Pulled pork

Well it seems to be the 'in thing' at the moment, and we just wanted to try another slow roast - PORK SHOULDER.
We used brisket of beef last week, and I wanted to see whether pork shoulder came out just as nice. If I'm honest I prefer the beef. Here's a picture of the sandwich we made later.

INGREDIENTS

 ONE teaspoon each of 

smoked paprika

 cumin powder

 dried thyme

 ordinary paprika

 salt and pepper

REMOVE the skin from the pork and smother in the same bbq rub we used for the beef:

Rub the mixture all over the joint which was about 1.5kg which could easily feed six.

This went into the oven at 100 degrees C this morning - 8 hours later it was cooked. (NOTE: this was cooked at a lower temperature than when we cooked the beef brisket last week, hence the longer cooking time today).  

Cook covered with foil, on a bed of onions, with about a centimetre of water. For the last hour we removed the foil to crisp up the outside. If you want to cook some roast potatoes, these can sit in alongside the meat for the last hour - with the heat turned up to around 180 degrees C.

The only thing we found we needed to do after it was cooked, was add a sprinkle of salt (didn't need to do this with the beef) to bring out the flavour.

Read how we put our idea to the test  -  Our Experiment
If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss see OUR IDEA

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

Salmon

Lunch was a buffet for my other half and a shop bought sandwich for me! After rushing around all day, we ended up with this lovely salad, eaten with some really tasty fresh rye bread.
We noticed we used to feel quite hungry soon after eating, if we didn't dress our salad with some sort of dressing/fat. Since then, we make sure we season our salads and dress with our favourite olive oil (if we didn't like oil, we would use eg. mayonnaise etc).
We consumed around 500 calories with the bread, salad and a good helping of (shop bought) couscous.
If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss see OUR IDEA

Read how we put our idea to the test  -  Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

PROGRESS

Our weight is still going down which is amazing.
I have reached a NEW LOW WEIGHT - and I love it. It still surprises us that our weight seems to drop after a particularly hearty few days of eating. Over the last few days we've eaten braised lamb in red wine, bbq beef brisket, sandwiches and pasta. No diet food in sight - just our recipes and home cooked food.
The weight seems to go in bursts now. I suppose that's because we have more or less reached our goal weight. Interestingly though, the fat still seems to disappear in the same way. By that I mean we generally feel slimmer and look slimmer yet it doesn't show on the scales for a while. We know the scales will eventually show a drop in weight, because we've done our sums, and once again today we've seen the results.
When we started out, we never thought for one minute we would still be here following  OUR IDEA. We had no idea if it would work, but when it worked so well, we were stunned. I've tried so many 'diets' in the past, and got to the point of loathing all of them after a few weeks. Willpower would disappear after a few more weeks and that would be that.
Our idea was an experiment which turned out to be a success. It was so effective and easy that we just kept going. We were really surprised at the amount of weight we were losing. Our method was so easy to pick up and put down, but all the while contributing to an overall weight loss - without eating strange diet food. I am more convinced than ever, that we have found a simple solution to a difficult problem, without going to extremes.
I'm trying on dresses in sizes I never thought I would now. My other half has just bought a very nice suit - his measurements remarkably different - 6 inches smaller! I love days like this when I see a brand new low weight. It shows me that sticking to our sums does add up in the end.
Read how we put our idea to the test  -  Our Experiment

Copyright © forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

Wednesday - time for a hot meal

For lunch we revisited our slow cooked shoulder of lamb in red wine (from Saturday night).
There was some left over meat, sitting in the fridge. I covered it in foil and reheated it in the oven until piping hot all the way through. As the oven was on I roasted a few parsnips too. The sauce resurrected well too. Served with mash, carrots, cauliflower and left over asparagus. Nothing wasted. Everything tasted just as good. A little heavy for lunch, so dinner will be a lot lighter.
I'm aiming for 1500 calories today - my partner is aiming for 2000 calories.

If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss see OUR IDEA

Read how we put our idea to the test  -  Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

SPICY carrot, red pepper and lentil soup

I had my main meal at lunch time. So my dinner was a spicy carrot, red pepper and lentil soup. I also had 100g of onion bread and the whole meal was really satisfying and filling at just 450 calories.  I topped the soup with a generous dollop of FULL FAT tasty Greek yoghurt and some crunchy bacon pieces.

This soup was really easy to make. I didn’t fry any of the ingredients to start with, and this didn’t affect the resulting delicious flavour either.  The warm spices from the Ras El Hanout really pepped this up too.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients – serves 4

100g red pepper (leave out if you don’t have)

500g carrots – washed and chopped

150g red split lentils – pre-boiled for 10 mins

50ml of milk (to give it a bit of a creamy texture)

stock / water – enough to cover ingredients

one large onion – diced

one celery stick – chopped

leaves from the celery – I took these off and washed them then added to soup

2 cloves of garlic – if you like

about a teaspoon of Ras El Hanout – or CHILLI FLAKES AND A DASH OF CUMIN

salt and pepper

Place all the above ingredients into a saucepan and cook for 20 minutes. Blitz until smooth. Then add the toppings - e.g. bacon pieces, fried onions or croutons.

If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss see OUR IDEA

Read how we put our idea to the test  -  Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

PASTA WITH RUNNY EGG

We let the rain get on with it, and stayed indoors. My partner loves making his own pasta - and I love eating it. This RUNNY EGG RAVIOLI was inspired by the Channel 4 programme 'Simply Italian' we saw last week.
We recall the recipe used smoked salmon, but we preferred to use just spinach and ricotta because it's a nice combination. I think the Chef was using truffles, but we didn't use this as it's not our usual store cupboard ingredient!
To make the ravioli, we rolled out the pasta then laid a pastry cutter on the sheet, and spooned the spinach/ricotta/parmesan mix into it. We made a well, then added the egg yolk.
The ravioli takes about 3 minutes to cook.
I griddled some asparagus (yes I did do something) while all this was going on.
Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and a splash of oil, salt and pepper.
We would estimate this dish at no more than 500 calories, although it could be slightly less, but we generally over estimate if we are not sure.
INGREDIENTS FOR 2 SERVINGS
FILLING
150g ricotta
150g wilted spinach (dried out and chopped),
10g parmesan,
pinch of nutmeg,
touch of lemon juice,
salt and pepper.
PASTA
The pasta was made with 60g worth of pasta flour and one egg - which we think is enough for two.

If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss see OUR IDEA

Read how we put our idea to the test  -  Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

First class beef sandwich!

This has got to be one of the best beef sandwiches ever - meltingly soft brisket and well flavoured. We'll be making this again - very soon. We used the leftover barbecued beef brisket from yesterday's meal.
After cutting out the unnecessary fat, we fried the left over meat, making a warm beef and tomato sandwich.

Eaten with home made onion bread, this was simply delicious and possibly no more than 400 calories. No need for butter, as the onion made the bread surprisingly moist.
For each sandwich we used 100g of bread (two slices), 60g of lean beef and a tomato. How's that for fighting back at the weather!
Tonight it's going to be experimental pasta - as the soggy bank holiday leaves us twiddling our thumbs.

If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss see OUR IDEA

Read how we put our idea to the test  -  Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

Slow cooked beef brisket

In the UK a brisket of beef is considered a cut of meat for a pot roast. In the USA I believe the brisket is treated as one of the best cuts for barbecuing - and today, we put that to the test. We are still reeling from the beautiful flavours that we've just tasted. We will be cooking this again!!!! Low cost and more flavour than a chunk of a good steak in our opinion. Do it.
A bank holiday, sunny weather and the perfect excuse to amble to the pub. We arrived home to a very slow cooked piece of barbecued style brisket in the oven. This recipe was inspired from an American tv programme and we've been wanting to try it for a while. Here's our delicious recipe - and you won't be disappointed!

Prawns and avocado

After the hearty slow cooked lamb last night, we fancied something a bit lighter. This prawn and avocado salad was just right. 100g of cooked prawns, 50g of ripe avocado and 70g of olive bread. We used a creamy dressing for this, and the meal amounted to around 450 calories.
Later today we are going to have slow cooked brisket of beef. It's been marinating overnight in a dry rub. We're going to slow cook it for a few hours in the oven then finish on the bbq later, with the potato skins from yesterday's mash, salad, corn and more bread.
If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss see OUR IDEA.

Read more about our successful weight loss journey - Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

Slow braised lamb in red wine

SLOW BRAISED LAMB IN RED WINE SAUCE
Ingredients to serve 4

1.5 kg lamb shoulder

350 ml (half bottle) of red wine (we used a heavy red - Shiraz)

4 chopped onions

4 cloves garlic

one each - carrot and celery stick finely chopped

large sprig of rosemary

large sprig of thyme

couple of bay leaves

Brown the meat in a frying pan, then add this to the slow cooker together with all the other ingredients. Top up with enough water/stock to cover the meat, and that's it. We slow cooked on high for an hour, reduced it to low while we were out, then returned it back to the high setting for the last couple of hours cooking.
We cooked jacket potatoes, and scooped out the mash. It has so much more flavour than mashing boiled potatoes plus the potato skins can be set aside in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner!

After 6 hours of slow cooking, we removed 132g of pure fat which was spooned off the top of the casserole. 

If we didn't have a slow cooker, we would put this in an oven proof dish and cover tightly with foil, and cook on a low heat. We then checked the seasoning, added a little salt and continued cooking for another couple of hours.  

When the meat was cooked, we continued removing fat from the cooking liquid using our fat separator (or you could skim again). This time we removed a further 40g of fat. It's this unnecessary fat - all 172g of it (a whopping 1500 calories) that lurks unsuspectingly in many dishes, that we don't eat when we cook for ourselves. 

SAUCE

The cooking liquid was boiled so that it was reduced by a third. We then blended until smooth, then adjusted the seasoning again. We added a small teaspoon of honey to ours, as it was slightly bitter, and thickened with a little cornflour. Then whisked in a small piece of butter just before serving to give it a nice sheen.

A nice Shiraz from Australia went well with this dish.... which we estimate to be around 700 calories at the very very most. It could be less due to the removal of all that fat, but as we're not sure, we just make a judgment. As we have continued to lose weight, our estimations can't be too far out.

Enough to feed 4 at least for around £3 per person and about half the cost of cooking lamb shanks for everyone!

Oh, and while we were out, we managed to walk for a few miles. This equated to around 250 calories - now did we use this towards our dessert, wine or chocolate? We know - it's our choice!!

If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss see OUR IDEA.

Read more about our successful weight loss journey - Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

Steak salad

Our lunch was simple: steak, salad and olive bread. With 130g of rump steak, our meal came to around 400 calories. We used our fabulous Goat's cheese dressing for the salad leaves. It was quick to prepare and delicious! What more do we want. Today is a 'full' calorie allowance, and we will be using these up later...
I'm currently marinating half a shoulder of lamb - choosing the knuckle half, so we get a richer gravy. The lamb was on offer, and a very good buy. It's been covered with red wine, herbs and onions/garlic. We'll be slow cooking this tomorrow, as we head off out for the day. Upon our return, we should find the lamb is meltingly tender. We'll be serving it on a bed of mash with a selection of vegetables. Can't wait. Talk about being prepared!!!!

If you would like to know more about how we achieved our fabulous weight loss with our 'intermittent eating plan' see OUR IDEA.

Read more about our successful weight loss journey - Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

Spicy chicken with couscous

Here's the recipe for this spicy dish (I swapped the 700g of lamb for 6 chicken thighs then added 50g of sliced chorizo). I finished it with some couscous - although I rarely eat this, I wanted to try some BARLEY COUSCOUS as I'd never eaten it before. It's supposed to be more nutty, and that's exactly what I thought. A spoonful of cooling yoghurt and a sprinkle of smoked paprika finished the dish nicely. At around 500 calories - this was a great evening meal for me and the couscous was very nice.

If you would like to know more about our METHOD of weight loss - see OUR IDEA.
Read more about how we began this successful weight loss journey - Our Experiment

Copyright © forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.

Feta on toast

FETA AND BROAD BEANS

INGREDIENTS to serve 2 people

40g fresh shelled peas (or frozen)

100g shelled broad beans (that's a 500g pack) or use frozen

80g feta - cubed

teaspoon olive oil

handful of fresh mint, chopped

squeeze of lemon juice
slices of ciabatta 

Boil beans and peas for 4 minutes, drain and run cold water over to cool. Remove the shells from broad beans and discard. Add a dash of lemon juice, dash of oil, salt and pepper (to taste), chopped mint to the peas and broad beans and mash (I used a potato masher). You don't need to use peas by the way, I just had these in the fridge looking for a home. Then add the cubed feta and continue mashing.
Meanwhile, brush or spray the sliced bread with olive oil then toast. Liberally pile with the topping, and add a dash of olive oil before devouring.

This was so tasty ... very tasty. Enough for two servings at 350 calories each (using 60g bread).

I've been wanting to make it since seeing it listed on a menu or two. I was also really excited as I've never tried it before.

Fresh broad beans and peas are on offer at the moment - and lovely and sweet. I'd have no problem using frozen, although I think the texture would be more mushy?

I cheated and bought feta in oil, one of those plastic packs. I weighed out and patted dry 80g of feta, and used some of the oil in my recipe. As the oil has its own flavour I didn't bother adding any minced garlic, which I might add otherwise.

If you would like to know more about our 'intermittent eating plan' see OUR IDEA.

Read more about how we began this successful weight loss journey - Our Experiment

Copyright © (c)forgetdietingforever 2012, all rights reserved.