Tips on syn saving?

Hi everyone!

Ive made some little substitutes in my meals so that ALL 15 syns can be used on treats (such as wine and chocolate!) eg.

Instead of salad cream I use either balsamic vinegar which I have discovered is yummy, or fat free cottage cheese such as Asda with onion/chives, just to give a salad or some SW chips a bit of something to make it less dry or to dip in.

I also use Harissa paste (chilli flavour, quite hot) if Im having Quorn sausage, chips and beans - I just put a bit on the side of the plate to use as a mustard or ketchup substitute. I also spread in very thinly on wholemeal toast if Im having beans on toast, instead of margarine or butter.

Switching to skimmed milk has also meant that I have enough for weetabix and a few coffees, whereas before I only had enough for the cereal and maybe one or two cups of coffee as I have mine fairly milky. The rest of the day I was synning the dashes of milk.

I reckon I used to use half my syns on a bit of butter, a dollop of salad cream/ketchup, a few extra milk dashes in teas etc but I wasnt really counting them properly - its lovely to get to the evening and know I can have a glass of red AND a fudge bar or something and know Im not going over my syns.

Just wondered if anyone else had any syn-swaps to share?

xx
 
I used to make mash using butter and milk, and maybe some cheese to make it taste better. I now use Quark instead - still doesn't taste quite right, so I usually add some veggies as well (spring onion or peppers ususally). I'd read a tip on here about using veg stock to boil the spuds in rather than water, so might give that a try.

Other free alternatives - using powdered mash to thicken sauces and stews instead of cornflour. Instant mash is free - cornflour has a few syns in per level tablespoon. Still wondering if that's one of those cheat things where its not actually free, but until I hear otherwise, I'm sticking with it.
 
Thanks Mandy, love the idea of onions and stuff in the mash - I dont think of doing that and I avoid mash as I dont want to use butter etc. Will be giving that a try.

Hope you lose your last few lbs soon! Ive just re-started AGAIN after twice losing 2.5 stone lol.

xx
 
Hope you lose your last few lbs soon! Ive just re-started AGAIN after twice losing 2.5 stone lol.

xx

I think after weigh in tonight, christmas and new year will have moved the target that little bit further away again, but thanks! Only gained 1/2lb after christmas, but tonight is the post new years/eating all the remaining chocolates weigh in which I think will be considerably worse!
 
I've been using it on salad dressing (kraft light herb and garlic is my fave as it looks luxurious, and as it's got a strong flavour a little goes a long way). This way I'm more likely to eat lots of salad, which can only be a good thing.
 
I always keep my syns for treats and hardly ever use them for cooking. My latest fav is polenta dumplings, I make the polenta up with 3/4 of the liquid required and add a stock cube and herbs (if desired) when making it up. Then let it cool for about 10 minutes and you'll find it quite stodgy and it can be rolled into dumplings and popped into stews.

I also hate it when I try make spag bol and it's watery because of the tinned tomatoes and I use no tomatoe paste (as it's syns) so what I do is I fry the onions and garlic up and add the tinned tomatoes and I cook that mixture for about 10-15 minutes until the toms are cooked and there is little liquid left. It works a treat and sauce always comes out thick.

Another way to thicken stews or sauces is with boiled potatoes. I don't always put potatoes in stews so what I found easiest is to boil some floury potatoes (w/o skins), let them cool and freeze. That way I can put them into the stew last few minutes from frozen, let them thaw out, fish them out again and mash with a little of th sauce and put back in, thickens sauces up a treat! (sorry for bad explanation!)

Happy syn free cooking! x
 
You do know that polenta is no longer syn free dont you - now the same as flour at 5 syns per 28g - due to the muffin food abuse issue I think

But if its an occasional thing and you are happy with your losses then I see no problem in continuing to take it as syn free and SW say as much too
 
I use cottage cheese in my mashed potatoes. I use no syns in cooking. I use fresh chillies and lotsa herbs to flavour stuff! I also use spuds instead of breadcrumbs when I make my prawn cakes.
 
I find a potato ricer make lovely mash, all light and fluffy with no butter or milk!

I'm not keen on the taste of extra light mayo, however blended with some garlic and you've got a lovely garlic mayo.
 
I have a potato ricer as well & I think it is fab. I'm also a big fan of boiling potatoes with a little stock cube thrown in :D sooo yummy!!!

I thought I read somewhere on here that smash had to be synned if using it to thicken sauces. I could be wrong though
 
nope - no problem as you are using it as part of a meal and use very little - the food abuse is only where you might consume large amounts of an otherwise free food as a snack by using it in a different way to what is intended
 
I use sweet pot more than normal pot now as you don't need to add anything but a little s + p maybe to make it taste yummy! :)
 
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