Healthy Birthday Cake Recipe

 Hey guys! Before I start, I should apologise for the fact I haven't posted for a couple of weeks! I've been so busy- I just started my third year at University and have also been working full-time at the gym for a couple of weeks. I've got a brilliant recipe to share with you today!

Yesterday, my boyfriend turned 22. He is the reason, I started my whole health and fitness journey in the first place. He lifts with me most days,  enjoys running and often participates in fitness challenges (he ran/swim/abseiled for 20 miles over Mount Snowdon last month!!) and because he's a health nut too, it has become the norm for me to bake him a 'healthy birthday cake' each year. 

I found this recipe on www.proteinpow.com - Anna has recipes for pretty much anything you can imagine so go check it out! She also features recipes from guest bloggers and this one was posted by Sanna (a Swedish blogger from Tasty Health). I decided to make her Vanilla & Cinnamon Cake and it was phenomenal! Here's how you can make it too...

Ingredients:

• 1 cup/130g oat flour (you can use regular oats and put them in a blender/food processor to turn them into a flour),
• 2 egg whites,
• 2/3 cup milk/180ml (I used almond milk but any type would work),
• 2.5 scoops of vanilla whey,
• 1 tbsp almond meal (I also think that ground almonds would be fine here),
• 1/4 cup apple sauce/60g (I use pureed apple from the baby food section in Boots),
• 1 tsp vanilla extract,
• 1 tsp baking powder,
• 1-2 tbsp sweetener,
• 1 tsp cinnamon.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius,

2. Mix all your ingredients into a bowl (it shouldn't be too runny so add more milk if it's too thick),

3. Pour mixture into a tin (I spray mine and use baking paper because I worry about it sticking!),

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

I actually made two cakes so that the final one was bigger and looked more like a traditional birthday cake and whilst they cooled, I tried making some 'icing'. I won't lie, I had no idea what I was going to do with this but it went fairly well! This is what I did...

Ingredients:

• 1 cup/250g of 0% greek yoghurt,
• 1/2 cup/60g of vanilla whey,
• 1 tsp vanilla extract,
• 1/2 tsp xantham gum,

(You could use pretty much anything you want- try other flavours of protein powder and yoghurt and play around with it!)

I used an electric whisk to mix everything but the xantham gum together. I spread half of the mixture onto the top of one of the cakes for the middle layer. Then added the xantham gum to the rest of the mixture and whisked it up again (the mixture should change consistency and go from being slightly runny to being quite thick). I put this to one side, while I spread some strawberry flavoured jam (not so healthy but that's all I had in the house at the time) onto the top of the other cake. I then put the two cakes together and spread the remaining yoghurt onto the top. I then covered it with sprinkles and viola! 

I will leave the direct link to this recipe at the bottom of this post so you can find the original and I'd love to see how it goes if you make it :)

Kim x

http://proteinpow.com/2012/06/vanilla-cinnamon-protein-cake-guest.html 

Tea Time

Seasoned and fried cucumber, pepper, mushroom, green beans with lettuce and beetroot. 

Zero Calorie Iced Drink

Hey guys! I have been carb cycling for over a month now and have four low carb days a week. On those days especially, I've been really enjoying making low/zero calorie iced drinks. I often blend my coffee, protein shakes and have recently tried making a fruity 'slushy' so I thought I'd share that with you..

Firstly, brew a cup of flavoured tea (my favourite flavours are the Twinings Blueberry and Apple, Strawberry and Mango, and Orange). I usually leave mine in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight, to get as much flavour as possible. Also, by leaving it to cool for a few hours, you're not pouring warm water onto the ice cubes (I didn't think about that the first time I made this and ended up with a lukewarm slush).

Once your tea has brewed and cooled down, grab your other ingredients. You'll always need ice but otherwise you can be pretty flexible with your other ingredients based on how you want it to taste. For this slushy I'm using the Walden Farm's Blueberry Syrup for extra flavour. You could add stevia, flavoured syrups, flavoured extracts, fresh or frozen berries or protein powder (be creative with it!).

Xantham Gum is a thickening agent which I use to make my 'slushy' have a slightly thicker consistency. I usually add and blend this right at the end (1/4 teaspoon). This ingredient isn't vital but it does change the consistency slightly (your drink will be more icy without it).

I don't think this drink is spectacular in any way but I do find it really refreshing and it satisfies me when I'm feeling peckish in between meals. It's low in calories which is ideal for my low carb days. It's also a nice way to increase your water intake if that's something you struggle with. 

If you do decide to make your own and experiment with different flavours and ingredients, let me know :)

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post and thank you for reading :)

Walden Farm's Syrup: I order this from Muscle Food and Cardiff Sports Nutrition.
Xantham Gum: I found mine in Tesco, but you can also order it online at MyProtein.
Tea: I only buy boxes of tea when they are on offer (Tesco or Asda often have the best deals).

Gym Clothes Collection

Since becoming interested in health and fitness, I seem to have spent 95% of my time wearing gym clothes (the other 5% of the time, I'll be in my pyjamas!). I often feel really awkward and uncomfortable when I try wearing 'normal' clothes and because of this, I thought I'd blog about my favourite items of gym wear.

1. Leggings/tights:
Fun fact- I am actually 6 foot tall! So it's usually quite difficult for me to find leggings that fit in all the right places and that aren't ridiculously short (I often buy full length leggings and wear them as 3/4 lengths!). Most of my leggings are from Nike- although I have to try every pair on to find the right ones, when I do find the right pair I will keep buying that same pair whenever I need them. My favourites are the Filament Capri & full length running tights and the Slim Poly Capri Pants. They can sometimes be a bit pricey so I like to buy mine online through Sports Direct or Sports Shoes. 

I also own a couple of pairs from H&M. They have some really cool patterned ones there (although it took me a while to feel comfortable enough to wear them in public!) and I honestly felt like I was wearing my pyjamas the first few times! I wouldn't advise wearing them for vigorous exercise (running/sprints/etc) just because they aren't too supportive, but I think they're fine for weight training. The clothing in the H&M where I live is a bit hit and miss- but they have tons of pairs on their website so go have a look! They're only around £15-20 each too which is pretty good!

2. Sports bras:
I used to only wear Nike sports bras- they are really supportive and fit really nicely- I own about 10 in total and I cannot recommend them enough. I'm always falling in love with the new colours and patterns they release!

I am quite flat chested after losing weight so I don't buy high support sports bras purely because I don't need them. I really enjoy the sports bras from H&M and Forever 21 and, because they aren't very supportive, they don't feel restrictive or uncomfortable in any way. They also come in some fab colours and patterns! A recent addition to my sports bra collection is a plain white one from Gymshark. I must admit, it offers NO support what so ever, so I just make sure to wear a tight fitting top over the top.

3. Tops:
When I first started working out and going to the gym, I wanted to cover up my body and would only wear baggy t-shirts, long sleeved shirts and hoodies. Now that I feel more confident, I pretty much wear vests and tank tops every day. My all time favourite are the racer back vests from Pull and Bear- the racer back is so flattering, and these fit perfectly (they're also around £2-3 each which you can't really complain about!)

Another favourite of mine is the Better Bodies racer back I received for my birthday- they are pretty expensive so aren't something I (as a student) could afford to buy and wear every day. It's such a light material and I love the pattern of the one I have! The rest of my wardrobe is full of plain vest tops from  all over the place- Asos, H&M, Forever 21, Primark and New Look mostly.

4. Shoes:
Again, I am a bit obsessed with Nike when it comes to trainers! I am currently wearing the Nike Free 5.0's- they're super comfortable. I'm not sure if they are ideal for people who run a lot as they dot have a great deal of cushioning and support but I wear them pretty much everywhere else. Before purchasing these, I spent months and months wearing the Nike 5.0 TR Fit shoes which were equally as good.

If I'm going to be doing squats or dead lifts at the gym, I prefer to wear a flat shoe and will wear either my Vans or my plain white pumps from Primark. They obviously don't provide any support, but are perfect for when you need a flat base to lift with correct form.

I hope you enjoy my first blog post, I'm not entirely confident about the quality of my photos/writing/etc so I apologise! Thank you for reading and if you have any thing you want me to write about, let me know :)