Domestic goddess - me - yeah!

16th May 2016

Give out what you most want to see come back.  Robin Sharma

Check me out - I cleaned the kitchen, I'm not talking namby pamby doing the washing up kind of housework, I'm talking hardcore, hands and knees, cleaning all the chrome shelving and washing every item that was hanging from them - there's a lot of gadgets hanging round my kitchen!  I was in there a good 5 hours at least, believe it or not I still have the floor to do, I was just done by 6.30pm and needed to stop, my back was starting to go, so I decided to leave the floor till this morning.  My fridge looks like a new fridge, I removed all things stuck on the outside, magnets and notes and now it's a nice white fridge again.  We nipped to poundstretcher for a new kitchen bowl and returned with bowl, drainer and new coffee/tea/sugar tins too - mom came with me!  If only I could keep on top of it - I know I won't though, we can live in hope ;)  Although I've just looked on my Weight Watchers website and 5 hours of housework earns me 25 fit points - boom!  I was gutted I didn't remember to put my Fitbit on until noon but I still did 4,000 steps after then, which isn't much but the kitchen isn't very big, the work was still going on.  The utility rooms the next challenge, moms dumping ground - that'll be scary, but I'll be brave.

I think we need a bit of fun today though if moms up for a drive, everywhere will be quieter on a Monday too.  Before that, I need to get ready for my meetings this week and finish the kitchen off.

Breakfast first though, opting for a points day today, enjoyed my No Count meals yesterday, my breakfast was so filling I didn't eat till I'd finished cleaning at tea time and wanted something super quick so had, gammon and pineapple on thins, it was good, I do think thins are over-rated though, I'd rather have bread I think.

I'm fancying Avocado on toast this morning with a runny egg on the top, mmm wish I had some asparagus to go with that.  Then I might have stewed steak for my main meal, think there's some roasters in the freezer I can use up with that and veggies, nom nom, that sounds good.  The tracker is starting day 4, I will have a good week!  Keeping busy yesterday kept me out of the food cupboards, so that helped.

It's national vegetarian week this week, although I'm a meat eater, I do love veggie food so I thought this week, I'd make all my recipes veggie friendly and what better way to start that will something sweet, you can't beat a brownie as a real fix when you need something truly chocolate and trust me these are the best brownies you'll ever eat and so rich you don't need lots, so plenty for sharing. 

Bloomin' brilliant brownies (259sp total = ouch!) Serves 20, 13pp each!   Approx time: 40min  

250 g unsalted butter (92sp)

200 g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up (54sp)

80 g cocoa powder, sifted (9pp)

65 g plain flour, sifted (6pp)

1 teaspoon baking powder

360 g caster sugar (89pp)

4 large free-range eggs (9pp)

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you're using them, and stir together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don't want to overcook them so, unlike cakes; you don't want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle.

Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares.

Here's to a magic Monday, in magic May, smile at folk as you pass, enjoy the moment, I have to say if me cleaning the kitchen yesterday wasn't an act of magic, I don't know what is.  Enjoy your day BeYOUtiful, focus on the healthy and happy.