Firstly, I must just point out that I am not and never have been, nor do I have any desire currently to be a Slimming World consultant. Please check recipes/syns values/ healthy extras/that I'm not poisoning you yourself if you don't trust me (I wouldn't). Or join a lovely Slimming World group for lots of happy-clappy support and encouragement. Super.
That said, I have followed the plan for many years and have seen it go through lots of changes in that time, so I like to think I know it pretty well. The plan is split into three basic components - free food, healthy extras, and -dun, dun, dun- syns. Free food is split further into free and speed food. Free food is your meat, fish, eggs, fat free dairy, potatoes, pasta, rice, beans and pulses and some other grains (quinoa if you live in Shoreditch). Speed food is most fruits and vegetables, and your meals should consist of at least 1/3 speed (and not the kind you stick up your nose). Healthy extras you have an A (milk, cheese and calcium rich goodies) and a B (bread, cereal and fibre rich stuff) and -dun, dun, dun- syns cover pretty much everything else. Free food you can eat as much of as you like. Really go to town. Pile your plate high with it and shove your face in, Vicar of Dibley with the chocolate fountain style. Then each day you also get one of each healthy extra and 5-15 syns (unless you're a real porker, or male, in which case you get more syns at the discretion of your consultant). There are caveats, anomalies and exceptions to these which I'll point out if we come to them, but that's the general proviso.
It really is a great plan in all seriousness. Unlike calorie controlled diets, or points based systems *cough*weightwatchers*cough* there is always something you can eat on those days when you just can't fill yourself up. Keep your fruit bowl piled high and the mullerlights piled higher and you'll never go hungry. Not as satisfying as eating a whole tube of pringles in one sitting, but it's the better option. Yawn.
Anyway, onto the recipe. Baked oats seem to be everywhere at the moment, every slimming blog, website and facebook page you look at seems to be extolling their virtues so I thought it would be a good place to start. One of the anomalies of the plan is that fruit isn't free if it's cooked or pureed so if you want to polish your diet halo this recipe contains one syn for the cooked raspberries, plus either your healthy b choice or 6 syns for the oats. If you choose not to syn the cooked fruit, on your head be it. I wont tell, but don't come crying to me when your knickers don't fit.
To make Baked Oats you will need:
- 35g porridge oats (any old ones will do!) (HEB)
- 1 egg
- 90g plain fat free yogurt, or roughly half a mullerlight (whatever flavour your heart desires, as long as it's a syn free one)
- 100g raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons sweetener of your choice
- dash of vanilla or almond essence, if you're feeling fancy
- frylight
Chuck all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix it up good. Spray a small ovenproof dish with frylight and dollop the mix in. Bake at 200ish (gas 5/6) for half an hour or so, then serve with more speedy fruit and a blob of yogurt, or the rest of your muller. Eat and revel in the yum. The picture actually only shows half a serving (recipe serves one), so you could save the other half to eat cold like some kind of sad cake substitute with your afternoon milk free, sugar free, joy free coffee.
This is definitely a weekend breakfast, or for when you've got more time and patience than it takes to shove some shreddies in a bowl, but if you can wait half an hour for your breakfast in the morning, it is a yummy alternative to normal porridge. You can change up the flavours by adding different fruit (just check the syns), different yogurts, spices etc. You could even experiment with chocolate (Options hot chocolates are 2 syns a serving). The possibilities are endless!
My eldest brat son just told me if I got on a diving board I'd probably break it because I'm too fat (don't you just love the school holidays) so I'm off to cry into the washing up.
Toodles!
Hx
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