Author: Healthi Coach Nicole Stangeland
I'm living the Healthi lifestyle and that means that my whole family is also living this lifestyle. Too many times i hear people saying they make two separate meals because their family doesn't like "diet food". I say no way am living like that! I mean, I love to cook but no that much.
What I've learned, in the time I've been living this lifestyle, is that I have to "skinny" my favorite meals. Which means cutting back on certain ingredients, subbing out ingredients for healthier choices or even just having a smaller portion. I refuse to live the rest of my life not ever eating my favorite foods like pizza and pasta - or even cake- a girl needs dessert right?!
There are so many websites, blogs, facebook pages and google that can helps us "skinnify" any recipe! Once you're in this lifestyle it becomes second nature on how to make any recipe doable. On my social media page, another Healthi member had posted a link for a war time recipe for "Crazy Cake". It's a recipe that doesn't use eggs, milk or butter, which were hard to find at that time or too expensive. In the current pandemic we are faced with, some of these ingredients are also hard to find!
Growing up at home, my mom would make my great grandma's recipe she called "Wacky Cake". It was the same kind if cake and it was always so delicious! It was a vanilla flavored cake and she would serve it with strawberries and Dream Whip. When I saw the post of the recipe she had found, I dug out my recipe book and found my great grandma's recipe. I knew I needed to make this and I needed to make it lighter!
To lighten it up I used 1/2c real sugar and 1/2c monk fruit. Instead of oil I used applesauce which is 0 bites. For 5 Tbsp of oil it would add 15 extra bites to the recipe! Other options to substitute all the sugar for a sweetener of your choice. If you don't have unsweetened apple sauce you could use greek yogurt, mashed bananas or fat free sour cream. I can't wait to try a few different variations!
Vanilla Wacky Cake
Serves 9 Dry
Ingredients:
1.5c flour + 2 Tbsp
.5c white sugar
.5c sweetener
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
5 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1c warm water
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 8x8 pan with pam. Mix dry ingredients in the greased pan. In three holes put vanilla, applesauce and vinegar. Pour warm water over all and mix well with fork. Bake 35 to 40 min (start checking at 30 min) Cool and enjoy!
Spice Cake Variation (spices added in dry ingredients)
3 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp all spice
Wacky Spice Cake 3 bites - on the Carb Conscious plan
Without changes 7 bites on Carb Conscious
With just a few substitutions I was able to enjoy a nice sized piece of cake and not break the BITES bank! Part of this journey is realizing that there is no end. It is a lifestyle and to keep the weigh off, you must adapt to this lifestyle. It doesn't mean never eating sweets again! It's all in moderation and if you can make something with less bites but full of flavor, it is much easier to stay on track!!