Quick Bites

Cupcakes

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I asked a while ago on my Instagram poll if people wanted to see non SW food on my blog and the majority did so here is one to start off with. This is a very easy and simple cupcake recipe, my go to recipe, it is so easy to make that even my younger kids can make them (they’re 8 & 10 years old) without any supervision from me. Obviously if your children have never cooked before, please make sure you supervise them at all times.

If you’d like to work out the syn values for the cupcakes, you’ll need to work out the syn values for each ingredient and then divide it by the number of cupcakes made. The recipe below makes 12 cupcakes and I’ve worked out the syns value for you this time (without the icing) but that is not something I will be doing for future recipes – I have a lot of dessert and cake recipes to share and knowing the syn values will shock me and you! I will leave that for every reader to work out for themselves.

So, when using a light margarine such as Flora light to make these, the syn value for each cupcake will be 5.5 syns. If you choose to use regular margarine then the syns go up a little, each cupcake will then be 7 syns each. It is not that high to be fair and homemade goodies always taste so much better than shop bought, so definitely worth the syns. You could potentially have 2 cupcakes within your daily syns allowance!

The kids decorated the cupcakes simply by mixing icing sugar with water (until they got a sightly runny consistency) and topped them with sugar strands and balls and mini marshmallows. You can buy halal mini marshmallows from your local Asian supermarket but I like to get mine from Leicester – from a place called Mr. Burger! (yeah it is not a restaurant, they sell a whole range of frozen goodies and things from South Africa too, as well as tubs of halal sweets).

Don’t forget to tag me on your posts when you make these, I love looking at everyone’s posts, and feel free to share the recipe x

Cupcakes made & decorated by the kids

Cupcakes made & decorated by the kids

 

Makes: 12 cupcakes

Time Taken: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • 115g margarine
  • 115g self raising flour
  • 115g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Beat the sugar and margarine together till light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly after each addition.

Add the flour and try not to overmix at this stage. Add the vanilla.

Pour the mixture into 12 muffin cases and cook in a pre heated oven for 15 minutes on gas mark 4.

You can check if the cupcakes are cooked by inserting a toothpick in the middle of one cupcake. If it comes out clean, then your cupcakes are done! If not, then leave them to cook a little longer. Try not to be tempted into opening your oven door too early, this may result in sunken cakes!

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.

Sausage Rolls

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This is another quick and easy recipe perfect for taster sessions in Slimming World groups. These work out at only 1 syn each for a bitesize sausage roll. It only needs 3 ingredients! It can’t get any easier than that.

You can use any sausages of your choice but remember to find out syns before you make them as sausages tend to be quite high in syns!

I have used the Linda McCartney’s vegetarian sausages which are only 0.5 syn each. I am on the lookout for low syn halal sausages, if you know of any, please comment with what you use.

Sausage Rolls

Sausage Rolls

 

Makes: 18

Syns: 1 syn each

Time Taken: less than 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • 6 Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Sausages
  • 3 Kinsmill thins
  • 1 egg, beaten

Method

Cook the sausages according to the packet instructions, but don’t fully cook them as you will be cooking them again for a few more minutes later.

Once the sausages are mostly cooked, remove them from the oven and set them aside.

Brush the inside of each Kingsmill thin with the beaten egg. Place a sausage in each half and roll.

Brush the egg all over the outside of the thins and place them in the oven for around 10 minutes (or less) till the rolls are nice and golden.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and cut each sausage roll into 3 pieces.

Chicken Tikka Pizza

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A super easy cheat’s pizza ready in less than 20 minutes! This is syn free when using the wrap as healthy extra B choice and the cheese as part of healthy extra A choice. You can add any of your favourite Free Food toppings, I’ve used Haloodies Chicken Tikka slices for this pizza as they are pre-cooked already making this even easier! You can find the syn values for Haloodies products here. The chicken tikka is available in most supermarkets in the halal chilled food section.

I cut these into slices of 8 making it perfect for tasters sessions for Slimming World groups or any other party.

You can get the pizza seasoning from Aldi, I’ve recently picked it up from my local Aldi for a bargain 29p!!! If you can’t find the pizza seasoning then you can use mixed herbs instead as it works quite well too.

I know cottage cheese may sound weird on a pizza but believe me it does not taste like it once cooked. The cottage cheese gives the pizza a lovely effect, it looks like mozarella cheese once cooked!

Serves: 1

Syns: FREE

Time Taken: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Chicken Tikka Pizza

Chicken Tikka Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 Weight Watchers white wrap
  • 20g light cheddar cheese
  • Tomato puree
  • Pizza seasoning or mixed herbs
  • Mushrooms
  • Haloodies chicken tikka slices
  • Cottage cheese
  • Spinach
  • Cherry tomatoes

Method

Spread tomato puree all over the wrap and sprinkle some of the pizza seasoning. Add all of your favourite toppings and a dollop some of the cottage cheese around the pizza before sprinkling the cheddar cheese on.

Bake in a pre heated oven on gas mark 6 for around 12-15 minutes till the cheese is melted and golden.

 

Nadiya’s Samosa Hack!

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I thought I’d try Nadiya’s samosa hack from her latest TV show and give it a Slimming World friendly twist!

If you don’t know who Nadiya is, she was the winner of the Great British Bake Off in 2016! A well deserved winner too, all her bakes looked absolutely delicious.

I used potatoes and peas for the filling but you can be more adventurous or just stick to regular samosa fillings such as kheema. Just remember to syn accordingly.

I used mini tortilla wraps from Aldi which are 4.5 syns for each wrap and you can get two samosas out of one wrap, making it only around 2.5 syns each samosa! (See picture below).

Aldi Wrap

Aldi Wrap

You can if you prefer (and can get hold of!) use the Weight Watchers white wraps that can be used as a healthy extra B choice. Your samosas will be slightly bigger though, I prefer using the mini wraps as you can batch cook them and freeze.

If you use any other brand of wrap, please remember to check syns as not all similar products have the same syn values.

Let me know if you’ve come across a lower syn alternative to making samosas!

Adjust spice levels to how spicy you prefer, I made mine quite mild as they were for a taster session in group. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Feel free to tag me in your posts when you’ve made them.

 

Samosa

Samosa

Makes: 16 samosas

Syns: 2.5 syns each

Time Taken: 45-60 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 pack Aldi mini tortilla wraps
  • 2 medium potatoes, boiled
  • handful of frozen peas, cooked
  • 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red chilies
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 egg, beaten

Method

Make samosa filling by boiling the potatoes first. Once the potatoes are boiled and cooled, slightly mash them or you can chop the potatoes in little cubes and boil them if you prefer your potatoes quite chunky rather than mashed.

Mix in cooked peas, ginger/garlic paste, cumin seeds, salt, chilli and garam masala.

Cut each wrap in half so you get a semi-circle shape.

Shape each wrap half into a triangle shape and fill it with your filling. Use the beaten egg to seal all around the edges and egg wash the top of the samosa.

Once all the samosas are filled and egg washed, bake them in a pre heated oven at gas mark 6 for around 12-15 minutes or until they are nice and golden.

You can freeze them once the samosas are cooked and cooled.

Tip: Watch the video here on how to fill the samosas.

Turkey & Egg Cups

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Super easy and syn free snack perfect for picnics or breakfast!

Serves: 1

Syns: FREE

Time Taken: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Turkey & Egg Cup Ingredients

Turkey & Egg Cup Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 slices of Najma Wafer thin Turkey slices
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Pop each turkey slice into a muffin tin and crack an egg into each one.

Pop them in a pre heated oven for about 15 minutes or longer if you prefer a fully cooked yolk. Once cooked season with salt and pepper.

Turkey & Egg Cups

Turkey & Egg Cups

 

Ferrero Rocher

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I absolutely love Ferrero Rocher, they are one of my all time favourite treats. These are so easy to make and much lower in syns compared to the real thing!

Serves: 16

Syns: 2 Syns each

Time Taken: 1o minutes, plus chilling time

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • 3 Weetabix
  • 5 level table spoons of Nutella
  • One Options hot chocolate sachet (flavour of your choice) for dusting

Method

Mix your Weetabix and Nutella together.

Roll your mixture up into Ferrero Rocher sized balls and then roll in the hot chocolate powder. The mixture can be quite sticky so it is worthwhile dusting your hands with hot chocolate before rolling each ball.

Place into mini cake cases and leave to stand in the fridge for at least one hour.

 

Epic Sandwich Fillings

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Whether you’re a cheese and onion fan or more of a tuna and cucumber devotee, we all love a good old sandwich. The great thing about Food Optimising is that bread isn’t a ‘banned’ food (as it is with many other eating plans). Below are some popular bread choices you can choose from to enjoy your sandwich. You can get a full list of all the latest healthy extra options on the Slimming World website.

Popular Healthy Extra ‘b’ bread choices include:

  • 60g wholemeal roll
  • 2 slices of wholemeal bread from a small 400g loaf
  • 3 slices of Kingsmill Wholemeal No Crusts
  • 1 BFree Foods Multigrain Wrap
  • 1 Kingsmill Wholemeal Sandwich Thin

If you use up your healthy extra B choice with other options, you can still get the same great sandwich taste, for Free! Here is how:

  • A ‘wrap’ made of firm lettuce leaves, such as iceberg or romaine
  • A thinly cooked omelette takes the place of a high-Syn tortilla (an average wrap is 9 Syns!). To make the omelette lightly beat 1 egg in a large measuring jug and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour the egg mixture into a non-stick pan and tilt it around. Cook for 1½ minutes on each side or until the edges turn golden then loosen with a palette knife and slide on to greaseproof paper.
  • Grilled Portobello mushrooms make delicious, veggie-friendly burger bun replacements. Just grill them on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
  • A jacket or sweet potato, piled with your favourite sandwich filling.

As for Free fillings, anything goes! Use your imagination! Comment below what your favourite fillings are.

Prawn and rocket – juicy pink prawns, rocket and homemade Marie rose sauce (1tbsp quark, 1 sprig finely chopped dill, 1 tsp tomato puree and seasoning)

Tuna melt – tuna, green peppers, tomatoes and sweetcorn sprinkled with reduced fat cheddar cheese (40g is a Healthy Extra ‘a’ choice) and grilled.

Mushroom, cherry tomato, mozzarella & basil – slices of mushrooms (cooked in low calorie cooking spray), cherry tomatoes (cut in half),  50g mozzarella (Healthy Extra ‘a’ choice) and basil leaves.

Smoked salmon, lemon & chives – put 40g of smoked salmon trimmings in a bowl, 4 tbsp quark, a sprinkle of chives and a squeeze of lemon.

Houmous & red pepper – a thick layer of homemade red pepper houmous topped with Peppadew Mild Piquante Peppers (available in most supermarkets).

Sausage buttie – two frozen Linda McCartney’s Red Onion and Rosemary sausages (syn free) and ½ medium onion cooked in low calorie cooking spray. For a mustard mayo, mix 1 tsp mustard powder with 1 tbsp cold water. Add 1 tbsp fat-free fromage frais, and whisk until smooth. Serve with grated carrot and red cabbage. Add 1 tbsp ketchup for 1 Syn.

Tuna Marie-rose & cucumber – tuna canned in water or brine mixed with marie rose sauce (1tbsp quark, 1 sprig finely chopped dill, 1 tsp tomato puree and seasoning) and a few thin slices of cucumber.

Egg & tomato – sliced boiled egg with spinach and sliced tomato.

Pastrami, gherkin & pepper – mix together ½ tsp mustard powder with 3 tbsp fat free fromage frais and spread on the bread. Top with pastrami, chopped gherkins and 1 bottled roasted red pepper in brine, cut into slices.

Cheese & onion – grated red Leicester (30g is a Healthy Extra ‘a’ choice) and slices of red onion.

Toasted sandwich – filled with any topping of your choice with 40g Light Cheddar cheese (healthy extra A choice).

 

Vegetarian Scotch Eggs

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You can make these scotch eggs syn free if using the Linda McCartney’s Red Onion & Rosemary sausages, I prefer the ones that are 0.5 syn each (pictured below).

Makes: 3

Syns: 1 syn each

Time Taken: 25 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Linda McCartney Sausages

Linda McCartney Sausages

Ingredients

  • 1 pack of 6 Linda McCartney Vegetarian Sausages, defrosted overnight
  • 3 boiled eggs

Vegetarian Scotch Eggs

Vegetarian Scotch Eggs

Method

Place the sausages out of the box in a bowl to defrost overnight in the fridge.

Once the sausages are defrosted, mash them all up.

Boil the eggs to your liking, I keep them with a soft yolk as the eggs will go in the oven later and I don’t like overcooked eggs!

Once the eggs are boiled, peel them and use the vegetarian sausage ‘meat’ to wrap around each egg. The sausages will stick to your hands a bit but keep wrapping it all around the egg. 2 sausages are enough to cover 1 egg.

Once all the eggs are done, place them in a pre-heated oven and cook for around 10-12 minutes, turning them halfway.

Crustless Quiche Muffins

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I love making this SW crustless quiche recipe. There are so many variations to it but this one has to be my favourite. The basic essentials you need are eggs, cottage cheese and Pasta ‘n’ Sauce, you can then add anything you want to it –  any veg or meat/fish of your choice. The possibilities are endless! I made them into muffins but you can easily just make a large one and then slice it up before eating.

Makes: 15

Syns: FREE

Time Taken: 30-45 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

  • Packet of Batchelors Pasta ‘n’ Sauce Cheese & Broccoli flavour (0.5 syn for whole pack)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tub of cottage cheese
  • Any veg of choice – I used mushrooms, 1/2 red pepper and some spring onions

 

 

Basic Quiche Essentials

Basic Quiche Essentials

Method

Cook the pasta in 350ml of boiling water for 10 minutes.

Pre heat the oven at gas mark 6.

Blend the cottage cheese with the eggs in a large bowl and then add the veggies you are using.

Once the pasta is cooked, mix in the cottage cheese mixture with the veggies and place the mixture in silicone muffin cases.

Bake in the oven for around 20-25 minutes till cooked. If you like you can also add some cheese from your healthy extra A choice before placing the muffin cases in the oven.

 

Crustless Quiche

Crustless Quiche