*The TLC Plan from Activia: Part Six

 MISSION COMPLETE!

That's it folks, the TLC Plan is OVER! For the past two weeks, this plan has taken over my life - and my blog - and now the time has come to look back over the past 14 days and reflect...

The items of the Activia range that I bought.

For those of you who missed this post or do not know much about it, the TLC Plan is a diet which you follow for two weeks in order to give your tummy some 'TLC'.  You sign up to the TLC website for free, answer a few questions and then you have your plan set out in front of you and ready to view at anytime online. For each day, you have a breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks meal suggestion, but you have the option to change what is given, as well as some fitness and general health tips.

I was asked to take part in this and trust me, I was more than happy to go along with it! Like many people, I had over indulged in chocolates, drink and roast dinners over Christmas and I could definitely feel it in my stomach. My other reason for doing this was that it would be a big challenge; I have NEVER been on a diet or eating plan before. Because I'm at work 9-to-5 and then either come home to blog or to go to zumba, I just usually make something quick for dinner or, as the case is sometimes, order a takeaway and I knew that this plan would mean getting out of this comfort zone, so I thought BRING IT ON!

After a ridiculous shopping trip in preparation for this (I really didn't realise how little myself and @ultimatecoddy actually keep in the cupboards!), I started the plan on 16th January and it ended last night. You can see my first week's plan here and week number two's here.

Healthy homemade lemon cake anyone?

So, how did it go? 

Overall, I am very pleased with not only how good the plan is but also how well I stuck to it. Admittedly, I did miss the odd snack and one dinner (thanks to Mother taking me to Gala Bingo!), but I really did try my best to keep to the plan and measurements given, and use the right ingredients - hence the massive shopping list!

One of the parts which I found really impressive are the breakfasts. As I have said before, I am one of those people who either munch on a couple of cereal bars, have a quick slice of toast (unless Dan makes me bowl of porridge) or just skip it. This plan, however, has introduced me to a number of tasty but so easy to prepare breakfasts such as the wholemeal breakfast biscuits topped with yoghurt, toast with peanut butter and a banana and the BLT bagel! I am so determined to carry on eating these breakfasts now that the plan is over.

Creamy garlic mushrooms -
one of my faves!

I was also majorly impressed with some of the dinners too, for instance I LOVE creamy garlic mushrooms but have never attempted to make it (I wouldn't know where to start?!), but this plan has introduced me to creme fraiche and now I will be more than happy to make this as a starter and a main! I have been able to experiment with new ingredients that normally I wouldn't consider, and because of this I have found new foods that I like and want to continue making and eating in the future.

When first getting ready to take part in this, one of the most daunting aspects was the amount of preparation involved; I knew that a lot of my time would be spent in the kitchen getting the meals ready. Luckily, I enjoy cooking and once I had started and followed the recipes, everything was fine! If your lifestyle is like mine, you just have to bear in mind that not only are you preparing the breakfast, you are also getting your morning snack and lunch ready to take to work, and then you have your afternoon snack followed by dinner to make along with any preparation for the morning. So, my advice for anybody considering this plan is to make sure you have the time, or can make the time, to do this properly and you will definitely feel better for it. 

Even the Danone Activia products has really impressed me! I am not a big yoghurt eater (I much prefer puddings or chocolate after a meal!) but the fat-free yoghurts, pouring yoghurts and Intensely Creamy yoghurts in particular are delicious! So much so that I have already bought my next set of each...

Of course, the Activia brand is famous for it's 'Tummy TLC' ethos and this is the main objective of the plan; to make your stomach feel better. But does it work? 

I'd say so. I genuinely do not feel bloated like I used to; I can eat until I'm full but it does not make me feel sick. I am getting fuller more easily and therefore I'm not eating as much; I weighed myself on the Wii Fit yesterday and, to my delight, it said that in the last two weeks I have lost three pounds! RESULT!

Plenty of healthy, filling meals.

I have mentioned previously on this blog that I LOVE a takeaway and, since week one, I have been changing my mind about whether to have a pizza platter, a curry or McDonalds to celebrate the end of this challenge. But, over the past two days, I have come to realise that I don't actually want one! I don't like the thought of eating something 'stodgy' and, being perfectly honest, it makes me feel bloated just thinking about it - a sure sign that my eating habits have changed for the better; it's quite exciting!

I really have learned a lot about eating healthily through taking part in this and I am so determined to carry on making these meals and live a healthier lifestyle; it just shows what a bit of food education can do. As I said above, you really need to make sure you have the time and patience to do the plan, but if you do give this a go, you definitely won't be disappointed. I genuinely didn't know what to expect when agreeing to do this and I am so impressed and surprised by it - I really do recommend Danone Activia's TLC Plan.

*The TLC Plan from Activia: Part Five

Well everybody, today is the FINAL day of my TLC Plan - I can't believe it is here! After all of the planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning, the 14 days are (very nearly) over; all I have left is my lunch, dinner and afternoon snack. Tomorrow I will publish my thoughts on how the diet has gone as a whole, but for today, here is Week Two's meal plan.

Day Eight

Breakfast: Peanut Butter and Banana on Toast - I enjoyed this breakfast so much last week that I chose it again to start this week!

Snack: Sultana, Hazelnut and Oat Cookies - Click here to see my thoughts on these (*Hint* they're delicious!)

Lunch: Tomato with a Bagel - Very filling and satisfying.

Snack: Hummus with Sugar Snap Peas - Nice and easy, only I used carrots instead of peas.

Dinner: Penne Pasta with Pesto and Broccoli - Although this was alright, I think I'd prefer it as a Summer meal.

Day Nine



Breakfast: Toast with Jam - A simple, classic breakfast teamed with a yoghurt; you can't go wrong!

Snack: Sultana, Hazelnut and Oat Cookies.

Lunch: Italian Pasta Tricolour Salad - I had this a couple of times last week and I think it's a simple, and most definitely healthy, lunch. Cook pasta, mix it with green pesto and serve with rocket, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella... simple!

Snack: Cheesy Tomato Toast

Dinner: Turkey in Black Bean Sauce - This is another one of my big surprises of the plan; again, I was so impressed with this meal! This is the first time I have tried to make this, and I used chicken instead of Turkey, but it was very easy to make and I really did enjoy eating this. And the Vanilla Intensely Creamy yoghurts are beautiful!

Day 10

Breakfast: BLT Bagel -  Considering I have never really given bagels a chance, they have been one of my favourite foods on this plan. A wholemeal bagel, toasted, with lean bacon, lettuce and tomato and a tiny bit of mayo; the healthiest, but still tasty, bacon butty you'll find!

Snack: Banana and Mixed Berry Smoothie - delicious.

Lunch: Veggie Club Sandwich - I really love these sandwiches! Last week I had the Chicken version, but this one consists of cheese, red onion, lettuce, tomato and cucumber in between three slices of wholemeal bread.

Snack: Strawberries with Dark Chocolate - such a treat!

Dinner: Gnocchi with Chicken - I have never tried gnocchi before but have always wanted to, and I am so pleased this has given me the chance! I will admit, I did think it was pasta until I bought it and realised it is, in fact, Italian potato dumlings... They are very weird little things but I like them, and the tomato and chicken accompaniment was delicous too.

Day 11

 Breakfast: Muesli with Blueberries with Pouring Yoghurt

Snack: Snackpot with Walnuts - a slight change here; I had hazelnuts instead of walnuts as I had some left over from the cookies... but it's OK because they're rich in Vitamin E!

Lunch: Chicken and Avo sandwich - Again, I left out the avacado like last week, but it is still one awesome sandwich!

Snack: Tzatziki, breadticks and veggies - I admit it, I missed this snack, but that is because the lovely @andyandem came round for...

Dinner: Veggie Pizza - Yes! Homemade pizza again (minus the peppers) along with a side salad.

Day 12

Breakfast: Muesli with Pouring Yoghurt and Blueberries - Blueberries are a superfood, so why not make the most of them?

Snack: Tasty Salad Bowl - Unfortunately I had to give this a miss as I forgot to put it in the fridge at work and so, by 11am, it tasted a bit... awful!

Lunch: Roast Chicken Pasta Salad - The picture above looks different to the recipe; cook chicken and pasta and mix them both together with some tomato pesto and it's done!

Snack: Cheesy Tomato Toast

Dinner: Broccoli and Walnut Tagliatelle - I'm not quite sure what happened here; on my list (which I written to plan my shopping trip), I had Veggie Fajitas down as Friday's meal... but I'm not complaining because I do LOVE those fajitas!

Day 13

Breakfast: Traditional Cooked Breakfast

Snack: Snackpot with Almonds - again, I had hazelnuts instead!

Lunch: Tomato Soup with a Bagel

Snack: Fresh Summer Fruits - always a delight!

Dinner: Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta - still so impressed with this meal!

Day 14

Breakfast: Banana Pancakes - I was a little bit experimental with this meal; I used wholemeal self-raising flour (genuine mistake!) to make the batter and, for the topping, I used a forest fruits yoghurt instead of rhubarb like the recipe suggests, but it was still lovely.

Snack: Snackpot and Peanut Butter Toast - A little bit filling for a snack but I like it!

Lunch: Veggie Club Sandwich - I am going to make this as soon as I have finished writing this post...


Snack: Hummus with Sugar Snap Peas - Again, I used carrot instead of sugar snap peas.


Dinner: Gnocchi with Chicken - I'm looking forward to this!

As I said above, tomorrow I will be rounding-up this experience as a whole; I am quite surprised with what I've found! If you have liked any of my TLC posts and are considering doing this plan, then you'll definitely have to check out tomorrow's post!

Now... it's time to make sandwiches!

*The TLC Plan from Activia: Part Four

I love a bit of baking. My Grandad always made excellent cakes and tarts; they were my absolute favourite when I was growing up and the taste and textures were perfect every time - I always thought he could have his own cake shop! And, even though this may sound a *bit* big-headed, I sometimes like to think I have some of his talent...

Saying that, my last baking attempt didn't quite work out right (I knew that plain flour wouldn't make this cake rise!) but on Sunday I put my baking hat back on and made the TLC Plan's Sultana, Hazelnut and Oat Cookies - I NEVER expected them to be good as they were!

Creaming the margarine and brown sugar.

Adding the sultanas and hazelnuts after mixing in one beaten egg and the semi-skimmed milk.

Ready to fold in the wholemeal self-raising flour.

Coating the mixture in rolled oats after rolling it into balls.

Hey presto!

Flattening them down ready for baking.

And voila! Absolutely amazing cookies!

I will admit, I was a little skeptical of these at first; I much prefer chocolate in my biscuits rather than raisins and I had never tried baking with wholemeal flour and brown sugar before, so I was unsure of what they would taste like. However, to my delight, I had nothing to worry about because these were absolutely delicious!

Because self-raising flour was used (I'm still baffled as to why it was used in this recipe and not the lemon cake's?!), they were really soft and spongy - not hard like cookies from a packet -  which I really liked. They were also really moist and were so tasty; it's a shame I only had this snack three times on my plan!

The only negative, although it isn't really, which hasn't got anything to do with the recipe or ingredients, is that I made the dough balls waaayyyy too big so the mixture didn't make 30 cookies like it should, but I'm not complaining because it meant I got to eat bigger cookies...

And, even the Graphics Department at Walton's HQ liked them! Another success for Danone Activia's TLC Plan!

Cowie does LA: Part Three!

So after spending a brilliant morning at Hollywood Boulevard (I loved the buzz!) and then Griffith Observatory and walking up the the legendary Hollywood sign, day four was spent in the sunshine walking from Santa Monica to Venice Beach, and then sadly this was the end of our trip (but not before one last trip to Rodeo drive!) So here are the last few pictures from this AMAZING trip.

My feet compared to Will Smith's!

Walk of Fame!

More shopping...

On the way up to the Hollywood sign!

There it is!

Griffith Observatory - we also came back at night; the view of the city was beautiful!

Santa Monica Pier.

On the beach!

Venice Beach.

The group back at Universal City for our last night; we celebrated with a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe!

This is most definitely a place I MUST get back to.

Cowie does LA: Part Two!

Once we had recovered from the excitement that was Universal Studios, we were ready to explore the rest of LA, starting with its Mexican heritage; we travelled to Union Station and had a look round a quaint Mexican market before heading to Long Beach (not what I expected!) and finally back to... wait for it fashionistas... Rodeo Drive! Yes - Chanel, Gucci, Dior, Harry Winston and even the boutique which Julia Roberts was thrown out of in 'Pretty Woman'. Day three then consisted of a trip to Hollywood Boulevard...

Avila Adobe

The Mexican market (but we were a bit early!)

Lovely little shops at Long Beach!

Long Beach Harbour

Rodeo Drive

The boutique I mentioned above.

A Turtle Sundae from the California Kitchen!

Day three: Hollywood & Vine Station

Hollywood Boulevard!

We were there at Oscar time!

*The TLC Plan from Activia: Part Three

Well, the first week of the TLC Plan is over! I still have one week left but the first seven days have flown by. Being completely honest, most of this has been a success, but there has been some instances where I have had to be a bit flexible with the meals...But never mind that, here is how I got on during week one.

Day One

Breakfast: Peanut Butter and Banana on Toast with a Yoghurt - I am not a massive fan of peanut butter (unless it is a small amount smothered in chocolate) but this was quite filling and I am definitely looking forward to having this again.

Snack: Healthy Dippers and Homemade Salsa - You can see how I prepared this here, and I definitely enjoyed the dippers. The salsa, however, not so much. The smell (for me) was too strong; maybe it was because I didn't use lime juice or chilli so the garlic and onion was too pungent? So I decided to give the dip a miss...

Lunch: Chicken Caesar Salad - Love this. The recipe does say to make your own croutons by frying small cubes of baguette, but I left this out. The reduced fat Caesar salad sauce from Asda I used is delicious! I'm more than happy to carry on eating this after the plan has ended.


Snack: Cheesy Tomato Toast - Can't go wrong with this! Soft cheese on toast is most definitely a favourite snack of mine, and tomatoes are just a fresh addition.

Dinner: Veggie Fajitas - I think this is going to be my biggest surprise; I didn't think they would be so good! I used BBQ seasoning for the mushrooms (which I have never tried before) and it tasted great! I didn't have salsa or guacamole in my wraps, but as I said, delicious!

Day Two

Breakfast: Wholegrain cereal biscuits with yoghurt - The recipe suggests, for the biscuit topping, a fig yoghurt and a fig, but I chose to stick with a strawberry yoghurt and some fruit, and again, another great breakfast!

Snack: Snackpot with Walnuts - Unfortunately the supermarket didn't have any snackpots when I went (and still didn't on Friday!) so I opted for a fat-free cherry yoghurt with nuts; just an easy snack for when I'm sat at my desk.

Lunch: Italian Pasta Tricolour Salad - There was something I didn't quite like about this meal; I am not a big fan of rocket and the recipe said to mix lemon juice with the pesto before pouring it over the dish, and I am not a big fan of lemon juice on foods either (unless it is a dessert - I don't know why?!) So when I tried this again on Saturday, I made a little change, but the details of this are further down below...

Snack: Strawberries with Dark Chocolate - YES! What I had been waiting for! Despite a little mishap with the dark chocolate at first (I burnt it in the microwave), the second attempt was much better thanks to @ultimatecoddy. I used Divine's 70% chocolate which is lovely, and with the strawberries, it really was divine!

Dinner: Veggie Pizza - It was fun making this homemade pizza. I didn't include peppers and so just stuck to mushrooms, mozarella and onion, and this has definitely inspired myself and Daniel to make our own pizzas more often.

Day Three

Breakfast: Muesli with Blueberries and Activia Pouring Yoghurt - exactly what it says and is a nice zesty start to the day. This will be lovely in summer.

Snack: Snackpot with Almonds - again!

Lunch: Wholemeal Bagel with Tomato Soup - such a filling lunch, and so satisfying too. The recipe suggests spreading low-fat soft cheese on the bagel, and so do I!

Snack: I was supposed to have a tasty salad bowl, but I had to go to zumba straight after work and then started to make Spaghetti Bolognese when I got home. So I have to admit I did miss this snack...

Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese - I do like cooking, so it was nice making this from scratch instead of using sauce from a jar. The only thing I did differently was not include red wine, but it was still fine.

Day Four

Breakfast: Reduced Fat/Sugar Beans on Toast with a Yoghurt - I do like this classic breakfast, but I don't usually have it before work so it was a nice change. I had a yoghurt afterwards too but I found this a bit too sweet, so I think I'd quite like to stick to just the beans on toast.

Snack: Snackpot with almonds - again!

Lunch: Chicken Caesar Salad - I was definitely looking forward to this!

Snack: Lower-fat sponge cake - In some ways this was a success, but at the same time it was a bit of a disaster! The recipe says to use plain flour, but because of this my cake didn't rise! You are supposed to be able to cut it in half so that you can put the homemade cream (yummy!) in between layers, but there was no way I could do that with mine! I also couldn't find Fromage Frais ANYWHERE! So I used a little bit of the Activia Vanilla Pouring Yoghurt, and as a result, my cream was too runny. However, the sponge and the cream tasted amazing!

Doesn't quite look like the image above, does it?

Dinner: This was my biggest slip to date... I went off plan! My mother treated me to a session at Gala Bingo which started at 7pm and so I didn't have time to make the garlic mushroom pasta dish. Instead I had a little hotdog (that's bad, I know!)

Day Five: 

Breakfast: Cream Cheese and Strawberry Wholemeal Bagel with a Yoghurt - another favourite breakfast.

Snack: Lower-fat sponge cake - still delicious despite its appearance!

Lunch: Ham, Cheese and Tomato Melt - again, just a couple of changes due to the lack of foods available in the supermarket on a Sunday afternoon. Instead of ham, I used bacon (with the fat taken off), and instead of a panini, I used a wholemeal sub but I still grilled it.

Snack: Peanuts and Raisins - Just a few from a packet; nice and easy.

Dinner: Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta - I made this instead of the Pesto Penne dish as I love creamy mushrooms and was slightly gutted that I missed it on Thursday. This was my first time cooking with Creme Fraiche and I would rate this as a favourite and a complete success.

Day Six

Breakfast: Traditional Cooked Breakfast - The image above shows toast and sausages, but all the recipe includes is bacon, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes and eggs, and then a yoghurt for after. Even so, this is enough to keep you full until lunchtime.

Snack: Lower-fat sponge cake - again!

Lunch: Italian Pasta Tricolour Salad - I made a slight change to the recipe this time; I mixed the pesto with the pasta straight after cooking and served the dish warm. I also left the lemon juice out and it was much more to my taste!

Snack: Healthy Dippers - as above, minus the homemade salsa.

Dinner: Veggie Fajitas - just as good as the first try!

Day Seven

Breakfast: Muesli with Summer Berries and Activia Pouring Yoghurt

Snack: Hummus with carrot sticks - I first tried hummus only recently and I really liked it, so I am pleased that it cropped up in the plan. However, I usually dip bread sticks into mine, not carrot sticks...

Lunch: Chicken and Avocado Sandwich - I was surprised to see this sandwich requires three slices of bread, not two! Although I'm not complaining because I love bread. I did leave the avocado out; again, not a fan!

Snack: Sultana, Hazelnut and Oat Cookies - Absolutely beautiful! These are made with brown sugar and wholemeal self-raising flour and they are fanstastic, especially with a glass of milk; it's a shame I only have three cookies in my plan...

Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese - I had this instead of garlic mushrooms because of the menu change earlier on in the week and I definitely felt like this one was much better than the first. My tip - drain some of the water from the chopped tomatoes and don't use as much beef stock so the sauce isn't too watery!

I know I have slightly gone off plan in a couple of instances, but over all I feel like I have already learned a lot about eating habits, healthier alternatives and just cooking in general. I really do feel like my stomach feels better too.

Next week I have a few new dishes to try; I am looking forward to trying gnocchi for the first time and making turkey in black bean sauce, as well as a pancake breakfast on day 14. Let's do this!