Brownies & Burpees


This morning the children & I baked our favourite stove to oven brownies! These brownies are a huge hit in our household; in fact anyone who tastes these always asks me for the recipe and claims they are the best brownies they've ever had! I'm really proud to say that this recipe comes from a book that was written by an friend of my family's...we go way back to when I lived in Baltimore! Kerry Dunnington was our neighbour and a friend of my mum's but since we moved she has written several cook books. The first one, This Book Cooks contains this amazing brownie recipe as well as an upside down cake (the famous "Auflauf" you've probably heard of in the vlogs!) that was a recipe of my mum's! There is also a recipe in Kerry's second book Tasting the Seasons, called "Anna's Pasta" which is inspired by me! I'm so excited and honoured to be featured in a cook book...ha ha! I actually really recommend these recipe books - especially for someone like me who isn't a very confident cook. These are very easy to follow, simple yet delicious family friendly recipes. You can check out Kerry's books on Amazon here! And as you can tell, Emilia had a blast baking (and eating) these brownies! We will be following up with a recipe video tomorrow so stay tuned for that!


It feels kind of silly to go from the topic of baking brownies to fitness, ha ha! But in a way it's nice because after all I do believe in balance ;) So to justify all those brownies I worked out with Lucy again today! And hit a pretty important milestone that I'm quite proud of. I did 30 push-ups today!!! Not all in one go mind you, I did 3 sets of 10. And believe me they were KILLER. But I did it and I'm so happy! So many people ask me why I continue to work out when I "don't need to lose weight" or why do I bother if I want to get pregnant again...etc. etc. and to me the answer is obvious but I suppose to a lot of people it might not make sense. So I wanted to touch on that a little bit here & let you know my feelings on working out and how they've changed. 

Let me start by telling you that I was never a fitness or exercise person...I didn't like sports in school, I never liked working out and I suppose I've always been kind of lucky to be able to eat normally & be naturally pretty slim without having to exercise. I gained about 25lbs with both my pregnancies and lost it very quickly and easily through breastfeeding. Again, I did not properly exercise whilst pregnant. Then in March/April of this year I slowed down & eventually stopped breastfeeding and gained a little bit of weight...it was only about 1/2 a stone but my clothes felt tighter and annoyingly it wouldn't seem to shift no matter what I did. Which is what got me thinking "maybe I should give this exercise thing a try". 

What started as an effort to lose a little bit of weight has completely transformed into something so much bigger and better than that...this has totally changed my life! I'm now back to my pre-pregnancy weight and have been for a while, so yes - exercise has helped me with that but it has also given me SO much more confidence. I feel like it's made me happier, stronger as well as obviously fitter and leaner. It's become like a sort of therapy for me and as much as there are some days when I'm tired or don't feel like doing it, it's become a part of my daily routine so I feel like "off" if I don't work out. Like I said in a previous post, I work out with Lucy now about twice a week where we do about 30 minutes of HIIT. Then on the other 5 days I do a 4 minute cardio HIIT workout in the mornings and 15 minute one at night. When I work out now, it's not to lose anything it's to gain something...muscle tone, strength, confidence, happiness and energy. These are the reasons I do it now, and I only wish I would have started / known this stuff earlier! If you want to begin working out & exercising but are lacking motivation I hope this helps. Because honestly if I can do it anyone can! And remember you only need to do short workouts & small amounts of HIIT to see amazing results. No hour long cardio workouts...because let's be honest, ain't nobody got time for that! 

17 comments

  1. Christina Mestemaker27 November 2015 at 02:27

    Anna, you look amazing! I gaines 20 pounds with my first and initially the weight came off easily with breastfeeding, just like you. Then at about 4 months postpartum my thyroid went all wacky and I've packed on 40 pounds in the last almost 2 years. Pre pregnancy I was 117 pounds, now I'm nearing 160!!! I feel awful. I won't even take photos with my son because I hate seeing myself in photos. :( I've been doing some of Lucy's Youtube videos for almost 2 weeks now and have lost 3 pounds! Not a lot but hey, it's better than gaining another 3. I love your progress photos, they're so motivating for me. By the way, my son loves watching Eduardo on the computer screen, if Eduardo pops up, he'll start yelling "baby! and Hi and say random jibberish sentences." lol :D

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  2. Loved this post. Looking forward to the brownie recipe :)

    One question, would you show us your 4 and 15 minute HIIT (for the mornings and at night)?
    Or can we find these exercises on Lucys Cannel? I want to try the same, but it is hard to find the perfect workout without help from a professional.

    Greetings from Germany :)
    Melia

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    1. Yes, that would be really amazing. I was curious which exact workouts does Anna choose (the 15 minute ones especially). Thank you in advance :)

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  3. Love your logic Anna. I've also found exercising gives me so much added energy and confidence, and of course let's me indulge occasionally in delicious treats like those brownies!! x

    http://diariesofabride.blogspot.com.au/

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  4. Hi Anna, are you going to make an exercise dvd?

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  5. You're such an inspiration, Anna! ❤

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  6. Totally agree with you on exercise - so much more to it than weight loss. I find doing some cardio every couple of days helps with my anxiety and puts me in a much better mood! #strongnotskinny xxx

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  7. Yes! I feel the same way about working out. I personally dislike going to the gym, so I stopped going. Instead I am doing Lucy's workouts, which I started to gove a try recently ( per your recommendation) and a lot of power yoga with "Yoga with Adrienne" ( Viviannadoesmakeup recommendation)

    This way I feel more motivated to workout. Once you follow a routine your body does feel off whenever You don't workout, same here! Although loosing a few pounds would be good for me! I do this mainly to feel good physically and emotionally. There's a positive correlation between excercising and happiness and that is a scientific fact. ( sorry for the nerdiness but it's true)
    You are completely right! Keep inspiring !

    Alina
    www.eclecticalu.blogspot.com

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  8. Love this Post Anna! Emilia and Eduardo are so cute too :)
    -Morgan x
    http://justmorgs.blogspot.co.uk

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  9. You look amazing Anna :) Very happy for you and all your progress! Keep it up lovely.

    http://katelynmcphee.blogspot.ca

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  10. Loved it! Keep working out =) because your body looks amazing and you seem a lot happier =) with yourself.
    Kisses from Portugal!

    http://nuancesbyritadias.blogspot.pt/

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  11. You look incredible and it's so good that you do it because you enjoy it as oppose to wanting to lose weight! I feel the same, some days I feel like I need a good workout and it really clears my head and makes me feel so much more energetic! Moving swiftly to the food end - those brownies look delightful! I love your food-fitness balance and I'm grateful that you post about such things - sometimes I feel like a right fatty when I'm reading blogs that only ever post about their gym routine or their healthy salads!

    JosieVictoriaa // josievictoriaa.blogspot.co.uk // Lifestlye, Travel and Fashion

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  12. Just bc one this slim does not mean "they don't need to workout"! It's good for your body and health to exercise, if you want to have a decent quality of life, you workout..otherwise you will end up like most 80 year Olds - out of shape, barely moving, and ready to die basically. .. I'm not trying to criticize elderly people , my Nannie and Grampie are both now 80, and they do not have the same energy they had at 30...at...all....! Their bodies have slowed down bc they never exercised.....at....all...! When I'm old, i want to be physically active, hey, don't we all right?!! The key is, healthy eating habits, drink plenty of water, and exercise!!! Take care of yourself while you are young, to ensure you feel your best when you are old!

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  13. It is really amazing what just a little bit of exercise can change in our self-perception!

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  14. i was so smitten with this recipe i whipped it up as soon as i saw it- it is now in the freezer firming up :) the batter was soooo delicious!! can't wait to eat the brownies!

    Healthy Brownie Recipes | Keep Healthy Living

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Please be nice...the world could use some positivity! :)

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