Yesterday as I was going stir crazy, I decided that I needed to get in some exercise. It was way too cold for me to go exploring my neighborhood and I wasn’t about to drive anywhere. That left me one option…home exercising. Our house really isn’t a great place to push out some strength moves and I never really push myself as hard in the living room. But, I decided it was better than nothing. I first got started with a 30 minute Barre 3 video. Then while Cooper and the BOY watched on, I flipped through Amazon Prime on the TV to stream a Jillian Michaels Yoga Burn video. Typically, my yoga practice has a stronger breath and mental focus, but this was fun!

Although I’m not loving the indoor workout, it seems to be the only option. This morning, I tried to escape. My car almost didn’t start (a first) and when it did, I had trouble reversing. I thought this was from snow build up, so I got behind my car and moved away some snow. I reversed into the street and when I attempted to drive away, my car made the most hideous noise! The BOY called me from inside to say that he could hear my car roaring down the street. It was obvious that I needed to abort my mission, so I drove through the first neighborhood intersection and then attempted a 3 point turn, but I got STUCK! Perpendicular to the road we live on about 30 yards down the street. My car just wouldn’t reverse and the noise got significantly worse when I tried. Thankfully, I had enough space in front of me to drive forward, turn sharply, and proceed down the street. My next turn around option was a ways down and my car actually sounded better with time. I couldn’t take my chances on the big roads or getting trapped in a parking lot, so I returned home and switched out our cars, moving mine into the garage. I had a big fear that tomorrow morning, we would both be stranded if my car was acting like it did today. Hopefully, some time in the garage, plus starting every 2-3 hours, will have my car in good enough shape for work tomorrow.

I came back inside and made a tea latte. It looks like today, I am REALLY stranded inside! At least I had a fantastic breakfast to start my day. Last night, I whipped up some Gingerbread Oats, and they were tasty.

I made a few adaptations to the original recipe and came up with a flavorful oatmeal that I ate cold but would be perfect heated up for these –40 degree days. Instead of adding the sweetener to the oats, I sprinkled a dash of agave over the top and then a few strawberries. The only thing I messed up on was that I should have also thrown in a few pecans.

One of the things on my grocery list was a brownie mix for an event next weekend. No brownie mix, no problem!

Confession: I’m not a huge brownie person. I know there are many who disagree with me (including the BOY), but I just don’t love brownies. Now, throw some caramel in the mix and that’s a different story.

So that’s why it was surprising when a coworker brought brownies in for work and I ate two! I told her that I needed the recipe, so she was happy to share it. It’s an old recipe off the back of the BAKER”s chocolate box. The first step involves mixing your eggs and sugar for 10 minutes. I set a timer and it was a long 10 minutes, so I played on my new phone and found all of the fun the photo options.

So the purpose of these brownies was to make brownie bites. However, it wasn’t until I was just adding in some extra mint and chocolate chips that I remembered what I liked about these brownies.

They are super fudgey! Probably not the best for mini muffins. Oops! I loaded up 3 mini muffin tins and then placed the rest of the dough in a large pan.

I baked the mini muffins around 18 minutes. Some of them were WAY too big…

And didn’t want to come out of the tin. But others looked nice and tasty! However, those too, didn’t want to come out of their tin. Note to the Baker: if making brownie muffins, don’t overfill your tins! As for the brownie sheet…

Those turned out much better!!!

The moral of the story…this is one incredible brownie recipe! Just don’t try to use it for brownie bites!

Whatever I can keep out of the BOY’s hands (his appetite has returned) can be served this weekend. And the crunchy muffins tops have been turned into a minty brownie brittle!
What do you do to make the most of a cold day or a messed up recipe?
Gingerbread Overnight Oats
Adapted from My Whole Food Life
Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp ground flax meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sweetener of your choice
Directions
Place all of the ingredients in a jar or container and stir until combined. Place in the refrigerator over night.
Enjoy warm or cold!
Scrumptious Brownies (with Mint Chocolate Chips)
Recipe from a Friend
Ingredients
1 package 8 squares of BAKER’s Chocolate (or 8 oz of chocolate chips)
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
5 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2-2 cups of mint and chocolate chips
Directions
Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat. Or in the microwave, which is what I did and took about 90 seconds.
Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla for 10 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Add flour, beating just until blended. Stir in mint chocolate chips.
Spread across a 9×13 inch pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out over clean. Do not overbake. Cool in the pan.