It's in the darkest moments that you see the spirit shine"..... Lee Kernaghan

Qld Floods

It is so unbelievable what is happening in Qld.

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html  Please use this link to find details on how to donate to the Flood Relief Appeal if you are able to and help your fellow Queenslanders and/or Australians in this dreadful disaster.
Donate to the flood relief appeal : Queensland Government
www.qld.gov.au
Donate online, by phone, in person, internet... banking or mail.See More

Queensland Government

www.qld.gov.au

Welcome to www.qld.gov.au, your gateway to Queensland Government Internet resources.

Love my WW iphone app

WW gave us the best Christmas present ever, a free WW app for iphones. It is the best tool WW have ever bought out. I am so much more vigilant with my tracking now and while we were away on the Gold Coast it made looking up PP values when out so easy.

It has a tracker and so much more. I love the cheat sheets such as the cocktail one where you can look up and compare the PP values and make the best choice. We went out for dinner and I had looked up the menu befoe I went out, and planned what I was going to have to arrive at the restaurant and find the menu had changed and my choice wasn't available. No worries, whipped my iphone out and made a great choice. It has all the cusines listed so good choices are always at the press of a button.
You can use it in the supermarket to calculate the pp values using nutritional panel. Love it, love it, love it.

Virtual makeover

I love this tool on www.womansday.com.au where you can upload a photo and do a virtual makeover to see what you would look like at any weight. You enter your stats and how much you want to lose/gain and it does the makeover. This is what I could look like 8kg less. Great for motivation, but also at beginning of journey when you have no idea what you could look like at goal.

Butternut and Mango Salad

One of my lovely members from South Africa Megan shared this interesting salad with me. I have never thought of grating raw butternut pumpkin.

Butternut and Mango Salad

1 butternut pumpkin, peeled and grated

1 pineapple, peeled and diced

2 mangoes, peeled and diced

1 capsicum,seeded and diced

250ml mango juice concentrate (can use orange concentrate instead and 20 ml honey if mix is too sour)

10 ml lemon juice

 

Mix butternut, pineapple, mango and capsicum in a salad bowl.  Mix juices together and pour over salad.  Toss salad.  Cover and chill.  (Best refrigerated overnight to allow flavours to develop.)

Happy New Year

If you focus on results you will never get change.

If you focus on change you will get results!

So what will you focus upon for 2011?

I hope 2011 brings you the body and bank account that you desire :)

Asparagus, bean and feta salad

Serves 8 @ 2PP

Ingredients

• 2 large bunches asparagus, trimmed, halved
• 400g green beans, topped
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 75g reduced-fat feta cheese
•  
• Dressing
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
• pinch caster sugar

Instructions

Step 1 To make dressing, place balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dill and sugar into a small bowl. Stir well to combine.

Step 2 Blanch beans and asparagus in boiling water until bright green and slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

Step 3 Place asparagus, beans and onion into a large bowl and toss with dill dressing. Transfer to a serving platter and crumble feta on top.

Potato salad with mint and pistachios

A fantastic, low fat twist on the much loved potato salad. For early preparation, boil potatoes the day before serving and refrigerate overnight.
Serves 8 @ 4pp

iNGREDIENTS
 

• 1.5kg small new potatoes
• 125ml (1/2 cup) low-fat natural yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives (plus extra, to garnish)
• black pepper

1/4 cup chopped pistachio kernels

Instructions

Step 1 Place potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 12–15 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
Step 2 Combine yoghurt and lemon juice in a small bowl. Slice potatoes in half (or quarters, if large) and place into a large bowl. Add dressing, green onions and herbs. Combine gently until dressing coats potatoes. Season with pepper.
Step 3 Transfer to a platter. Serve sprinkled with chopped pistachios and freshly chopped chives.

Prawns with mango mayo

Mmmm this was so good, easy and perfect to serve with prawns.

ProPoints™ Value:    4 Servings:  4 Preparation Time:  10 min Cooking Time:  0 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Ingredients   500 g Prawn, king, cooked    2 Tbsp fresh chives      1 medium mango      125 g low-fat cottage cheese    Instructions Shell and de-vein prawns leaving tails intact. Arrange prawns and crackers onto four serving plates. Sprinkle prawns with chives. Blend mango pulp and cottage cheese until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour mango mayonnaise over prawns and serve immediately. Notes The mango and cottage cheese mayonnaise can be made up to 1 day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Teriyaki-glazed sweet potatoes with coriander

Teriyaki-glazed sweet potatoes with coriander

 

ProPoints™ Value:    2 Servings:  4 Preparation Time:  10 min Cooking Time:  40 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Savoury teriyaki sauce pairs perfectly with sweet potatoes and tangy coriander. The sauce creates a sticky, caramelised coating as the potatoes cook.

Ingredients

	5 x 3 second spray(s) oil spray
	2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
	2 medium orange sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1cm chunks
	2 Tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200°C. Coat a large baking tray with cooking spray.
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together teriyaki sauce and coriander. Add sweet potatoes and coat them with sauce mixture.
  
• Transfer sweet potatoes to prepared baking sheet and bake until fork-tender, about 40 minutes.

Sparkling lemon and ginger drink

Sparkling lemon and ginger drink

ProPoints™ Value:    0 Servings:  6 Preparation Time:  10 min Cooking Time:  10 min Level of Difficulty:  Easy

For a refreshing homemade drink, you can't beat this delicious recipe. Perfect to serve as an non-alcohol alternative at Christmas functions and very refreshing in our beautiful summer.

Ingredients   4 medium fresh lemon(s)    1 tsp fresh ginger    6 glass(es) natural mineral water, (1 litre)    2 Tbsp artificial sweetener powder    3 Tbsp fresh mint, (3 sprigs)    Instructions Use a potato peeler to pare the zest from 3 of the lemons into long strips. Place strips in a heatproof bowl with the grated ginger. Pour in 1 cup of boiling water and leave to infuse and cool for 10 minutes. Strain the lemon and ginger mixture into a large jug. Add the squeezed lemon juice, mineral water and the sweetener to taste. Share between 4 to 6 glasses. Add several ice cubes, a few mint sprigs and lemon slices to garnish. Chill the glasses in the refrigerator to keep the drinks as cool as possible. Notes Try using lime slices or wedges instead of the lemon in this drink, or how about a combination of both?