Tonight's dinner is scheduled to be hunters chicken. I've never made it before, but it seems simple enough. I think that instead of the sauce that the recipe calls for, I'm going to try out the Slimming World barbecue sauce from the Little Book of Sauces recipe book.

I've made the commitment to walk the half mile to the little Tesco at the end of our road each evening around 7 to see what their reductions for the day are. I went last night and found 3 x 2 pint jugs of whole organic milk for 17 pence each! All three of those are now in the freezer. Milk is one thing that freezes very well in it's original packaging, and as long as it's thawed completely and gently shaken to re-combine it, it doesn't change the flavour. If nothing else, the walk will get me some exercise and will (hopefully) help Eli fall asleep for the night a bit easier.

I did end up ordering groceries to be delivered this morning, but I was only able to do so because I had vouchers. Also, Tesco are currently offering a free one month trial of their delivery saver plan, but you do have to sign up for a subscription to one of their delivery plans. If you order groceries at least four times per month, OR you need to have deliveries made on the weekend or during busier times of the week, it's well worth signing up for. You can also cancel the subscription any time, and if you cancel before the free trial runs out, you will not be charged anything.

I was able to purchase two weeks of staple groceries for what I usually spend on one weeks groceries, so hopefully I can start to pare away extras from our grocery list little by little to get what we spend down.

Here's my grocery list (and I hope that everything is delivered properly with very few if any substitutions!):

Tesco
12 Bananas
Asparagus And Tender Stem Broccoli 190g
Baby Corn 190g
Broccoli
Skimmed Milk 2.272L/4 Pints

Muller Light Chocolate Yoghurt 6X165g

Unsmoked Back Bacon 14 Rashers 2X250g

Unsmoked Gammon Steaks 360g

Beef Roasting Joint

Beef Frying Steak

Whole Medium Chicken 1.35-1.55Kg

Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce 420G

Tesco Healthy Living 5 Apple & Strawberry Cereal Bars 105G

Tesco Healthy Living 5 Chocolate & Caramel Cereal Bars 105G

Cous Cous 1Kg

Pasta Twists 500g

Spaghetti 500g

Tesco Microwave Wholegrain Rice 250g (pouch - wanted to try this one)

Plain Flour 1.5Kg

Chicken Breast Fillets 1Kg (frozen)

Sliced Mixed Peppers 500g (frozen)

Diced Onions 500g (frozen)

Sliced Mushrooms 500g (frozen)

Sliced Red Onions 500g (frozen)

Nicky Soft Touch Toilet Tissues 4 Roll x 3 (wanted to try this brand)

Kleenex Plus Balsam Tissues 3Ply Regular Twinpack x 2 (B1G1 free offer)

Stumbling, but not stopping!

Today I discovered that Oreos have a limited edition peanut butter flavour. Biscuits are already a major stumbling block for me. Add in peanut butter and it's a lethal combination for any diet or eating plan I'm on! Still, I'm not going to stop. They may slow down my weight loss a bit, but it won't stop it.

Dinner tonight is cheeseburgers with wedges and sweetcorn on the cob! I cheated and bought the beef burgers and topped them with what tiny bit of cheese we had left. Cut up some potatoes, sprayed them with frylight and sprinkled some salt and pepper over them, then baked them at 190C (375F) for 45 minutes. The corn on the cob was 3 for £1 at Lidl, so I bought 6 ears. Had to shuck and silk them myself, but that gives the bunny something to nibble on if she wants as well. I just boiled the sweet corn while everything else was cooking and we can add a bit of butter and salt to them. We have a sweet potato each for dessert. Bit of butter flavoured frylight and a teaspoon or two of brown sugar sprinkled over the top and it's a wonderful fibre and vitamin rich sweet bite!

Spice up your life (or at least your food)

I am always on the lookout for new to me spice blends. I have a few go-to recipes for spice blends so that I don't need to keep buying blends from the store. Plus, homemade is completely customisable!

Chilli powder
2 tbsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper - to taste and optional

Fajita seasoning
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp granulated sweetener (or sugar if you're not following SW)
3/4 tsp chicken or vegetable bullion
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin

We had my take on fajitas tonight for dinner. One chicken breast, cut into thin strips and cooked, frozen sliced onions and peppers, cooked, then sprinkled with fajita seasoning. I had mine over leftover couscous, Jethro had tortillas with his.

Flexibility, an absolute necessity!

Well, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I seem to have made a miscalculation with the grocery budget for this month (forgot it was a 5 week period between pay dates instead of 4 weeks!) and we are low on grocery money. We do have some for emergencies, so if I need it, I can dip into that, but I'm going to see how long I can go without buying ANYTHING this week!

Therefore, tonight's meal has changed to chilli and lime pork chops with green beans and spiced rice.

We have a few tins of salmon, a few tins of tuna, some frozen haddock, some frozen cod, Slimming World sausages (chicken and regular), a pack of Morrisons NUME cumberland sausages, a 4 pack of Slimming World beef burgers, and a bag of frozen chicken as far as meats go, so plenty there, just completely different than was planned.

Jethro will be happy to find out that it looks like we are having chicken fajitas tomorrow. One of his favourite meals!

This is why I bulk buy and try to have a decently stocked pantry. I also love marked down bits, but only if it's something I'll actually use and can freeze or can.

I know that we will probably need milk sometime this week, but I'm going to see how long I can stretch out the fresh milk we have, as we are down to the last 4 pint jug!

One last thing for now. Eli is starting to be on the move! Guess I'll be getting my exercise in one way or another now. Plus we need to start the baby proofing process downstairs now, eek!

Meal planning and letting go of perfectionism

I have, as most women (and some men) do I suspect, have certain ways of doing things. I like my clothes folded and hung up a certain way, I like my dishes to be washed a certain way, and I like my house cleaned a certain way. I've recently come to grips with the fact that now that I have a child, nothing will probably be done perfectly ever again. Because I've needed help to get mostly back on my feet after having Eli, I've come to appreciate it when things just get done, regardless of HOW they are done. Jethro and the people who visit us have their own ways of doing things, both with Eli and with any cleaning that gets done. I still struggle with it some days, but now it's more important to me to spend time with my little boy than to make sure things are done perfectly. After all, I'll never get this time back to spend with him, and there will probably be a day when he won't want cuddles, hugs, and kisses, so I will give him all of the time I can while I can get those things.

And now, enough of the squishy talk and on to what you probably came here for! Tips on how to lose weight on a budget.

My number one tip for losing weight and sticking to a budget is to meal plan! There's no right way to meal plan, just pick out some meals you and your family like, look through what you have in stock in your house, match up recipes with what you have, and then make a grocery list for the things you still need. That's how I do my meal planning.

I won a raffle at one of my Slimming World meetings (I think most groups do this, if not, request it!) and it was this wonderful weekly planner along with a grocery list that both have magnets on the back to stick them to the fridge. You can also buy these at Wilko, and there are enough pages for one year. I use it to meal plan and make notes for appointments and special events.

This week's meal plan includes:
1. Garlic and herb baked chicken with asparagus and rice
2. Fishermans pie (adapted to ingredients I have on hand) with steamed broccoli
3. Breakfast for dinner (Eggs, mushrooms, baked beans, sausages, bacon medallions, and possibly toast)
4. Burgers, Slimming World chips/wedges, and sweet corn
5. Hunters chicken with mashed potatoes, carrots and peas
6. Cottage pie with green beans
7. Beef stew (although I'll probably make spaghetti carbonara instead, as we are having beef stew tonight)

1, 2, and 6 are Slimming World recipes, but you can adapt the recipes you have to make them lower fat. Just remember to use skinless or less than 5% fat meats, no butter or milk in your mashed potato (I use vegetable broth with a bit of ground black pepper), and I recommend FryLight to do your frying, baking, and roasting.

3 is extremely easy. Pop a pack of Slimming World sausages (or other low fat sausages) into the oven, then cook bacon medallions, mushrooms, and eggs while the sausages are cooking and warm up a tin of baked beans. If I still have my healthy options remaining, I'll have two slices of toast and a bit of cheese as well.

4 is also fairly easy. I'll be using Slimming World beef burgers for myself, and regular beef burgers for Jethro, wholemeal buns, lettuce, homemade all meat chilli (5% or less fat beef mince, some chilli powder, some passata, and some sweetener, all to taste), and possibly some cheese and bacon over the top. Homemade chips or wedges to go with that per the Slimming World recipe for them, and some sweet corn on the side as well. I may even go all out and count the syns for a bit of ketchup!

5 is hunters chicken. I've never made hunters chicken before, but I've heard that it is the absolute best way to cook and eat chicken, so I'm willing to try it!

Hunters Chicken
Adapted from here
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
8 bacon rashers - trimmed of all visible fat
120g cheddar (30g per chicken piece)

Sauce
1 tbsp granulated sweetener
2 tbsp agave nectar (3 syns)
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp passata

I'll be following the cooking instructions on the above link.

7 will be either beef stew or Slimming World spaghetti carbonara.

Quick beef stew
Lean diced beef or 5% fat or less mince
2 tins new potatoes
2 tins sliced carrots
Some mushrooms
Some sliced or diced onion
Water

Throw everything in the slow cooker and turn on low. Let cook for 6-8 hours, or until meat is tender and done. If you have some syns to spare and want it thicker, make a slurry with some cornstarch and cool water and mix that in at least half an hour before you're ready to serve it.

All of the Slimming World recipes this week can be found on their website.

I'll be doing my shops this week from Tesco and Aldi.

For this week I'll need the following:
Asparagus x 2 bunches - £1.98 - Aldi
Broccoli x 2 heads - £0.90 - Aldi
Courgettes/Zucchini (3 pack) - £0.79 - Aldi
Mushrooms (750g) - £1.59 - Aldi
Beef for stew (700g) - £4.49 - Aldi
Burgers for Jethro (4 pack, 454g) - £2.49 - Aldi
Chicken breasts (frozen, 1kg) - £3.82 - Aldi
Prawns (frozen, 325g) - £3.19 - Aldi
Cheese (mozzarella, 280g) - £0.49 - Aldi
Cheese (grated mild, 450g) - £1.99 - Aldi
Wholemeal rolls (6 pack) = £0.49 - Aldi
Quark (250g) - £0.90 - Tesco
Skim milk (4 pints) x 2 - £2.00 - Tesco
Mullerlight yogurts (assorted chocolate, 6 pack) x 2 - £3.88 - Tesco
Mullerlight yogurts (red fruit, 6 pack) - £1.94 - Tesco
Sliced mixed peppers (frozen, 500g) - £1.00 - Tesco
Sliced mushrooms (frozen, 500g) - £1.00 - Tesco
Diced onions (frozen, 500g) x 2 - £2.00 - Tesco
Passata (500g) x 2 - £0.70 - Tesco
Bananas x 12 - around £1.50 - Tesco
Chopped tomatoes (tinned, 400g) x 4 - £1.36 - Tesco
Very Lazy garlic x 2 - £2.00 - Tesco
Very Lazy crushed garlic - £1.00 - Tesco
Very Lazy smoked chopped garlic - £1.00 - Tesco
Tomato purée x 2 - £0.80
Mug Shot pasta x 5 - £3.00 - Tesco
Toilet roll (9 pack) x 2 - £6.00 - Tesco

All of that comes to £52.30 for the week for the two of us. It sounds like a lot, but remember, nearly all of the meat and some ingredients will last into the following week at least, if not longer.

We have an extra under counter freezer, and we use it quite often.

There is a sale on the Very Lazy line and Mullerlight yogurts this week at Tesco, which is why there are more of those on the list than usual! Also, I know some things like milk are cheaper elsewhere. I'll gladly pay a few pence extra if it means that the bulky and heavy bits are brought to me instead of having to go out and get it. I'm also paying a bit more for already chopped veggies and onions, but I'm glad to do so as it means I can have those few more minutes to spend with my family.

Trying to take it easy and failing

It's only 9 am and in the past half an hour I've washed out the steriliser for Eli's bottles (he's combi-fed), washed three bottles, brought the dirty clothes downstairs, put the load of clothes into the washing machine, have a load of towels waiting to go into the washing machine, wiped off one of the cabinet tops that had some spilled formula on it, and I've eaten a banana. Jethro has agreed to wash dishes for me today as I still cannot stand up long enough to get them washed. We have four loads of clean dry laundry that needs to be sorted, folded/hung up, and put away as well that I'd like to do today if possible. Due to being sick yesterday, we also have to change the linens on the bed upstairs, change the pillowcases from downstairs, and wash both sheets and the blanket from downstairs. So much for trying to take it easy today!

For the menu tonight, we are scheduled to have pizza. I'm still in my 48 hour ban on dairy due to yesterday, so I don't know what I'll be having tonight yet. I'm not worrying about staying on plan today, and probably tomorrow as well, as I can barely eat anything still and I'm drinking kool-aid (a really sugary drink mix from the States that is a special treat) to stay hydrated and keep my energy levels up. I'm also drinking as much water as I can.

Eli is happily playing in his travel cot this morning. He kept me up most of last night, so at around 4 this morning I handed him over to his Daddy. Jethro does beautifully with Eli and I don't think that Eli could have a better Daddy. I was watching them interact this morning in bed, and it melted my heart and nearly made me cry tears of happiness. Jethro was gently talking to Eli and Eli would put his hand on Jethro's chin or cheek and softly respond with gurgles and baby noises.

Sick!

I unfortunately have come down with a bad v&d stomach bug overnight, so no real post for today. Hopefully normal services will resume shortly!