Month: February 2021

Slow Cooker Ham Broth

This a new take on an old recipe my mum used to make which my brother and I called “gruel” OK it wasn’t awful or anything like that but when you are little all you really want to eat is sausage egg and chips 🤣🤣

I remember my mum cooking this in our pressure cooker, that gadget used to put the fear of god into me wondering if the house was going to blowing up – that tiny little weight thing on top of the lid rattling for dear life.

Pressure cookers like everything else in life have come a long way thankfully and so has this recipe or my take on it.

Let’s talk broth mix, when you are using a slow cooker you really don’t need to presoak the broth mix if you leave it long enough it will cook perfectly. However that’s where the problem lies you could end up with crunchy lentils if it’s not cooked for the correct period of time, so I have suggested you presoaking them.

I used leftover Gammon / Ham in my recipe but you can really use anything leftover lamb, bacon chicken but if the meat is cooked add it the last hour of cooking.

If you are confident in using your slow cooker this is a perfect recipe for overnight cooking providing the smell of cooking wafting through the house doesn’t wake you up.

by julessmithie

Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken

I have seen various recipes for this floating around social media but I wanted to try and tweak it slightly to make it more calorie friendly.

The recipe states 1 chicken breast or 2 if you like the reason for this is when you start to add vegetables into this recipe together with the pasta it really does make loads depending on your portion sizes this easily serves 3. I used 1 chicken breast and i felt it was enough when everything was added but as always do what suits you best.

This recipe isn’t cast in stone as it’s perfect for adding all those bits in the fridge that need using up and when you see the “how to video” you will see i added ingredients that are optional but definetly not necessary.

In short it’s a fab base recipe for you to add whatever you like to it.

by julessmithie

Sweet & Sour Chicken Nuggets

I have been trying to make this recipe since the beginning of January 🙈 as its a perfect vegetarian recipe for Meat Free Monday but as with all things in my life it takes time to get these things done.

However, here we are and I can definitely say this one was worth the wait it was amazing really hit the spot and if you’re craving a takeaway then maybe give this a try.

Use any chicken nuggets you like i used Quorn to keep the recipe vegetarian but any will work. In the recipe you will see i have said either add the nuggets to the pan after they are cooked and coat them in the sauce or pour the sauce over them.

The reason for this is that to coating on the nuggets can go soft and a little “soggy” if you leave them sitting in the sauce too long – but to be honest I really enjoyed them that way, this is one of those personal preference things.

OK let’s get to the million dollar question regarding SYNS or calories unfortunately I can’t give you that information because it depends on the ingredients used.

Tomato Sauce – depends on the brand you use at the minute I’m using Tesco own brand low salt low sugar which is 7 Cals per tablespoon such a fantastic find – but yours maybe different and much higher or lower in calories.

Sugar – If you are following Slimming World Sweetener is now synned but if you are a rebel like me then I don’t and won’t syn its because I don’t use it anywhere else in my diet. Remember to do whatever is best for you and the diet plan you are following.

by julessmithie