Happy 1st birthday & 100th post!

This post is a double whammy - yesterday was this blog's 1st birthday and this is also this blog's 100th post.

I have had so much fun writing for my blog for the past year. Making up and trying recipes to post about is probably my favourite bit of it all. I also love getting feedback and receiving comments on my posts - I don't get them very often but I appreciate them all and love seeing what my readers have to say. I look forward to continuing to write for this blog, and I hope the quality of my posts will continue to improve as time goes on. Thank you everyone for the support and views!

In this past year I haven't changed much regarding my weight, but my fitness levels have improved and I have gained a bit of lean muscle here and there. I have joined a gym this past year, even though last year I said I'd never join one because I can't stay committed enough to get my money's worth.. But I seem to have proved myself wrong. I'm finding it hard to go regularly each week now because of the new rules about parking at work (I've already received one hefty parking fine.. I don't want another), but I am still managing to go around 2-3 times a week. I've had quite a lot of hiccups lately, food-wise and weight-wise, but I refuse to give up. I'm still battling with my love for chocolate and the occasional pizza night with my family or boyfriend...  I need to try and fully regain my willpower again, as the low mood I've had lately has totally knocked it off course.

Happy Easter, by the way! I have a love-hate relationship with this day of the year.. I love chocolate, but I hate the amount of chocolate I tend to receive. I hate how Easter is all about chocolate.. I just wish Easter was about apples or bananas or something else. Then I wouldn't have to battle with my love for the dark stuff, which then puts me in another battle with my weight. Every year I try and eat all the chocolate I receive at Easter in the shortest time possible, so I just have to deal with one really bad gain, instead of a steady gain over a longer period of time. That way, once it's all gone, I can work on getting the weight off again without any chocolatey distractions (this, I know, is probably not a great technique or good advice to give (and I don't really advise you to do this), but it's what works best for me. If I have no chocolate around, I can't eat it).

Once again, thank you to all my readers, both regular and first timers. Your support continues to keep me inspired to keep this blog going! <3

Here's some stats about the blog, for anyone who's interested:

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Homemade chocolate peanut butter cups.

As some of you may already know, I LOVE peanut butter. I can happily eat it on it's own straight from the jar. The first time I ever tried peanut butter was last year, in the form of a Reece's peanut butter cup - one little bite and I was in heaven. They taste incredible, like nothing I've ever tasted before. The down side to Reece's cups are all of the calories they contain. If they weren't so calorific, I'd treat myself to them everyday! My boyfriend surprised me with a packet of them yesterday. I really enjoyed them, but felt a little guilty afterwards. So I decided I was going to make some peanut butter cups of my own, and make them less calorific, so I can enjoy them without the guilt. I've wasted no time at all in getting on and making them. I made them first thing this morning - I was that eager. What I came up with turned out better than expected! They are delicious! Just as good as Reece's cups, in my opinion. I will definitely be making these regularly, as they taste far too good not to. Peanut butter is a massive weakness of mine, but now I can enjoy it, smothered in chocolate, without any guilt. Yay! :)

This recipe makes around 10 "cups" and is approx. 50 kcal each. If you make more/less than 10 just divide 510 by however many cups you made, that will give you the approx. amount of calories each one contains. :)

Ingredients:
- 12 small squares of plain cooking chocolate
- 2 tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter
(You will also need mini cupcake cases. You can buy these cheaply in Sainsburys - under £1 for 100 cases).

Method:

1. Fill a small saucepan with water and place on a high heat, then turn the heat down once the water's at boiling point. Place the chocolate into a glass bowl and place that over the saucepan. It's important to make sure you don't let the water touch the bottom of the glass bowl, as this will burn the chocolate (tip some of the water out if you have to). Once it's all melted, put aside for a couple minutes to cool a little.

2. Using a teaspoon, put about 1/2 tsp (you can always add more if you feel you need it) into the bottom of a mini cupcake case. Swirl the chocolate halfway up the sides of the cases - try and get it as even as possible all the way around. Once done, put it into the fridge and begin with the next one. Continue to repeat this (making sure you place each one in the fridge as they're done) until you've done approx. 10, but make sure there's quite a bit of chocolate leftover, as you'll need it later.

3. Meanwhile, get another glass bowl and place the peanut butter into it. Put the bowl over the saucepan of water you used previously. Make sure you stir it occasionally, until the peanut butter becomes smooth and liquid-y. Set aside to cool a little, whilst you're continuing step 2.

4. Once step 2 and 3 are complete, place the chocolate back onto the saucepan to keep it warm and melted. Take out a chocolate "cup" and use a teaspoon to fill it with peanut butter - try not to fill it up over the top of the chocolate sides. Shake it a little to flatten the filling. Place it back into the fridge to cool down. Keep repeating this until all of the cups are filled and back in the fridge.

5. Now take a filled cup and use a teaspoon to place a blob of melted chocolate on top (you can always add more if you need it). Use the underside of the spoon to s[read the chocolate around so it's completely covering the peanut butter and touches all of the sides of the case, to seal the peanut butter in the middle. You need to do this step as quickly as possible (if you're not quick, the heat from the chocolate will make the peanut butter too soft and the filling and chocolate will start mixing together). Place back in the fridge as you finish each one, to harden the chocolate.

The method is very repetitive and quite time consuming, but you have to work as quickly as possible, so the melted chocolate and peanut butter doesn't get too cool. You can use this recipe to make milk chocolate and white chocolate peanut butter cups too, but you'll have too adjust the calories. These will keep for a few days. Store in the fridge, to keep them from becoming too warm and melted. Fingers crossed, if they're done correctly, they'll look like mini Reece's peanut butter cups once they're peeled out of their cases. They'll also have a soft peanut butter centre - yum yum! ;)


P.S.  I'm sorry for the awfully confusing instructions. I made this recipe and method up myself, for a change. As you can probably tell, I'm not very good at it. I'm better at writing what I think about things, rather than how to actually make things. So big apologies, and I hope it's understandable!

Diet-friendly chocolate macaroons.

(Second batch on the left. First batch on the right).

 As I'm try to eat as clean as I possible, I often get little cravings, every now and again, for chocolate and pastries and just sweet little treats in general. So I was really happy when I came across this low-kcal chocolate macaroon recipe in my 'Eat Smart Stay Slim' magazine (volume 1, page 126) - the second recipe I've tried from this magazine now, and I'm sure I'll try many more from it. I have never had a macaroon before, but have heard lots of good, yummy things about them, so I was eager to try it. And I'm glad I did because they were delicious! My boyfriend and I made them together as a little treat to enjoy after our Sunday family dinner. Everybody loved them - even the burnt batch went down well (I personally thought the burnt ones tasted nicer anyway). We burnt the first batch because we forgot to leave the oven door open.. So instead of taking 15 to 18 minutes to cook, they took about 5 and then lost they're fluffiness and burnt. But we learnt from the first batch and the second batch came out much nicer. Although most of them ended up being hollow because we didn't give them enough time to cool down before peeling them off of the parchment paper - oops! But they were still delicious and I will be making them again in the future, for sure.

This recipe makes 12 macaroons according to the magazine, but we only managed to make 9. If you make 9, it's approx. 127kcal per macaroon. If you make 12, it's approx. 95kcal per macaroon. If you make a different amount completely, just divide 1142 by however many macaroons you make and that will be an approx. calorie content per macaroon.

Ingredients:
- 100g icing sugar
- 50g ground almonds
- 15g good-quality cocoa powder
- 2 medium egg whites
- 40g caster sugar
- 100ml 3% creme fraiche
- 4 squares of 70% dark chocolate, chopped

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°c/350°f/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and get an icing bag with a plain tip (about 2cm) ready.
2. In a food processor, whizz the icing sugar, ground almond and cocoa into a fine powder with no lumps. In a clean bowl beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they start to hold their shape. Continue whisking and slowly add the caster sugar until stiff and firm.
3. Fold half the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture. Once it's incorporated, add the rest and continue to fold. When it's smooth stop folding and spoon the batter into the icing bag (stand the bag in a tall glass).
4. Pipe the batter onto the parchment-lined baking sheet in circles about 3cm across and spaced 3cm apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times to flatten the macaroons, then bake for 15 to 18 minutes, with the over door slightly ajar. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, gently heat the creme fraiche in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and drop in the pieces of chocolate, stirring until it has melted and the two are combined. Set aside to cool.
6. Once the macaroons and chocolate creme fraiche have cooled, sandwich two macaroons together with a small dollop of the mixture. Arrange on a plate.

Peanut butter & chocolate mug cake.

If you're feeling like having a naughty treat today, but don't want to go too over-the-top with it, this little gem is perfect! I originally found this recipe (which is actually called '"the one" chocolate mug cake') on the blog, BudgetBytes, but I've changed the recipe up a bit to make it less calorific. It's super tasty, super gooey but not super naughty (although it tastes very naughty!) - yay! :D It's approx. 293 kcal for one mug cake! Great to have as a cheeky snack before bed! Yum yum!

Here's how it's made (these are the ingredients for the low-kcal version I've put together, the normal, higher-kcal version can be found on BudgetBytes):

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp smooth reduced fat peanut butter
- 2 tsp granulated sweetener (e.g. Splenda)
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp reduced fat cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp almond milk
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- a pinch of salt

Method:
1. Put all of the dry ingredients into a mug and mix it all together.
2. Add the oil and almond milk into the mug and stir until it's smooth.
3. Place the peanut butter into the centre of the mixture and push it down.
4. Now microwave it for 1 minute. Some may need 5-10 seconds longer than this, as microwave's powers can vary.
5. Enjoy! ;)

Alternatively, you could use chocolate spread or nutella for an even chocolate-ier cake, or you could just take the peanut butter out completely to make to make it even less calories (it saves you about 85 kcal)!

Hot banana split!

I had a cheeky midnight snack the other night. And this was it - a HOT peanut butter, dark chocolate & raisin banana split. It tastes even better than it looks! It was delicious! Really satisfying and great if you're having a sugary/chocolate craving! You can fill it with pretty much anything you want! And if it's something that melts, it makes it even more fun to eat, haha!

You'll need:
- a grill
- tin foil
- 1 banana
- your own choice of fillings
- about 10/15 minutes of your time

Method:
Preheat your grill (about 180 degrees). Lay a banana on some tin foil. Cut the banana down the middle. Fill the middle of the banana with all your favourite things. Then wrap up the banana in the tin foil. Put it in the grill for about 8-10 minutes, depending on how hot/messy you want it, I guess. Then take out, unwrap and enjoy!

I filled mine with 1 tbsp of reduced-fat peanut butter, a very small handful of dark chocolate drops and a very small handful of seedless raisins. If made with these I think the whole thing, including the banana, is approx. 335 kcal.

Other good things to fill it with could be marshmallows, white or milk chocolate drops, chocolate spread, nutella, your favourite chocolate bar, jam, granulated Splenda sweetener, toffee, fudge, dessert sauces (e.g. chocolate/strawberry/toffee), etc. etc.

***THIS IS NOT MY CREATION OR MY IDEA! This has probably been done a million times before by millions of different people. I even remember doing this, when I was about 11, over camp fire ashes with "Girl Guides".***

Chocolate banana baked oatmeal.

I found an amazing breakfast recipe on the blog 'Budget Bytes'. It's called "chocolate banana baked oatmeal". I took her recipe and changed it up a bit to make each serving more healthy and less calories! I've managed to get the calories down from the original 340ish kcal to 236 kcal!

The only thing I did was change up the ingredients a little, but I did all the steps in exactly the same order as she did.

The ingredients I used:
- 2 small/medium bananas, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp salt
- 35g brown sugar
- 15g Splenda sweetener, granulated
- 45g reduced fat cocoa powder
- 2 cups/400ml Alpro almond milk
- 180g rolled oats

I made this last night so it was ready for me and my family to try for breakfast this morning. I think it tastes really great! I am definitely going to be making this again very soon! In my opinion, it reminds me of chocolate weetabix. It's spongy and soft and has an amazing chocolatey, bananary taste (that isn't too chocolatey to eat first thing in the morning) that I just can't get enough of! When I cut this up into 6 equal pieces, the sections seem to come out like slices of cake. But it doesn't taste like cake - it tastes breakfasty - but I eat it as if it's cake, cos cake is great, haha. I don't think it needs milk at all, which also saves washing up as you won't need a bowl or plate!

I recommend anyone who likes a sweet, chocolatey breakfast to try this recipe! I haven't tried the recipe with it's original ingredients, but I'm sure it's just as nice as this one! So it's your choice which you do. Enjoy!

Far too much chocolate!

I love the idea of Easter. Until it actually is Easter Sunday that is.. and then I hate it. I hate the feeling of feeling so sick for eating that one little tiny bit too much chocolate. And that guilt that comes with it is even more awful! I work so so hard to get all this weight off and then Easter comes along and BAM - hello fat belly!

I received far too much chocolate this year. I know - the words 'far', 'too', 'much' and 'chocolate' shouldn't even be seen anywhere near each other in the same sentence.. But it's true. I feel soooo sick.. I've eaten one whole Green & Blacks milk chocolate egg, which I received from my lovely boyfreind, and a tiny caramel mini egg thing today and it was just way too much. I feel so fat right now - yuck.

This is all the chocolate I received this year (minus one Easter egg and dairy milk caramel chocolate bar, cos I ate them yesterday *slaps wrist*). The half eaten egg is now gone though - I ate it.. The rest has now been put with my secret stash of chocolate. I know if I leave it out for me to see, it'll all be gone before I know it. I know this because it happens every single year! This is a great tip by the way. I still have chocolate hidden in my stash that I must have put there in January/February.. I completely forget it's there half the time because it's not in my face all the time. I highly reccommend that all dieting chocoholics do this - or atleast try it. Hopefully I will forget all about this chocolate within the next week so I don't ruin my diet even more.

Anyway, HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY! I hope you all had an EGG-cellent day! ;)

Yay for low-kcal cookies!

Me and my boyfriend made some low calorie cookies together today. These cookies are called 'White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies' and the recipe's meant to only make about 20 cookies, but I managed to get just over 42ish out of it - which makes each cookie about 22 kcal! I did make them pretty small though.. It's a Slimming World recipe. I was looking through all my old Slimming World magazines, from when I was a member, and found this and just had to try it.

I had to do two batches as it made so many cookies.. I managed to burn the first batch though, and I think I may have slightly undercooked the second one, haha! But they taste pretty good! They have a slight orangey taste to them (from the orange zest that's in them) and the chocolate sure tastes good! I made a couple that had raisins on but the raisins just fell straight off whilst cooking. I'm making myself sound like a disaster cook, haha.

I love cookies but I don't think these cookies can compare to normal ones at all. They are not chewy or soft enough. They are quite hard, airy and crunchy.. More like biscuits than cookies in my opinion. But if you're just having a sugary craving then these will probably get rid of that! If I ever make them again, I'll probably make them bigger - might help them not be so crunchy..

If you'd like the recipe, just ask!