What the Beck?: Week 3 Tuesday (1/21/14)

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location: Knock You Naked Brownies

Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From my Frontier

Pages 260 - 262 Copyright: 2012 Harper Collins

I figured out that there are 385 calories per serving, if 16 servings are made, and 513 calories if you cut them into 12 servings. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

What could be better for a kid than cake, caramel, and chocolate chips? These are a chocolate lover’s dream!

The recipe is a cinch to make. It is fast and yummy – but really over the top unless you are a certified chocoholic.

These are the richest brownies I have ever eaten. When I make them again I will cut one piece into four instead. A great idea might be to put each brownie in a cupcake paper to serve a large crowd. They are very gooey though and it might make it harder to eat. I’ll try that next time and see how it goes.

Okay so do you pronounce caramel (care a mel) or (car mull)? This is yet another burning question for me. Is this a regional issue or are both correct? I must have too much time on my hands to even worry about this topic. Go figure!

Can you see the oozing caramel??

Today’s critics:

The Mansour family is with us again. The reactions were that it was “amazing.” “You need milk to drink because it is so rich.” “It was just finger lickin’ and lip smacking good.” Courtney just said “mmmmmm – really good.” Paul also said it was really good.

Brandy Lehman : “Way too much goin’ on in those for me - I mean, they were great, one bite here and one bite there, but there is no way I could eat a whole brownie. No one would want to see me naked if I ate too many of those!”

Nicole Serpico: “Way too sweet, but I did want to lick out the caramel. The kids couldn’t take it either – they were too much.”

Why Weight?

BMI – Body Mass Index. This is a number that I have always hated, but of late the number is lookin’ better. At my highest weight my BMI was a whopping 64. Now that I am 144.3 lbs lower than my highest weight, that scary number, my BMI, has dropped to 43. Now that number is nothin’ to write home about, but I’ll rejoice in the 21 that it has dropped.

I found an old newspaper cutout for how to figure out your BMI. According to an unknown paper, since I just cut out the two inch article, it stated that the National Institutes of Health established these four categories based on BMI levels for adults over 20 years old.

Below 18.5: underweight (really? Not in my future)

18.5 to 24.9 healthy (this is my goal)

25.0 to 29.9 overweight

30.0 or higher obese

According to this data, I really need to work hard to get my BMI down 14 more points. I really think this is doable and boy oh boy will this new number help when I need to find my own insurance.

So are you curious???? Don’t you, deep down, want to know your number??? Oh come on – it has to be lower than mine so buck up and figure it out. Here are the directions.

The body mass index is a common measure of obesity. It’s the ratio of weight in kilograms to height in meters squared. Here’s how to calculate yours:

(Your weight in kilograms) = (0.4535) x (your weight in pounds)

(Your height in meters) = (0.0254) x (your height in inches)

To square your height, take the answer to your height in meters and multiply it by itself and that is your squared height.

(Your BMI) = (your weight in kilograms) divided by (your height in meters, SQUARED)

Okay – so you may not like your number (just like me) but I have learned that it is fixable. Keep track of everything – like in a journal and you will have data over time. Just like Martha would say, “Knowing it is a good thing!”

My Gorgeous Girls

Sage and Willow truly love the winter. Once the temperature began dropping, their energy levels rose quickly. They began chasing each other around the backyard and became very frisky.

The both love to eat snow. In fact, I would swear it is a main course for Willow. Some of my favorite pictures of my girls were taken during the winter. Enjoy!