Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing a naughty but nice treat with You all today. It’s not low fat or particularly clean it’s just good old fashioned wholesome food. It’s a tasty treat for all the family without any processed junk or chemical additives. It’s easy to make and can be frozen and used at a later date. I have made this and sliced it up and frozen it in little individual freezer bags. Very handy for the aul portion control. Let’s face it We all need a little treat now and again. It’s nice to have a few simple recipes You can call on from time to time. Most of the ingredients are from Aldi as I tend to shop there most of the time. It’s very low cost to make Your own bread. I don’t really do it to save money as most of You know I love to cook, it’s just a bonus. 

  
There’s been a lot of talk lately about hidden sugars and nasties in our food. I think it’s good that We are becoming more aware and thinking before We buy. For me a good rule of thumb is to check the sell by date. If there’s a fifteen month stretch on the best before date, You probably shouldn’t buy it let alone eat it.

We can’t be saints all the time. On occasions and certain times of the year it’s nice to indulge a little, but We can still keep it reasonably y healthy by going for real food. Spending a few minutes extra in the kitchen per day can really improve the quality of of our food consumption and make all the difference to our long term health. Knowing what We are eating is half the battle. The only way to do this is to get creative in the kitchen. 

So anyway here’s the recipe, enjoy it. It’s a perfect one to make for Paddys day or Easter especially if There’s family coming to visit. You can all WOW them with Your baking skills.

Thanks for reading and please share

Love Maria 

Ingredients list

250g of self raising flour

20g of sugar

2 mashed bananas 

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon of baking powder

50g of chopped walnuts 

30g of chopped hazelnuts

 20g of desicated coconut 

30g of sultanas

300mls of buttermilk 

15g of coconut oil melted 

 
Method

Pre heat Your oven to 180 degrees.

In a mixing bowl add all Your dry ingredients and mix well. 

Add in the buttermilk and mashed bananas until You have a batter similar to pancake mix. 

Melt the coconut oil in the microwave and pour in. (If you don’t have coconut oil you can use real butter) it will do the exact same thing. 

Line a loaf tin with grease proof paper and pour the mix in. 

Scatter some desicated coconut and a few walnuts on the top.

Bake at 180 for 50-60 minutes 

Check by using a skewer if there’s no cake mix on the skewer it’s fully cooked.

Wrap in a clean tea-towel and leave to cool in the tin. This leaves the bread lovely & moist. 

Sunday evening is the perfect time for a fakeaway. Beef chow mein is super simple and only takes a few minutes. It’s tasty and filling and I bought all the ingredients in Aldi so it’s way cheaper than getting a Chinese. I thought I’d share this really easy recipe. If you are craving a Chinese but trying to lose a few lbs for the party season. This is the perfect Sunday evening guilt free comfort food. You can adapt this recipe with chicken or prawns to suit your own taste. 

Enjoy, and let me know if you try it. As I am using social media to grow my blog I’d appreciate if you can share my post. Thank you as always.

Love Maria xx

 

 
Ingredients 

• 1 pack of stirfry beef strips
• Aldi straight to wok noodles.
• 1 courgette
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion 
• A few mushrooms 
• 1 clove of garlic 
• 2 slices of sweet jalapeño peppers (optional)
• 1 red pepper
• Soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of tomato purée 

Method, chop the veg in fine strips. Sautée the garlic and onion in one cal spray until soft. Add the meat and brown. Toss in the veg and soy sauce and tomato purée stirfry until cooked to your liking. Add in the straight to wok noodles. They are individual packs so add on one packed per person. Mix well and serve.

Hi Everyone 

Well it’s the start of a new week and We are back to reality again. It’s back to healthy eating, walks and hydration for me. I had to face the reality of the scales today and holy mother of god I gained 7lbs!! I’m not surprised really considering the gluttony of An all inclusive holiday. This made me feel ugghhhhhhh!!! I’m Just absolutely sickened, but hey it’s done now. I’ve faced it head on and accepted it. Shur it happens to us all, right? The important thing is not to dwell on it. Move on get back on track and lose it again. There’s a huge difference between gaining a few lbs because you were living it up on holidays and weight gain from comfort eating. I know because I struggled to break my bad habits. It was a long road and it was really tough but I did it. Believe me I know better than anyone that weight management is a constant struggle. Even after maintaining my weight loss for over a year, it still takes a lot of work not to fall off the wagon. 

 

I use a few little mind tricks to pull myself back to reality after a big blow out. Progress photos really motivate me. Looking at how far I’ve come really makes me realise how much I need to keep going for my own happiness. I never hated myself when I was three stone heavier, but I didn’t feel like me. I know I’ll never be skinny and I’m fine with that. I love my curves, I just don’t want to be excessively overweight for my body shape. Size 14 is normal for me and I’m really happy at that size I really feel like myself in it. 

  
I’m a great fan of writing lists, writing down the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining my weight is a favourite of mine. Looking at it on paper helps to set my mind straight and stop me from losing my willpower. Clothes shopping is also a huge motivator for me. I love to shop especially in River Island and the thoughts of my lovely clothes not fitting anymore puts the fear of God into me. 

   

So my next step in getting back on the bandwagon is to do my shopping list, meal plan, head to Aldi and get all my supplies. I’m a great believer in the old saying “fail to prepare, prepare to fail” Having healthy food close at hand is half the battle. Getting back to exercise with a brisk walk in the fresh air will help to lift any holiday blues and give me a good energy boost for the day. 

  

  
So it’s back to UNislim on Wednesday for me. I hear they have a new recipe booklet out for autum. I’m looking forward to trying out some new meals over the coming weeks. I’m dying to make some pumpkin soup also. I made some last year with cinnamon and it was just gorgeous. A perfect autumnal warming meal. Il post the recipe soon, it’s really delicious. 
  

Thank You for reading this post, I hope it brings you some Monday motivation. Please hit the Facebook or Twitter icon under this post to share it on Your social media account. I appreciate all your support.

Chat soon, Maria xx