Dine ins...

More from the 'just get it cooked already' camp.. I'm not a huge fan of ready meals... there are two in my freezer for absolute emergencies... but having these kind of things in the cupboard means you can get some chicken/prawns or just veggies in the pan and be eating dinner in 20 minutes... it takes that long to order a chinese, which would do SO much more damage! 

These all work out at 4PP per pack, which is for both the spices and the marinade, you need to ProPoint everything else but as these are for 2 - 4 servings, it would work out at 1PP per serving if you're cooking for 4! BARGAIN!

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Spice spice baby...

We don't all have the time to make a curry and spicy meals from scratch, so here's two ranges that are around at the moment, I spotted them in my local Supervalu, that are FULL of flavour! 

Street Kitchen... 

Bengali Beef Curry works out at 2PP per serving... 7PP - 255g pack

North Indian Butter Chicken - 3PP per serving - 9PP per 255g pack

Punjabi Cashew Korma - 2PP per serving - 9PP per 255g pack

and Something South African, again FULL of flavour and low in ProPoints! 

Spicy Durban Curry Cooking Sauce - 2PP per 100g serving - 8PP per 400g pack

Cape Malay Curry Cooking Sauce - 2PP per 100g serving - 8PP per 400g pack

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Curry in a hurry!

A quick recipe as requested by some of my instagram followers after last nights 'curry in a hurry' pic ... 

I came home quite late and was STARVING... I mean 'call Bob Geldof..' kinda hungry... My bread was in the freezer because I can't be trusted with the toaster whilst I loiter in the kitchen... so after a large glass of water... I stood at the fridge and thought right... curry! 

I had plenty in the fridge to make enough for two nights, so the total Propoints of the recipe is 14PP, which I just ate without carbs on the first night cause it was too late... but you'd have to ProPoint your rice or nan breads... which is 1PP per 30g ... weigh it out! 

What in it?!

2 Chicken breasts - 8PP

2 Knorr Curry Flavour pots - 1PP

100g of Half fat Creme Fraiche - 5PP

You could also use natural yoghurt but you'll need to ProPoint individual brands... 

and the ZERO HEROS

Red Peppers

Onion

Mushrooms

Sweet Peppers

Chilli Salt

Curry Powder

Left over cherry tomatoes...


How? 

Chop the chicken, smaller the better it will cook faster, spray your pan and cook it through... do this first whilst you're chopping the veggies... 

Throw the onions in first... they take a few mins longer to soften, then add the rest... feel free to use any veggies you like... I had a few baby tomatoes left over, it bulks up it up... Now to season, I add these all pretty much one after the other and mix it all well...  first up, Simplee Chilli Sea Salt for a bit of heat... 

A tablespoon of curry powder... this is all down to personal preference... I don't like my curries too hot, so the 'Medium' version from Sharwoods is perfick for me! 

then I add a Knorr Flavour pot... these add LOADS of flavour without all the points! 

They look like this... 

To that I add 100g of Half Fat Creme Fraiche from Tesco... for the PP of other brands check  >>> HERE <<< but this one is really nice and just adds that creaminess that you want from a curry... and leave it simmer for a few minutes so all the favours infuse...

Get your bowl ready... grab a fork... divide it in two and inhale... it's all very quick once you've got your chicken cooked through...

Anyone got any twists they add? 

Enjoy x

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Padraigin's Pizza

It's Irish... it's freshly frozen and 100% natural so it ticks all my boxes... oh and it's delicious... I spotted these in my local SuperValu so they're out there... and although a little high in Propoints if you like to try new stuff they're worth a look... 

I purchased the 'Hot & Spicy' version and I added my usual freebies to bulk it up to keep me away from the garlic bread.. I added peppers and mushrooms and some wafer thin ham I had left over in the fridge! 

There are 6 pizzas in the range, all 400g for the full pizza... the diet maths are having fun with these ones.. but here you go... 

Vegetable Garden 

5PP per 100g - 10PP for half - 19PP for the full pizza

Ham & Mushroom

6PP per 100g - 11PP for half - 23PP for the full pizza

Black & White pudding - I KNOW!

6PP per 100g - 13PP for half - 25PP for the full pizza

Hot & Spicy

6PP per 100g - 13PP for half - 26PP for the full pizza

Cheese Supreme

6PP per 100g - 13PP for half - 26PP for the full pizza

Hawaiian

6PP per 100g - 12PP for half - 24PP for the full pizza

and 

Honey Glazed ham

6PP per 100g - 12PP for half - 23PP for the full pizza

You can check them out 

>>> HERE <<<

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Prawn Satay recipe...

Here's the recipe for the Prawn satay as promised from Friday … Part of my ongoing homemade Chinese experiment! 

I LOVE satay.. and a chicken satay from my local Chinese is 18 (EIGHTEEN!!!) ProPoints… and a skewered chicken satay from the starter is 5 PP for ONE! so I had to do something… after many attempts this is the best I've come up with… don't forget to add your rice…  10g = 1 PP

First up you'll need prawns, you can use chicken or beef too… Most of the packs you buy all work out roughly 3 PP for about 12 prawns…  

Birds Eye 280gm pack = 5 PP 
Young's King Prawns 190gm pack = 3 PP 
Frozen 250g bag from Tescos = 3 PP for half the bag 

Get those in the hot wok with a few squirts of spray oil and lash in loads of veg… add some soy sauce, sweet chill sauce and a drop of red wine vinegar… Try a little lemon grass or Chinese five spice if that's your thing… I used red bell peppers, courgettes and red onions all finely chopped… but you can add any veg you like… mushrooms are lovely and will bulk it up too!  


The satay sauce works out at 2 PP and will serve 4

You'll need… 

2 tbsp smooth or crunchy peanut butter

2 tbsp creme fraiche 
(the recipe used coconut milk or evaporated milk but creme fraiche does the exact same job without the extra saturated fat!)

1 tsp canderel 
(I've found this to be optional… it you caramelize your onions it can be sweet enough) 

1 tsp sweet chilli sauce

1 small onion finely chopped

1 clove of garlic crushed 

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp lemon juice   

1/2 cup water

Then… 

Combine the onion, garlic, sauces, sugar, lemon juice, peanut butter and water in a small saucepan then bring to the boil. Simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes continuously stirring or until the sauce thickens. Allow it to cool slightly then stir in creme fraiche. You can thin it down with a little more water and then add it to your stir fry. 

Et voila! 

6 PP of prawns and 2 PP of sauce makes a large portion of this for just 4 PP 

just add your rice…  

The lowest ready-made packet satay sauce is from AMOY…

6 PP for the full packet which serves two 

but its full of flavor so you will easily get 3 dinners out of it… 

I found it a little thick so I water it down… Most of the rest are ridiculously high! 

Enjoy! 

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Use your noodle...

'All the dreamers in the world are dizzy in the noodle...'

Edie Adams

Caught on the hop during the week I ended up in Dunnes looking for something other than soup to warm me up and keep me going till I got home… Standing at the 'ready-made-microwave-me' lunch section I came across these… I love Asian spices and flavors and you all know I'm a 'cook it yourself' kinda gals… additives and E numbers scare me… But the Chicken Curry Ramen I had from Oishii was absolutely yummy! Oishii are also an Irish company and you all know how I feel about buying local! At 8 PP not actually too bad for the 400g serving… if you had did a wok full of stir fry veg at home with it you'd have a pretty good dinner for 8 PP … 

Note the Rustlers are only 300g and the additives on the back seems endless! As for the Zugo Cabonara… 15PP for 300g… FIFTEEN! You heard me!!! Remember the creamier the sauce is.. the higher it's going to be.. aim for tomato based sauces if you can… or better still don't get caught out! Plan! 

Oishii - Malay Chicken Laska Noodles - 400g - 8 PP

Oishii - Chicken Curry Ramen Noodles - 400g - 8 PP

Oishii - Spiced Chicken Ramen Noodles - 400g - 8 PP

Rustlers Noodles - Oriental Pork - 300g - 10 PP

Rustlers Noodles - Chicken & Mushroon - 300g - 8 PP

Zugo's Deli Cafe - Pasta Cabonara - 300g - 15 PP

Zugo's Deli Cafe - Pasta Bolognese - 300g - 9 PP

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Your eyes may deceive you...

Something for those of the savoury persuasion, since its snack week!! The 'Shaper' products are all listed as 'healthy snacks' but many are higher in points than the crisps they're trying to copy... be careful out there... 

Snack-a-jacks Crunchy Curls in Sweet Chilli Kick - 2pp per 22g bag

Shapers Thai Sweet Chilli Cassava Snack - 2pp per 20g bag

These are nice and spicy and 1 bag will def give you a fix!  

Shapers Sour Cream & Chive Flavour Crispy Discs - 3pp per 21g bag

Bit like cardboard to be honest not worth wasting 3PPs!  

Shapers Salt & Vinegar Chipsticks - 3pp per 21g bag

These taste OK but for an extra point you can have the real thing and more of em!  

Shapers Ready Salted Rings - 3pp per 20g bag

Plain hula hoops if you will...  

Shapers Sour cream and jalapeño popcorn - 2pp per 20g bag

Lovely and not too spicy and for 20g you get a lot more snack...  

Shapers Prawn Cocktail Shells - 3pp per 20g bag

Not a patch on Skips flavour wise and a propoint more!  

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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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couscous got me thinking...

Spicy week in Chateau Doll! For those requesting I got MOST of the menu and its not all bad news... this is posted in the takeaway list also over yonder... >>>>

Nandos

Caesar Salad = 8 pp
Couscous Salad = 10 pp
Houmous w/ Peri-Peri Drizzle = 23 pp
Mediterranean Salad = 7 pp
Mixed Leaf Salad = 0 pp
Peri-Peri Nuts = 17 pp
Red Pepper Dip = 15 pp
Spicy Mixed Olives = 4 pp

Peri-Peri Chicken

½ Chicken = 9 pp
¼ Chicken Breast = 3 pp
¼ Chicken Leg = 6 pp
Butterfly Chicken Breast = 8 pp
Chicken Wings, 10 ea = 16 pp
Chicken Wings, 3 ea = 5 pp
Chicken Wings, 5 ea = 8 pp
Chicken, whole = 18 pp

Burgers, Wraps & Pitas

Bean Burger = 14 pp
Bean Pitta = 14 pp
Beanie Wrap = 20 pp
Chicken Breast Burger = 11 pp
Chicken Breast Fillet wrap = 15 pp
Chicken Livers & Crispy Portuguese Roll = 18 pp
Double Chicken Breast Burger = 11 pp
Double Chicken Breast Fillet Wrap = 18 pp
Double Chicken Breast Pitta = 12 pp
Mushroom & Halloumi Burger = 16 pp
Mushroom & Halloumi Cheese Wrap = 21 pp
Mushroom & Halloumi Pitta = 10 pp
Prego Steak Roll = 16 pp
Tropico burger = 12 pp
Tropico burger (No mayo) = 11 pp
Portuguese BBQ burger = 11 pp
Portuguese BBQ  burger (No mayo) = 10 pp
Veggie Burger = 12 pp
Veggie Pitta = 12 pp
Veggie Wrap = 18 pp
4 grilled tenderloins = 6 pp
8 BBQ ribs = 8 pp
5 Wings = 9 pp
4 BBQ thigh pieces = 6 pp

Kids

Nandindo Chicken Breast Fillet Burger = 9 pp
Nandindo Veggie Burger = 12 pp
Nandino Bean Burger = 14 pp
Nandino Chicken Breast Fillet Strips = 3 pp
Nandino Chicken Wings, 3 ea = 5 pp

Sides & Extras 

Chicken Mediterranean salad (No dressing) = 7 pp
Chicken garden salad (No dressing) = 4 pp
Chicken Paella = 13 pp
Chips w/ Peri Peri Sauce, large size = 31 pp
Chips w/ Peri Peri Sauce, regular size = 10 pp
Chips, large size = 30 pp
Chips, regular size = 10 pp
Coleslaw, large size = 14 pp
Coleslaw, regular size = 7 pp
Corn on the Cob (1) = 3 pp
Creamy Mash, large size = 15 pp
Creamy Mash, regular size = 7 pp
Garlic Bread = 9 pp
Luso Beans = 3 pp
Macho Peas, large size = 9 pp
Macho Peas, regular size = 4 pp
Mediterranean salad (No dressing) = 4 pp
Mixed Leaf Salad, side = 0 pp
Ratatouille = 3 pp
Regular spicy rice = 8 pp
Regular cous cous = 10 pp
Regular Coleslaw = 8 pp
Regular corn on the cob = 8 pp
Regular old-style chips = 14 pp
Side Salad = 0 pp
Spicy Rice, large size = 13 pp
Spicy Rice, regular size = 6 pp
Sweet Potato Mash = 6 pp

Desserts

Banana Frozen Yogurt = 2 pp
Bolo De Coco (Portuguese Coconut Tart) = 10 pp
Caramel Frozen Yogurt = 2 pp
Carrot Cake w/ double cream = 23 pp
Chilly Billy Lolly =  1 pp
Choc-a-lot Cake w/ double cream = 19 pp
Chocolate Cheesecake w/ double cream = 17 pp
Chocolate Frozen Yogurt = 2 pp
Chocolate Gelado = 5 pp
Gooey Caramel Cheesecake w/ double cream = 17 pp
Nata = 5 pp
Passion Fruit Gelado = 3 pp
Strawberries & Cream Gelado = 4 pp
Strawberry Frozen Yogurt = 2 pp
Toffee Gelado = 4 pp
Vanilla Frozen Yogurt = 2 pp
Vanilla Gelado = 5 pp
White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl w/ double cream = 17 pp

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Spice... spice... baby...

Spice... spice... baby... (you totally sang that!)

I got side tracked in Superquinn... not my usual shopping haunt but I spotted these for those of a spicy persuasion! Keep your eye on the weights of the meals... some brands vary from 250g - 450g so I've put the full PP down as well as the value per 100g...

Homemade recipe at the end from the WW cookbook! its sooooo yum!

Doll x

Dees Thai Veg Pot per 100g - 3 PP

12 PP - 400g pack

Dees Tex Mex Veg Pot per 100g - 2 PP

8 PP - 400g pack Check out www.dees.ie

Aruna Madras sauce per 100g - 3 PP

14 PP - 450g pack

Aruna Curry Sauce per 100g - 3 PP

14 PP - 450g pack

Also available in the Aruna range in 450g sachets:

Rogan Josh Sauce per 100g - 3 PP

Korma Sauce per 100g - 5 PP

Tikka Masala per 100g - 4 PP

Superquinn Chicken Tikka Masala ready meal with pilau rice per 100g - 4 PP

16 PP - 400g pack

Superquinn Beef Rogan Josh ready meal with pilau rice per 100g - 4 PP

16 PP - 400g pack

Superquinn Chicken Jalfrezi ready meal with pilau rice per 100g - 3 PP

12 PP - 400g pack

Superquinn Chicken Curry ready meal with pilau rice per 100g - 3 PP

12 PP - 400g pack

Superquinn Chicken Korma NO rice per 100g - 5 PP

17 PP - 330g pack

Bombay Pantry Chicken Curry per 100g - 3 PP

10 PP - 330g pack

Bombay Pantry Chicken Tikka Masala per 100g - 3 PP

10 PP - 330g pack

Bombay Pantry Chicken Biryani per 100g - 4 PP

13 PP - 360g pack

Bombay Pantry Chicken Korma per 100g - 5 PP

17 PP - 330g pack

Bombay Pantry Basmati Rice per 100g - 5 PP

13 PP - 250g pack

Bombay Pantry Pulao Rice per 100g - 4 PP

10 PP - 250g pack

Bombay Pantry Tikka masala Sauce per 100g - 2 PP

7 PP - 325g pack

Bombay Pantry Curry Sauce per 100g - 2 PP

7 PP - 325g pack

Bombay Pantry Rogan Josh Sauce per 100g - 2 PP

7 PP - 325g pack

CURRY SAUCE - 1 PROPOINT per portion

from Weight Watchers  - the complete kitchen

6 PP for the recipe

5 mins prep

25 mins cooking

V, will freeze, serves 8

1 large onion - chopped finely

600ml (20floz) vegetable stock

1.5 tblsp medium curry powder

2 garlic cloves - crushed

2.5 cm (1 inch) fresh root ginger - grated

2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

50g (1.75 oz) mango chutney

1

Place the onion in a large lidded saucepan with 100ml of the stock. 

Cook, covered, for 5 minutes until starting to soften

2

Stir in the curry powder, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, 

for 2 mins to bring out the flavor

3

Tip in the tomatoes and add the chutney, plus the rest of the stock. 

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 mins.

4

Depending on your preference, the sauce can be kept as it is, slightly chunky, 

or it can be blended until smooth with a hand blender.

5

Divide sauce into portions, cook before freezing in labelled containers

and cause I didn't have enough time to type it out.. the fab recipe for Beef Rogan Josh from the WW 'Everyday Favourites' cookbook! all the noms... 

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