Happy Valentine's Day

Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Chocolate Avocado Mousse Frosting

This year I wanted to keep our Valentine's Day Celebrations fairly healthy but I had to find a recipe that I thought would trick my husband, he is extremely picky so I would have to find something that is not only healthy but looks delicious and doesn't lack in flavor. I had been scouring Pinterest for healthy yet tasty recipes and saw a few variations of Chocolate Quinoa Cake and thought it might taste nice with a Chocolate Avocado Mousse Frosting.  I rushed home with my ingredients and started baking so that when my husband got home there would be what he thought was a delicious plain chocolate cake ready to be eaten. 

For the Chocolate Quinoa Cake

• 2 cups cooked quinoa**
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk 
• 4 whole eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup melted light butter
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 cup organic white sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Avocado Mousse Frosting

• 56 grams semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt 
• 1 teaspoon Splender
• 1 large avocado, pitted and skin removed

To make the Chocolate Quinoa Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a large round cake pan.
2. In a blender combine the eggs, almond milk and vanilla until fully combined.
3. To the blended mixture then add the cooked and cooled quinoa, the melted butter and coconut oil and blend again until completely smooth.
4. Sift together the dry ingredients cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt into a large bowl.
5. Add the wet ingredients from the blender to the dry ingredients bowl and mix together until well-combined.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes. 
7. Check the cake with a toothpick after the 30 minutes, if the toothpick remains clean remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool.

To make the Chocolate Avocado Mousse Frosting

1. Place all ingredients except Splenda in a blender and combine until smooth. 
2. Slowly add the Splender and taste as you go to ensure the mousse doesn't become too sweet.
3. Place in a bowl and chill until ready to ice the cake.

Once the cake has cooled place on a serving tray and ice with the mousse frosting, this cake should make around 16 slices and the recipe could easily be adapted into a Vegan Cake.

**Cook the quinoa according to regular cooking directions, approximately 3/4 cup dry quinoa will yield 2 cups cooked quinoa. 

Chocolate Quinoa Cake

• Servings: 16 Slices
• Calories: 172
• Fat: 10 g 
• Carb: 23 g  
• Fiber: 3 g 
• Protein: 4 g 
• Sugar: 13 g
• Sodium: 337 mg 
• Sugar: 2 g
• Sodium: 5 mg 
• Cholest: 53 mg

Chocolate Avocado Mousse Frosting

• Servings: 16 
• Calories: 37
• Fat: 3 g 
• Carb: 3 g  
• Fiber: 1 g 
• Protein: 1 g 
• Cholest: 1 mg

Are you trying to create a healthy Valentine's Day?

Do you have a picky eater in your house?

Did you try this cake?

Valentine's Day Free Printable Gift Tags

I am all about making home made Valentine's Day gifts, let's be honest it is a bit of a silly holiday and I don't really want to waste money on it but I do want to create a cute and thoughtful gift. This year I created personalized lolly bags for Dylan, I had seen a similar thing floating around and wanted to personalize it specially for him.

These are so adorable I thought why not make a few changes so that I can share the labels with my lovely readers for Valentine's Day.
All you need to buy is: - Some A4 Card to print the labels. - A bunch of lollies - Some clear plastic bags - Hot Glue to glue the labels
To make them all you need to do is: 1- Fill the clear plastic bags with lollies. 2 - Print the printable labels out onto card. 3 - Cut around each label

4 - Fold the middle of each label 5 - Place folded label over open end of lolly bag 6 - Glue lolly bag to label.
Here are the labels to chose from:

 Wild and Sugar Printables

Banana's and Mustache Printables 

Puppy Love and Sweet Heart Printable
What do you think of my Printable Lolly bags? Are you celebrating Valentine's Day? Did you create a Valentine's Day printable?

The Husband Guest Posts

In celebration of Valentine's Day I thought I would ask my husband to guest post today, over to you Dylan.

Personal Questions:
What is your full name? Dylan James Hunt
How old are you? 42......................26 but I feel like I'm 42.

What do you do for a job? construction and lookin' sexy ;)
What is the thing you love most about your wife? ...........................LONG PAUSE!! that she is very similar to me and we get along really well.

How long where you dating before you realized you wanted to propose? I never wanted to propose I got forced ha ha, no seriously about 3 months.
Do you have any tattoos or piercings? No

What annoys you the most? Ignorance and bogans (Australian Hillbillies)
What is your favourite food? Chicken Parmy, I love a good chicken parmy!

Blogging Questions:
What are your thoughts on Blogging? mehhhh if it makes you happy, I don't see the problem with it.
Do you read The Hunt Life? No

Would you ever start a blog? No I'm too stupid!
If you started a blog what would you call it? The secret life of Pickle

Do you want to be featured more on the blog? I'm not fussed, I don't think there is anything important that I need to be included in.
What is your biggest pet peeve about this blog? When you try to take professional photos "oohhh the lightings not right"

Fun Questions:
What was the last movie you saw? The Kingsman
What is your ideal weekend activity? Going up to the river and wakeboarding or using the jet ski's.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Good question I couldn't give you a specific place but I would like to live on a Island, a tropical island somewhere, I am sure it is the same with everyone.
Summer or Winter? Summer of course!

You are cooking a romantic dinner for your wife, what would it be? Romantic???? ummmm a nice piece of steak isn't that very romantic. I don't know, I can't cook!
Boxes or Briefs? Briefs

Which celebrity would you choose to play you in a movie? ohhhhhh that's really tricky not based on looks I would choose Shaun William Scott Because in all of his movies hes a bit of a idiot like me.
Is there anything else you want people to know about you? I'm a great lover! lol ummmm no nothing

Well there you have it, that is my husband in all is glory. I am thinking that I may possibly get him to guest post more often on this blog, as I am fairly sure he enjoyed talking about himself.
Would you like to hear more from Dylan? Does your husband guest host from time to time? Are you doing special guest host for Valentine's day?

Valentine's Day Gifts for Him

Sometimes being married on Valentine's Day can be worse than being single on Valentine's Day. I know that he will have bought me a gift, I will know that it will most likely be around the $100 mark but I will have absolutely no idea what to get my husband and worse still he will tell me he doesn't want anything.
Of course this will not do so lately every time my husband has mentioned he liked something I have made a note in my diary and I know have a wonderful list of gift idea's to choose from that all happened to be under $100.
Below are a list of items that I will most likely be buying my husband for Valentine's Day, not everything as I want to keep a few idea's for his birthday but a few of these items will be perfect for February 14th.

The North Face fleece hooded sweatshirt / Vans sneaker / Tommy Hilfiger silicone strap watch / Dripping Diamond Galaxy White Men Shirt / Viktor Rolf fragrance / Brooklyn Brew Beer Making Kit / Topshop glass drinkware / Outdoor Rugged Bluetooth Speaker / Beard Mug

I hope that your Valentine's Day is filled with love, even if its love from yourself for yourself, when all else fails Treat Yo' Self!

What do you think of Valentine's Day? Do you like my gift Idea's? What are you buying for your partner?

Valentine's Day Gift Idea's

February is such a wonderful month, I don't know about you but Valentine's Day is one of my favourite holidays of the year! Valentine's day is a day in which you can celebrate all the love that you have in your life, whether it be the love you have with husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, family or friends. Valentine's Day is all about Love!
It's also a day where PDA's are acceptable, a day where you can shout your unrequited love for someone and most importantly a day where lovers can shower each other in sappy sentimental gifts that normally neither one would appreciate.
Below are a list of Valentine's gifts that I wouldn't be too upset about if my husband bought them for me! Of course each gift is under $70 so they are affordable whilst still being something you would want.

Forever New high heel shoes / Mossimo pink purse / Forever 21 rose watch / Kate Spade heart earrings / ChloBo heart ring / Sole Society chain necklace / H M bow hair clip / Quay Eyeware black sunglasses / PUR lipstick / Tommy Hilfiger rose fragrance / L Occitane beauty product / Ceramic mug / Pink home decor / Godiva Chocolatier, 15-Pc. Limited-Edition Valentine Paper Heart Box... /

So whether you are celebrating Valentine's day with your lover of Galentine's Day with friends I hope that you have a love filled 14th of February!
What do you think of Valentine's Day? Do you like my Valentine's Day gifts?