Clean Recipe: Raw Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Icing

I have had my eyes on a Vitamix high speed blender and have lusted over the Thermomix for awhile now. Both being fairly pricey, I knew it might be awhile until I finally got my hands on one of them!
So I did some research and came across a Vitamix-style blender - the Omniblend. It was a third of the price of the Vitamix and had some good reviews from owners. Apart from being slightly less powerful than the Vitamix, I didn't see that as being a deal breaker considering the difference in price...so I became the proud owner of the Omniblend V! I purchased it online here.
My dream is to still be a Thermomix owner, but for now, my Omniblend does the trick. I use it to blend soups, green smoothies, make almond and walnut milk, cocktails (it makes the best Margaritas!) and this fabulously delicious and decadent raw chocolate cake which I made as a birthday cake for my sister.

The cake recipe is originally from Teresa Cutter, although I slightly tweaked it. You can find the original here.
Our entire family loved this cake and no one could guess that the gorgeous fudge icing was made using avocados. It truly is amazing!!

Ingredients for the Raw Chocolate Cake

250g walnuts
250g almond meal
2 tbls of raw Cacao powder (I used Loving Earth's)
1 tbls of flax meal
1/2 tsp of cinnamom
1/4 tsp of salt
16 fresh pitted Medjool dates
Zest from one orange plus half the juice
1 tsp vanilla powder (I used Loving Earth's)

In your high speed blender or food processor, process walnuts for a few seconds. Add almond meal, cacao powder, flax meal, cinnamon and salt and process until just combined.
Add dates, orange zest, juice and vanilla powder. Process until mixtutre comes together. If you're using a high speed blender, you may need stop the blender a few times and scrape down the sides to ensure it all comes together.
Line an 8 inch baking tin with baking paper and press mixture into the tin. Cover the top with foil or baking paper and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours until cake is set. (I refrigerated mine overnight)

Ingredients for the Chocolate Fudge Icing

1/4 cup agave syrup or rice malt syrup (rice malt syrup will be less sweet)
2 ripe avocadoes
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw Cacao powder

Add all ingredients to your high speed blender or food processor and blend away until combined and nice a smooth. Try to resist eating in all before using it to ice the cake!

Now this very professional looking photo is very unlike my usual food photography, but I can assure that this is actually the cake that I made, photo was taken by my budding photographer brother, Brad Cook. He will hopefully be photographing more of my food for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy!

Race Re-cap - My First Half Marathon

The weekend started off with a 45 min stretch session with Mel on the Friday morning, I was feeling pretty confident and well prepared at that stage. About mid-morning on the Friday I started to feel some soreness in my right calf, it was painful to stretch and abit sore when I walked on it. Being the worry-wart I am, I started to get slightly anxious about it. I kept stretching it during the day, wore my compression socks and used my massage ball on it while waiting for my flight at the airport. It definitely didn't feel right but I knew I still had over 24 hours til the race so didn't let it get to me too much.

I arrived on the Gold Coast late on the Friday night, met the others at the hotel and went straight to bed as we had an early start the next morning - the 10km and 5.7km races were on the Saturday with the Marathon and Half Marathon on the Sunday.

We were up at 4.45am on the Saturday for the 10k (which Mel and Terry were running in) at 6.30am. We caught a taxi to the race precinct in Southport and the atmosphere was just amazing! I started to feel pretty nervous watching all the 10k runners but very excited and couldn't wait to get out there myself the next day.

Run with Life representing at the Gold Coast Marathon

Mel and Terry after the 10k

My calf started to feel worse the more I was walking around that morning so I was starting to get pretty worried! If it was painful to walk for 5 minutes how was I going to run 21km's?
I was very lucky to have a trained massage therapist with us on the trip - I should mention that she actually came along to run the 5.7km, not as my personal masseur! But once we got back to the hotel, she kindly gave my calf a good rub and it started to feel a bit better after that, although not 100%.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to relax as much as possible, some time in the hotel pool and at the beach, laid all my clothes and everything I needed for the next day out, I was feeling pretty nervous about the race and anxious at this point about whether my calf would hold up or not. After a dip in the salt water, it started to feel a lot better so things were looking positive.

We then went out for dinner, my first 'carb' meal pre-race was a bowl of fresh pasta, prawns, chilli and rocket. I then had some Chobani yogurt, white rice and blueberries before bed about 8.30pm and then fell straight to sleep.

We woke up at 4.15am the next morning - race was due to start at 6.00am. I had breakfast straight away, a banana, a few mouthfuls of white rice and a protein shake mixed with gatorade. My calf felt good to walk on, thank god, so I was optimistic that I'd be fine. I'd changed my original plan to wear my brand new pink BSC compression pants and ended up going with a colourful pair of New Balance shorts and 2XU compression socks for some extra support for my calf.

After a few hiccups getting to the race precinct (taxi booked the night before didn't turn up), we finally made it. I had my last protein shake mixed with gatorade, last quick trip to the toilet, said goodbye to Mel and Terry and took my place in the start line with the other runners. 
I quickly got sucked in to the pre-race atmosphere, there was music playing, other runners discussing their preparation, announcers letting us know how long there was til the race was due to start - and I began to feel excited and ready for it to begin.

The start gun went off and off we all went, my calf felt fine for the first few hundred metres so I forgot all about it and started to focus on my pace. I felt good, fresh, full of energy but held myself back from running under 5:05 pace, as it was my first half marathon, I wasn't sure how long my endurance would last.
The sun started to rise during the first 2-3km's and it really was an amazing place to run - right along the water as the sun was rising.

At 45 mins in, I had my first glucose tablet and a swig of gatorade and continued to have one every 15 mins after that.
I reached the 10km mark at approx 52 minutes, still being conservative with my pace as I was hoping to push a little harder for the second half of the race. I passed the 13, 14, 15km points and apart from feeling abit of a twinge in my left ITB, I felt on top of the world, like I could run forever! Mel had warned me it would start to feel difficult after that point and I was waiting for it and for my mind to start playing tricks on me but I was still feeling good by the time I reached 18kms. 

Then came the 19km mark and my legs started to feel heavy, the twinge in my ITB was starting to become really uncomfortable. I pushed myself to the 20km point. That last kilometre was definitely the hardest I've ever run. My legs were so tired and heavy and the pain in my ITB was affecting every stride. I just had to focus as hard as I could and remind myself there was only 1km to go.

With about 400m's to go, I heard Mel and Terry yell out to me and glanced over and saw them waving from the sidelines. It gave me that extra burst of energy I needed and I ran as fast as I could on my tired legs (which actually wasn't that fast at that point!) and finally crossed the finish line at 1 hour 52 mins and 2 seconds. 
All I could think of at first was that I was so relieved my legs could relax! Then the excitement and runners high hit me! I'd actually finished my first half marathon! And well under the initial time I'd set for myself of under 2 hours 12 weeks ago. I felt on top of the world!

Me after the race - feeling relieved!

Sister and coach Mel after the race

I was pretty happy with the pace I kept for the entire race, I stayed around the 5-5.20 mark for most of the distance but as you can see in my splits below, my tired legs did contribute to a drop in  pace slightly for the last 3km's - but overall pretty happy.

• SPLITS

KILOMETER	TIME	CHANGE	AVG PACE
1	5:09	--	5'09"/km
2	10:28	+ 0:10 (-4%)	5'19"/km
3	15:39	- 0:08 (2%)	5'11"/km
4	21:01	+ 0:11 (-4%)	5'22"/km
5	26:18	- 0:05 (1%)	5'17"/km
6	31:34	- 0:01 (0%)	5'16"/km
7 *Fastest	36:40	- 0:10 (3%)	5'06"/km
8	41:57	+ 0:11 (-4%)	5'17"/km
9	47:13	- 0:01 (0%)	5'16"/km
10	52:29	+ 0:00 (0%)	5'16"/km
11	57:42	- 0:03 (0%)	5'13"/km
12	1:02:58	+ 0:03 (-1%)	5'16"/km
13	1:08:20	+ 0:06 (-2%)	5'22"/km
14	1:13:33	- 0:09 (2%)	5'13"/km
15	1:18:42	- 0:04 (1%)	5'09"/km
16	1:23:51	+ 0:00 (0%)	5'09"/km
17	1:29:07	+ 0:07 (-3%)	5'16"/km
18	1:34:23	+ 0:00 (0%)	5'16"/km
19	1:39:46	+ 0:07 (-3%)	5'23"/km
20	1:45:07	- 0:02 (0%)	5'21"/km
21	1:50:31	+ 0:03 (-1%)	5'24"/km

After the run, my left hip flexor and ITB were pretty sore but thankfully with stretching, epsom salts, resting the legs and a good massage, I was back into a long run again the following Saturday as normal. Really happy with my recovery and ready to beat my time for my second half in October!

My Journey to the 2013 Gold Coast Half Marathon

I started training for the half marathon 12 weeks out from the race. I used Run With Life's 12 Week Half Marathon training plan. I built on the momentum of getting my PB at Run for the Kids and kept up my long runs weekly until it was time for my plan to begin.  

I felt abit apprehensive and nervous about the training, I knew I'd be stepping out of my comfort zone completely, doing longer runs that I'd ever done before, keeping my nutrition in check and making sure I followed a plan correctly.


Looking back now, training was the most enjoyable part of it all! Of course race day was fantastic and the relief and elation I felt after finally achieving my goal was great but being a very structured, organised person, I absolutely loved following the plan and seeing myself improve each week - nothing motivates more than results!
My training was made so much more fun as my plan included running crew sessions so I was constantly in a social environment with other runners who motivated and challenged me. There was one lady in particular who is in our running crew who competes in triathlons and did her first Ironman last year - she was especially motivating for me and our running was at a similar level so we'd often have abit of friendly competition during the sessions. She definitely helped push me that bit harder.
I was also very lucky to able to get regular advice and feedback from crew the coaches; Mel and Bec - both who have completed many half marathons and run full marathons - small things you might not think about like what worked for them in terms of what to use for fuel during the race, small tips to improve my technique, aid recovery after a long or intense run etc.

Even my long runs would start off with the crew on a Saturday morning and I would continue on if I was required to run for longer - this made getting up early on the weekends for 1 hour + runs that much easier, I never missed a session.

Training never got tedious or boring and I never felt I was over training as the plan included a maximum of 3 running days per week mixed with strength training, correct nutrition and sufficient rest time. I know my outlook on nutrition completely changed - I was eating to fuel my body for my runs, no longer for enjoyment or based on emotions. It feels great to have let go of some of those demons which still haunted me. Correct nutrition in turn meant I was seeing the results I wanted in my running and also saw results in my body composition - big bonus!

As much as I loved the training, there was sometimes when it pretty much sucked as well! Running in winter is difficult at the best of times - freezing cold mornings, running in the dark, 2 hour runs in POURING rain with shoes filled with water and rain in your eyes...sound like fun? I wouldn't change those experiences for the world though because they made me so much stronger mentally and I guess physically too. Not such a princess when it comes to rain now, that's for sure!

I totally sucked at stretching and foam rolling/regular massages, I know I'm not alone there but I well and truly learnt my lesson there, I felt the consequences of it in the latter weeks of training, pulling up with super tight calves after every run - I was constantly epsom salt-bathing, icing, popping magnesium and ended up getting compression socks which I wore on race day. But more about race day in my next post!

So that's about the gist of my experience of training for my first half marathon. Love, love, LOVED it! And getting ready to do it all again - I've just registered for the half marathon at the Melbourne Marathon Festival. Can't wait!

Where The Hell Have I Been?

Hmmm yes, where the hell have I been?

I have most definitely been MIA on this blog for the last 3 months and I am ashamed of my neglect, especially since it was on my list of 100 goals to write a blog post once a week.

So what's been happening?

Well I went through some personal stuff, ended up finally leaving a job which has been had been affecting my mental health and relationships for some time - a stressful but liberating experience. This was probably the major factor behind my non-blogging, in between the stress of changing jobs, maintaining my training and eating and having a social life - there wasn't much time left to blog!

But I'm back now! And better than ever!! I still love my new fit life (although not so new now) more and more everyday. At the moment, in particular, I have been loving my running and ticked off one of the goals on my 100 list - To train for and complete my first half marathon - just last weekend. I plan on blogging about the race and the lead up to it but I thought I'd go back over my running story and it also briefly re-caps the 2013 Run for the Kids - one of the goals on my 100 list.

I wrote the below testimonial for my Run with Life's running crew in March this year after I completed the 2013 Run for the Kids but it tells my story of where I started from and the next post will detail the lead up and race re-cap of my first half marathon.

How Running Changed My Life

2 years ago I was never a runner, I was never athletic or fit by any means and the thought of running any form of long distance seem ridiculous to me.
I joined Run with Life's running crew in September 2011 with a goal to lose weight for my wedding in 6 months time.  I joined with the ability to run for no more than a maximum of 2-3 minutes at a time, having to stop and walk because I was too puffed or had a stitch.
Between September and  December 2011, I attended a running crew session once a week and week by week, my fitness and endurance improved. I began to actually enjoy running and really looked forward to meeting up with all the other runners once a week.

In December 2011 I completed my first 10km fun run with a group of running crew members and I absolutely loved it! The atmosphere, the buzz and the sense of pride you get from achieving a goal had me hooked and I’ve now participated in close to a dozen fun runs.

I participated in Run for the Kids in April 2012, a tough 14.38km course through Melbourne and 
completed it in 1 hour 26 mins. It felt like quite a longer distance to the 10km’s I’d participated in previously and there were some difficult hills which I really struggled with.

In the 12 months that followed, Run with Life expanded the running crew to 5 sessions per week focusing on different areas such as speed, hills and endurance to really work on improving all areas of your running. Along with these sessions, improving my knowledge of correct nutrition, regular strength training with Mel and the encouragement I received from my fellow running buddies , I participated in Run for the Kids again in 2013 and knocked 7 minutes off my time from last year, completing the same course with an additional 602 metres (15km’s total) in 1 hour 19 mins. (On my 100 list to complete in under 1 hour 20 minutes! - TICK!) 

I don’t believe there’s any way I could have achieved this if I went out every week and slogged it out on the track on my own. I highly doubt I would even be running today if it wasn't for the support of the running crew!

I am by no means a fast runner or breaking any records; I run to achieve my personal goals and 
compete with no one but myself. I am now setting my sights of completing a half marathon in July, a thought which seemed crazy to me only 3 months ago!

The Run with Life Running Crew is a group of like-minded people at all levels, some of us begin with the same fitness I begun with, some of us run anywhere between 5kms to  full 42km marathons, and some of us are slower and just go at our own pace. The environment is encouraging and non-judgmental and we all have the same passion for achieving goals and bettering ourselves along with the guidance and support from the coaches Mel & Bec.

If you’ve ever considered any form of running goal, no matter how big or small, I couldn't 
recommend joining a running group, in particular the Run with Life running crew enough. What have you got to lose from giving something a go?

Run with Life are actually taking registrations for new runners to join the crew to train for the 2013 Melbourne Marathon festival. 12 week plans start from 22nd July this year so why not come and join us?