Wednesday, 25 April 2018

Slimming World Recipe - Syn Free Chicken and Bacon Paella

As mentioned in my weigh-in update on Sunday, I've just been loving this chicken and bacon paella - it's been my lunchtime go to and it's such a quick, simple and tasty recipe that it's perfect for evening prep.



Ingredients:

1 Carrot
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Small Onion
FryLight (I use the Sunflower or Rapeseed variations, but whichever you prefer)
1/2 tsp Tumeric
1/2 tsp Corriander
1 tsp Paprika
Rice (Paella rice works best but I often use long grain rice and this works just fine)
1 Chicken Breast
2 Bacon Medalions (I use smoked but, again, go with your own preference)
1 Chicken Stock Cube
1/4 Red Pepper
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Equipment:

Sharp Knife
Vegatable Peeler
Grater
Chopping Board
Ideally a Wok, but a deep frying pan would also work

Syns per serving: Free! - recipe makes 2 servings

Method:

1. Heat your Wok/frying pan with a little FryLight. Meanwhile, dice the onion and garlic, then peel and grate the carrot and add to the pan once heated up. Stirring occasionally so that nothing catches.

2. Next, dice the peppers and chop up the bacon and chicken, add these to the pan once the onion and garlic have softened. Keep everything moving around the pan.

3. Once the chicken has sealed, add the turmeric, coriander and paprika to the pan and mix into the other ingredients. Then add the rice and mix into the other ingredients. Cover with boiling water and then sprinkle in the chicken stock cube.

4. As the rice absorbs the water, keep adding more water until the rice is cooked through, add salt and pepper to taste, serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

On the weekend: This is such a quick, easy, feed-the-5000 evening meal option. The recipe serves 2 so just multiply the ingredients up to suit how many you're feeding.

During the week: I take this to work in a Tupperware with some broccoli on the side for extra speed. After a minute or 2 in the microwave it's good as new.

*Syns accurate as of 21/04/2018. Slim Savvy is in no way affiliated with Slimming World and will not be responsible for any inaccurate information with regards to syn values. We do endeavour to update our recipes when syn values are reviewed to keep our information as up-to-date as possible.

Sunday, 22 April 2018

Back to Slimming World - Weigh-In Update #1

 It’s been an... interesting first week back at Slimming World. I’ve definitely averaged at way over my daily allowance of 15 syns a day, and yet I’ve left group feelilated with my progress. Getting myself back into the groove was actually really easy, going back to measuring and counting felt really natural, if only everyone else could adjust so easily.

My first hurdle this week came in the form of a surprise trip to our local pub on Saturday. I had saved some syns so I treated myself to a Malibu and Diet Coke, but well-meaning relatives topped up my glass a few times and took me over my daily syns. I let the evening get the best of me and ended up finishing the day on way more syns than I’d intended. I knew I had to be really good to pull it back so relied on my Syn-Saving Superstars to get me through the rest of week 1.

Speaking of syn-savers I’m really glad to have Hifi-Light bars back in my life. The chocolate orange flavour is my favourite as it reminds me of a rice crispy cake that has been made with Terry’s chocolate orange. They taste like such a treat for 3 syns a bar or 2 for a HExB. Another thing that worked in my favour was winning last weeks group raffle - my lovely consultant Simon sent me home with 2 big bags and speed and free food. I hate food waste so having loads of fresh food that suited the plan was a perfect way to keep me concentrated on maximising speed foods - I’m trying to keep my fruit bowl and veg drawers jam packed for the foreseeable to keep this mentality going.

My recipe of the week is absolutely a chicken and bacon paella that I’ve adapted from a chicken and chorizo version I’d seen. It’s a really tasty, syn Free meal that’s quick to prep and easily microwaved, I enjoyed it so much that I made it 3 times for lunch to take to work. I feel a recipe post coming up so watch this space.








All in all, I had a good week and it showed on the scales - a really amazing 5lbs off for my first loss! I’ve set my target for next week at 2lbs in the hopes of getting my half-stone award so we’ll see how the week goes.