Syn question for a newbie

[pixie-gem]

Hi guys,

Today i am cooking DH fave dinner, which is slow braised beef, with dry roasties, carrots, peas, broc and cauli.
My question is, the only synable (a word?) thing there is the gravy, but i don't know how much to count?

It's 2.5 syns a tbsp, but i use at least 2 pints of gravy (fill up the dish with onion, carrots, braising steak, herbs and the gravy, cook for 3 hours on a very low temp, yummy!)

Do i count all the gravy i use? or just measure out tbsp's at the end of what i actually put on my dinner?
Obviously being cooked so slowly, alot of the gravy disappears, which is where i'm getting a little confused as to where to count it from.

Any help greatly appreciated as i'm doing really well and don't want to muck it up!
Also while i'm here, tomorrow is sausage casserole (tesco l/c cumberland) are they the same points if not grilled but cooked in the gravy like above?

Sorry for being a pain!

Thanks xx

 

[Princess_Stevie]

You'd need to take the Syn value from the amount you start off with, despite some of the gravy "disappearing". So, for example: "Bisto Best Gravy Granules, Beef, made up as directed, 100ml" is 1.5 Syns. It really depends on how much gravy you are using and how many portions you get out of it.

For example, if you made up (as directed) 400ml of the bisto gravy granules it would be 6 Syns. If you're going to halve it between you and your hubby, you can count that as 3 Syns for your serving.

With regards to your sausage casserole, the sausages would be the same value but then you'd also need to Syn the gravy you've used.

Hope this all makes sense.

 

[pixie-gem]

You'd need to take the Syn value from the amount you start off with, despite some of the gravy "disappearing". So, for example: "Bisto Best Gravy Granules, Beef, made up as directed, 100ml" is 1.5 Syns. It really depends on how much gravy you are using and how many portions you get out of it.

For example, if you made up (as directed) 600ml of the bisto gravy granules it would be 6 Syns. If you're going to halve it between you and your hubby, you can count that as 3 Syns for your serving.

With regards to your sausage casserole, the sausages would be the same value but then you'd also need to Syn the gravy you've used.

Hope this all makes sense.

That makes my own dinner (just the gravy) 13.5 sysns

Oh that's a shame, it's one of our favourite healthy dinners...well maybe not healthy then, but i've only ever had a couple of tbsp on so only ever counted that when it came to calorie counting before...ah well, over my syns today and shan't be having it again :sigh:

How do people make all these casseroles etc?? I take it they just use stock?

Thank you for replying though x

 

[Princess_Stevie]

Oh that's a shame, it's one of our favourite healthy dinners...ah well, over my syns today and shan't be having it again :sigh:

Thank you for replying though x

Nevermind, at least you know now for next time!

I made a typo in that last post. It would actually be 400ml for 6 Syns rather than the 600ml I said - sorry, I feel like the bearer of bad news today!

 

[pixie-gem]

Just stock and herbs and a small amount of gravy to thicken when I make mine.

Gravy granules are very high in fat (when I make them in a plastic jug I get this greasy residue on the inside which always makes me feel a bit bleugh!) and also lots of starch or thickeners so not great I'm afraid.

Okie dokie, not sure how it will be but i shall give it a go...no harm in trying and i'm not prepared to spend that many syns on an at home dinner.

Are all kinds of stock free? I have those knorr stock pots in the cupboard so i can try tomorrow.
thank you for replying x

 

[cat yoyo greaves]

That makes my own dinner (just the gravy) 13.5 sysns

Oh that's a shame, it's one of our favourite healthy dinners...well maybe not healthy then, but i've only ever had a couple of tbsp on so only ever counted that when it came to calorie counting before...ah well, over my syns today and shan't be having it again :sigh:

How do people make all these casseroles etc?? I take it they just use stock?

Thank you for replying though x

I just use a stock cube and either cook with a lot of onion and blitz the onion stock mix to a gravy just before serving or thicken stock with smash or blitz a pack of frozen mushrooms up with stock and let reduce as it cooks (the last is my fave it makes a thick sticky gravy and contains some superfree)

 

[cat yoyo greaves]

That makes my own dinner (just the gravy) 13.5 sysns

Oh that's a shame, it's one of our favourite healthy dinners...well maybe not healthy then, but i've only ever had a couple of tbsp on so only ever counted that when it came to calorie counting before...ah well, over my syns today and shan't be having it again :sigh:

How do people make all these casseroles etc?? I take it they just use stock?

Thank you for replying though x

Also you could always just cook the meat in stock then remove meat and make gravy with stock then you can just syn what you actually have which will be a lot less than 13 syns unless you drown your dinner in it

 

[pixie-gem]

I just use a stock cube and either cook with a lot of onion and blitz the onion stock mix to a gravy just before serving or thicken stock with smash or blitz a pack of frozen mushrooms up with stock and let reduce as it cooks (the last is my fave it makes a thick sticky gravy and contains some superfree)

Also you could always just cook the meat in stock then remove meat and make gravy with stock then you can just syn what you actually have which will be a lot less than 13 syns unless you drown your dinner in it

I don't generally drown my dinner in gravy lol, but i made the mistake of thinking i only needed to count the gravy i actually put on my dinner, and not the amount that goes into the pot at the beginning.
shall try it with stock tho, as i do love it and the rest of it is so good, am i right in thinking bovril is free? I've never tried it but would that be good for thickening up the stock?
thank you

 

[cat yoyo greaves]

dont think that would thicken it but bovril is syn free but you could reduce down with stock and make more of a jus