low syns

Chicken Katsu Curry

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This is a mild Japanese curry with a Slimming World take! To save on time and convenience you can use ready made breadcrumbs, just remember to look up the syns beforehand. I served it with boiled rice and pickle cucumbers.

Serves: 4

Syns: 1.5 syns per serving

Time Taken: 60 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Chicken Katsu Curry

Chicken Katsu Curry

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 4 skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 slices of wholemeal (from a 400g loaf)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the curry sauce

  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and grated
  • 4 celery sticks, thinly sliced
  • 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp mild curry powder
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • Low calorie cooking spray
Chicken Katsu Curry

Chicken Katsu Curry

Method

Pre heat your oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Place the chicken breasts between cling film, beat until 1 cm thick and season.

Whizz the bread in a food processor to make fine crumbs. Tip onto a large plate and season well. Dip the chicken breasts into the eggs, then lightly coat each in a quarter of the breadcrumbs. Transfer to the baking tray sprayed with low calorie cooking spray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Season the breadcrumbs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place each chicken breast in some clingfilm and flatten with a rolling pin or meat tenderiser. Remove the clingfilm and dip the chicken in the egg, then coat with breadcrumbs and place on a baking tray sprayed with low-calorie cooking spray.

For the sauce, spray a large frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Stir fry the onions for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, carrots and celery. Stir fry for a further 5 minutes then add the curry powder, stock, soy sauce and season. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Blend the sauce for a smooth curry.

To serve, slice the chicken breast into pieces, spoon over the curry sauce and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

It’s a wrap!

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Wraps can be so high in syns, it can vary from 5 syns up to 9 syns each in some cases! It is great that there are a couple of options for us slimmers to choose from as part of healthy extra B choice – BFree Gluten Free Wrap or Weight Watchers Low Fat White Wraps. You can choose to have either as a B choice or if you want to syn them, the BFree wraps are 5 syns each and the Weight Watchers one is 5.5 syns which is not that bad at all if you love wraps!

They are really handy for a packed lunch, you can load it with any Free Foods you enjoy, or if you fancy something else, have a look at the following ideas.

Wrap Pizza

Wrap Pizza

Pizza – Spoon some tomato puree all over the wrap and sprinkle in some mixed herbs. Then just top it with all your favourite Free toppings and add 40g of light cheddar cheese as your healthy extra A choice. If you prefer a different cheese, just look up on your food optimising book for the amounts you can have for a different cheese.

Egg & Sausage Wrap

Egg & Sausage Wrap

Breakfast Wrap – Fill the wrap with two cooked sausages of your choice, I love the Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Sausages (0.5 syn each), a fried egg or two and fried mushrooms. Then lightly toast the wrap for a warm breakfast wrap.

Masala Fish Wrap

Masala Fish Wrap

 

 

Masala Fish – Cook your masala fish as normal and fill your wrap with the fish, lettuce, tomato and cucumber. So simple and so good, perfect served with syn free chips.

Hartley’s 10 Cal Jelly Pots

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Who knew that a simple jelly pot could lead to many debates on my social media platforms!

Many slimmers may have recently come across the Hartley’s 10 cal jelly pots. I’ve been having them for a few years now since I was a SW member.

I didn’t think that posting a picture of it recently would cause such a stir with so many people doubting the jelly was suitable for vegetarians as the pot does not have a ‘suitable for vegetarians’ label which is fair enough, but I always check food labels before buying them! I check for two things:

  1. Ingredients
  2. Syns

I would not knowingly eat and post/share food that I would not be allowed to eat in my halal diet. I hope this post will help those that may need more clarification. I have included below a response from an email from Hartley’s. If in doubt please do your own research and contact them yourself.

“Thank you for contacting Hartley’s about our jelly range.

Most of our jellies are not suitable for vegetarians. Our tablet and powdered jellies, designed to be made at home, contain gelatine. Some of our Ready to Eat jellies contain the colouring Carmine, which is an animal product.

The jellies we have which are suitable for vegetarians are:

Hartley’s Pineapple in Jelly 175g
Hartley’s 10 Cal Mango & Passion Fruit Flavour Jelly 175g
Hartley’s 10 Cal Blueberry & Blackcurrant Flavour Jelly 175g
Hartley’s 10 Cal Raspberry Flavour Jelly 175g
Hartley’s 1 Fruit Portion Mango Jelly 175g
Hartley’s Blackcurrant Flavour Jelly 125g
Hartley’s Lemon & Lime Flavour Jelly 125g
Hartley’s Pineapple Flavour Jelly 125g
Hartley’s No Added Sugar Jelly Blackcurrant Flavour 115g
Hartley’s No Added Sugar Jelly Apple Flavour 115g

I hope that this information helps. If you would like to discuss your concerns, or have any questions, please call me or one of my colleagues on 0800 022 4339. We are available between 9.00am and 5.30pm, weekdays excluding Bank Holidays.”

Hope this clears up any misunderstanding. Here’s how I like to enjoy my favourite Hartley’s 10Cal jelly pot – with a squirt of light squirty cream topped with 100’s & 1000’s, a raspberry and a SW Double Choc Hifi light bar. Sooo nice!

 

Hartley's 10Cal Jelly

Hartley’s 10Cal Jelly

Crucials Sauces Syns

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You can buy these Crucials sauces from places like FarmFoods and B&M Bargains. They are really handy for adding flavour to food with minimal syns! Below are the syn values that Crucials have provided for their products, all are per tablespoon. Have you tried any of the sauces yet? Do you have a favourite? I love the Yogurt Mint! When I first bought it, I checked up the syns on the app (as you do!) and got really excited at the amount I saw on the screen. I thought it was too good to be true! I carried on eating loads of it with pretty much every food.

I have the habit of looking at syn values of my favourite things every so often just to make sure syns haven’t gone up or down (that would be awesome!). Luckily, I checked on the Yogurt Mint sauce again and realised the syns I had originally found was actually for their Mint sauce and not the Yogurt Mint! You might say so what? It can’t be that much of a difference, but it is. I was having the one that was 3 syns per tablespoon and counting it as only 0.5 syns! I still haven’t come across the full range, I am on the lookout for this Mint sauce that is 0.5 syns per tablespoon, if you have come across it yet please let me know where from!

In the meantime I will carry on enjoying their BBQ sauce which is absolutely amazing!

Crucials Sauces Syns

Crucials Sauces Syns

 

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.

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.

Sneaky Syns & Crucials!

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I am not a huge fan of sauces but when I do have them I’ve got to admit I tend to forget to count them and try to guesstimate how much I had! To really be in control of your weight loss, measuring those sneaky syns will be greatly beneficial to your success. Below are just some average syn values, be aware that different brands may have different syn values, it is always best to check the Slimming World website or app for yourself. Let me know what your favourite sauces are below.

Extra light mayo – 1 Syn per level tbsp

Reduced cal salad cream – 1 Syn per level tbsp

Ketchup – 1 Syn per level tbsp

Brown sauce – 1 Syn per level tbsp

Salt ‘n’ vinegar – Free

Tartare sauce – 2.5 Syns per level tbsp

Mustard (made with powder) – Free

Mustard (from jar) – 1½ Syns per level tbsp

Horseradish sauce – 1 Syn per level tbsp.

I have recently come across some Crucial Sauces which are sooo tasty! I get them in my local Farm Foods but I believe you can also buy them in B&M bargains. I haven’t tried the whole range yet, only the BBQ sauce and the Mint sauce.

Crucials Sauces

Crucials Sauces

Here are the syns for some of their sauces:

BBQ Sauce – 0.5 syn per level tbsp

Hot Salsa – 0.5 syn per level tbsp

Mint Sauce – 0.5 syn per level tbsp

Brown Sauce – 0.5 syn per level tbsp

Burger Relish – 0.5 syn per level tbsp

American Mustard – 0.5 syn per level tbsp

Chilli & Garlic Sauce – 0.5 syn per level tbsp

Curry Sauce – 0.5 syn per level tbsp

Garlic Mayo – 3.5 syns per level tbsp

Dessert Ideas

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I’ve collected some really quick, easy and Free or low-syn ideas here to help you enjoy your pudding and stay on track for a weight loss. Please do share your favourite free or low syn sweet treats.

Quick tips
Alpro Go On Pot

Alpro Go On Pot

If you fancy custard but without the high syns, gently heat a bowl of Aldi Brooklea Light Fat Free Banana & Custard Yogurt in the microwave for 10 seconds! Quick custard for 0.5 syn only!

For flavoured sauces without the syns, use fat free fromage frais, fat free natural yogurt or quark, and flavour with the desired essence or flavouring – coffee, coconut, vanilla – the choice is yours! (Remember, if you use the real thing rather than essence, you’ll need to keep track of the syns.) You can get a variety of flavourings from baking shops.

Another way to get your sweet fix is by mixing a low-Syn hot chocolate sachet (eg Options) with quark and pile high with fruit.

My all time favourite dessert is an Alpro Go On pot (1.5 syns for the passion fruit flavour pictured) topped with raspberries. It is simply delicious.

Quick and easy recipes

How about a low-syn toffee ice cream with a twist… Crush a 19.5g bag of Maltesers, and stir into 2 Toffee Aldi Brooklea Light Fat Free yogurts and a large tub of fat free fromage frais. Pop it in the freezer for a couple of hours, stir occasionally, and hey presto a 5 Syn sweet snack for the whole tub! Try it with other flavours of Free yoghurt and add chopped fresh fruit.

For a low-syn crumble, use stewed fruit as a Healthy Extra ‘b’ choice, and top it with a couple of crumbled malted milk biscuits (2 Syns each). If you fancy custard too, warm a Banana and Custard yogurt for 10 seconds in the microwave!

How about an Eton Mess? Here’s a low-syn version, which is just as delicious… Pile strawberries and raspberries (fresh or frozen) into a sundae dish. Pour over your favourite syn free yogurt, and then crumble in some broken meringue nest pieces. Repeat and enjoy! (1 meringue nest is, on average, 3 Syns).

I love Cadbury’s Freddo (19g bar is 5 Syns) and they’re delicious melted and enjoyed as a dip for fresh strawberries and banana or for drizzling over fruit.

Make up a knickerbocker glory using fresh or frozen fruit pieces and frozen yogurt of your choice instead of ice cream. If you fancy a bit of sauce, puree a small portion of fruit and count the Syns. A huge portion topped with 50g pureed raspberries is just ½ Syn – how tempting is that?

On a similar theme, how about a banana split? Cut a banana in half lengthways, and scoop frozen free yogurt of your choice on top – banana, vanilla and chocolate go really well together! If you have a Healthy Extra ‘b’ choice left, why not ‘go nuts’ and sprinkle 6 crushed walnut halves on top!

Thread fruit onto Mikado sticks – only ½ Syn per stick! Or if you prefer Matchsticks count 1 syn each,

Weetabix Fruity Muffins

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If you’re a fan of fruity malt loaf, you’ll love this recipe for Weetabix cake packed with juicy blueberries and mixed spices. You can replace the blueberries with any fruit of your choice just remember to syn accordingly. This is one of my husband’s favourite treat with a cup of tea.

Makes: 12

Syns: 2.5 syns each

Time Taken: 4o minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Weetabix Fruity Muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 Weetabix, crushed
  • 100g blueberries
  • 150ml skimmed milk
  • 150ml water
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 4 tbsp sweetener
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, beaten

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.

Put the Weetabix and blueberries in a bowl. Pour the milk and water over the top and leave it to soak for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the flour, mixed spice, sweetener, vanilla extract and beaten egg.

Spoon the mixture equally into 12 silicone muffin cases and bake for 25-30 minutes.