First job of the day was taking my daughter to college. Straight after that I popped into M&S because apparently you cannot order two packs of vests online without spending a small fortune just to qualify for delivery. It was genuinely quicker to go in, grab the vests and leave like a functioning adult.

I took my son with me and we even managed a very smug, very healthy breakfast. Avocado on sourdough with a poached egg. Honestly proud of us. The kind of breakfast that makes you feel like the day is already a success.

After that we popped into TK Maxx which is where the day started testing my willpower. I still do not understand the food section in there. One minute you are looking at cushions and the next you are confronted with shelves of random fudge, enormous novelty pasta shapes and food items from countries you have never planned to visit. Who decides this section and where does it all come from? It is like a chaotic snack museum. I found myself staring at the fudge for far too long and genuinely considering pasta the size of a small child until my son rang and said we were going. Perfect timing because I was seconds away from buying food items I did not need and would struggle to justify later.

Things continued to go well. A very quick shopping park visit followed. Two shops only. In and out. No browsing. No wandering. Olympic level efficiency. I got home, cracked on with admin and felt very chuffed with myself. Emails sent. Things ticked off. Brain working. Rare but enjoyable.

Then it was time to pick my daughter up from college. Home again. Straight back out to the phone shop because her phone had decided it had had enough of life. Diagnosis done. Part ordered. Sorted. Back home again and straight back into more admin. Honestly I was flying.

Chocolate ...

Late afternoon rolled in and that is when the chocolate made its appearance. Or rather I went looking for it.

In a drawer that is actually labelled "Eat Salad" and feels deeply judgemental, there was a chocolate bar that I had already half eaten. I knew it was there. It knew I was there. Temptation won.

Important detail though. This was not a massive chunky bar. It was a savers bar. Small. Ordinary. Sensible. Practically innocent. And honestly how many people are eating chocolate this close to Christmas without even thinking about it. It is basically festive autopilot. It is not like I have a giant tub of Quality Street or Celebrations permanently open on the table. This was just a small bar and I did not even finish it. That absolutely counts as restraint.

Yesterday also did not help matters because I made baked doughnuts (see recipe). They were lovely but incredibly sugary, so now I am dealing with that lingering sugar temptation that baked goods leave behind. You know the one where your brain keeps suggesting just one more sweet thing.

While justifying my very reasonable behaviour I also started thinking sensibly about food in general. With no Kids Cooking Parties booked at the moment it makes far more sense to use up all the half used ingredients at home. Fresh ingredients are better than letting things slowly expire only to replace them later anyway. This is not overindulgence. This is organisation.

Which brings me to the bananas. I have small small ripe bananas sitting there looking at me. Judging me. Practically begging to be turned into a banana cake. It feels rude not to really. Wasting bananas would be the real crime here.

All in all it was actually a very successful Monday. Lots achieved. Very capable. Very on it.

Just maybe tomorrow I will rename that drawer. Or pretend it does not exist. 🍌🍫