Whip me! Chocolate tarts!

Oh behave yourselves! The heat is getting to you... ok so a quickie recipe, well less recipe more ensemble if you will... 

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a posh 'dinner do' and was asked to bring 'dessert', now normally I'd be baking like a trooper but you know when you're just not in the mood... well I just wasn't in the mood... so a quick root around the cupboards to see what I could put together et voila! Chocolate mousse tarts... Tangent: I really want the woman on master chef to describe my food... 

So... the sweet pastry tarts are 2PP each... the Weight Watchers 'Whip' is 2PP per pack and I got 3 well filled 'tarts' for that...

the rest is whatever you've got to hand... mini marshmallows, buttons, chocolate sauce, loads fruit and get decorating... root about in the baking cupboard...

To make the mousse... easy... whisk it up in milk and DONE as Gordon would say!

PLUS think of the activity points you earn if you just use a whisk! 

These are 2PP per tartlet, I know M&S so a similar version when I find out how they work out I'll update it here... Tesco also do 'mini' ones which are 1PP each.. 

1 Pack of the Chocolate Whip gave me 3 well filled tarts... Leave them in the fridge for about 30mins and ta da!!! they'll all think you've been SLAVIN' away and there's only one bowl to wash up! 

Then get decorating, which is the fun part! Lotsa fruit for the people watching their points... and full on choccie overload for the rest!

 I bought the heart shaped biccies in M&S for Valentines day, they were just about in date!

et voila! Done in 20 mins, ProPoint friendly and yes that is lego cutlery! 

Happy weekend everyone x

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Sunny raisins!

I spotted these raisin snack packs in Tesco recently... I've always loved sultanas and raisins... and some of the health stores do some yummy chocolate or yoghurt covered versions... I got these for the flight and 'hanging around the airport' snacks so I won't go mad before I even get there... These are 25g bags, so something that will fit in the handbag or to leave in the car... I'm thinking they'd be handy to bring to the cinema too!

The chocolate covered ones are really nice... they don't have that horrible cooking chocolate taste but its no bar of Galaxy either... but for 3PP they're not bad for a snack..

I haven't tried the custard ones yet... I'll report back once I'm home...  Again they're 3PP for the 25g pack... same as a Curly Wurly but more chewing on them! 

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hello summer..... um....

Probably the coldest wettest day in May ever to be posting this but you'll be prepared for when the heatwave gets here next week yeah?!? *crosses fingers, toes and eyes!*

ICE CREAM...
After eight ice cream dessert 100g = 7 pp
Brunch = 6 pp
Calippo (orange) = 3 pp
Carte dor light ice cream 50g/100ml = 2 pp
Choc ice = 5 pp
Cornetto Classico = 5 pp
Cornetto Strawberry = 5 pp 
Cornetto Mint = 5 pp
Crème egg ice cream = 5 pp
Del Monte Iced smoothie (raspberry) = 3 pp
Del Monte Ice Lollies (orange) = 2 pp
Feast = 8 pp
Frozen Fruit Pastilles Ice Lolly = 2 pp
Galaxy Caramel Ice Cream = 8 pp
Ice berger = 5 pp
Ice cream, low-fat, 1 scoop = 2 pp
Loop the Loop ice pop = 2 pp
Magnum white = 7 pp
Magnum classic = 7 pp
Magnum almond = 7 pp
Malteaser Ice Cream = 4 pp
Mars Ice Cream = 4 pp
Mini Magnum = 5 pp
Mini Milk Ice Lollies = 1 pp
Maxi twist = 5 pp
Mint cornetto = 5 pp
Ribena Ice Lollies = 1 pp
Skinny Cow Triple Chocolate Brownie Ice cream 3x100ml = 2 pp
Skinny Cow Mint Double Chocolate Ice Cream 3x100ml = 3 pp
Smartie Cone = 5 pp
Snickers ice cream = 6 pp 
Solero Exotic = 3 pp
Super split = 2 pp 
Twister = 2 pp
Wibbly wobbly wonder = 4 pp

and for the '99' fans.. sans Flake I'm afraid... Booooooo 

Small = 4 pp

Medium = 5 pp

Large = 6 pp

(these are listed on the right under dairy if you get stuck... >>> )

Now for a little diet maths... I like you all to get more food for your ProPoints!

The Skinny Cow... no relation... is stocked in the bigger Supervalus and in some Tescos... there's three in a box and are 2 PP ... and honestly... they are streets ahead of the mini magnums... even the WW ones which at 3PP are just the same as the 'real' mini magnums... twice the ice cream for a ProPoint less! 

The REAL mini magnums come in at 5 PP for the classic, almond and white... But it's only 7 PP for the classic full size magnum, 8 PP for the full size almond and 7 PP for the full size white! See where I'm going with this... 

Magnum 'temptation' chocolate is 6 PP... 'Temptation' caramel & almond is 7pp... 

Top of the magnums is the 'Double caramel' at 10 PP !

and the celebratory 25 year Magnum Marc De Champagne is 7 PP 

Now if someone could sort out the weather... sigh... 

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Foxes Bis-quits...

Bis-quits as the panda bear calls em... 

These are a version of your Cafe Noir biccies without the icing on em... 1PP each and the diet maths don't help... its 1PP each no matter how many you have... I brought these to a friends house for coffee and had two... sadly gone in seconds with NO dunkability i might add. prepare to fish em out of your tea! However the caramel flavour is lovely but you'll still get 4 Cafe Noirs for 2PP... 

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'Skoff' pies by Donal Skehan

You all know I'm all about promoting Irish stuff... restaurants.. new products... I'm all about supporting the locals! 

Donal Skehans new range of pies 'Skoff' are 20PP each... I can't tell you if they're tasty but I'm pretty sure they are... I love his blog, in fact it was one of the first I followed! His TV show not so much... the 'drunk camera man' style of filming annoys me, but I'm putting that down to me not being 'hip' enough... I do enjoy his recipes and regularly pop over to his blog to see if there's anything new... Going by what I've heard online, these are very tasty... not big enough to share in my opinion, unless you had half today and half tomorrow but if you do that, be honest with yourself! 20PP is very high even if you piled your plate with veg... If anyone tries the pulled pork one let me know!  

 Prime Beef & Stout - 20PP for 275g

Hearty Pulled Pork - 20PP for 275g

Tender Chicken & Ham - 20PP for 275g

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Ice… Ice… Baby!

Summer is a coming, hopefully! Ice coffees are back … and I'm a BIG fan… I do make my own version in the summer so I can control the milk and the strength without the cream and extras … I spotted these in Dunnes and I bought the skinny one… To be honest it could have done with another shot of expresso… but it does say that its mild on the bottle so no complaining … They're all 230ml and if you like an iced coffee or just something different, 2PP for the skinny one isn't bad value at all! 

Caffe Latte Cappuccino is 4PP 

Caffe Latte Caramel is 4PP 

(its the NY edition I HAD to point it!)

Caffe Latte Skinny is 2PP 

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Sparkly Jelly...

Fed up of boring old jelly… but it's ZERO pro points… better than a cupcake (not really 'better' but 'better FOR you' than a cupcake… sigh…) but it's a bit like butternut squash soup… you can overdose on it… I'm actually craving salad weather… so c'mere, add a bit of fizz to the world… sparkly jelly! Soooo easy its not even funny! 

Two ingredients… sugar free jelly & 7up Free 

or whatever sugar free soft drink you like… 

Tangent… I've tried raspberry jelly with diet coke and 

if you're a fan of cherry coke, you'll love it! Play around with it… 

I have a friend who makes the orange jelly with diet orange soda every weekend its her treat and it satisfies that sweet tooth craving without massive calories! 

Put your jelly into a bowl and boil the kettle… 

Pour in enough boiling water to dissolve the granules … 

it should have the consistency of a gel…

Fill up to required level with your sugar free 7UP … 

Do it very slowly or you'll have a head on it like a pint of Guinness … 

Once you're sure it's totally dissolved then pour into your mould… 

fancy cocktail glasses, bowls, ice cube trays whatever takes your fancy … 

and experiment with the flavours and colours … 

I'm trying lime, lemon and orange for St. Patricks day!

Then into the fridge … 

Take it out a few minutes before you turn it out… 

et voila … sparkly jelly… simples … 

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Spicy Sunday!

Given all the spicy talk this week... here's a yummy recipe that's SO easy and yum! 

Moroccan Chicken with Couscous

Serves 2 • 10 pp per serving

Very filling, considering the weather changing and soup time upon us... this recipe is SO quick, easy and full of flavour! and for the spicy Dolls amongst us soooooo nom! 

I need what now?

10pp per serving

Spray Oil - 0 pp

1 tbsp Clear Honey

2 Chicken Breasts, sliced or diced - 8 pp

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin 

1 tsp Moroccan Seasoning

1 tin tomatoes

Hand full of baby tomatoes

120ml chicken or veg stock - 1pp

1 Pepper

1 courgette

1 onion

Mange-tout

Baby Corn

Ainsley Harriott Roasted Vegetable Style Couscous (10pp)

But how do I?

Spray a large non-stick frying pan with Frylight.

Place chicken into the frying pan and drizzle with the honey, 

cook over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until golden. 

In a separate pan, spray with oil and fry the onions till soft adding in the spices, 

followed by the tomatoes, pepper, mangetout in fact any zero point veg will bulk this out... mushrooms...

Add the stock and cooked chicken to the vegetables and bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes until the liquid is reduced.

While this is simmering, make up couscous according to instructions. When it's ready fork through to fluff it up, and then serve with the chicken on top.

Hoover!

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Natural born fillers...

What contemptible scoundrel has stolen the cork to my lunch?

W. Clement Stone

Lunches... is one of the meals that really get to people.. and if you don't eat breakfast its a big deal... cause you're STARVING by the time it comes around and you'll just grab anything thinking you've got loads of propoints ... then those who have had breakkie, don't want to use too many points but you need all the energy you can muster to get you through the afternoon without choccie! A meal thats too heavy in the middle of the day and there'll be naps at desks... and its the one meal most of us at one stage or another need to grab on the go ... be it in petrol station or a corner shop where the selection isn't great and all we need is energy to get us through the afternoon... and really we all want to save points for the evening when the munchies attack!

First up .. SOUP.. I've posted on here a million times.. HERE's one that's yum, with loads of ideas for added flavour and zero pp.. it fills you up.. its good for you... experiment with it.. freeze it in individual portions and you're onto a winner... its basic staple!

If you have access to a kitchen try the 

Zero PP omlette!

Spray oil your pan and fry off some onions or shallots and use a tbsp of canderel or similar to caramelize them… add cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, some courgettes, peppers whatever you fancy and flavor them with garlic, chilli, pepper etc worcestershire sauce will beef it up a little as will a teaspoon of bovril.. 

I know I know.. but don't knock it till you try it!  

Whisk up 3 - 4 egg whites and get them fluffy.. 

this will give you a bigger omlette both visually and in your tummy… 

you could nearly double the size of the omlette from whisking alone... 

Add a tiny bit of mustard if you want to trick yourself that its yellow! This works! 

Then pour the egg whites over your veg in the pan.. 

turn the heat down and let it cook slowly through… when its nearly done.. 

pop your pan under the grill and brown the top of it.. 

and for 0.5pp met 3 laughing cow extra light triangles over the top! 

You'll be stuffed I promise! AND... only one pan to wash up!

Tricking yourself into think you have more on your plate at lunch time is the key!

For the sandwich lovers amongst us..  a mug of soup before you tuck into a sarnie can make you feel fuller and help cut down the PPs... but try wraps, bagels, Pat the Baker has his new Slims out which are great and different... try an open sandwich... variety is what's going to keep you interested and not just having the same old boring egg sandwich then grabbing a bag of crisps and hitting the vending machine mid afternoon!

Make lunch exciting... I can hear your eyes rolling from here... but take the time to do a lunch box and put it in the freezer... it won't kill you!

Yoghurts, mini cheeses, crackers and don't hit me.. FRUIT! Filling up on a variety of things will mean you'll feel full without rushing in the door and putting on the toaster, before you ever get to making dinner... and takes only minutes to assemble in the evening.. and if your office has a microwave.. when you're cooking in the evening.. add a little extra and bring it in for lunch! My lunch box has started MANY a cooking debate with some added recipe swaps!

BREAD... all listed on the page on the right...  >>>>>>>

THE ZERO/HERO FILLERS...
lettuce, spring Onion, white/red onion, tomatoes, cress, peppers - 
tip - if you roast these when you're cooking the night before .. YUM! 
cucmber, radishes, capers, gherkins, beansprouts, beetroot, the list goes on...
... all the zero PP stuff can go in here! GO FOR IT!

FOR THE DRESSINGS...
Capers, Curry Powder, Garlic, Ginger, fresh or ground, All herbs and spices – fresh or dried, lemon, low fat cooking spray, mint sauce, mustard, soy sauce, tabasco sauce, teriyaki sauce, thai fish sauce, fat or oil free salad dressing, Balsamic vinegar.. experiment... 

THE PROTEINS...
Tuna in brine/water = 2 pp
1 med slice of roast chicken = 1 pp
2 slices of dennis Crumbled ham  = 1 pp
1 medium slice roast beef 35g = 3 PP
1 portion of King Prawns cooked (100g) = 3 pp
1 medium portion of smoked salmon 60g = 2 pp
1 med boiled egg = 2 pp
1 large boiled egg = 3 pp


THE READY MADES

M&S 

Free range egg & cress = 9 pp

Fuller longer italian style chicken & pesto flatbread = 8 pp

Salmon & Cucumber Eat Well sandwich = 8 pp

Low Cal Ham Sandwich = 7 pp

SUBWAY

Turkey wrap = 8 pp

Veggie Delite wrap = 6 pp

6-inch Roast Beef on white or wheat bread = 7 pp

STARBUCKS

BLT = 13 pp 

Free range egg mayo = 10 pp 

Mature cheddar with pickle = 13 pp 

Oak smoked salmon and soft cheese sandwich = 10 pp 

Roasted chicken with herb mayo = 9 pp 

Toasted club sandwich = 14 pp 

Tuna gluten fee = 12 pp 

Turkey feast sandwich = 12 pp

TESCO

Cheese & ham = 8 pp 
Tuna & Cucumber = 7 pp

COSTA
BLT = 11 pp
Free Range Egg = 10 pp
Chicken Salad = 8 pp
Tuna Salad = 7 pp
Cheddar Ploughmans Roll - 12 pp
Ham Hock & mustard Pickle Roll = 8 ppChicken & Bacon Club = 13 pp
Chicken & pesto Panini = 11 pp
Goats Cheese & Caramelised Onion Chutney Panini = 6 pp
Ham & Cheese Panini = 12 pp
Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Panini = 10 pp
Ragu Meatball Panini = 13 pp
Ham & Cheese Toastie = 8 pp
Ham & Cheese Croissant = 9 pp
Tomato & Emmental Croissant = 9 pp
Chicken Fajita Wrap = 11 pp
Chilli Beef Wrap = 14 pp
Sausage bap/roll = 12 pp
All Day Breakfast Bap = 19 pp
Bacon roll = 10 pp
Tuna Melt panini = 12 pp

Doll x

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ALL IN ONE!!!!!

Ice cream, chocolate and cake... ALL IN ONE!!!! 

I mean are they trying to upset me!

Cadburys, bless em, have brought these beauties out .. Ice cream flavoured cakes! 

You heard me! AND you can freeze them.. and they are lush! 

These raspberry ripple flavoured ones are especially nice but I'm a massive raspberry fan and freezing them isn't as crazy as it sounds! Being a savoury gal... I can usually take or leave these kinda things but a visitor brought them round and at 3PP each, I'd have spent that on a few biccies and not have enjoyed them half as much!

Raspberry Ripple - 3 pp per roll

Mint Choc Chip - 3 pp per roll

Toffee Ripple - 4 pp per roll

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