Home Bakes: Peanut Butter Bites

If you like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups you are going to absolutely love this recipe!

When I was at a training day recently with work one of my colleagues had baked little these

 little treats for us all. After my first mouthful I was hooked and just had to find out the recipe. 

The recipe is actually one of Nigella's and is so quick and simple to do. 

These little peanut butter bites are perfect with a cup of tea, and even make a lovely gift for 

those with a sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

For the base

50g muscovado sugar

200g icing sugar

50g unsalted butter

200g smooth organic peanut butter

For the topping

200g milk chocolate

100g plain chocolate

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Method:

- Stir all of the base ingredients together in a large mixing bowl either by hand or with an electric 

food mixer. I find this part a little messy as the icing sugar gets everywhere so prefer to

 do it by hand.

- Once the mixture has come together and has a very sandy consistency you can press it into

 a lined brownie tin. Nigella says 'it is quite satisfying seeing the gentle finger indentations in the

 soft, rich mixture' but I'm not sure I agree. What ever tickles your fancy Nigella.

- To make the topping I melt all of the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling

 water on a low heat. Stir this mixture regularly until there are no lumps left.

- Spread the chocolate mixture on to the base and then pop the tin in the fridge to set. 

When spreading on the chocolate mixture I like to leave it looking a little rough around the edges, 

but if you prefer a smooth finish just use the back of a spoon to spread evenly. 

- The chocolate mixture sets fairly quickly, and once completely hardened you can cut up into

 little squares and enjoy. I cut the squares pretty unevenly to give a rustic feel but you could be

 more precise if you prefer.

Will you be trying this recipe? I would love to know your thoughts!

Yes To Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub

Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub, Yes To, £6.99

Yes To are a company that I have only recently become familiar with. I first caught 

wind of them during a Twitter bloggers chat and was intrigued to find out more. I began looking 

into the company as I'm a total skincare addict, but like to keep it all as natural as I possibly can.

Yes To make sure that all of their products are at least 95% natural and paraben, petroleum and

 SLS free. Plus, all the packaging is completely recyclable and the products themselves are cruelty free.

 You don't get skincare better than that, surely?

So, after finding out more about Yes To and their natural skincare range I headed to my nearest

 Boots store to check out the range in the flesh. I was in need of a new facial scrub and was immediately

 drawn to this one from their grapefruit range. My skin tone is pretty uneven and prone to blemishes,

 so this daily scrub seemed perfect for me. 

I have been using this grapefruit facial scrub for around two weeks now and I am really pleased

 with it. Not only does this scrub smell ridiculously fresh, it also evens skin tone and enhances

 luminosity. Made with lemon balm, this scrub helps to calm and repair damaged skin, whilst the 

grapefruit oil brightens and moisturises. After the first use my skin looked brighter and fresher,

 and I could really notice a difference. Although this is a daily facial scrub I try and use it just once

 a week as my skin doesn't need scrubbing too often. Overall, I am really impressed with this scrub

 and am looking to venture further into the Yes To skincare range.

Have you tried anything from Yes To? What did you think?

How running taught me to challenge myself

On Sunday I took part in, and completed, the Liverpool Spring 10K race. This is something I never thought I would be able to do as my fitness levels used to be terrible. There once was a time where I couldn't 

even run on the treadmill for 2 minutes without getting ridiculously out of breath, and feeling like

 I had to stop. I would never thought a year ago that I would be able to run non-stop for a whole

 hour like I did on Sunday. I especially did not expect to enjoy the race quite like I did!

As a result I have found myself wanting to apply for another race in a few months time,

 despite the huge blisters on my feet from Sunday.

So far my running journey has taught me a lot about how to challenge myself and achieve

 my goals. I find running really mentally tough, but in the long run (no pun intended) I always

 end up with a clear, anxiety free mind. Realising that I can push myself to run further than ever

 before has only encouraged me to try and apply this success to other areas of my life. 

Understanding that your mind gives up before your legs do is key to accomplishing your goals

 when out on a run. I find motivational quotes really inspiring before I go out to run

 (or hit the gym) and Pinterest is particularly good for this. I have created a health & fitness

 inspiration board on Pinterest and always check back to this when I need a little lift.

So, what are you waiting for? Get those trainers on and go run!

 Even if it is just for five minutes, you will thank me later.