Today is gonna be great - how do I know, I decided!

23^rd October 2014

She was unstoppable, not because she did not have failures or doubts, but because she continued on despite them. Beau Thaplin.

Well I felt my alarm this morning, looked out the window and saw the pitch black and thought to myself “I hate these dark mornings”, then immediately I stopped myself, dived out of bed and thought “It’s outside, everything still the same inside, let’s do this, have a great day”. And all I can say is WOW, suddenly reminded what you think can totally transform your day, so I’m going to have an awesome day – yep I am!  How do I know?  Because I’ve just decided I’m going to – easy as that. 

I’ve already thrown a box of stuff away from out the shed that I’ve been looking at for weeks thinking, I’ll throw that away… then not doing, so yeah today and this weekend is going to be good, I’m going to get sorting stuff out, have a bit of a clear out I thinks because I always feel good after a good tidy.

Ooo suddenly I feel excited about the weekend, usually when the dark days strike I just want to hibernate but I fancy having a ‘doing’ weekend, I’ve got some bananas need using so I’m thinking either the banana bread recipe from the Cooking the Weight Watcher Way cookbook or I found a banana muffin recipe I may do instead, I think they will be really tasty and I will share them out so as not to overeat, all about the balance and they’re a lower lower than the muffin I saw in McDonalds at 13pp!

Banana muffins
Makes 10 at 6pp each

preparation time less than 30 mins

cooking time 10 to 30 mins

By Jill Dupleix From Saturday Kitchen

These moreish muffins make a healthy breakfast treat – perfect for weekend mornings.

75g/3oz melted butter (16pp)

250g/9oz self-raising flour (22pp)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

115g/4oz caster sugar (12pp)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large, ripe bananas

2 medium eggs (4pp)

125ml/4fl oz skimmed milk (1pp)

Heat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Melt the butter and allow to cool.

Mash the bananas well. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.

With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.

Set muffin paper cases into the moulds and spoon in the mixture until almost full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.

They do sound nice don’t they!

I’m going to bake the white chocolate brownie recipe too this weekend, proper make the house clean and nice smelling of home baking will make me not care that it’s dark and cold outside, I’m lucky enough to have heating in my house so let’s focus on the positives.

Now lunch today’s going to be something with spuds because I’ve got a lot of them going on in my kitchen (over ordered!), maybe egg and chips, or mash and gravy.  We decided yesterday we like gravy after we’d had our dinner, we prefer sweet potatoes roasted too, so might try them in the Actifry next.

It really is that comfort food time of year, never a better time to get onto the Filling & Healthy plan and enjoy stews, casseroles, soups, curry’s, one pot meals.

Ooo I’ve just remembered my pot of love recipe, let me find it….

A POT OF LOVE (32pp total or F&H using daily oil allowance)
Try this delicious one-pot meal with lentils, a rich source of iron to boost your energy and love you up.

1 tbsp olive oil (4pp)
2 onions, chopped
3 crushed cloves garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp cinnamon
4 sliced carrots
100g dried lentils (8pp)
200g  brown rice (20pp)
500ml  stock
1 diced apple (unpeeled)
4 sliced spring onions

In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat; cook onions, garlic, cumin, curry powder and cinnamon, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in carrots, lentils and rice; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Pour in stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice and lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the apple and spring  onions, then cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until the spring onions are heated through.

Right work time, it’s my long one, leave at 7.30am and get home tonight around 8pm, I do get to come home in between and sit in my office all afternoon though ;-)!  My Bloxwich babes more than keep me entertained I have to say…

Right remember a single positive thought in the morning can change your entire day, have you had yours yet BeYOUtiful. xx