Slimming World Extra Easy All in One 1st go

Tried my 1st recipe out of my new Slimming World book tonight. 

Slimming World Extra Easy All in One

Ace hard back book. The most expensive one I have bought at £9.99 but so far so good. You can see in one of these pictures I have put little pink post-its at each of the recipes I want to try. I have 4 picked out for this week so will see how I get on with them. The aim of the book is of course All in one pot. This covers a casserole, in the oven, wok, slow cooker etc. This was the first. One Pot Chicken with Couscous. The heading reads. " Bring a taste of Morocco to the table with this warming dish of chicken, vegetables and couscous.

I thought I would for once do a "Delila Smith" and have all the ingredients ready

All in the pan and the smell was delightful

the recipe and how its meant to look ( see all the future dishes in pink)

How it turned out! Kinda the same, a bit more yellow I think lol.

How was it? It was disappointing. The chicken was tasteless considering the Turmeric and Curry Powder. The Couscous would of been nicer if I had not added the lemon at the end. It seemed to over power it and turn it completely lemon tasting. I might make it again but season the chicken and let it marinade more and no lemon! Overall 3/10

1st 2012 walk!

Ace 1st walk of the year with Sharon, Julie and our new walking buddy Tracey.
Sharon Julie and myself have signed up for the Edinburgh Moonwalk in June and tonight marked our 1st walk of the year. We managed an impressive 5.41 miles in a good time of an hour and a half. I was pleased with myself as I managed it quite comfortably having done little since October. I dare say I may be still tomorrow but its weigh in day tomorrow so fingers crossed for a loss. 

Endomondo Walking Workout: was out walking 5.41 miles in 1h:31m:46s using Endomondo.

-
Sport	Walking
Start Time	Jan 10, 2012 6:33 PM
Distance	5.41 miles
Duration	1h:31m:46s
Avg Speed	3.5 mph
Max Speed	4.0 mph
Calories	575 kcal
Altitude	0 ft / 132 ft
Elevation	560 ft ↑ / 568 ft ↓
Heart Rate	- / -

Back at Zumba!

Wow! I am writting this post as I don't think I can move of the chair!


I returned back to Zumba tonight and have I came in, sat down and now I have ceased up!!!! Nah seriously, I can feel every muscle in my legs at the moment but fingers crossed I won't ache too much tomorrow.  

Zumba Fitness is an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party! Its fantastic and the instructor Sue is a gem! She brings a whole new level of fun to it. I have been doing Zumba for over a year now and she is most certainly the one that  makes the hour pass fastest.

This is the 1st serious form of exercise I have done since the chest infection in Octber and I coped with it far better than I imagined.  Fingers crossed I feel like that tomorrow as I have my 1st walk of the year with the lassies! 

Lovely walk

My hubby was out jogging this afternoon so I took the dog to the woods where he was running. Shame the light was just going so the photos are a bit blurred.  I love walking and I love the woods. Where we live we are so lucky, we are just a few miles from the sea and a few miles from hills and woods. Given the choice the woods win for me each time. No idea what I just feel more at home there. I love the smell and sounds of the woods. Love the rustle of the wind passing by the trees and the birds.  No where does beautiful woods and hills like Scotland! Walked up town this morning too so walked about 3-4 miles today which is a comfortable start. 

Frodo

Lovely woods

Black blur is Frodo running back to me with a stick

Pretty stream through the woods however a nightmare to keep a lab out of!

Endomondo Walking Workout: was out walking 1.88 miles in 37m:42s using Endomondo.

Blood Donors

Took me a while but I finally went and gave blood yesterday. Its something I wanted to do years ago. Mike and I did go one time but it was so so so busy we would of been there hours just waiting to be seen. A friend on Facebook posted that Blood Donors was going to be in town yesterday and so with Mike on Holiday  we went after my work.

 It involved very little waiting about or maybe we were just lucky. We were first given a form to fill in then asked to take a seat. After a few minutes we went our separate ways into little booths. There you are given a more detailed form to complete. After that a nurse comes over to check that you can donate. I was unsure because I am on a medicine for my under active thyroid but that was OK. It only matters if the dosage changes. 

You are then given a wee finger prick and your blood is counted for Haemoglobin count to make sure you could remake the blood! Mine was 130 ( mikes was 165)! The lower limit is 125 so I just made it.

 After this you moved over into the big room where all the beds were. You get shown to a bed and get your own carer. She moves between the 3 beds in her area. Its very relaxed and friendly. 

Having given lots of blood samples in the past I was kinda expecting a nip but it was infact painless. Mike had been taken in before me but my blood was "running like a train" the nurse said so I was done just moments after him. Once it was over I moved over to the tea tables. Cause it was my 1st time I was only allowed juice and a biscuit! Next time I should be able to progress onto Tea/Coffee!! 

Also next time I need to watch what biscuit I take. I took the shortbread fingers which I found out when I came home were 10 syns!! I had already eaten 5 syns that day! I shall go for the slimmer option next time! Which should be May. AND I got this wee key ring with a bit for trolleys! Always handy.

 

Anyways, there was nothing to it, so 

if you read this and were thinking 

about going then JUST DO IT! There 

is nothing to it and it gives you a 

good feeling that you are helping 

someone somewhere.

My before photo and half way photos

This is my before photo. It was taken in August 2010. One month before I started Zumba in the September and 5 months before I started Slimming World. This is me at my heaviest. I have just printed off 2. One to take into Slimming to go on the before and after board 

and one to remind me.

This one was taken at Christmas before I set off on one of my nights out

I can see the difference now a bit

My aims for 2012

So the new year has begun with a few aims. First is to lose at least 2 stone. I lost 1 and a half last year but that was slowed with chest related illnesses. If I lose 2 that takes me JUST into having inside the healthy BMI range. A wee bit more would be nice but I am focusing on that two initially. 

I am doing this with Slimming World and exercise. Slimming World has changed the way we as a family eat and I can't even remember what we did before. We eat in a very healthy way, cook in a very healthy way and this is now the way we do it. Its a lifestyle change more than a diet.  

Exercise for me is in a few forms. Zumba which I have blogged about for over a year now. I LOVE it! I go to classes as I never found the games on the Wii or Xbox as good as the real thing. The gym is good for when the weather is bad, which is handy since I am in the North of Scotland! Finally walking. 

Walking is the best I think. You walk about with either my friends or with the dog and iPod on! Though with friends is the better, you can yap and yap and we ladies can do that plenty. So far I have signed up for the Moonwalk in Edinburgh and the pack came in the other day.

 I am also going to do 2 local walks. The six Harbours walk. This is a local walk using the coastal path that connected 6 Harbours. I have known a good few people who have done this now and they say its a stunning walk to do http://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/committee.asp?ClubCtteeID=5277&ClubID=17

and the Speyside Kilt walk. This walk follows the Speyside way from the Buckie to Aberlour stretch of it. This covers 26 miles of the 78 mile walk. http://www.thekiltwalk.co.uk/main/events-and-fundraising/speyside.html

The Moonwalk and Kilt walk will take some serious training which I am kinda looking forward to as an awesome weight loss boost. Below are some pics of my Moonwalk pack.

I wrote in the dates that these are meant to be done but I imagine us starting long before that

The pack