Yesterday was all about about cake!

1^st February 2014

"The shorter way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time." Mozart

I like that quote and today is a fresh clean month for us to focus on, oh yeah ‘Focused February’ I like the sound of that!   If we focus on one thing at a time we can achieve anything we set our mind too.

Yesterday I could’ve easily sat round all day embracing my poorliness but instead I plodded through the work that I had to get done one bit at a time until it was finished then I did have me an hour sitting before realising I wasn’t going to feel any better doing nothing that I was getting up and doing something.   I’d sat there thinking I can’t be bothered to cook, then decided I always enjoyed my meal more when I’d thought about what I wanted and cooked it with love, so I did.  We had homemade Filling and Healthy Chicken Kiev, I fried garlic and spring onions with a couple of chopped up bacon medallions, then mixed that with a couple of tablespoons of quark, I then stuffed the chicken breasts with that mixture.  I beat an egg and made breadcrumbs with two slices of WW brown bread, dipped the chicken in the egg mixture and then into the bread mixture and cooked in the oven for about 25 minutes.  We had them with Actifry potatoes and carrots and they were delicious, 13pp in total or completely F&H.

I’m making a chocolate fudge cake today for my besties birthday meal tomorrow, I haven’t made cakes in years because it’s never been something I’m any good at, so Karen the lovely lady who gave me the recipe was messaging me yesterday and told me to have a practice run with a sponge mixture to see how my oven faired, so I made a one layer sponge, 2 eggs (weighed 130g with shells on), then add same quantity of self raising flour, stork margarine, sugar and bingo it worked, I got this;

 

And because I only did one layer, we only had ½ cake in our house, because we all know how difficult it is to resist cake, and if you do the maths on that one, they’re not low in ProPoints, eggs = 4pp, 130g SR flour 11pp=, 130g sugar = 14pp, 130g stork =23pp total = 52pp OUCH!

I put a bit of apricot jam inside and some lemon quark and mom loved it, all made with good healthy ingredients, not additives or preservatives. 

So today I’m making the fudge cake, it works out as 148pp total, there ain’t no such thing as low calorie cake is there.  However everything in moderation and a little of what you fancy does you good, it’s her birthday and she can eat cake if she wants to!

If you fancy being healthier how about this recipe for Red Dragon Pie from my mate Liz, it looks delicious on the photo, and a great idea for meat free Monday

Red Dragon Pie

110g aduki beans
50g brown rice
1.1 litres water for boiling
spray oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic crushed and chopped
225g carrots, peeled and diced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp herbs
275 ml aduki bean stock
450g potatoes, peeled and chopped
salt and pepper
vegetable stock cube

Method

* Wash the aduki beans and rice and soak overnight or steep them in boiling water for an hour.
Drain and rinse then bring them to the boil in some fresh water and cook for 50 mins or until fairly soft. Drain, reserving the liquid.
* Fry the onion and garlic in the oil and add the carrots until softened. Add the cooked beans and rice. Mix in the soy sauce, tomato puree and herbs, then pour over the stock. crumble in half the stock cube.
* Simmer for 20-30 mins, adding more liquid if necessaryso the mixture is saucy.
* Season and transfer into a dish.
* Boil then mash the potatoes and spread over the mixture.
*Bake at 180 for 30-40 mins until brown and crispy on the top.
* Serve with green beans or a green salad.

Right I’m away to walk the dog, then I need to go get more cake supplies – this isn’t a hobby I need to acquire really is it!  I won’t lie though I was really chuffed when it worked out and looked as good as it did :) easily pleased me!

BeYOUtiful xx