Caribbean Beef Pepperpot Stew

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I don’t know why it took me so long to try this recipe! This is absolutely delicious. You can replace the beef with chicken instead if you prefer and adjust cooking times as chicken will not take as long to cook. We had it served with boiled rice. Don’t let the long ingredients list put you off! It is really easy to make this.

Serves: 2

Syns: FREE

Time Taken: 1.5 hours

Difficulty: Easy

ingredients

  • Low calorie cooking spray
  • 400g stewing beef, all visible fat removed, cut into bite-size pieces

    Caribbean Pepperpot Stew

    Caribbean Pepperpot Stew

  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 200g green beans, trimmed and halved
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp jerk seasoning
  • ¼ tsp sweetener
  • 200g passata with onions and garlic
  • 200ml beef stock
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 200g dried long-grain rice
  • A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to garnish

Method

Place a medium, flameproof casserole dish sprayed with low calorie cooking spray over a high heat. Add the beef and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
Add the peppers, sweet potato, beans, garlic, jerk seasoning, wine vinegar, sweetener, passata, stock and Worcestershire sauce. Season and stir well. Cover and cook for 1½ hours, or until the beef is meltingly tender.

Caribbean Pepperpot Stew

Caribbean Pepperpot Stew

Tip: Make it serve 4: Increase the beef to 800g, add another red pepper and small sweet potato, increase the beans to 300g, add another garlic clove and double the amount of passata and stock. Cook for an extra 20-30 minutes, or until the beef is tender.

Ways to eat more Speed Foods

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Free Foods are naturally low in calories, bulky and filling. Speed Free Foods are even lower in calories so they’re the very best foods to eat when you want to lose weight. So if you swap one third or more of the slimming Free Food on your plate for super-slimming Speed Free Food, you’re naturally reducing the calories – without weighing, measuring, counting or going hungry.

You can find the fruit and vegetable lists that are just bursting with Speed Free Foods in your Food Optimising book – just look for the ‘S’ symbol. If you haven’t got your book handy, in the Weight Loss Planner section of the Slimming World website you’ll find drop down lists of all the basic Free Foods. Speed Free Foods are all marked with an ‘S’.

If you are a Slimming World group member you must have heard at least once in your group ‘The more speed you have, the more weight you’ll lose’!!! And that is correct, but it does not mean filling up on Speed Foods after a meal full of syns hoping it will counteract the calories consumed! What Slimming World mean by ‘The more speed you have, the more weight you’ll lose’ is replacing Free Foods and Syns on your plate with Speed Food, not adding extra calories if you do not need them.

Below are just some of the ways that helps me and my members get our Speed Free Food in our day. Please do share how you get more Speed Foods in your day!

  1. Fill at least 1/3 of a plate, add more if you like! I always find filling my plate up with Speed Free Food first helps me get this right
  2. Reach for them first as a snack between meals – whether it be a Satsuma, an apple, carrot batons or cucumber sticks, whatever you enjoy the most, reach for that Speed Food first
  3. Enjoy them for desserts – you can make a delicious Speed Food fruit salad with all your favourite fruit
  4. Whizz them into a soup, great for lunch or as a warming snack – soups are a great way of getting more Speed vegetables into your day
  5. Cram them into your Free main meals – this is ideal especially if you don’t enjoy bulky veggies or have fussy eating children and partner like mine!
  6. Sizzle them in a stir-fry – drizzle some soy sauce and oyster sauce for flavour
  7. Load them into a quiche, frittata or omelette – I love adding veg like onions, mushrooms and peppers into these
  8. Enjoy them as an alternative to pasta, rice and noodles – if you haven’t tried cauliflower rice yet, you must! There are so many other veg that can replace pasta too like courgetti or butternut squash lasagne sheets!
  9. Get creative with your cooked breakfast – how about using asparagus or spinach into your cooked breakfast for a change!
Lasagne with butternut squash sheets

Lasagne with butternut squash sheets

Pancakes

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You don’t need to wait till Shrove Tuesday to enjoy these pancakes! This basic recipe is perfect whether you like a sweet or a savoury topping.

Makes: 8

Syns: 1.5 syns each

Time Taken: 45 mins (inc 30 minutes standing time)

Difficulty: Easy

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Ingredients

  • 50g plain flour
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 150g fat free fromage frais
  • 150ml skimmed milk
  • Low calorie cooking spray

Method

Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and fat free fromage frais and whisk until smooth. Pour in the milk and whisk again to form a batter. Stand for 30 minutes, then cook one at a time in a non-stick pan lightly sprayed with low calorie cooking spray.

TIP: If you’re in a hurry use a ready made pancake mix (128g pack makes 12 small pancakes, around 2 Syns per pancake)

Rice Pudding – Slimming World style

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In group this morning we were talking about rice pudding amongst all other things! My gorgeous members were sharing some pudding ideas and somehow we all ended up talking about almond milk, then cheese and then bread, suddenly we were talking about crustless bread!! It is funny how talk of one thing can lead to something completely different.

I absolutely love rice pudding, it is one of those comfort foods that makes you feel all warm inside. This is one of the easiest ways I have found of making it Slimming World friendly. I find that it does dry up if you leave it till the next day but I don’t mind cold rice pudding! I love it when it is all stodgy.

All you need is 125g pudding rice (you can find this on the baking aisles in the supermarkets, or you can use any type of short grain rice), 1lt of unsweetened almond milk (healthy extra A choice or 6 syns), 1 tsp nutmeg and sweetener (0.5 syn per tbsp.) to taste (it is best to add this at the end of the cooking) and cook it in the slow cooker for around 4-5 hours on low. I also like to add a bit of cinnamon once cooked, but this is optional. You can leave it out if you prefer it with just nutmeg.

Mmmm! Simply delicious.

Topping mad

Although this pudding tastes perfectly delish on its own, sometimes a little dollop of that certain something can top it off perfectly:

  • Sweeten it up with one level tablespoon of reduced-sugar jam for 1 Syn or 1 level teaspoon of honey for 1 syn
  • For a chocolatey treat, why not indulge in a 15g bag of Cadbury Chocolate Buttons stirred in until they melt, for an additional 4 Syns (soooo good)
  • Bananas, blueberries, raspberries or strawberries can be added for Free
Supermarket sweep

Ready made rice puddings tend to be quite high in Syns, due to the sugar content. Co-op’s Truly Irresistible Clotted Cream Rice Puddings are a whopping 23½ Syns per portion!!! And a 180g pot of Mulle Rice Original (described as low-fat) is a surprisingly high 9 Syns. Here are a couple of selections that are better options for us slimmers:

  • Ambrosia Rice Pudding, light, 115g pot, 5 Syns
  • Ambrosia Rice Pudding, Chocolate , 120g pot , 6½ Syns

How do you make your rice pudding Slimming World friendly? If you do it differently please comment below how you make them.

Aldi Yogurt

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I have to admit when it comes to yogurts I am extremely fussy! I absolutely love the Alpro ones so when my members raved about this Aldi yogurt, I was a little dubious. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted quite nice!

I love coffee and it is so difficult to find syn free yogurts that are suitable for vegetarians as well. I wasn’t expecting it to be as thick as it was for some reason.

Although it was nice, I don’t think I would be rushing out to stock up on them. I do have so many Alpro yogurts in my fridge that will last me for another couple of weeks.

These were at a bargain price of only 30p!!

Brooklea Light Skinny Latte Yogurt

Brooklea Light Skinny Latte Yogurt

Do you have any favourite yogurts? Please comment below with your favourites so that I can try something new.

Alpro Dessert Moments

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I popped in Tesco this morning to pick up a couple of things and noticed these Alpro Dessert Moments – as soon as I saw Hazelnut and Chocolate on the packet, I knew I had to get it! Plus it was only £1 for a pack of 4! I found them in the chilled section at Tesco’s.

Alpro Dessert Moments Hazelnut Chocolate

Alpro Dessert Moments Hazelnut Chocolate

I thought it was delicious! I was expecting a stronger hazelnut taste, it was quite a subtle hazelnut but it was chocolatey. The texture wasn’t as thick as I’d hoped either, for some reason I was expecting it to be thick like the Alpro Go On pots! But I can’t complain as it was perfect to dip in my oaty doughnuts and only 4.5 syns each pot which has quite a generous amount in it.

Alpro Dessert Moments with Oaty Doughnuts

Alpro Dessert Moments with Oaty Doughnuts

There are also a couple of other flavours available but I am yet to try them – Almond Vanilla (4.5 syns) and Coconut (5 syns). I am quite excited about the coconut one as I love coconut! If you have spotted them do let me know where please.

My oaty doughnuts are just baked oats ( recipe here) made in my mini doughnut maker I bought from B&M Bargains. I love the gadget! You can also make waffles in it.

French Toast

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I fancied something different for breakfast this morning so made French toast and it was ready in less than 15 minutes. This is such an easy recipe (like most of my other recipes). You can also add a couple of tablespoons of milk from your allowance if you wish but I don’t bother. I served it some speedy raspberries and strawberries and also added a dollop of my favourite Alpro Plain with Coconut yogurt. It was simply divine!

Serves: 1

Syns: 1 plus Healthy Extra B choice

Time Taken: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

French Toast with Berries

French Toast with Berries

Ingredients

  • 1 slice of wholemeal bread from 400g loaf
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp sweetener
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Method

Mix together the egg with the sweetener, vanilla and cinnamon if using. Place the egg mixture on a shallow plate.

Dip the bread in the egg mixture and let it soak up all the mixture for a couple of minutes.

Spray a low calorie cooking spray on a frying pan and place the eggy bread on it. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side.

Cauliflower Cheese Patties

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I had a tub of cauliflower rice that needed using up and normally I only ever make pizza (see full recipe here) with it but thought I would try something else to have with the chicken we were having.

I used pretty much similar ingredients to cauliflower pizza but made patties out of them. I didn’t measure anything out, just added everything randomly! This is what I used:

  • Tub of cauliflower rice with parsley
  • Garlic granules
  • Chilli flakes
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 20g light cheddar cheese (half healthy extra A choice)

I dry fried the cauliflower rice in a large frying with the spices for about 5 minutes. Once done, I removed it from the heat and transferred to a mixing bowl and let it cool. I left it for about an hour as I had gone out! Once back home I added the egg and cheese and mixed it altogether. In the frying pan I sprayed lots of fry light and added a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture making a round shape. I used a ring on top of the frying pan so I could get a perfect round shape. I cooked the patties for about 5 minutes on each side. And that was it!

This is what I had it with!

Cauliflower Patties with Piri Piri Chicken & Salad

Cauliflower Patties with Piri Piri Chicken & Salad

Asda Shopping Haul

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I don’t tend to stick to one supermarket when shopping but one of my favourite has to be Asda. I am more likely to pick up what I use most in an Asda rather than any other supermarket, so it is always my first choice followed by Aldi then Tesco!

I went to Asda this morning to pick up my essentials and this is what it looks like!

Asda Shopping Haul

Asda Shopping Haul

My favourite fruit includes raspberries, banana and pear. I am obsessed with clementines at the moment though, I’ve lost count on how many I have in a day! I picked up a melon and some strawberries and apples to vary my fruit a bit.

We eat a lot of pasta in our house. We go through a lot in a week and I tend to buy a big bag. We never run out of pasta in our house!

Passata is an absolutely essential store cupboard item for us slimmers. I use it to make pasta sauces and curries.

Eggs is another food item that I buy often! I usually make 5 or 6 boiled eggs in the morning so I can snack on them whenever I am hungry throughout the day. That amount usually lasts me a couple of days unless my youngest daughter and hubby decide to have some too! I’ve seen Asda and other supermarkets sell a couple of boiled eggs with some spinach leaves for £1 or so, I wouldn’t pay that much for it. You can get a box of 6 free range eggs for less than £1 and make your own in minutes!

I always buy packet salads for convenience as I am the only one that eats them at home and add cherry tomatoes, jalapeños and any other pickles I have in my fridge to it.

I bought leeks and celery today as I intend on making a soup with it in the next couple of days, or I might make a Homity Pie with the leeks! I am not too sure yet.

Kia Ora is our family favourite sugar free cordial, we don’t like any other brand.

It is the first time I bought best of both milk, it was on offer for £1 instead of £1.50 so why not? You can have 300ml as a healthy extra A choice. It is supposed to taste like semi skimmed milk but has a lot less fat in it. I also bought the Low Low cheese for the first time. Not sure if it a healthy extra choice but it is handy for my girls to sprinkle on their pasta!

I bought the teas for my members at groups. I am not a fan of tea, I prefer coffee. I like to offer my members a variety of drinks to choose from to enjoy in group.

We love baked beans in our house and it has to be Branston. I only buy Heinz baked beans if it’s the chilli ones.

Lastly on my shopping is the halal turkey slices. Perfect protein rich snack to enjoy anytime or as part of a meal.

What are your essentials? Comment below with your favourite items x

Piri Piri Seasoning

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You can buy ready made piri piri spices or make your own. I love making my own when I have the time but if I am pressed for time my go-to piri piri spice is the Schwartz Perfect Shake one below.

Piri Piri Blend

Making your own doesn’t take much time to be honest but I sometimes get a little lazy!

If you want to give it a go making your own, all you need to do is mix together the following:

  • 2 tsp paprika (regular, never smoked)
  • 2tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 tsp garlic salt
  • 3 tsp onion granules
  • 2 Maggi seasoning cubes, crumbled (optional)

Maggi Seasoning

For more (or less) heat, you can adjust the amount of chilli and paprika. And that’s all there is to it! I buy the Maggi seasoning from my local Asian greengrocers but I have seen it in Asda on their ‘World Foods’ aisle.

When I want to marinade chicken (or fish etc) in piri piri seasoning, I will use the above spices and add a couple of tablespoons lemon juice to it and keep it marinating for as long as I can before cooking it.