Spice-N-Tice Meal Kits

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I came across Spice-N-Tice when one of my lovely members and friend gave me a very thoughtful gift – Chilli Rocks! Some of you may know that I absolutely love chillies and spicy food, so when the lovely Halimah (@Halimah_official on Instagram, please check her out and give her a follow) gave me this, I was just over the moon.

The chilli rocks came in a pack of 6 different types of chilli pots ranging from an earthy, sweet and mild heat from Sweet Ancho to the world’s hottest chilli on record – Carolina Reaper! Perfect gift for chilli lovers like me and those who like it hot, hot, hot!

Chilli Rocks

Chilli Rocks

The fab people at Spice-N-Tice got in touch with me and kindly sent me some of their Meal Kits to try out . I was hoping to have tried a few of the kits by now but have been super busy with the summer break and have only tried one so far and it did not disappoint!

Spice-N-Tice Meal Kits

Spice-N-Tice Meal Kits

 

I tried the shawarma style Turkish Doner Kebab and even my fussy younger children loved that. All of the spice kits came with a shopping list and a very easy to follow cooking instructions. All of the meal kits I was sent were gluten free, vegan friendly and Slimming World friendly.

Shawarma Style Doner Kebab

Shawarma Style Doner Kebab

 

Keep an eye out for more about these spice kits on my instagram page – @Rahema_m

For a 20% discount code you can use the code RM20. Let me know in the comments which of the spice kits you have tried and is your favourite. Feel free to share the code with friends x

Bulgur Wheat

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Bulgur wheat is a great alternative to rice or couscous. It is a Free Food and quite easy to make.

I used 120g of bulgur wheat and cooked that in with 600ml cold water for around 15 minutes. I also added one vegetable stock pot to it for flavour.

After the 15 minutes, I drained the water and added chickpeas, some garlic granules and chilli flakes.

Bulgur Wheat

Bulgur Wheat

When I made it again the other day, I added feta cheese to it and it was amazing!

We had it served with Peri Peri chicken and salad. It was delicious! You can add anything to the bulgur wheat – peppers, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn etc.

How do you have bulgur wheat when you make it? Comment below with your ideas.

 

Subway Guide

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I absolutely love Subway! Pre SW days I would always go for a foot long sandwich but that isn’t the best option if you are trying to lose weight or just want to eat healthier.

It can be quite overwhelming when it comes to ordering – the vast choice of breads to choose from, all the different meats, salads and sauces too. If you are following SW it can be quite straightforward though. First choice is to not have the bread! Opt for a bread-free sub – the salad bowl.

Subway Beef Salad

Subway Beef Salad

You can chose to add any of the salad options to your salad bowl including – lettuce, tomato, cucumber, gherkins, jalapenos, red onion, sweetcorn, peppers, olives and even grated carrot (although I found not all branches do the carrot).

All of the salad options are free apart from olives which you can count 1/2 syn if you enjoy a small sprinkle on your salad and the rest are all Speed options (apart from the sweetcorn) which makes it perfect if you are following Extra Easy SP.

You then chose from the meat options to add to your salad bowl. You can have that cold or ask them to warm it up for you (there may be a small charge for this). Choose from beef, chicken breast, chicken tikka, chicken teriyaki, turkey ham and turkey breast – all fab Free fillings as it is all lean meat and they’re not processed which tend to contain hidden syns and be high in Syns, such as the meatballs, pepperoni and salami.

Not all Subway franchises are halal but if you live in Birmingham there are quite a few branches to chose from. My favourite branch is the one in Hall Green, the staff are super friendly and make up your salad beautifully and are generous with their portions! You can search the Subway website to check if your local branch is halal or not http://www.subway.com/en-gb

If you are vegetarian watch out for the veggie pattie – although it contains Free Foods, it also contains hidden extras and is high in syns – around 9 syns for the pattie! If you don’t have a halal Subway nearby then a better option can be the Tuna Mayo for 4.5 syns.

There is also the option to have cheese with your combo – count 2.5 syns for a slice of Peppered and 5.5 syns for a serving of Monterey grated cheese. I always count the cheese as syns and never use them as part of my healthy extra A choice as these types of cheeses are not listed as healthy extras. I know that there are many people that do count it as healthy extra, so if you decide to do so and it is not affecting your weight loss then why not? As a SW consultant I would always advise to syn the cheese but you can make your own mind up!

Then you can chose your sauce for your salad (I always ask the staff to add the sauce to my salad before they add the meat! If you like me prefer to not have a dry salad, ask them for the dressing on the salad first).

Sauces in general are where a Free Food salad can quickly become packed with Syns. In Subway, you’re in charge so you can have as much or as little dressing as you like. If you find the staff have been generous with the dressing then increase the syns. My favourite go-to dressing is sweet onion!

  • Sweet onion – 1.5 syns per serving
  • Honey mustard – 1.5 syns
  • BBQ sauce – 2 Syns
  • Ranch dressing – 2 syns
  • Sweet Chilli – 2.5 syns
  • Light mayonnaise – 2.5 syns
  • Chipotle Southwest – 4.5 syns

If you are super organised and want to make sure your salad is all syn free then you can have it without any of the sauces or carry your own dressing or measured amount of cheese with you. I have a couple of members that do that every time they go to Subway. I am not that organised and I love the dressings and cheese from Subway anyway, that’s what makes the salad special in my opinion.

Non Alcoholic Pimm’s

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This is a really refreshing and cool drink, perfect for the summer days! I am not sure who came up with this but this recipe has been around for years. I remember trying this years ago before I became a consultant (around 2011).

It is super easy and simple to make, and syn free! I couldn’t find any pictures of when I made this so I am using the one below I found the net (not my picture).

All you need is diet lemonade (the cheap brand will do, in fact, it tasted even better when I’ve made this with the really cheap lemonade instead of a leading brand!) and mix in 2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar to every 2lt of lemonade (I tend to use a splash more vinegar, it is better that way).

When you are ready to serve then add any fruit of your choice to it and cubes of ice (this is best enjoyed cold) – it works well with chopped strawberries, oranges, fresh mint leaves and cucumber. It is up to you what you put in it, be adventurous!

I’ve sometimes had this without the fruit when I was making it for myself, it tastes great! Don’t let the vinegar put you off!! Just make sure you use balsamic vinegar and not the type you put on your chips.

Leave me a comment if you’ve tried this before or feel free to share any other mocktails you’ve made. Cheers x

 

SW Pimm's

SW Pimm’s

Black Eye Bean & Coconut Curry

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This is one of my favourite curries I loved eating when I was younger. The version I used to have would be a lot higher in syns so this is a SW friendly version I’ve adapted. The way my mum used to make this was a lot more complicated and she used some more spices but I find this way works well too.

I had a few people messaging me saying this is an odd combo but I don’t see how it is odd. Maybe because of my background I’m used to having a variety of different foods from different parts of the world that this is just another meal for me. I don’t know where it originates from but I am sure this type of curry is eaten a lot!

It is easy and very economical to make too. We have this served with boiled rice and masala fish.

Black Eye Bean Curry with Coconut

Black Eye Bean Curry with Coconut

 

Serves: 4

Syns: 2.5 syns per serving

Time Taken: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
  • Pinch of cumin seeds and chilli flakes (optional)
  • 1 tbsp. ginger/garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp. curry powder (or more if you prefer spicy)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2-3 tbsp. tomato puree
  • 2 tins of black eye beans, drained
  • 200ml reduced fat coconut milk
  • 5g desiccated coconut
  • fresh coriander, to garnish

Method

Fry the onions with the cumin seeds and chilli flakes (if using) and the ginger/garlic till the onions have softened and are lightly golden.

Add the curry powder and salt to taste and fry for a further 5 minutes stirring constantly. If the spices start to stick to the pan, add a little hot water and keep stirring.

Add the tomato puree and the beans with the coconut milk and cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes.

Once the curry is done, you can garnish it with fresh, chopped coriander and serve it with boiled rice.

Skinny Dips

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Skinny Dips

Skinny Dips

I came across these Skinny Dips whilst at the BBC Good Food Show a couple of weeks ago. There are a range of different sauces/dips to choose from and they are all gluten free, low in salt and sugar and also suitable for vegans. That doesn’t mean they are lacking in flavour though! They all taste delicious and are perfect for Slimming World members as they are very low in syns. The values below are for a serving of one level tablespoon.

Skinny Dips Tomato Ketchup– 4 Calories (0 Syns)
Skinny Dips BBQ Sauce– 6 Calories (0 Syns)
Skinny Dips Sweet Curry Sauce (Chip Shop Curry Sauce)- 7 Calories (0 Syns)
Skinny Dips Vegan Peri Mayonnaise– 26 Calories (1 Syns)
Skinny Dips Vegan Salad Dressing– 38 Calories (2 Syns)

 

Below is a comparison of the nutritional info in similar products which may be of use to you.
Ketchup

Ketchup

BBQ Sauce

BBQ Sauce

Curry Sauce

Curry Sauce

Peri Peri Mayo

Peri Peri Mayo

Salad Dressing

Salad Dressing

The company has provided an exclusive discount code for Slimming World members – for an extra 25% off your purchases please use discount code ‘Slim25’. There is also free delivery for all purchases over £10.

You can buy them from here: http://www.salternativeseaweed.com/shop/

Mary Berry’s Cornflake Cookies

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My daughter made these cookies over the weekend following one of Mary Berry’s recipe (all credit to Mary Berry for this amazing recipe). The recipe stated you could get 34 cookies but she made them slightly bigger and only got 18 cookies out of the mixture. The whole recipe is 135 syns (using light margarine, more syns if you use regular margarine), if you make more or less cookies then you can adjust the syns accordingly (divide the total syns value by the amount of cookies made to find out individual syn value).

These cookies were absolutely delicious – crunchy on the outside and a soft cake like texture in the middle. I am so glad I took the time to work out the syns, I honestly thought these would work out at much higher syn value! And the size she made them were just perfect and one was enough, even for me who has the worst sweet tooth ever! Not sure if I would have eaten more if I had not been fasting that day but I think if they were smaller I could have easily had a few more in one sitting.

If you do make these and make 34 out of the mixture then each cookie is only 4 syns which is not bad at all for homemade cookies.

Someone on Instagram suggested using Crunchy Nut Cornflakes instead of regular, which sounds absolutely divine and I thought the syns would be higher but it is not! So if you replace cornflakes with crunchy nut cornflakes let me know how they turn out please. I haven’t bought crunchy nut cornflakes in years, it used to be one of my fave cereals. I could easily just eat bowlfuls of them pre SW.

These cookies will be a fab addition to our Eid bakes this year, they’re perfect to give as gifts to friends and neighbours too. Everyone loves home baked goodies and these are super easy to make.

Feel free to let me know how your cookies turn out and tag me on your bakes. Happy baking!

Mary Berry's Cornflakes Cookies

Mary Berry’s Cornflakes Cookies

 

Ingredients

  • 225g light margarine
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 275g self raising flour
  • 50g cornflakes, lightly crushed

Method

Pre heat the oven to gas mark 4 and grease or line a baking sheet.

Beat the margarine and sugar together with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy then add the egg.

Slowly mix in the flour until combined. If the mixture is too soft to handle, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Wet your hands lightly and roll the mixture into balls. Coat with cornflakes. Arrange on the baking sheet with enough space to flatten slightly with your hand (the cookies will slightly spread during baking).

Bake for around 20 minutes until browned around the edges. Cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. The cookies will get crunchier as they cool.

Chickpea & Paneer Curry

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Paneer is one of my favourite foods! I don’t cook it often as it is quite high in syns so making it in Ramadan is perfect for me as I don’t tend to use syns like I normally would. There just isn’t enough time to eat any snacks!

25g of paneer is 4.5 syns, I used 150g in this recipe for 3 of us but there was enough to feed 4 people. I guess we just don’t eat as much as we normally would in Ramadan! If your serving is for more or less people then adjust the syns accordingly. We had this served with a pea pilau & salad.

Chickpea & Paneer Curry

Chickpea & Paneer Curry

 

Serves: 4

Syns: 7 syns

Time Taken: 25 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • 150g paneer, cubed
  • 1 tin chickpeas
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
  • 1/2 tbsp bassar (or any curry powder of your choice)
  • 2 Maggie seasoning cubes (or salt to taste)

Method

Spray a pan with low cal spray and fry the paneer till its lightly golden and set aside.

Fry the onions with the chilli flakes and cumin seeds till golden. Add water if the onions are starting to stick to the pan. Add the ginger/garlic paste, tomatoes, seasoning cubes and bassar. Cook for around 5-8 minutes (adding a bit of water if needed) till the tomatoes have soften. I then blitz this with a hand blender so that there aren’t any lumps in the sauce. You don’t have to this, it is completely optional but we prefer it this way.

Add the tinned chickpeas without draining the water, cook for a few minutes till the sauce reduces and then add the fried paneer.

Mozzarella & Chilli Pasta Bake

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This is such an easy and simple dish to put together and it tastes amazing! It is one of my daughter’s favourite dish. I have adapted the recipe slightly from the SW Veggie Deluxe recipe book and have made this quite cheesy (just the way we like it!). You can have 70g of reduced fat mozzarella cheese as healthy extra A choice but you can use less if you prefer or put a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar cheese, but remember to count the syns depending on how much you use. All the other ingredients in this recipe are Free.

Serves: 3

Syns: FREE (if using the cheese as healthy extra A choice)

Time Taken: 30-45 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Mozzarella & Chilli Pasta

Mozzarella & Chilli Pasta

 

Ingredients

  • 300g dried pasta
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp. Very Lazy garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp. Very Lazy chilli
  • 500g carton passata
  • 2 x Maggie seasoning cubes
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 210g reduced fat mozarella

Method

Pre heat the oven to gas mark 4.

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain well and run the pasta under cold water to stop it sticking together. Set aside till needed.

Whilst the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in a pan with low cal spray for about 5 minutes or until softened. If you find the onion is starting to stick to the pan, add some of the water that the pasta is cooking in (around a tbsp. at a time if needed).

Add the passata and the seasoning cubes, stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Add seasoning if needed. Add the frozen peas and cook for a further 2 minutes then remove from the heat.

Mix the cooked pasta into the sauce, ensuring the pasta is well coated. Tip the pasta into a medium sized baking dish sprayed with low cal spray. Top with the mozzarella and bake in the pre heated oven for around 12-15 minutes till all the cheese is melted.

Ramadan Meal Planner v.2018

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One of the best ways to be successful at food optimising during Ramadan is to plan, plan and plan. Planning is the key to success.

I already have a 7 day planner I did last year. Please click HERE to see the 2017 version of the planner. That page also has a lot of information on how to food optimise during Ramadan. I will be tweaking the planner slightly so it fits into my routine this Ramadan.

As the days are so long and the time we can eat & drink in is really really short (approx. 9pm to 2.30am), I intend on planning my days from iftar to suhoor.

So, fasting starts this Thursday. For me personally I’m changing my view of the ‘day’ – the time in which you can eat. I’ll try to explain:

The suhoor meal I will have on Thursday I will be counting the syns/healthy extras on Wednesday. That means everything I eat from iftar on Thursday night till suhoor very early on Friday morning will be counted as the same day.

You don’t have to follow my logic if it doesn’t make sense to you. Ramadan Mubarak!!!

Ramadan 2018 Meal Planner