grated beetroot and vanilla essence. Add the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt and beat until combined.
• Add the buttermilk. Beat again to ensure everything is well combined.
• Divide the mixture into the paper cases and bake for 20 minutes or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently with a finger. Remove from the cake tin immediately and leave to cool on a wire rack.

The cakes come out a lovely reddish pink colour

• For the icing: Place the chocolate in a small bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate gently. Remove form the heat and stir. Leave to cool. Add the quark and mix. Add enough milk to loosen the consistency to a spreadable icing. Spread the icing over the cup cakes and serve.

Makes 24 cupcakes, they work out at 7 syns each or 7 pro points.

The cakes were lovely and moist which surprised me with the lack of fat in the recipe and the chocolate topping added a lovely chocolate hit, mmmmm!

Yum!

Word of warning, your kitchen will look like you've massacred a few people whilst grating the beetroot but it's worth the mess. The lovely Sarah gave me a great tip for removing the staining from your hands, just put sugar and fairy liquid on your hands afterwards and wash. The colour sticks to the sugar and your hands are stain free, result!

Festive Fruit Pavlova

5 pro points per serving
29 pro points per recipe
Serves 6


I made this recipe in the summer and I loved it so much I thought I would make it again but with a festive twist. The only thing festive about my alterations are the colours  because I hate most Christmas food like mince pies and Christmas pudding. Don't want any spices or alcohol in my dessert, yuk!  I think this would make a great light dessert on Christmas day as it is only about 220 calories per serving.

Here is the original recipe but I used kiwi fruit and pomegranate because of the colours.. You could use any fruit you like. Pile the fruit on too, it is all 0 points on the Weight Watchers plan!
I have to admit that I bought the base, way to busy (lazy) to make it myself. Christmas should be stress free and fun right? no need to make it all yourself.

Ingredients

4 egg whites
200g caster sugar
175g fresh pineapple
2 passion fruit
170g 0% fat Greek Yogurt
100g Weight Watchers reduced fat think cream (or elmlea light)
30g pomegranate seeds


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C or 130C fan and line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Whisk in the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, beating well between each addition to make a stiff, glossy meringue. Spread the mixture in a 25cm circle on the parchment  lifting the edges slightly to make a rim. Place in the oven and turn it down to 140C/120C fan.
Cook for an hour until firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave in there to cool completely.

3. When ready to serve peel the parchment away and place on a serving plate or leave it on the shop bought tray like I did which will save on the washing up. I really am lazy... Mix all the fruit together. Combine the cream and yogurt and then spread on the meringue, then top with fruit.

Yum!

Will you be trying this and what are your favourite festive desserts?

Guest Post - Samantha from MinnyBites

Hi there everyone!

For anyone who doesn’t know me (which is most of you) my name is Samantha and I’m from the blog MinnyBites where everything is delicious in a mini-bite. Now I must admit that I had a lot of trouble with this task because if you’ve ever read my blog you’ll notice that I adore butter. I worship at the alter of caster sugar and I bow down in front of full fat milk. For a long time I believed that dieting was a myth, and then I discovered Where Are My Knees? and I saw that dieting is a massive market. It’s a whole community of people striving to eat better and to feel better...so when Gemma suggested a guest spot, I was like “Oh hell yes”.

This recipe was inspired by my mother. She is a diabetic and normally can only comment on the look of my cupcakes and treats while she has to leave it to my father And myself to taste and enjoy the treats. So it meant a lot to me to produce something she could actually eat.

Let me explain that, depending on who you speak to, diabetics are allowed honey in moderation and a small amount of fat. In fact, my mother finds that a small amount of fat in her diet helps with the feeling in her feet and so this recipe was perfect for her!  I hope you like it too.

Ingredients:

120g Flour

40g Low Fat Margarine or Butter

1 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 Tbsp Honey

1 Banana Crushed

1 Egg

120ml Semi or Skimmed Milk

Method:

1. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the margarine or butter and using either a handheld mixer or an electric mixer allow the ingredients to mix until you get a sandy consistency. If it starts to cream together then don’t panic, its just because the margarine is softer than a normal full fat butter. It’s real life. It happens.

3. In a separate bowl, mash the banana and add the honey. You don’t have to mix this up too well because it’s going to mix in the dry ingredients.

4. Slowly but gradually add the milk to the dry ingredients while mixing. It is important to beat at a medium speed to get everything combined at a good rate but don’t get too cocky, keep to a speed that you’re comfortable with. You need to be in control of your kitchen equipment.

5. Add the egg to your mixture while beating it.

6. Lastly, add the banana and honey to your mixture and beat until well combined.
7. Bake in cupcake cases at 170 degrees C for 12 – 15 minutes depending on your oven.

Right, now, I like to top these with whipped cream (hence the chat about the fat). You can either use single or double cream depending on what level of fat you’d like and if this is going to be a blow out treat or something a little more conservative. I also added a bit of cinnamon to the whipped cream to give it some flavour but you can also beat some mascapone or cream cheese to the cream. The topping can be your own completely.

I really hope you like this recipe and that it goes well for you too!

Samantha has a project called Let Them Eat Cake and if you would like to find out more about this click here.

Keep Cool and Enjoy

The sun has been shining in Scotland for the past few days and I don't know about you guys, but as soon as the sun makes an appearance I can't stop dreaming of Mr Whippy ice creams, Magnums and Fab ice lollies. I decided to pick up a little pack of cheap ice lolly moulds and set to work making a selection of refreshing ice lollies that wouldn't sabotage my attempts at dieting!

001. The Simple Squash Lolly
I'm sure everyone ate these as a kid at somepoint. Simply dilute some squash (my favourites are the Robinsons ones with no added sugar!) with water, pop it in your moulds and freeze. I always have great fun sucking all the flavour and colour out until I'm left with a crunchy bit of ice.

002. Total Greek Lolly
Another super easy way to make ice lollies is to mix up a Total Greek Yoghurt Split Pot - the Honey one in particular feels like such a treat - pop it in your ice lolly mould and voila, 0% fat ice lollies! These only last a few days though before the yoghurt crystalises. Err, not that they'd be around long enough for that to happen anyway! ;)

You could also use plain greek yoghurt and mix in pieces of chopped fruit and berries or a few chocolate drops to satisfy a sweet tooth if you wanting something with a bit of bite!

003. Frozen Smoothie Lolly
Another idea I had was to make some Smoothie and freeze it in my moulds. I also get smoothie inspiration from the Zumo website, strawberry being my favourite! It's also possible to simply freeze pre-made bottles of smoothie that you can buy some the supermarket but I'm always concerned about the amount of added sugar and other nasties in them.

What are your favourite healthy summer treats?

Getting through BBQ Season!

Well, the summer holidays are about to start, and the weather is, well, sort of okay, in between rainshowers. This means that the smell of charred meat on a Saturday afternoon is becoming a regular occurrence – yep, it’s BBQ time.

I’ve always found BBQs a real test of dieting willpower – any social event that revolves around food is always going to be difficult – but they needn’t be. It’s kind of ridiculous to go home feeling sick as you’re so full, isn’t it? Barbequing is actually one of the healthiest ways to cook food – no additional oil required – and it’s totally acceptable to bring your own food, too.

Here are some of my tips…

Don’t forget what a normal meal looks like.
Even in an epic pig-out session, would you normally eat a burger in a bun, a hotdog, chicken wings, a lamb kebab… plus crisps and lashings of mayonnaisey salad? Yet somehow it’s okay at a BBQ.

Hit the salad.
I’m not suggesting you tuck into a plate of dry lettuce when the rest of the party is on the burgers, but do load up your plate with the healthy options first. You’ll be less inclined to want one of everything if your plate is full already.

Decide what you really want.
Personally, it’s not a BBQ for me unless I have a real burger. So bring a pack of low-fat burgers, and make up your proper, perfect burger. There actually aren’t that many calories in a slice of cheese, either, so allow yourself that. Fill the bun with lots of salad, too – it’ll seem HUGE.

Put out low fat dressings and sauces.
Sweet chilli, caramelised onions, balsamic glaze, yogurt, etc. Or make your own! Yogurt is such a great base for a dip, and ridiculously low in fat. Salsa is fat free and you can often get Tzatziki that’s under 5% fat.

Watch the booze.
I am a great believer that you do not have to quit alcohol to diet successfully. However, what you drink can make all the difference – there are about 500 calories in a bottle of white wine. Switch to a spirit and diet mixer and 500 calories = 10 single vodkas and diet cokes! And it’s pretty unlikely you’ll drink all that. Probably. If you’re worried about drinking too fast, use less coke – if it’s strong, you’ll have to sip it!

Go gourmet.
Fun fact - often fancy food seems to be lower in calories. Put out exotically marinated chicken (I recommend soy and ginger). Instead of burgers, do toasted pittas filled with rocket, caramelised onions, barbequed Portobello mushrooms and a little feta or goats cheese (strong cheese is always best as you eat less, keeping fat down). If you’re feeling crazy, you could even cook kangaroo! It’s one of the least fattiest meats around.

Seafood.
I don't eat fish (because it is disgusting) but I am told that seafood is awesome on the BBQ - practically fat-free, cooks fast, and filling. If you like that sort of thing. *gags*

Check the labels.
Did you know that McCain’s potato wedges are only about 5% fat? And that you can get lots of pizzas from Tesco, Coop and Pizza Express that are just over or even under the 5% fat mark? I was amazed when I found out that low-fat junk food DOES exist.

Bring healthy options.
If you can’t rely on the host to make the food healthy, do it yourself. Here are some of my favourite healthy BBQ options:
- Sweet potato wedges (toss them in lots of honey, rosemary and a capful, tops, of olive oil. Chuck in oven for 30-40 mins.) They’ll fly off the plate AND fill you up.
- Couscous/pasta/rice salad. There are loads of low-fat options in the supermarket, or make your own!
- Love coleslaw and potato salad? Use half low-fat mayo, half yogurt. I swear it’s nicer.
- Chicken and fresh pineapple kebabs. Practically fat-free and so delicious.
- Put out a big bowl of cherry tomatoes for people to pick at. Always popular.
- Marinate Portobello mushrooms in garlic and plonk them on the BBQ. Yuuuuum.
- Bring crudités to nibble while food is cooking.
- Instead of cakes or ice cream, barbeque fruit for dessert. Barbequed pineapple and bananas are amazing.

What are your best tips for BBQ season?

Pret Topcorn

So, everybody, I have recently discovered a new snack that has quite possibly become the best snack in the whole entire universe. It doesn't sound exciting when I say that it's only popcorn from Pret, but trust me on this one, it is.

This picture isn't mine by the way, I got it from here

Okay so if you haven't tried this I bet you're thinking, 'er, what? SWEET AND SALT?!', because that's exactly what I was thinking. The girl I'm working with absolutely adores this stuff, and she is an obsessive calorie counter, so I decided to try some. Since that day, I have probably had about four or five bags and I seriously cannot get enough. It's definitely one of the nicest popcorn that I've ever tasted and the mixture of sweet and salt is enough to satisfy any sort of craving you might have.

And the best thing? The bags are properly huge (surprisingly, 25g of popcorn is A LOT) and there's only 123 calories in a bag! And another good thing, it is suitable for vegans as well as being dairy free, gluten free, GM free, wheat free & yeast free. Amazing.

If Sweet & Salt doesn't tickle your fancy, there is other flavours available, I've definitely seen chocolate and toffee, not entirely sure what they're like calorie-wise but if you've tried them, let us know!

Have you tried this sweet & salt stuff? Does it take your fancy?

Slimming World - Ginger Scan Bran Cake

Another scan bran recipe for you as promised last week.  This one is really scrummy especially if you add a sachet of options jazzy ginger hot chocolate to the mix! If you do this you need to add 2 extra syns.  If you eat the whole cake (!!) you can deduct 5 syns and count the scan bran as a healthy extra B.

Ginger Scan Bran Cake

Ingredients

 

5 Scan Bran

2 large carrots, finely grated
3 or 4 tbsp artificial sweetener (or to taste)
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp of ground all-spice (or to taste)
1 tsp cinnamon
28g finely chopped stem ginger
3 eggs, beaten

Method

Pour boiling water over the Scan Bran and leave for 1 minute so that it softens, then drain and mash.
Blend the Scan Bran, carrot, sweetener, ground ginger, all-spice, cinnamon and stem ginger, mixing very thoroughly. Then add the beaten eggs and stir until completely mixed. Transfer the mixture into a microwaveable dish – about 6½in/16cm in diameter.
Microwave on high for about 15 minutes, or until cooked. The end product should be reasonably moist.

 

It's just 9 syns for the whole cake and can be divided into as many slices as you like.

Slimming World - Scan Bran

Scan Bran is one of Slimming Worlds best weapons, apparently you can guarantee loses of at least 2lbs on weeks you fit lots in.  This didn't work for me the first week but I am assuming my body needed to get used to unrefined fibre before I saw the benefits.

 

It's like a harder, more cardboard like version of ryvita. Now I know this makes me a bit of a freak but I quite like it plain!  Other than that I usually top it with extra light cheese triangles and nibble on it for breakfast.  It's very filling and it is meant to have all the other benefits associated with lots of fibre ;) Just make sure you drink plenty of water with it or you could have unwanted consequences...

Lots of Slimming World followers have been really inventive with scan bran to make it more palatable and easier to fit into their diet which includes a variety of cakes!  I decided that in the name of research I really should test some of these.  I will post a recipe a week for the next few weeks, first up:

Curly Wurly Scan Bran Cake

Ingredients

4 Scan Bran
2 eggs
3 or 4 tbsp sweetener (to taste)
1 sachet Belgian Choc Options
26g Curly Wurly bar

Soak the Scan Bran in boiling water to soften. Then drain and mash.
Beat the eggs and stir into mix, along with the sweetener and Belgian Choc Options
Chop the Curly Wurly into pieces and add to the mix
Pour the mixture into a microwavable bowl and cook for around 6 minutes
When cooked the cake will be springy to the touch and will have pulled away from the side

You can also cook the cake on 200°C/Gas Mark 6 for approximately 30 minutes

It's just 12 Syns for the whole cake and can be divided into as many slices as you like

I was pleasantly surprised just how nice this cake is, I gave my boyfriend some to try and he wanted more!! I couldn't really taste the curly wurly to be honest so am going to try it without next time which would be just 6 syns for the whole cake :)

Royal Wedding / British Inspired Foods

Hello everyone! Apologies for the lack of posts this week, we've all been rather busy enjoying the sunny weather (and perhaps a few cheeky chocolate easter eggs too!) so haven't been able to post as often as usual. A few people I know are hosting Royal Wedding parties with plenty of cakes, fatty foods and plenty of alcohol today so I thought I'd put together a little menu of foods fit for a king that fit in with a British theme and won't sabotage your diets!



RYVITA ROYALS

Whilst everyone eats their neatly-cut-but-carb-ridden cucumber or egg mayo crustless sandwich fingers you can tuck into a delicious Ryvita cracker with a whole range of toppings. There are literally hundreds of recipe ideas (and a lot of royal wedding recipe ideas too!) on the Ryvita website, although my personal favourite has to be cream cheese and cucumber. I've also heard that adding some salmon or ham is delicious, if you're not vegetarian! The cream cheese feels so naughty, but as I'll be using the low fat version it's not too bad.

Philadelphia Light - 47 calories per 30g.
Ryvita Pumpkin Seed & Oats Crispbread - 45 calories per slice.
Cucumber - something ridiculous like 8 calories for every 50g.
TOTAL: (approx) 73 calories.



STRAWBERRY MERINGUES

Okay so it's not quite the same as a crumbly scone loaded with clotted cream and strawberry jam, but it's almost as good and less than half the calories! Sarah actually posted a recipe using meringue here but this one is much quicker to put together as it uses pre-made meringue nests! As an extra treat you can also add a little bit of cream if you like, or maybe Lucy's suggestion of using some Total Greek yoghurt with a few extra ingredients instead of cream (as discussed in this post) would be better if you're being really strict?

Tescos meringue nests - 55 calories per nest.
Fresh strawberries - approx 5 calories each.
Double Cream - 140 calories per 30ml.
TOTAL: 150 calories.



PIMMS & LEMONADE

And you can wash everything down with a great big British glass of fruity Pimms and lemonade. Sarah V touched on the issue of which alcoholic drinks are better than others in this post, and generally spirits with mixers (especially diet mixers) are the best option for keeping within your calorie count.

Pimms - 25 ml will have 40 calories
300ml can of Diet Schweppes Lemonade will have 5 calories
330ml can Full Fat Schweppes Lemonade will have 90 calories
TOTAL: 45 calories with diet mixer, 130 with full fat mixer.

Whether you're celebrating the Royal Wedding or trying to ignore it completely I hope you have a lovely day! We'll be back on Sunday with our weekly Summaries, and we've got a new guest post lined up for tomorrow!

Strawberries and "cream"

Now, I don't know about anyone else but one of my favourite summertime deserts is strawberries with lashings of cream and unfortunately, I know as well as the next person, how calorific cream is but Jo left a comment on Sarah's Slimming World post informing us an alternative which is just as good, perhaps even better than regular cream. I tried out this idea last night and I'm currently tucking into another bowl of strawberries and "cream" right now, and LOOK HOW TASTY THEY BOTH LOOKED:

The first picture is strawberries, greek yoghurt mixed with a splash of vanilla essence and mixed with Options white hot chocolate powder topped with strawberry compote (from one of these yoghurts - more on those in a future post!) and finished with a sprinkling of plain chocolate shavings.

The second is essentially the same but this time I mixed in a regular milk chocolate Options hot chocolate powder and vanilla essence. So good! There's a load of other flavours of Options hot chocolate available too so it's worth trying other flavours to see what happens, plus it makes use of all the powder I currently have in my cupboards seeing as though this recent weather isn't making me want hot drinks!

It's such a good idea and it definitely satisfies that chocolate craving that I tend to get all the time! Obviously the plain chocolate shavings aren't that good but plain chocolate is better than milk, right?!

Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache

There are a lot of things I miss when I’m dieting. After not eating them for a couple of weeks, you stop craving them as much, but it doesn’t mean you don’t still MISS them. I’m not going to lie, you guys, I could totally go for a KFC right now. I don’t care if it’s ostensibly deep fried cardboard – YUM.

Another thing that I miss is cake. The problem is, good cakes involve butter. LOTS of butter. I went to Paris last year and ate a lot of cake, and the reason all the cake was so amazing was BUTTER. It’s so hard to make a healthy cake.

BUT.

I have got hold of a book which changes all that! Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache by Cook Yourself Thin’s Harry Eastwood is described as ‘The ultimate feel-good book of natural cakes that taste naughty’. And it is ace. Harry makes low fat cakes that taste yummy by adding vegetables – I know, I know, this sounds crazy suspicious but I have just two words for you: CARROT. CAKE. Back on board? Thought so.

I tried out her chocolate cake for my friend’s birthday, as we were both watching our figures. I carefully didn’t say anything until people had eaten it and then burst out ‘IT IS LOW FAT!!’ No one had guessed. That’s the true test, right? It was super moist and full of flavour. This recipe uses a LOT of butternut squash – which, yes, you have to grate yourself. It does take ages. But, hey, surely that burns calories? Unlike carrot cake, though, you cannot tell it's there in the texture.

I played around with the recipe a bit, substituting plain flour for rice flour, and low fat cream cheese for mascarpone. I also got fed up with the icing technique and just added extra cream cheese to loosen it up!

"Light Chocolate Cake"

Ingredients:

3 eggs

160g sugar

200g peeled and grated butternut squash

120g plain flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

80g ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

125ml buttermilk

FOR THE ICING

50g unsalted butter, softened

200g icing sugar, sifted

50g mascarpone / low fat cream cheese

4 tsp cocoa powder

1 - Preheat the oven to 180c / 350f. Line the tins with baking parchment and brush a little vegetable oil over the base and sides.

2 - Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl for 4 full minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the grated butternut squash, followed by the flour, cocoa powder, ground almonds, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the buttermilk before beating again one last time to make sure that all the ingredients are well introduced to one another.

3 - Pour the mixture evenly into both tins, then place in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.

4 - Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven, unmould, peel off the baking parchment and leave them to cool down completely on a wire rack.

5 - You can make the icing whilst the cakes are cooking, as long as you don't ice them until they are completely cold, otherwise the icing wil run off. Beat the butter with 100g of the sugar in a large mixing bowl. You will need to work them together patiently, using the back of a wooden spoon. It will seem like an impossible task at first, but they will eventually turn into a lovely rich paste.

6 - Once you reach this stage, beat vigorously for 10 seconds to loosen the butter even further. Add the mascarpone, cocoa powder and the remaining sugar. Beat once again to combine.

7 - Refrigerate the icing for 15 minutes. Give it a good beating with your wooden spoon before icing the middle and top of the cold cake. Decorate as you fancy!

With Easter coming up, and various Royal Wedding parties and Baby Showers and all sorts of other things, I’m looking forward to trying out some of Harry’s other recipes. I’ll be sure to post my results. If you’re intrigued, check out the book – or, friend of the Knees girls, Helen, has posted about this too!