Healthy Brownies

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I made these once and my hubby was the only one who wasn't thrilled with them. I made them again and even K (who ate half of the first batch) wasn't too thrilled. Not sure what I did differently but they were mighty beany the second time around. That's my warning.

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I have made some healthy brownies before, they had icing and were made with sweet potato. I liked them. A lot. So when I came upon this recipe for Black Bean & Avacado Brownies I thought it was worth a try.

Wow, taking a picture of food is harder than I thought it would be

Well, they are yummy. The kids love them. My hubby even ate some approvingly. They were super easy and are not too bad for you. You probably can tell they are not really rich, but they still taste yummy. The texture is perfect and fudgey.

When I mentioned them on facebook a ton of people responded to the fact that they were gluten free. It doesn't really make much difference in our house but you know I have a fondness for the South Beach Diet/ Zone Diet in terms of healthy eating. No flour definitely helps with less carbs and the avocado is a "good fat".

I got the link off Kalyn's Kitchen a South Beach blog. And the recipe itself came from Cara's Cravings which looks like a good source for lots of fun things.

Enough chatting here is the recipe:

Black Bean & Avocado Brownies

carascravings.blogspot.com 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 3/4 cup egg substitute 1/4 cup agave syrup 1/2 of a ripe avocado (60gm) 6 tbsp cocoa powder (30gm) pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 tablespoons white sugar (75gm) 2 teaspoons instant espresso Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper. Combine black beans, egg substitute, agave syrup, and avocado in food processor. Blend for a few minutes, until completely smooth. Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until fully combined, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Spread into parchment-lined baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the brownies comes out clean. These are best if you let them sit overnight before slicing and enjoying! Nutritional Info Servings Per Recipe: 12 Amount Per Serving Calories: 98.0 Total Fat: 1.2 g Cholesterol: 0.0 mg Sodium: 134.6 mg Total Carbs: 19.5 g Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g Protein: 4.2 g I imagine you could substitute Honey for the Agave if you don't have any/don't like it. She mentions in the post that the agave is needed for moistness. There is a bit of sugar in this one, but it is just a bit. Works out to 1/2 tbsp per serving. Enjoy!

Temping

I mentioned in my 10 + 3 update that I had been eating higher calories this last week. And boy has it been easy. Check out the goodies that were floating around this house last week.

Chocolate Pecan Torte by my sis

Apple pie by my hubby (his specialty)

Two year old Birthday cake by my sis and brother in law

It has been tasty around here!

An accent

I always hear on the decorating shows that you should have a neutral backdrop and change things up with accent colours. About every show on HGTV could claim that as a quote. Well, our beige, brown and tan living room qualifies as neutral for sure. I have had quite a few colours in the living room on and off since we moved here but it never seemed perfect.

Then I read that the colour of the year was going to be turquoise. Later, I found the huge candlesticks that are on the mantel and decided to go for it.

I think the turquoise looks good with all the brown and makes the teak roll top desk look fabulous. It also looks great with grey, which is the neutral I am moving towards.

So I have been picking things up here and there to play up the theme. By the way, here and there really means at Superstore and HomeSense.

It is hard to have pretty things in your house if you have monkeys and you actually let them in the living room. Now that we have a playroom I have considered banishing them to the basement permanently, then reconsidered. Instead I chose only non breakable turquoise things, like this melamine bowl and serving plate. A insists they should have something in them. I am working on it. Any non breakable suggestions?

And this last little tin was printed with a very busy winter scene. A bought flavoured popcorn from some fundraising kids that came to our door. It is huge so I saved it and painted it with gesso then craft paint and used a rub on to make the label. It turned out a bit bright, but I like it inside the cabinet. It looks just right behind the glass doors.

So, what colours do you have going on at your house? And have you ever heard of the blog House of Turquoise? So great. It is my inspiration now that Turquoise is my new best friend.

10 + 3 Challenge update

As of Sunday (I am posting late because I was working night shift) I now declare this to be the 5+3 challenge. Things are moving in the right direction. Again I met all my goals for exercising, water drinking, food journaling. I also am noticing a resurgence of muscles, I like that.

But, I am finding issues with my diet that I didn't know were there. I am planning on tackling a few of those this week. More veggies are in order. It is just so darn much work to wash and chop and chew, and I am lazy. But I am trying to do it this week and thanks to Costco I have a few things already chopped up. The rest of this is pretty much to help me remember what my plan is from here on out so feel free to stop reading if you like ;^) I am finding it easy to stay pretty low on my calories and am remarkably consistent even without really trying. This is good except I think my body is content here and not super responsive, considering the exercise I have been doing. I pretty much proved that this week as I upped my calories and lost the same. I am going to try calorie cycling this week and see how I like it.

I would also like to do a week where I only do the Tabata Protocol for exercise. I would like to do 6 minutes 6 days and nothing else, and just see how it goes. It isn't going to work this week with our schedule, but I will keep it in mind for later.

That's it for this week.

Song lyric Sunday, I mean Monday?

As with my goal update I am behind due to illness. But I heard this great song on the radio on my way home from work last week and wanted to get it on here before I forget. I am totally a fan of quiet songs with just voice and guitar. Love that pared down style.

Maybe you all have heard this before but I live under a rock, that is I have rocks in my pocket, purse, stroller and car. I hear a lot of the alphabet song and not much else these days. So it's new to me anyway.

Your Hands

by JJ Heller

I have unanswered prayers

I have trouble I wish wasn't there

And I have asked a thousand ways

That you would take my pain away

That you would take my pain away

I am trying to understand

How to walk this weary land

Make straight the paths that crooked lie

Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking

Heaven stands

When my heart is breaking

I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the Earth

You healed the broken, lost, and hurt

I know you hate to see me cry

One day you will make all things right

Yea, one day you will make all things right

When my world is shaking

Heaven stands

When my heart is breaking

I never leave your hands

Your hands

Your hands that shape the world

Are holding me, they hold me still

Your hands that shape the world

Are holding me, they hold me still

10 + 3 Challenge

Update for the week, coming to you a bit late. What can I say, the sinus infection is hanging around a bit longer than expected. I am falling behind and might even need to give in and go to the doctor.

So here is the short and sweet version. Tick, tick, tick. I am rocking the goals. I even ate more veggies this week. Moving towards healthy.

Next week more of the same: water, veggies, and Kettlebells x 3 days.

More mantels

Remember way back here when I said I was rearranging things?

My dining room looked like this...

and my living room looked like this...

I have recently been inspired by Layla at the Lettered Cottage and her advice for mantels.

And more recently by the Nester's mantel linky party.

So here is the simplified version of my own mantel.

And the cupboards on either side...

I think it turned out just fine... for now.