I love getting things in the post! These last couple of days I have been super lucky and have been opening up so many parcels!
I did a blog swap with Errign and she sent me a massive pile of goodies! Nut butters, energy gels, different types of clif and luna bars, plus lara bars which I am super excited to try!
I had the mint brownie bite straight away and it was delicious! Thanks Errign 🙂
I also got my Graze box– we get one of these every other weekend and share the punnets as a snack at the weekend- it included a new one which was apples to dip in caramel sauce. Sounds yummy!
Some lovely looking almond desserts from Ecomil- I cannot wait to try these, perhaps in my new bowls?
How cute are they???? I got them from Paperchase when I was getting some birthday cards, so not actually in the post, but I just love them!
Oh yeah, and a commiserations magazine. This was actually for Andy, who, when his marathon training was going well, decided to sign up for the London ballot (and he didn’t tell me until after the deadline! Not that I would have applied, but anyway)- after Stockholm he was hoping to have not got in, so he was very relieved to get this in the post!
Post run snack- Chocolate Cherry Almond Luna bar courtesy of Errign- delicious 🙂
With the running, it is proving hard to get back into. I tried a run this morning and managed 4 miles, but I had to walk as I was getting stomach pains- not sure what it is all about. Anyway we have the 10K next Sunday and I was originally hoping to be able to beat my previous 10K time, but I realise that it is not going to happen. So I am going to enjoy the run- it should be pretty scenic. We have the great south run at the end of the month, and we decided to sign up to this race– a 10K the week after the GSR. Maybe by then I will be back to running and might stand a chance of beating my time. And if not we have another weekend away and a run somewhere pretty.
Today I got on with more baking for my friends.
I made some carrot and raisin cakes to go with the peanut butter cookies I made yesterday.
Before the cream cheese frosting- I am getting a little obsessed with the mini loaf cases!
Oh, and one final photo- I ordered some bits from Lakeland- including piping bags and nozzles (so I no longer have to just dollop the icing on!), muslin cloth squares (for my almond milk hopefully) and these cool trays that are already divided up. I am terrible at cutting things evenly and so I am looking forward to making brownies, flapjacks, bars etc that are all perfectly the same size.
Do you love getting things in the post? I find it much more exciting than going shopping (plus no queues!). What was the last thing you received in the post?
I was hungry so I decided to try a Builders bar (20g protein- wow!)- a chocolate mint one. It was quite nice, very filling but not my fave texture.
Pimp my porridge has been going well.
Carrot cake porridge (grated carrot, chopped apple, cinnamon, few raisins, oats and soya milk).
Peach coconut porridge (small tin drained peaches, oats, soya milk, coconut extract and I think some cinnamon as always)
Carob banana porridge (mashed banana, carob powder, few raisins, oats, soya milk)
Autumn fruit porridge (chopped pear, frozen blackberries, oats, soya milk, cinnamon I think)
Tahini, grated carrot, raisins and cinnamon. This was delicious! 🙂
I used some Whole Earth Original crunchy and some Beyond Dark chocolate chips to make 
peanut butter cookies- the best ever recipe.
They turn into the most enormous cookies 🙂 Thin and chewy, yummy.
They do look a lot like the photo in the book too.
. We have been working out way through the series and I cannot believe it is the last one. Anyone else a fan?
Chopped pear, Rude Health muesli, almond milk.
Hummus and red pepper sandwich, nectarine, nakd bar.
Half a massive bar of rawr orange chocolate.
Pumpkin spice cake (adapted from Sweet Vegan) and some Teapigs Spiced winter red tea.
This morning I had autumn fruit porridge. I chopped up a pear, sprinkled on oats and poured on soya milk, then added some frozen blackberries. I left it in the fridge overnight and then cooked it this morning for 2.20 in the microwave. I added a teeny squirt of agave, but it was quite sweet anyway in the end. Scrumptious. And purple!
The other day I tried banana cocoa porridge- amazing! I mashed a banana with some cocoa powder, then added oats and almond milk, again left it overnight and cooked it in the morning. This was so good! The banana means it needs no sweetener added, and it was a lovely change from my norm. But very messy looking!
A whole apple (I like it cored and into rings like that- looks pretty)
See– it is as high as the jar of peanut butter! It was hard to eat I tell you!
I have wanted Sweet Vegan for ages (I actually found it in a Waterstones on the weekend of my cousins wedding, and nearly tried to buy it with my vouchers until Andy pointed out I was in the wrong shop- that would have been embarassing!), and then they had the National Trust Teatime Baking book (so many good words for me!) for £3.99! Bargain! 🙂
And then topped it with cream cheese frosting (although I think I made about 1/4 of the recipe).
Yummy 🙂
So- get together the ingredients- butternut squash, carrots, pepper, chilli, molasses, tinned tomatoes, kidney beans and chick peas.
Fry the veggies in a pan- I used a tsp coconut oil for this, but any veg oil/ spray would be fine.
Add tomatoes, 1/4 tin water (e.g. refill the tomato tin and pour in) and 2 tsp lazy chilli (this made it quite spicy enough for me, but I am a little bit of a wimp with spice although I am getting better).
Drain and add the chick peas and kidney beans.
Then add a tbsp molasses, and leave to simmer for a while- maybe 25-30 mins.
Dish up (just look at that steam- mmmm)
I had mine with nutritional yeast and some food doctor seeds. It was super tasty and even better because the next 3 times I eat it I don’t even have to cook!