September - #wwphotoaday!

It's Back To School time... back to the routines, back to the scarves, gloves and losing brollies on a weekly basis! Honestly I love routine, I do SO much better when I'm not gallivanting around and blaming holidays on me losing the plot! I'm not an autumn/winter fan.. I suffer from SAD so I'm already on the countdown to the 21st of Dec so the days can start getting brighter, I'm not a big fan of Santas' holiday, and the misery of the weather really gets me down... The only thing I do love about this time of year is Halloween! But for the month of September, I'm getting back into my groove and and have become a planning queen! I'm committing to doing every day this month of the #wwphotoaday tag over on instagram! No messing! Join in every day or just pick the days you fancy and don't forget to add the hashtag #wwphotoaday so we can all have good nosy at your tips and tricks! Can you believe we're already in September?!? Where did the year go? Lets make the last few months of 2017 AWESOME! x

Skinny Slaw from M&S

Anyone else hanging onto the summer with all of their might?! I hate autumn and winter... like full on proper hate so I'm wearing my flip flops in the house and keeping the summer going for as long as I can! 'Skinny Slaws' spotted in M&S the other day and I thought I'd share... I hope we get an indian summer!!! x

M&S Skinny Slaw - Coconut, butternut & broccoli with cranberries

per 70g portion - 3SP 

per 210g tub - 10SP

M&S Skinny Slaw - Beetroot, apple & pink cabbage with horseradish

per 70g portion - 3SP

per 210g tub - 8SP

M&S Skinny Slaw - Lightly pickled cucumber carrots & spring onion

with Korean chilli

per 70g portion - 3SP 

per 210g tub - 8SP

Posh Bits!

When I was at the Taste of Dublin this year I came across these new choccie 'Posh Bits' from Nakd! Dark flavoured choccie bits, so a little is a lot! A lot of people who are on here rave about their bars... A 35g portion is one of your five a day! Suitable for vegans... Anyone tried these out?! x

Nakd Posh Bits Cocoa Mandarin flavour 

per 35g portion - 6SP

per 130g bag - 21SP

Nakd Posh Bits Cocoa Raspberry flavour 

per 35g portion - 6SP

per 130g bag - 22SP

Nakd Posh Bits Cocoa Sea Salt flavour 

per 35g portion - 6SP

per 130g bag - 22SP

Why it's OK to 'start again' ...

We see it all the time from the weight loss purists 'oh she's starting again... EVERY Monday she's starting again...' Getting healthy for some people is a 24/7 job and they can kinda look down on those of us who 'go mad' at the weekend... they tut at our loss of self control, they give knowing nods when we're tweeting pics of our G&Ts on a Saturday night and are never shocked when we're up at the scales... they're right of course in one respect, giving yourself permission to go mad all the time isn't healthy but I love people who live their life to the full and the definition of that is different for everyone. Some people have a fancy cream cake on a Saturday with a full fat latte, some people live for their Chinese every week, for some it's a bottle of wine on a Saturday watching telly, while others just want cocktails with their friends. 'Starting again' just means you're living your life and still not giving up on your goals! How many times have you had disastrous weekend and let it slide for the whole week? Before you know it a month has passed and you're in a worse place that if you had just enjoyed that treat and got back in the game straight away! I'm not a purist, I love living my life to the full... like most people I learned from a young age that life is short and in 50 years time no one is going to care if I had a gin and tonic at the weekend but I know if I keep chipping away at my weight loss I'll still feel a bit better about me every day! So, draw the lines in the sand, start afresh and wipe a slate clean it's Monday and we have the whole week ahead of us! x 

Don't lose yourself!

So your mum thinks those jeans are lovely but would be a bit 'nicer' if you weren't a bit chubby... Your auntie thinks you should give up the diet lark, you look dreadful when your TOO skinny! You're the 'cuddly' one in the family and sure aren't you grand the way you are! Your friends LOVE that you're always up for junk food after shopping, I mean they love you just the way you are too... bigger than them! Himself likes something to hold onto, loves you regardless but your refusing to turn on the lights, in case he gets a look at what you really look like under that duvet and he'll leave you! 

If you made a list of what everyone thought about you and your body, and tried to keep them all happy, you would look like some kind of frankenstein concoction! I mean, I would love to have brown eyes, no amount of weight is going to make that happen... No one is going to be taller when they get to goal... but trying to make everyone else happy means you won't be! You want to lose weight to get into those jeans, tune out the mothers voice! Your auntie thinks your five, and 5 year olds should not be skinny in her mind... You 'friends' want you to be the one always trying to lose weight, always up for chips and pizza, and you seem happy enough so what's the problem... you make them feel better about them and their bodies! Most of these might not be true or you can understand every single on of them! The only person you need to keep happy is you! If you're happy, every one around you will be happy for you and you'll be a lot more fun to be hang out with!  

All of the pies!

Back in the land of the living and these were in the freezer to save the day on the first day back! 

These were send to me from the Kinsale Bay Food company as they have rebranded their range and I've kept these in the freezer for just such a post holiday emergency! The fish pie is EPIC! Just sayin' 

All Irish made & gluten free... You can pick these up in SuperValu ... x

Kinsale Bay Food Company - Fish Pie

per 400g tub - 13SP

Kinsale Bay Food Company - Cottage Pie

per 400g portion - 12SP

Kinsale Bay Food Company - Shepards Pie

per 400g portion - 12SP

Do it for you!

We've all done it... a bridesmaid dress, a communion, holiday, wedding... we've all lost weight for other things... remember photos last a lifetime! But sometimes you've got to think about what got you to the scales... high blood pressure? Feeling tired all the time? The misery of clothes shopping? The ultimate goal is to make you happy... if you're happy, it filters through to everyone you love and everything you do... You can play with your kids now... YAY! Doctor gives you a clean bill of health? YAY! You're no longer a misery to be around because you're happy in your own skin and everyone can see that! So when you run out of reasons to do it... just remember to do it for you! 

Guilt Free Snacking?

Just look at the difference in SmartPoints! Before I left town, I SmartPointed the new recipe 'Guilt Free Snacking' range of popcorns from M&S and right beside the I snapped some of the 'Not so guilty' flavours! They do look amazing but how many of us could open the bag, take out a portion and walk away?! Another lesson in mindless shopping! Not me and I don't even have a sweet tooth! x

Marks & Spencer Guilt Free Snacking - Chocolate & Pecan Toffee popcorn

per 27g bag - 6SP

Marks & Spencer Guilt Free Snacking - Lemon & Poppy Seed Toffee popcorn

per 27g bag - 6SP

Marks & Spencer Guilt Free Snacking - Salted Caramel popcorn

per 27g bag - 6SP

M&S Air Popped popcorn - Milk Chocolate & Salted Almond brittle

per 50g portion - 10SP

per 175g bag - 37SP

M&S Air Popped popcorn - Dark Chocolate & Toasted Coconut

per 50g portion - 11SP

per 175g bag - 39SP

I know.. I know... but look at it! *drools*

M&S Air Popped popcorn - Raspberry Eton Mess Flavour

per 50g portion - 10SP

per 175g bag - 36SP

What's your body type?

I remember in my first french class in school, our teacher went round the class asking how many brothers and sisters we all had... I was the only, only child in my class and she said... ah you will need to say this...  'Je suis un enfant unique!' I am a unique child, something my mum would probably agree with but for different reasons! 

All those magazines and online surveys with headlines that scream 'we can fix you because you've got XYZ body type!' is all nonsense! 'Is your beach body ready?!' Like they say, got a body? at the beach? You've already got a beach body! 

You can't package everyone up into the same box! Everyone is different... and people's weight loss journeys are different... Your body type is you! Some people lose two pounds a week and that's that!  Others lose half pound every second week and that's that! There is not one other human on the planet like you and there won't ever be another one like you! You need to do what's good for your body, what make you feel good, what gives you energy and makes you happy! Don't compare your journey to someone else, they're doing whats good for them... Thankfully we're not all the same, we don't all conform to what some magazine tells us... we're all unique so you do you!

Get out of your own way!

This weeks tip comes to from my counsellor! Good lord that woman has earned her money! Something she has been telling me for years... literally years! I am my own worst enemy! I can dream up fabulous excuses not to do things, I can talk my way in and out of pretty much anything elcept what I want to do! Yet when I just get out of the way and do what i really want, I'm happy, delighted with life! Who knew!? So today think... what's holding you back? Why won't you wear that red dress? those crazy earrings that you love? why won't you go to that party? Why are you hold yourself back? What's the real reason? Because in 100 years time, hell 50 years time it's really not going to matter! x

Quark!

I recently posted this on my Instagram page and lots of interest! Usually to flavour quark it's add some choc shot or some flavouring with fruit but these are yum! Only two in the range, plus the original plain one and for the 150g tub they are 2SP! If you're getting a bit bored with the plain stuff they are definitely worth a try, very thick and creamy for the dessert fans! I got these in SuperValu. 

x

Lindahls Quark Raspberry/Vanilla per 150g tub - 2SP