Weight loss Mondays - Week 2 another loss

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know I have done a LOT OF CYCLING this week so if I didn't lose any weight I was going to be really upset.  However I was also in pensions meetings with buffet lunches and dinners out.  To add to the whole equation, I also ate out with my D Mike's parents on Monday night,  Pensions Board dinner Tuesday and Wednesday night and then again with Mike and some of his friends on Thursday.


Still having laid out all the facts, good and bad, I am delighted to say I have lost 1.4lbs this week making a running total of 3.4lbs yippeeee.


I cooked two Weight Watchers/diet recipes this week.


Diet Coke chicken and Soy Braised Beef with orange.  Both absolutely delicious you really do not feel you are on any diet at all.   Here are the recipes - really worth a try.


Here is the Beef stew recipe taken from the WW site.

Soy Braised Beef with Orange

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1kg chuck steak trimmed and cut into 3cm cubes
• spray oil, for frying
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 2cm root ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 oranges
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 5 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soft light brown sugar
• 425ml beef stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Heat the oil in frying pan. Brown the beef on all sides, a few pieces at a time, and transfer to a casserole dish with a heatproof bottom. If the bottom of the pan becomes too brown and sticky, pour in a little stock and scrape the sediment from the bottom. Pour this into the casserole with the meat then add a little more oil and continue browning the meat until all is transferred to the casserole.
2. Fry the sliced onions in the pan with a little more spray oil until golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a further minutes. Place them in the casserole.
3. Finely grate the zest from both oranges. Add to the casserole. Place the cornflour in a bowl, stir in the soy sauce and vinegar. Stir well. Stir into the casserole with the sugar and the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Cover the casserole and cook in the preheated over for 3 hours or until the meat is tender.
5. Meanwhile peel one of the oranges with a knife as you would an apple, making sure all the pith is removed. Remove the segments. Squeeze the juice from the other orange.
6. Approximately half an hour before the meat is cooked add the orange juice to the casserole and remove the lid.
7. Add the orange segments just before serving and stir through until hot. If the sauce is too strong, or too thick, add some water. If the sauce is too thin or weak once the beef has cooked, strain off the liquid and reduce by boiling rapidly. Serve with basmati rice and a green salad.

Diet Coke Chicken (with my variation notes)

Ingredients

6 Chicken Drumsticks/chicken thighs or chicken breasts (sliced) (skin and visible fat removed)

1 can of diet coke

5 tablespoons of passata (or use can of tomatoes and blend them)

splash of Worcestershire sauce

spoon of sweet chilli sauce

Salt to season

low fat cooking spray

Method

Preheat oven to 200c of 400f

Place the chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs in a oven proof dish, sprinkle with some salt 

Pour the can of diet coke or any other diet cola works well in a frying pan and put on a high heat.

Add the passata and Worcestershire sauce

Keep on high heat and continuously stir.

As the coke begins to reduce it will start to go sticky. This is what makes a great barbecue marinade.

Once it is to it’s sticky form. Remove chicken drumsticks from the oven and pour sauce over the chicken and place then back in the oven until chicken is cooked.  If I am using chicken breasts I don't make the sauce too dry so don't reduce down as much.

Take out a few times through the cooking process and with a spoon baste the chicken drumsticks with the sauce.

 You can use this sauce on ribs, beef, pork whatever takes your fancy.

Both recipes freeze really well.

There will not be so much cycling this week because I need to drive to most places, so I will have to substitute my exercise this week to ensure continued weight loss.  Mike is away on business so I can have lots of veg soups one which I can highly recommend is the

following taken again from WW.  Delicious.

Pumpkin, Ginger And Apple Soup

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ProPoints® Value:    0 Servings:  4 Preparation Time:  10 min Cooking Time:  30 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

This soup is a perfect autumn and winter warmer. So enjoy and get into the spirit of the season!

Ingredients 10 spray(s) Cooking Spray, Calorie Controlled    1 medium Onion, All Types, chopped    1 medium Apple, chopped    1 small Carrots, Old, Raw, chopped    2 teaspoons (grated) Ginger, Root, fresh    450 g Pumpkin, deseeded and chopped    2 cube(s) Stock Cube, Vegetable, made up with 850ml of hot water    1/4 teaspoons (level) Nutmeg, Ground    1 pinch Salt, and freshly ground black pepper    1 teaspoons Parsley, fresh, chopped, to garnish    Instructions Heat the cooking spray in a large saucepan and sauté the onion, apple and carrot for 3 - 4 minutes, until softened. Add the ginger and stir well. Add the pumpkin and stock to the saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently without a lid for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and blend for 15 seconds, or until smooth. Return to the saucepan, reheat and season to taste with allspice or nutmeg, salt and pepper. Serve, sprinkled with chopped fresh herbs. Notes If you cannot find pumpkin, try using butternut squash instead.

More later...............................