Slimming World - week 1

I know this says week one, and I know technically it's not my first ever week on the plan, but in order to start back in 2016 with a clean slate and a belly full of nothing but ambition, I am treating it like I am starting again. So week one came and it left. I was really happy with my progress this week, losing 3lbs in total! :)

I don't know whether it's the welcome relief of salads and soups after a glutinous festive period, or whether starting from scratch again made me really stick to the plan, but either way, a 3lb loss is a very welcome thing indeed.

This week was all about getting back to work and back into routine, and as a result I didn't really have many things standing in my way this week. No challenges, meals out or workarounds. Just plain old healthy eating, which is exactly what I needed.

Breakfasts this week were a mix of fruit and yoghurt, with the occasional omelette and eggs/bacon. Lunches were a good mix of salads and soups - my recipe of the week being one of these lunches. (See below) Dinner highlights this week included a wonderful hubby-concocted (and free) Chilli con Carne, while I made sesame turkey meatballs with chilli noodle broth, which I will definitely make again and do a recipe post for next time. They were supremely tasty, really filling and (best of all) very low in syns.

SW Saver - 1.5 syns

Cuppas in the evening with the telly were made a lot easier by my SW Saver this week - Lotus biscuits! If you haven't tried these, drop whatever you are doing and go bag yourself some. They are delicious, caramel-y and heavenly - and only 1.5 syns each, to boot.

My recipe of the week has to be this. It was so good, even my husband didn't mind the fact that I served him a salad. For dinner.

Not a picture of mine, but similar
to how the chicken *should* look (mine did not)

Warm balsamic glazed chicken salad

4 slices smoked bacon, all fat removed
4 chicken fillets
1 rosemary sprig, leaves torn off
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
596g new potatoes, halved
255g cherry tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon
113g baby spinach leaves

How to
Wrap a piece of bacon around each fillet, secure with a cocktail stick. Place in a shallow bowl with the rosemary leaves and balsamic vinegar, turn a few times to coat and set aside to marinade for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until tender. Cook the tomatoes in a griddle pan until cooked through, turning frequently. Drain the potatoes, place in a serving bowl and keep warm.

Return the griddle pan to the heat, and add the marinated chicken and balsamic juices and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pan, slice and add to the serving bowl.

Add the lemon juice to the balsamic juices in the griddle pan and gently heat through. Drizzle over the warm salad and add the baby spinach leaves. Toss the ingredients together to evenly coat.

Serve.

The only things standing in the way this week are my dad's birthday, which means a cake I will have to try to resist, and a dinner out with friends. Other than that, things should be plain sailing this week, allowing me another good loss (I hope!)

This week's loss: 3lbs
Total loss in 2016: 3lbs
Aim for next week: 2lbs