Brownies on a Rainy Day

Today it rained and rained and rained. Much to Owen's delight, as he is always looking for an excuse to wear is goulashes and splash in puddles! I was looking forward to today all week...I had scheduled a facial to combat the horrid hormone happenings on my face from this first trimester. Okay, so it's not horrid, but I honestly can't remember the last time I experienced the wonderfully relaxing child free zone of a day spa. And it was fabulous! I almost didn't mind the burning sensation caused by the initial application of the "mint mask." (To be honest, I was nearly asleep, so it probably just startled me.)



After the facial and school, it was time for some sort of indoor activity. I decided on making brownies. Owen is a very good helper in the kitchen. He neatly sorts the silverware in the caddy when we're unloading the dishwasher, and he LOVES to pour and measure. Caroline is more of a "I need to be in the middle of everything, and my fingers need to be in everything" sort of girl. So we donned the aprons and began our baking. It was wonderful! Although I don't know if next time will go as well...Caroline had never before tasted the ooey gooey yumminess of chocolate brownie batter, so she wasn't as interested in the batter as she was in flexibility of the rubber spatula (yes, separate spatulas for the kiddos for sure.) Once she sampled the batter, she was hooked. Her eyes widened as big as the mixing bowl, and she clamoured for another taste. (Who could blame her??!) And she learned to say "brownie" almost as fast as she had learned to say "cookie" (about 5 nanoseconds after tasting them.)
We looked for worms for our worm garden (it's more of a compost, but Owen loves worms) and read books until the oven timer rang....the kids thoroughly enjoyed the brownies, but I have to say, I can hardly eat anything sweeter than a banana since this pregnancy. (I'm actually ashamed to admit it...my membership from "Chocoholics Anonymous" should be revoked.) But I'll take it as a freebie for next trimester when I down a whole batch in one afternoon : )


Just in case you're looking for an easy, healthier brownie recipe, this one is excellent:


Black Bean Brownies (don't wrinkle your nose...try them first!)

These sound strange, but there is NO trace of black bean taste or texture. They are moist and fudgy, high in fiber, low in fat, and much lower in calories than traditional brownies. (One note of caution: if your body's not used to lots of fiber and you eat more than 4 of these in one sitting, you may be sitting somewhere else in a hurry.)


1 Box brownie mix (any kind)
1 can black beans, rinsed well and drained
1 cup water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 8x8 brownie pan with nonstick cook spray. In a blender (or Magic Bullet), blend black beans with 1/2 cup of water (add more water if needed) until smooth but thick. Add black bean puree to brownie mix and add an additional 1/2 to 1 cup water. Mix until batter is wet. Stir in chocolate chips, or press into the top of the batter once poured into the pan. Bake 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Brownies will look "wet." Remove from the oven and let cool /finish baking for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Makes 16.