It's important to enjoy what you do...

10^th June 2014

A manifesto for a simple life: Eat Less, Move More.  Buy Less, Make More.  Stress Less, Laugh More.  Feel Blessed, Love More.  Find a quiet spot every day and breathe.

I did enjoy myself yesterday baking; so much more fun than ironing which is why that’s still waiting to be done!  I went out to buy ingredients and came back with a new dress, now that makes for an even more enjoyable cooking session.  I spent a few hours in the kitchen making stuff ready for our Bake A Difference event this week, my brother and mom where official tasters and they seemed happy to eat the rock cakes, shortbread, chocolate cookies, caramel biscuits.  My ginger nuts were an epic fail though as mom was only too quick to tell me, I burnt them, it didn’t stop her eating them though!   I’ve been in the kitchen a good few hours the last two days but as mom stated when I said how much it’d cost me in cash and time ‘as long as you’re enjoying it and it makes you happy that’s all that matters” and she was so right, I’ve really enjoyed it. 

I’m no Delia Smith by any stretch of the imagination, my baking will never win prizes but I enjoyed doing it and that’s what’s important.  We don’t have to be great at everything to do it as long as we enjoy doing it. I’ve felt like I’ve got my work / life balance back again this last week and even though the baking was for work it didn’t feel like it and hopefully we’ll raise a few pounds for Diabetes UK at the same time, it’s staggering that 1 in 17 people have diabetes, it was a major contributor to my father’s death at the age of 60!  He didn’t listen to the advice given by doctors when he was diagnosed and continued to live his life overweight and eating/drinking too much of everything! 

Anyway enough of that, let’s focus on the happy again but before we do I need to just let everyone know I’ve had a lousy night’s sleep, not sure why, if it was the heat or the fact Alfie was restless, or that I seemed a bit restless, luckily despite lack of sleep, at the moment I don’t feel tired so hopefully I’ll make it through to bedtime without noticing I’ve had less than five hours.

I’ve also come to the conclusion there’s no such thing as ‘low ProPointed’ cake it’s all about portion sizes and quantity and if I’m going to have cake it’s going to be something I really like in a sensible quantity – all about the balance, yeah you can use low fat stuff but it isn’t as creamy, crumbly and flavoursome, I don’t think so anyway. 

Also I’m thinking Bake A Difference doesn’t have to be sweet food, you could bake savoury, I’ve bought some puff pastry to make some kind of savoury tart, probably roasted cherry tomatoes and pepper, or mushrooms mmm, or caramelised onions – decisions, decisions.  I bought Sainsbury’s lighter version (35pp) which will save me some ProPoints too.  It’ll probably be tomorrow when I make that as today we’re having lemon sole, I’ve never tried it before so am looking forward to something different.

I also like the idea of pies or pasties, mmm, I loved this idea from a member of making a fake steak bake with Warburton thins,

(she wrote - It was very tasty, used cooked beef what I had in freezer n only 2pp of cornflower, made 5 fake steak bakes :-))) used egg to seal thins n baked for 10 min in hot oven)

Another member make cheese and onion ones, the options are limitless I guess, and using the thins would make it healthier than pastry and also a filling and healthy option.

Anyway I need to get showered and ready for work, I have a car to load with cakes :)

Have a great day BeYOUtiful, do things that make your heart sing. Xx