Monday 12th March weigh in

Ainsley Harriot does a cous cous in a sachet all different flavours.

A quick Chinese

or a quick, filling alternative to your Friday night takeaway, rustle up your own Chinese delights by heating some one calorie cooking spray in a wok, adding some chopped chicken or prawns, spring onions, red chilli, finely chopped ginger and crushed garlic, fry for a couple of minutes, then throw in a pack of mixed stir-fry veg from the supermarket. If you’re feeling adventurous, add other oriental delights like water chestnuts or lychees! Add lots of Soy sauce to taste, cook for 3 or 4 minutes and serve on a mound of boiled egg noodles.

Now that sound nice. I'm a baby bel addict!

Handy for work

In a sandwich box, mix together a large portion of cooked pasta shapes with some canned tuna (in brine or spring water), diced cucumber, grated carrot, sweetcorn and a generous dollop of fat free natural fromage frais and a level tablespoon of extra light mayonnaise (1 Syn). Enjoy with 2 Mini Babybel cheeses, diced and mixed in.

No not pulses. They are the one thing that give me gout! Red wine and port never.

Carrot and lentil patties, you can freeze what you dont eat for another day

400g can brown lentils, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
cooking oil spray
salad greens, to serve
1 pot tzatziki or yoghurt dip, to serve

Step 1 Combine the lentils, carrot, parsley, spring onion, garlic and lemon rind. Use a potato masher to mash until they are combined. Add the egg and half the breadcrumbs. Stir until well combined.

Step 2 Shape the mixture into 8 patties. Coat patties in the remaining breadcrumbs. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Spray patties all over with cooking oil. Add half the patties to the pan and cook for 2 minutes each side, or until brown and hot. Repeat with remaining patties.

Step 3 Place salad greens on serving plates. Top with patties and tzatziki and serve.

I do do couscous as I am very fond of it. Do wish I could get the boi in the bag ones you can get in France though. I am on to my last sachet. I will try to get some more when QM calls into le havre in June.
The other recipe sounds ice as well. I will try that at the weekend!

Spicy veg pilaf

1 -1 1/2 tablespoons curry paste
400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 1/4 cups basmati rice
1 cup salt-reduced vegetable stock
500g packet frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

Step 1 Heat a large oiled saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add curry paste, chickpeas and rice. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant.

Step 2 Add stock and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until rice is almost tender, adding vegetables halfway through cooking. Remove from heat. Stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in spinach. Scatter with parsley.

jeni

Crunchy couscous salad

1 cup cooked chickpeas (or 300g can)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tablespoon oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 red capsicum, chopped
large pinch oregano
1 dried chilli, chopped
3/4 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup couscous
large handful fresh coriander, chopped
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Step 1 Sauté the onion, garlic and capsicum in a large pan. When soft add the chopped tomatoes, stock, herbs and chilli. Stir in the chickpeas, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 2 Remove from the heat and stir in the couscous, chopped coriander and lemon juice. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the couscous to swell. Adjust the seasoning and serve warm or cold.

jeni how about this to start

Salmon salad with tahini dressing

Ingredients

750g new potatoes
415g can salmon, drained
130g baby spinach
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup torn fresh mint
6 radishes, trimmed, sliced
2 courgettes, trimmed, sliced
1 teaspoon sumac (optional)
Tahini dressing
1 tablespoon tahini*
1/3 cup low-fat plain yoghurt*
1 lemon, 2 tablespoons juice
1 small clove garlic, crushed


Instructions

Step 1 Cook potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water. Drain. Set aside.

Step 2 Meanwhile, arrange salmon, spinach, parsley, mint, radishes and courgettes on 4 individual serving plates or a large platter.

Step 3 To make Tahini dressing, combine tahini with 1 tablespoon boiling water in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Add yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic. Drizzle over salad. Sprinkle with sumac (if using) and serve.

Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice with a lovely lemony flavour.

Serving suggestions

New potatoes

Thanks. I'm just making a loaf. I shall have a slice with toms mozarella(light) and a little very good olive oil!

Thanks glass and sewsilver for your concern - I am fine again now thanks. VV episodes are such a strange phenomenon as you never know when one will strike. Prior to Sunday afternoon I can't remember when the last one was - must be over two years or more!
Sorry to hear that your Mum has the same glass - she has my sympathy as we have to live with the 'unknown'. You just have to put each episode behind and assume it won't happen again, as, if you lived your life waiting for the next one to happen, you would become obsessive.
Fortunately, I usually get some warning so I have to be sensible and go to the floor by choice before nature takes over as then I don't get injured, however there have been a couple off occasions when I haven't had the warning signs which makes life interesting! Luckily I haven't ever broken anything!
As usual yesterday I was very drained and today I am still a bit 'tired' but it takes a few days to completely be back to normal but I am up and running sensibly and will be fine.
jeni please don't give up - I went through a long phase of staying the same, then putting on a bit, then taking off a bit but not making real progress. IT WILL PASS - nobody can explain it, you just 'plateau' for a while and then you do start to lose, so please STICK WITH US as we will all give you encouragement!

This is so helpful to see other peoples success. I am the same as last week, still 4lb down from when I was ill. Nice to have room inside waistband but suspect I'm going to have to be quite disciplined once I start wanting to eat again. Sba hope you ok?

jeni you started at 13.7 so is 1.5 lbs.
susie you are going great guns, nearly there. Well done Peter on reaching your target.
carol you are going nice and steady keep it up.
raggy 2lbs great and 1/2 a stone since January.
green fantastic, and to be feeling health benefits makes it all worth while.
grace I think you are 8lb lighter than your start weight well done, hope DH is continuing to improve, take care of yourself
notso you are just like me at the first sign of unrest I reach for food, we know what we are doing but it impossible to stop, get yourself back into that mindset you were in last year and dont let anyone sabotage your success.
sba my Mums suffers from the same, hope you are felling a bit better, dont push yourself this week
jeni sorry just come across your second post, dont give up I am going to have a look for meals for you that dont take any cooking but wont hinder your weight loss.

Then why not? Variations on the theme of tomatoes on toast.
The thing about the Cranks bread is that it is dense and filling. Like homemade wholemeal bread. Crusty it ain't Butternut! Though that is good too.

I love toms with olive oil an basil and homemade bread! I could live on it!

Jess Tomatoes, Olive oil and fresh herbs are a match made in heaven.

Jeni Smoked haddock simmered in a little milk, with crusty wholemeal bread on the side. Wonderful

Avacado (sp?) with a dash of white balsamic. Watercress and orange (not allowed to say salad) on the side. More crusty bread. You need some carbs. otherwise you'll end up starving.

Come on - you know all this!

Cranks wholemeal bread from Waitrose. With baked beans. Or with some cherry tomatoes, fry them in olive oil and add a pinch of thyme, basil or some other herb. With cheese, toasted it is sublime. I guess though, keeping the layer of cheese on the thin side more slimming. Toasted with untoasted cheese on top. With pate or mackerel pate.
Those are my suggestions for filling, healthy meals for one.
If I lived alone I would base most of my meals around this splendid product.
The thing about this bread is that it only really works as toast unless you dip it in soup... Duchy beetroot soup from Waitrose maybe?
Now hungry, definitely. Early tea.

I hate salad, fruit and anything good for me! Also anything that needs preparing! I don't like cooking and I am intolerant of egg yolks!

We can find some interesting non fattening food for you I'm sure - suggestions please everyone please

But it's sooooooo boring!

At least you're going the right way jeni - I went up this week and remember that "they" say that losing it slowly is better because you're more likely to keep it off. Stick with it

Hmmph!

jeni - don't think of giving up! This is just a test ! Slow but sure will win the race....you'll get there.

Looked back . I have lost11/2 lb since starting diet. Feel like giving up