Easter

I am so happy as I've had yet another very stressful week with some major problems cropping up. it just goes to show, if you stay strong, you don't have to turn to the comfort foods.

I do have to say that this week we had no electricity due to the bad weather which lasted for 23 hours. That has been a nightmare. We don't have a gas cooker, so the night before weigh in, it was blowing a blizzard outside and my Husband and I had a ham salad.

Usually, I love salad but on this occasion, I begrudged every mouthful.

We had no heating, the roads were really bad and the thought of salad when we should have been having Chilli didn't make me feel any better. I'm pleased to report, we do now have heating and also a big thank you to my friend, who offered to cook a healthy Pasta Bolognese for our evening meal should the electric no be back on.

Are you dreading the fast approaching Easter Weekend? For many people, it's a great excuse to eat lots of chocolate, Easter eggs, not forgetting the hot cross buns. For those of us trying to lose weight, it can be a nightmare, especially if you have children and they do have chocolate eggs.

It can be really hard going especially as they've been in the shops since boxing day and they're usually buy one get one free. In past years, my Husband and I would have eaten so many eggs before Easter Sunday and the lbs would have easily piled on. This year, we've told family members that we don't want any chocolate at all. We both intend to lose lbs and not £'s over Easter.

In our Slimming World Group, we looked at the content of some chocolate eggs. In the eating plan we follow, we use "Syns" for things like chocolate, wine or anything else that you enjoy but should have in moderation.

You can have up to 15 per day but I like to stick to 10. In a total week, I can have 70 syns which allows me to have things like a curly wurly each day and also a packet of velvet crunch crisps. If I was to have a chocolate egg, I would use 9 of my 10 just for a tiny cream egg.

A tube of mini eggs would have been my syn total for the week. If I'm honest, I could have eaten 2 tubes a night easily.

Whatever plan you're following, it's worth checking the labels to see what damage you could be doing to your weight loss. Is it really worth blowing it for a hollow egg shaped piece of chocolate? Personally, I don't think so.

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

For those of you who still want to enjoy Easter but without the calories, I've added a recipe from the Slimming World Website for Chocolate Hot Cross Buns.

Ingredients

454g/1lb strong plain white bread flour
pinch of salt
1 tbsp mixed spice
2 sachets Options Hot Chocolate
2 tsp easy blend dried yeast
57g/2oz currants
2 tbsp sunflower oil
284ml/10fl oz lukewarm skimmed milk

For the glaze:
1 tbsp granulated artificial sweetener

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°/Gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.

2. Sift the flour, salt, mixed spice and drinking chocolate into a mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast and currants.

3. Make a well in the centre and spoon in the oil. Gradually pour in the milk and mix to form a soft but not sticky, dough.

4. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a floured bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.

5. Turn out and re-knead. Divide into 16 pieces, shape into buns and place on the baking sheet. Cover and leave for 20 to 30 minutes until doubled in size.

6. Using a sharp knife, score a small cross on the top of each bun and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until risen and golden brown.

7. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Dissolve the sweetener in 1 tbsp hot water. As soon as the buns are cooked, brush the glaze over each bun. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. They are best served warm.

If you do try them, let me know what you think of them. I don't think I'll get chance to try them before Easter but I'm sure they would make a great treat for any time of the year. If you do have a bad few days over the Easter period, don't give up. Remember that bigger picture and how far you've come. If you're just starting out, think about where you could be by the summer. It's only 4 months away and you could be at least 2.5st lighter. I really would love to hear about your success or even if you're having a tough time of it and need support. I know the next few months are going to be tough for me and although it seems I'm doing okay, I know how much I need support too.

All that's left is for me to wish you all a very Happy Easter and I'll see you lighter next week,

Love Wendy xxx