Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely weekend. What have you been up to?
After all of that mild weather the cold snap hit the Midlands this weekend. I actually had to defrost my car on Saturday morning before driving to work, which I’ve only had to do twice last year. Since it hasn’t been a regular thing this season it was quite a shock to see my very blue car sparkling white with frost. I made sure that I wrapped up all nice and warm for the trip to work though. I had a lovely flask of hot green tea to help me tackle the cold too.
My workout out week has been pretty good, but I think I could have perhaps pushed myself a little more…
Monday: Hunting for wedding venues…very taxing on the ol’ energy level! ;P
Tuesday: 15 minutes of speed intervals on the cross trainer and 1 hour of Body Pump
Wednesday: 3 mile treadmill interval run and 20 minutes of intervals on the bike and step machine
Thursday: 15 minutes of intervals on the cross trainer, strength workout 1, 5 minute cool down on the bike
Friday: 30 minute cross country intervals on the cross trainer, 20 minute of intervals on the bike and step machine, ab workout.
Sunday: MTV Yoga DVD and an ab workout.
I think my body has finally recovered from those body pump DOMs from Tuesday’s class. Hopefully this upcoming weeks class won’t be as painful and I can increase my weights back to my normal intensity. I’m all set for a mega session of cardio and strength session tomorrow…bring it! 
This weekend I have been tucking in to some very tasty eats and doing a bit of cooking in the kitchen too, which I always love on a Sunday afternoon. Some of my favourite eats of the weekend have included these…
Pumpkin oats with Homemade Pumpkin Butter, vanilla stevia, shredded coconut, dried cranberries and mixed nuts
Banana and frozen strawberry smoothie with some toasted rye bread and Sunbutter
Snack plate: organic hummus, carrots, red peppers, apples and red grapes
Vega chocolate protein powder, a banana, desiccated coconut, spinach, honey and water
![DSCF2209[1]](http://celeryandcupcakes.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dscf22091.jpg "DSCF2209[1]")
Kamut pasta spirals with organic passata, vegetables, spinach and Linda McCartney red onion and rosemary sausages
Whilst in the kitchen I whipped up a huge batch of a tomato sauce using a recipe that I stole and adapted slightly from Alfie’s cousin, which I thought I would share. We had it at her house over the Christmas holidays and we both loved it. I’m trying to learn to cook lots of Ghanaian dishes at the moment and so far I have mastered two rice dishes, plantain and now this sauce. The sauce is a basic all rounder really but it’s totally yummy and can be used on meat, pasta and vegetables.
Basic Tomato Sauce
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800g of tomatoes
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1 clove of garlic minced
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1 medium onion diced
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2 tubes of tomato puree
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1 vegetable stock cube
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2 tsps of dried mixed herbs or fresh basil (optional)
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1 tsp of ground chilli powder (optional)
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seasonings to taste
Heat a small amount of oil in a large pan and add the onion on a medium heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Transfer the onions and the garlic to a blender and add the tomatoes, tomato puree, stock cube, herbs and chilli powder and combine all of the ingredients until well mixed. Return the sauce to the pan and cook on a low heat for a further 45 minutes, stirring often. Season to taste. Enjoy!
I’ve just had this on some roasted aubergines, broccoli and mushrooms and it was delicious!
Well here’s to a great start to a new week! Have a lovely evening!
Do you have any family recipes that you have learnt how to cook over the years?
Are you allowed to share them or would your life not be worth living if you did?
That sauce looks gorgeous, i love homemade tomato sauce
We don’t really have any special family recipes… My mum tends to just chuck a load of stuff in a pan and see what happend, must be where i get it from! Haha
I love to cook like that too- it’s the best way!
I had to defrost my car too- it was SO cold out today!
Your food pics are looking really great lately
Oh thank you! Defrosting the car is never a nice thing to do- it’s freezing!
Yes, there has been a sudden cold snap in the South West too, im not sure I like it, not that I like any form of extreme weather for that matter, but still.
How exciting, your getting married, congratulations
Sorry im a bit slow, I used to read your blog, but then I deleted my blog, but now im back
The eats look A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
Thank you lovely!
Its been freezing this weekend up here too. We don’t have any particular family recipes – my Nana’s broth was kind of one but I think that’s been lost to the ages unfortunately. Your strawberry banana smoothie and rye bread looks delicious
Ahhh that’s a shame! I’m sure your version is just as good though!
Ooh, the texture of that tomato sauce looks amazing… I bet it was perfect on the roast vegetables and I bet some goats’ cheese would go down a treat on top too.
I had to defrost my car both days too and dig out the knee-length socks again this weekend – I know we’ve got off lightly this winter but it’s still not good!
Looking for wedding venues sounds very exciting though
Goat’s cheese would have been perfect!
i love homemade sauce! my brother always makes really good sauce with roma tomatoes
i never really thought to put a smoothie with toast and sunbutter for a meal but it actually sounds really good! i don’t know why that never came to mind 
anyways, thanks for my new breakfast idea!
It makes for a lovely quick and filling breakfast!
That snack plate looks so scrummy, I could really go for it. And I love homemade tomato sauce, I just wish I had time to make it!
I love homemade sauces too, definitely better than store bought. I which that I had time to make them all of the time.
I love using my family’s recipes. The two main ones are an anise cookie recipe that we make every Christmas and a curry that my mom’s parents have perfected. Ah, brings back such good memories
Anise cookies sound lovely and very festive.
My family never cooked that much so there aren’t that many recipes to pass down… but there are certain ones (like these dark chocolate chip cookies my mom makes) that I LOVE!
Cookies are always good…yum!
It was so frosty yesterday that the grass in the shade had frost on all day, and a big pond near my house was frozen solid. We are just not used to this weather as it had been so mild this year.
This frost has really taken everyone by surprise. I was out defrosting my car this morning too!
That sauce looks lovely and easy to do.
I think your workouts for the week look good. You don’t need to push yourself all the time.
I know but sometimes I think I just don’t challenge myself enough, it wasn’t bad overall. Happy Monday!
My favourite of your workouts is Monday
Your smoothie looks really tasty, I love the jar/glass you used! And that pasta looks delicious – I do love pasta. Funnily enough we have a family recipe for tomato sauce, I copied it into my recipe book from my mum 
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