Food ~ Chocolate and Almond Fudge Cake (sugar-free!)

 ~ Food ~

Chocolate and Almond Fudge Cake 

(sugar & flour free!)

This a really low-effort way to create a guilt-free treat.  However I do have to mention; this cake is not cheap to make.  The sugar-free chocolate is more than twice the price of normal chocolate and the Natvia (sweetener) and almond meal are also pretty expensive.  It's the price we have to pay to be able to indulge and stay healthy! 

Ingredients: 

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder & 1/4 cup boiling water (or 1/4 cup peculated coffee)

200g butter, chopped

180g sugar-free dark chocolate (find this in the health food section of your supermarket)

2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

4 eggs, separated

3/4 cup Natvia for baking (find this in the sugar/sweetener section of the supermarket)

2 cups almond meal (ground almonds)

Lets go:

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 22cm round (base) spring-form cake tin.   Line base and side with baking paper.

Place coffee powder and boiling water in a heatproof jug. Stir to dissolve. Place butter, chocolate, cocoa powder and coffee mixture in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes or until melted and combined. Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.

Beat the egg yolks and Natvia for 5 minutes or until thick. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  

Add chocolate mixture and almond meal to egg yolk mixture. Stir to combine. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold half the egg whites into chocolate mixture. Repeat with remaining egg whites. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool cake completely in pan. Dust with cocoa.

Enjoy!

Food ~ Sugar-free, did it work for me?

~ Food ~

Did Sugar-free work for me?

Well guys, I almost, ever-so-nearly didn't write this blog post.  I was way too depressed earlier this morning to even contemplate it.  It's a third world problem I know.. to be depressed about the outcome of your sugar-free week.   Pretty pathetic hey.  So instead of wallowing in my sadness here I am, facing my failure and admitting that my sugar-free week was an epic fail... or was it?

A summary of the week:

Day 1 - Monday:  I was super duper organised, did a huge grocery shop and made sure I had heaps of delicious healthy, low carb, no-sugar foods to stock up my cupboards with.  I baked a sugar-free cake (see Guilt-free Orange and Almond Cake blog post).  I was able to eat no carbohydrates throughout the day without feeling deprived (aside from a piece of wholemeal toast with my eggs in the morning) and enjoy a lovely piece of cake with a cup of tea at the end of the day.  I went to bed feeling slightly hungry, but resisted the urge to attack the pantry).  

Day 2 - Tuesday:  Woke up and weighed myself, absolutely thrilled to find I was 300 grams lighter! (I should note that my weight hasn't really deviated since early Jan).   I can't believe it, it's working!!   Continued to eat well throughout the day, and again enjoy a piece of guilt free cake with my TV series when the kids were in bed.  Again, went to bed feeling a little peckish... having eaten no carbohydrates with both lunch and dinner, and obviously no sugar.  Feeling a little pleased that I feel hungry though, and hoping it might have the same result as the day before.  

Day 3 - Wednesday:  Weighed myself again first thing.  Lost another 300 grams!  This sugar-free thing is awesome!  Feeling pretty pleased with myself!  Actually noticed that I wasn't very hungry today, my appetite (which is normally VERY healthy) was definitely suppressed.   Still enjoyed my cake after dinner with a dollop of yoghurt! Yum!  

Day 4 - Thursday:  ANOTHER 300 grams!  That makes my weight loss almost a kilo in technically only three full days!  Crazy!  Needless to say I am very happy :)  Eat fairly well today, but instead of no carbs during the day, I eat sushi for lunch.  I start to feel HUNGRY again towards the end of the day.  Appetite is back, and I pig out on quite a few (healthy-ish) snacks before even eating my dinner :-(     Still enjoy my cake after dinner, but it's the LAST piece!!  

Day 5 - Friday:  Things start to come undone.  I have gone up 100 grams, but i'm not fussed about that because it's normal to deviate a small amount from day to day, right!?  (but in the back of my mind I'm thinking... rice... snacks...)  The day goes horribly wrong when at lunch time I realise that there's no food in the house, it's pouring with rain, and my little man is fast asleep.  I eat a carrot and some cheese.  It just doesn't cut it.  I eat an entire enormous bowl of Sultana Bran.  Oops.  I tell myself it's ok, i'll be back on track for dinner.  Takeaway Thai is ordered and I intend to eat no rice or noodles.  I EAT a whole heap of rice and noodles.  And a Cadbury mini egg.   Oops.

Day 6 - Saturday:  I don't even weigh myself, I know it's not going to be good.  Do I have to even talk about this day?  Let just say: Pizza, cheeseburger, chocolate.  Enough said.  

Day 7 - Sunday:  Back on track, but I still don't weigh myself.... Pretty healthy day all round, aside from a small amount of carbs.  I bake a new cake!  It's a CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND FUDGE CAKE and it's Sugar-free and it's AMAZING!  

Day 8 - Monday:  Weigh in - and guess what... I WEIGH EXACTLY THE SAME AS BEFORE I STARTED!  Hence my depression.  But really... I know why it happened!  When I look back at the week I can see where everything started to go wrong.  The lesson I have learned is:  

BE PREPARED!  Don't let everything rely on your will power! 

BE AWARE - Carbs like rice will have the same effect on your body as sugar, and you will undo your hard work. 

So.. I'm back into it this week, cross your fingers for me!  And I just want to leave you with this image:  Chocolate and Almond Fudge Cake (sugar-free of course).  It's not all bad!  Let me know if you want the recipe :-)  

Fashion ~ FABruary so far

~ Fashion ~







FABruary is in full swing, and I am loving the challenge it presents each day.  It's certainly made me hunt through my wardrobe, and rediscover some unloved pieces of clothing and accessories that have been sitting on the shelf way too long.  

Recap below: 

Day one - Sunglasses

Easy peasy, no challenge here!

Day Two - Glitter

Much more of a challenge, the best I could manage was this sparkly strapped singlet.  I have since seen SO many awesome sparkly, glittery and metallic pieces that I would love to buy! (I have my eye on an especially

 awesome pair of metallic jeans at Country Road!).  

Day Three - Checks/Plaid

This was a massive challenge, and I hunted through my wardrobe with absolutely no success.  I decided to give up, and then realised that the bag I had happened picked to use that day fit the bill! Woo!

Day Four - Ponytail

I've done so many ponytails in my time, I thought it would be a bit of a cheat not to mix it up a bit and try something new.  I went with the braid on top/side ponytail, which was definitely a first.  I'm not sure how I felt about this look, it felt a little bit 'schoolgirl'.   But  I did do a similar style, but a bit less to the side a few days later, and I got a couple of compliments from strangers, so it must have looked OK!

Day Five - Leather

I was pretty happy with this outfit, but the leather jacket was an accessory for the photo only (it was SO hot that day!!).  I was also wearing a new-ish dress that I really like, along with a leather belt and my lovely black leather Italian handbag :-)

Day Six - Green

I went with this long-unworn green and blue sleeveless shirt from Topshop for day six. Topped off with my green handbag that was handed on to me by my mother-in-law (she has great taste!)


Day Seven -Statement Earrings

I tend to shy away from big dangly earrings lately, preferring other accessories to be the statement.  It was nice to pull these pretty ones out again after a long time in hiding.  

Day Eight - Noisy

This dare also forced me to pull something old out of the wardrobe.  What did I own that was noisy!?  I racked my brains and the best I could come up with was this long chain necklace, that jangles a bit when I walk.  I was grateful for the dare, as I realised I hadn't worn this in forever and I didn't really know why, it's a fantastic statement piece with a simple tee.  

Day Nine - Killer Heels

MASSIVE fail for me on day nine.  No effort at all was made, as all my heals are in storage, or en-route from Italy, and besides... it was a Saturday.  Without a party to attend, Saturday was a day for exercise and relaxation... not heels! 

Day Ten - Bright

I absolutely loved this day - despite the wasp sting on my cheek from the day before!  It felt really good to know that I have come so far, I would never have worn these colours 12 months ago!  I'm totally stepping out of my safe-fashion-comfort-zone, and I'm just loving it!

Day Eleven - Belted

Could have gone with many things for the 'belted' day of FABrurary, but it was easy and quick to throw on this old favourite from Zara.  

Day Twelve - Orange Lipstick

WOAH... this was totally new for me, and I'm not sure I was a fan.  Actually... I have to admit... I wiped it off before leaving the house and went and put on my lovely, safe, pinky brown lipgloss.  Sorry guys, I don't think orange lipstick is for me.  At least not this one anyhow (even though it did ACTUALLY smell like oranges!) 

That's FABruary so far..... will report back in 14 days!

Food ~ Guilt Free Orange and Almond Cake

 ~ Food ~

Starting today, I've launched into a week of 'sugar-free'.   For me, this most particularly means cutting out the evening chocolate treat (yes ...I'm talking every night without fail!).  So - I knew that I would need to start the week off with a big grocery shop, stocking up on lots of fresh healthy foods to have at hand.  It was also imperative that I find a substitute for those deliciously creamy Cadbury Easter eggs that have been sneaking their way into our kitchen each night, and have consequently been devoured within fifteen minutes. 

Why sugar free?  I'm just not going to even try to attempt to go into the scientific reasons for that at nearly ten in the evening (or ten in the morning for that matter!). However if you are actually interested you could read The Diet Delusion, by Gary Taubes.  Even the first few chapters are enough to give you a fairly good sense of why to avoid food containing sugar, and why the 'low fat' diet is not good for your long term health.  You can access a review of that book here.   

So, here we go!  Anyone want to join me?  Any advice, recipes or tips will be greatly appreciated!  

The chosen Easter egg substitute for this week, is an Orange and Almond Cake, and with only a touch of flour and absolutely no sugar - it is virtually guilt free!  I have made the standard version of this recipe several times before, but this time, I substituted the sugar for a relatively new sweetener called Natvia.  It is all natural, so no nasty chemicals!  

Lets go:

100 grams butter, softened (plus extra for greasing

175 grams of Natvia sweetener

3 eggs

Juice and finely grated zest of one orange

1 tsp baking powder

160 grams almond meal

20-30 grams plain flour

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.  Grease an 8 inch cake tin (preferably spring form)

2.  Cream the butter until soft, then add the Natvia and beat until fluffy and creamy.  

3.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  (At this point, I got a little scared, as the mixture was starting to take on a very weird cheesy texture!  And it only got worse!  By the time I got to step 5 I thought the whole effort was a disaster.... )

4.  Whisk in the juice and zest of one large orange.  

5.  Sift the small amount of flour in with the baking power, and then fold in the almond meal.  Whisk together until well combined.  

6.  Pour into the prepared tin, and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.  

Taaaa Daaaa!   I am happy to report that this experiment was a success!  Though I was dubious throughout the cooking process about the consistency of the mixture, it ended up tasting really delicious!  HOORAH!  

I suggest serving with a dollop of lovely creamy yoghurt and a nice cup of tea!   Mmmmm Mmmmm!   

Food ~ Chopped Salad with Fetta, Lime and Mint

~ Food ~

Chopped Salad with Fetta, Lime and Mint

Getting straight to the point today, as the teensy weensy little black flies in my kitchen are driving me to despair, and I must escape as soon as possible to avoid actual insanity! There are four of them sitting on my laptop as I type!  Where do they come from? Why are they here? DIE flies DIE!!!

Now that I have that rant out of my system:

So,  I love salad.  I eat it at least once every day, often twice a day.  Especially in the Queensland heat, this has become an absolute staple. I mostly opt for a crisp green salad with a few extras, a splash of good quality olive oil and a dash of lemon juice.  Classic!

Lately though, I've been researching more interesting options; not only to make the meal a little more exciting, but also to increase the nutritional value.  That sounds super boring I know, but I seriously get excited by seeing the crisp colourful ingredients I'm about to eat.  

This salad certainly fits that description - it's crisp, crunchy and colourful!  It's a little more fiddly and time consuming than your average salad, but the result (I think) is worth it!

I said I would stick to the point - so here it is.  It's based on a salad I found on a food blog that I absolutely love, Smitten Kitchen.  A-MAAAZ-ING recipes are here for you to feast your eyes upon and spend hours sifting through (enjoy!)

Ingredients

1/2 a cucumber

1/2 a red capsicum

Small bunch of radishes 

2 large handfuls of green beans

1 small red onion

Small bunch of fresh mint

Half a packet of soft crumbled fetta (I love Lemnos Soft Fetta...the absolute best!)

1/4 cup of well toasted sunflower seeds

2 small limes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt

Pepper 

Lets go!

Wash and slice all the salad ingredients very finely and arrange in a bowl.  

Add the deliciously smooth crumbled fetta!

Toast the sunflower seeds for five minutes.  Shake the pan to ensure they toast evenly. 

Combine the olive oil, lime juice and salt and pepper in a bowl and stir through!

Serve it up with something sumptuous!  I lightly fried some chicken pieces with garlic, salt and pepper, then whipped up some homemade Tzatziki (a dollop of sour cream, a few spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt, some garlic, a squeeze of lime and some freshly chopped mint and cucumber).  

Waaa -laaa! 

Happy healthy eating!  

Now... to get my hand on some Turkish delight Easter eggs to go with my cup of tea before they all disappear (that's why I eat salad for dinner right!?)...

Fashion ~ Challenging myself with FABruary

~ Fashion ~







For a bit of fun, I'm jumping on the bandwagon of a friend of mine, Jess and participating in FABruary!  The idea of FABruary? To challenge your style and create an entire month of FABULOUS fashion in line with the theme for each day.  My personal challenge?  To do all of this, without buying a single new item of clothing or jewellery.  Trust me when I tell you, THIS is a challenge!  Not only because I have a shopping addiction, but also because I only just touched down in Australia late last year, with nothing but the clothes on my back.  Oh and a suitcase full of clothes (well, granted it was a LARGE suitcase, but still).  I am oh so patiently awaiting the arrival of the rest of my wardrobe.  But until then, it will all have to suffice.  

I am so happy with the theme for day one - sunglasses!  An absolute must in Summer! 

I am not ashamed to report that I very happily discovered these sunnies on the side of the road one day a few weeks ago.  Score! I actually happen to have quite a collection of sunglasses at the moment, which is unusual for me, as I tend to destroy them at any opportunity by crushing, dropping, snapping or scratching.  

A few more pics of today's outfit below and a few of my favourite accessories.  I had the opportunity to dress up a little today, as I had to attend a 'pre' interview, job interview.  What on earth is that? (I hear you say).  I have no idea, it was a little bemusing.  But the opportunity to put on some funky shoes and a little makeup was a nice change from the usual beach hair and thongs look I have going on.  Happy Friday everyone! x

Fitness ~ Running, My Standard Routine

 ~ Fitness~

I apologise in advance as I'm sure this post is going to be very boring for most people, but I really thought it would be great to document my current routine so that I can see how far I've come when I mix it up and include a whole heap of new things in my fitness routine this year.  And perhaps it might just inspire someone who thought they couldn't run that they CAN give it a go!  

Firstly, a little background information.  I have to tell you guys, I am absolutely NOT a born runner.  I am testament that anyone can run!  Yes, anyone! Any age, any fitness level, YOU CAN DO IT!   I was the kid in High School that tried absolutely anything to get out of running in Phys Ed,  was never particularly good at sports and didn't ever win any races.  It just wasn't my thing.  

I did get a bit more into fitness as I got older, and over the years I have been a member at many gyms and done many exercise classes.  I discovered though, that it was running that really helped me to lose weight.    I was at my heaviest when my daughter was around two years old, and I decided to kick my butt into gear and get running.  

I started off VERY slowly.  Like running around the block and then going home type slowly!  I then started running with a friend, which made it more fun, and made me more motivated to keep my running appointments.   I signed up for a 10k race.  Prior to the race, the greatest distance I ran was around 7 k's doing laps around an oval, but I managed to complete the race (without stopping!) and with built up confidence I knew that I could achieve more!  I've gone on to do several more shorter fun runs, a 15K and a half marathon (21.2k's).  The fun-runs for me are not really about the end result, and they are certainly not about competing with others.  They are just a method of pushing myself in my day to day routine, and having a specific goal to work towards.  

Running is fantastic because you can fit it in around anything in your schedule.  It forces you to get outdoors and breath fresh air, and it gives you a set time to clear your head, and stop thinking about stresses around you.  For me, this is time away from being a mum,  time for me.  It allows me to come back feeling refreshed and ready to cope again with all the endless questions!

I want to recommend this article to anyone who wants to get fitter, but thinks that they won't be able to run.  It gives you a program for starting out with small goals, and then shows you how to build up your distances through interval training (which is a fantastic calorie burner!).  

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/become-a-runner?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-womenshealth-_-content-fitness-_-BetterRunner

I still struggle with going for a run as often as I should (it's SO easy to just sleep in that little bit longer, or to find some other super-important thing to do instead of sticking with your plan!).  I also struggle whilst I'm running, constantly having that battle in my mind, where I'm dying to give up and have to mentally strive to push on.  

What I'm doing now: 

I'm currently running between 5-8 K's about four times a week.  In the past I've done a lot more and I know that I'm falling into a rut, and I'm not extending myself.  So my goals for the next few months are:

1.    To include a wider variety of training into my week, including strength training. 

2.    To sign up for some fun runs in the next few months, including at least one 10k. 

3.    To focus more on my stretching routine, and possibly include some yoga.  

4.    To find a group sport to participate in. 

My Running Essentials:

Everyone is different - but these are the things that I personally consider essential:

1. Good fitting sports bra.  I double up and wear an actual sports bra and then a sports crop top over the top.  This Shock Absorber brand is amazing.  

2, 3 and 4. A hat, suncream and sunnies!  It's VERY hot and sunny here.  

5.  Good quality properly fitted running shoes (LOVE my Asics! sorry: very dirty from rain)

6. Last, but not least...  MUSIC!! (and good earphones) - I create playlists on my iPhone using Spotify, allowing me to  pick and choose tracks and create my own playlists from a massive range of music.   In another blog post (If I am prepared to be embarrassed!) I might talk about the music on my playlists.  Check out Spotify: 

www.spotify.com/

Happy running guys!

Frivolity ~ Fun in the Foam

~Frivolity~

 

friv·o·lous

  [friv-uh-luhs] 

adjective

1.   characterized by lack of seriousness or sense: frivolous conduct.

2.   self-indulgently carefree; unconcerned about or lacking any serious purpose.

3.   (of a person) given to trifling or undue levity: a frivolous, empty-headed person.

4.   of little or no weight, or importance; not worthy of serious notice

I couldn't resist a quick post today, because this week's weather created the perfect opportunity to be frivolous!

This morning on my run I couldn't help but notice that the unrelenting rain and howling winds of the past four days had caused a massive foam-fest on the shores of our local beach.  As I ran through the sludge to my running track, I imagined how much fun the kids would have jumping around in all the foamy mess.  

When I got back from my run I tried to convince everyone to go down and wallow in the foam, but no-one was keen!! 'Come on guys... where's your sense of fun?'

I wasn't giving up on this idea and later in the afternoon I eventually packed up the kids and walked down to the beach.  Unfortunately the foam wasn't quite as spectacular as the morning, but there was plenty enough to frolic around in :-) 

My super sensitive eight year old was having a great time, until the 'itches' set in, and she began scratching with fervor.  I can only presume they were caused by the foam, so at that point I was questioning my mothering decision.  Perhaps there was a reason they were the only kids on the beach!?  Ahhhh well.... live in the moment I say! 

Maddie has a happy face before the 'itches' begin 

Felt like walking in chocolate mousse

Maddie couldn't cope with the itches any longer and went back home with her dad.  

Luca however, partied on in style, and decided to make it all the more fun by taking his clothes off :-)