Love and laughter - that's all that matters!

16th April 2016

The thing to do is enjoy the ride while you're on it.

Surround yourself with love and positivity and you're likely to have good days, just like I did yesterday!  I spent the morning helping out one mate so she's ready to go paperless in her meeting on Monday, we had a giggle whilst we worked, made it a much more enjoyable process, plus she made me breakfast.  Then I went to Lynne's meeting open at lunchtime and played helper, I got to do the shop, was fun I've got to say, it was also a successful new meeting and will be lovely to know there's a meeting on a Friday lunchtime I can go to and see my bestie at the same time, I can't go next week though because we're off to paint dinner plates at the Hollybush nursery, that should be a giggle too.  See I like to giggle, I don't do serious if I can help it, I try to stay away from drama because life is way too short. 

Sadly sometimes we have serious things happen like ill health or health scares, as is happening with someone close at the moment, but how we handle those situations can help us cope with them also, we don't have to be serious about it.  Either way, the results will be the results and positivity can only help.

I don't want to do deep if I can help it, I want my life filled with joy, my mom might have dementia but you wouldn't know it in our house because we don't focus on it, I even believe she's improved since we got the diagnosis and both said well that's just given it a name, let's carry on as we were!

Yeah focusing on the positive helps more than you may realise and another good tip is taking no notice of the negative, don't get sucked into the doom and gloom.  Whether that be your own thoughts or the words of others, always remember you have the power to change the way you look at things - after all then the things you look at change.

We've giggled so much in my meetings this week, I've thoroughly enjoyed them, and I sat giggling watching Lynne do hers yesterday.  Laughter really is the best medicine, make sure you are in the company of gigglers - it really does make for a better life.

Oh I nearly forgot, I lost 1.5lb!  Plus I didn't get weighed till lunchtime so I'd eaten my breakfast and had a few mugs of tea!  Well pleased with that as I only tracked until Wednesday then I got too busy to add that one extra task, I couldn't get my ingredients for my planned meals but I still ate well.  Got my mate coming today, might make her the meal from the cook kit she fancied, can't think of the name but I have it downstairs, oh I remember it's South African Bobotie, yeah if she fancies it, I'll make that.

But before that, I've got the Saturday gang to go say hi too, how lucky am I really, I get to start my work week with the smiles from my Tuesday morning lovelies and they are lovely, then I get to end my week on a Saturday morning with another bunch of lovelies, then in-between, I get to run lots of other meetings with even more lovely ladies and lads, I love it, and I'm still smiling at some of the giggles we've had in meetings this week, and AnnMarie I think I've found your hairy vegetable - is it an Eddoe?   

They're apparently an intensely flavoursome alternative to standard potatoes and you can cook them as you would a spud.  I think we'll come back to the fruit and veg thing in the morning after my last meeting! 

Right I've got to go get ready for work, so you have a happy and healthy day BeYOUtiful, smile and carry on regardless.

You can't beat a good breakfast and at the weekend you usually have a little more time, so here's a favourite, followed by a nice easy stuffed mushroom recipe you could make for a light meal.

Eggy bread with bacon & tomatoes

SERVES 4 ~ Prep time 5 mins ~ Cook time 10 mins ~ SmartPoints 5 per serving

SIMPLY

3 eggs, lightly beaten 4 slices Weight Watchers Thick Sliced Grained bread

Calorie controlled cooking spray

8 medallions Weight Watchers Unsmoked Back Bacon

300g cherry tomatoes on the vine

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Preheat the grill to high. Put the eggs into a shallow bowl and dip one slice of bread into it so that both sides are

well coated with egg.

Mist a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray, and fry the coated bread for 2 mins, turning once, until golden.

Slide the cooked bread onto a plate and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat with the remaining bread and egg.

While you’re cooking the bread, put the bacon and tomatoes under a preheated hot grill. Grill for 5-6 minutes, turning once, until the bacon is crisp and the tomatoes are just starting to burst open.

To serve, cut each slice of bread on the diagonal and transfer to four plates. Top with the grilled bacon and

tomatoes, season with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with the parsley.

TIP Boost the herb flavour by adding some extra parsley to the egg mixture.

Cheesy stuffed mushroom

SERVES 4 ~ Prep time 5 mins ~ Cook time 18 mins ~ SmartPoints 7 per serving

Calorie controlled cooking spray

2 celery sticks, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 large portabella mushrooms, stalks removed and chopped

160g Gruyère, grated

Mist a frying pan with the cooking spray. Add the celery, carrot, onions, garlic

and chopped mushroom stalks and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 10 mins until softened – add a little water if the mixture begins to stick.  Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat the grill to a medium heat. Put the mushrooms on a baking tray, mist with the cooking spray and grill for 5 mins.

Top with the veg mixture and cheese, and grill for 2-3 mins until the cheese is melted and bubbling.  Serve seasoned with freshly ground black pepper.