First of all I apologise for a briefer than usual blog. Maybe you will prefer it? But I am busy today so need to be brief.
Having read more on Sarah Wilson’s blog about quitting sugar, it appears you can eat banana and coconut water. So I did!
Today’s smoothie was:
100 ml coconut water (1 WW point),
100 g Greek yogurt(4 WW points),
1 tbsp ground flax seed (2 WW points),
1 banana,
1 serving protein powder (3 WW points).
It was runnier than I like them and was like drinking a glass of frothy milk. Sweet milk. The flavour was lovely but I like them thicker.
I met Lisa and we had a lovely walk through the woods and round the orchard. The rain held off and we have a good old chin wag – now there’s a surprise!
I haven’t cooked a new recipe for a little while so today was the day. I have recently come across a great blog called Scandi Foodie which is written by a Finnish lady who now lives in Sydney. She has loads of recipes I want to try and today I made Chickpea Patties with Avocado Dip. Unusually for me, I made them quite faithfully to the original as I had all the ingredients.
Chick Pea Patties with Avocado Dip
Ingredients (made 12 patties)
- 1 tin chickpeas, washed and drained
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large egg
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- 2 tsp coconut oil (for frying)
- ½ avocado
- juice of ½ lemon
- salt
Method
Put chick peas in a blender with the sesame seeds, paprika, ginger, olive oil, lemon, egg, salt and pepper.
Blend until either smooth or coarsely chopped, depending on your preference.
Use wet hands to form small patties of the mixture and place on a plate.
Or if like me you are a gadget queen, use an ice-cream scoop, and you get 12 even sized blobs of mixture.
Put in fridge for 20 minutes so they firm up which makes them easier to handle.
Dredge each patty with ground almonds and flatten gently.
Fry for about 3 minutes on each side.
To make the avocado dip, mash the avocado with lemon juice and salt until as smooth or coarsely mashed as you like.
I served the patties with rocket and a very juicy tomato.
They tasted really good.
I enjoyed making them. I was very hungry so I used all of a medium sized avocado. I was horrified to see that my lunch came to 24 WW points !!! It seems so much for something so healthy.
I am pleased I have 6 left over in the fridge for another day. But they are so high in points I think I will give them to Harvey. He will enjoy those in a pitta bread with some Tahini sauce and cherry tomatoes for tea.
I am going to have a small baked potato and a lamb chop. So I am well over my points today which is irritating as I ate very healthily and have felt hungry most of the day.
I feel your pain. But you have been healthy, and that beats everything. Good luck with your day tomorrow. Thinking of you….it’s all worth it in the end. x
Just remember Zoe that even if they were 24WW points, they were 24 HEALTHY WW points. All of it good fats/proteins that your body can eliminate with ease as well as other toxins in the body, which ultimately brings the body fat down.
The rule of thumb for any weight release program you do is the 80/20 rule. If you eat Healthy 80%of the time, then you will still achieve results for that 20% of straying. Actually the 80/20 rule refers to everything you do in life from eating to goaling after the goals you set out for yourself in life.
I know you probably know this, but just in case, if you want that smoothie thicker, freeze the banana.
Thank you Laura. I did know but had forgotten 🙂
those patties look so gorgeous, and I am sure they would be fine without the egg, wouldn’t they? (I am a vegan, kind of, so no eggs for me). I will have to try to make those! Though it is very surprising to see they are that high in points.
I’ve also been trying to cut down on sugar. Luckily they have now allowed the sale of stevia in the UK so I’ve been using that whenever I can instead of sugar, but I do try to eat fewer sweet things at all.
Good luck with your healthier lifestyle and new year resolutions! And well done for doing that detox for 3 days, I would have died!
I have not tried them without the egg. I guess the egg helps bind them together so they may be a bit crumbly without. Is there a vegan egg substitute? I have seen it on some vegan blogs but can not remember what they use. I am always surprised by how many points really healthy foods, like beans and lentils, have on the WW plan. But i do not think all points/calories are equal. I think if you go over points on healthy food, you still lose weight. I do anyway!
A vegan egg substitute is a Chia egg. Simply soak a top of Chia seeds in water (enough to cover) and leave to sit (I let it sit overnight but only needs about 10-20 mins). Works as oil, to make sugar free jam, cocoa Chia pots and soooo much more!
Thank you for the suggestion.
I have got to try these! They look so delicious!