Meatball Pasta Bake

This recipe is becoming one of my favorites, it is quick and very simple to make, which is what I like! I have developed the recipe from Basementbakehouse's Meatball Sub recipe, which I have made also, but then changed it slightly so that I could save my HexB for lunch.

The Meatballs I used were from LiveLean, where you order your meat online, choose a delivery day and it is the best meat I have ever had! Even better all their meat is British, free range and grass fed. I have the slimming meat hamper which contains meat that is all 0 syns or very low syns. The bundle is currently £57.95 on the website, but I have a code that means you can get £5 off your first order, just type in: LIVELEAN-7404-CVF5S-TNCQ at the checkout :). The meatballs are 0.5 a syn for 2!!

I have previously done a blog post on the meat you get in the slimming meat hamper, and the syns of all the meat in there also, which can be found here.

Ingredients - To serve two people

400ml passata
2 tablespoons tomato puree
150ml boiling chicken stock
1 pack of meatballs (the LiveLean ones come in packs of 12)
2 tablespoons of mixed herbs
80g mozzarella (2 people's HexA)
Pasta

Method

• Cook desired amount of pasta according to the packet instructions.
• Fry the meatballs in a frying pan with frylight untill cooked through.
• In a saucepan, mix together the passata, tomato puree, mixed herbs and chicken stock.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for around 10 minutes.
• Mix in meatballs and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Mix with the cooked pasta, place in a oven proof dish and top with grated mozzarella.
• Place in the oven at around 180 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
• Serve with sides, I had salad with mine for speed.

Syn Value: 1.5 syns (for 6 LiveLean meatballs)

Enjoy :)

Weeks Eight and Nine

Hi everyone,

I am so sorry that I haven't posted anything for a while but I have just returned to work (I am a teacher) and so I have been super busy settling my reception class back into school life and getting my head around my new role as early years coordinator!

I will admit that week eight was not my best week, as well as starting back to work, I also started the new season of my local darts team that I am part of, meaning that I just had quick and easy meals throughout the week. Despite this, I managed to have a maintain, which I am completely shocked but so, so happy about. I think a factor in this was returning to work, meaning I was more active and not lying around on the settee most days watching Criminal Minds! I promised my myself when I got anyway with not gaining I was going to plan the coming week and be as prepared as possible.

Week nine has been a much more successful week, I made sure I planned and prepared and didn't let myself down. I began preparing all my lunches the night before so I wasn't running around in the mornings trying to think what I could grab to take to work. My biggest problem is having breakfast now I am back at work. I leave the house at 7:30am, and do not feel like eating before this, so need breakfast meals I can take into work to have before the children arrive. Lately it seems to be that I'm having watermelon and grapes in the morning, but its not the same as having the time to cook something like I did when I was off. Being back on plan 100% and being more active has meant that I ended week nine with a 2lb loss!! That means I have now lost 9lb altogether, which I know doesn't seem like much but it is the most I have ever lost in one go on slimming world.

This current week (week ten) is going well, apart from I am quickly running out of speed foods, so I am desperate to get to the shops at some point to stock up.

Hope everyone else is having a great weeks :)

Leanne x

Hunter's Chicken

I love Hunter's Chicken and would regularly have it if we went out for a pub lunch before I started Slimming World.  So now I have my amazing LiveLean chicken breasts, I knew I had to make a slimming world version to have at home. I recipe I used was from the blog she cooks, she eats and I just adapted it for myself a little.

This recipe is to serve two people.

Ingredients:

For the BBQ Sauce:

1 Medium Onion
Half a Teaspoon of Chilli Powder (or more if you want it hotter)
200ml Passata
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons of Sweetener

2 Chicken Breasts
4 Slices of Lean Bacon or Bacon with all Fat Removed
80g Reduced-Fat Cheddar Cheese or 60g of Full Fat Cheddar Cheese (which can be used as your HexA)

Method:

• Chop onion finely and fry until soft.
• Add the chilli powder, passata, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and sweetener.
• Stir and simmer on a medium heat for around 10 minutes or until thick enough.
• While the sauce is cooking make a small cut in the top of each chicken breast to make a pocket. Be careful not to cut all the way through the breasts. Place the chicken in a baking dish suitable for the oven.
• When the sauce is ready, spread evenly between the two breasts, ensuring sauce goes into the pockets made in the chicken.
• Wrap bacon around the chicken.
• Place in the oven at around 200 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Take out of the oven , sprinkle cheese on top and place back into the oven for 10 more minutes.
• Serve with choice of sides. I made slimming world chips, but should have added green beans or asparagus too for speed.

Happy Cooking!

Leanne x

Week Seven

Hi everyone,

I am going to be honest with you, this week has been a disaster! I started off the week very positive, planning my week and going shopping, but then I got ill and this is where it all went a little wrong. I know I shouldn't use being ill as an excuse to eat unhealthy, but for some reason I couldn't help myself! I had a cold, which effected my sinuses quite bad, meaning I had a contest headache and just felt rubbish for a few days. I couldn't be bothered to cook and only fancied chocolate, which unfortunately is what I ended up having. This has meant I have come in this week with a 1lb gain, which is not as bad as I was expecting!

This week I am feeling much better and ready to get back on the band wagon and have a good, healthy week :) I have already planned my week so I feel ready to do this! In case you didn't know I am also a teacher so I am in week 5 of my 6 weeks off, this week school is open for us to go in and set up and get ready for starting back the following week, meaning I can have a test run to getting back into planning meals to take to work.

Unlike some people, I seem to be able to follow the plan and make better choices when I'm not at work, which from talking to members in my family and friends, isn't usually the case. I find it easier being at home because I can take time to make my meals, which I enjoy and I don't buy things that could tempt me like chocolate and sweets. Whereas at work, it is always someone's birthday, so cakes and sweet treats are constantly floating around the staffroom and there is the kids prize box stuffed with sweets to dip into at the end of the day! So going back to work will be the ultimate test to see if I can make healthy choices!!

I hope you all have a great week and wish me luck!

Leanne x