Fat free carrot cake

I made an amazing carrot cake for Easter....unfortunately I didn't get a picture.  I got a picture of every other item on our dinner table but, not the cake!  But anyway...back to the cake.  It was a perfect carrot cake.  And it was made even better by being fat free and low sugar.  

I have had people tell me before that people need fat in their diets, the fat free products are chemical bombs.  While I do agree with both statements I also believe that in general people get enough fat in the daily foods that they don't need any added fat in their desserts.  

Isn't a healthy dessert better than no dessert at all?  I think so.  If I didn't eat fat free desserts, I'd never eat desserts.  I didn't get the name The Fat Free Queen, for nothin'!  I can turn anything almost anything fat free.  

Before Easter I had never actually made a carrot cake before.   I might have made it once from a box mix but, other than that I had never made it.  I'm really surprised it turned out so well.  I had to replace 1 cup of oil.  Yup!  A regular carrot cake is made with a whole cup of oil.  I honestly can't understand why.  You'll never miss it.  By omitting the oil I saved over 1,900 calories and 200 grams of fat from the cake.   I have posted the nutritionals under the recipe.  

The one part of the cake that didn't work as planned is the cream cheese frosting.  It came out more of a glaze.  It still tasted amazing though.  I dipped my cake in it and ate it that way.  



Fat Free Carrot Cake
Adapted From:  Sprinkle Some Sugar

Ingredients

3 cups flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup light brown sugar 

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tbs cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

1 cup applesauce

5 egg whites (or the equivelent of 5 eggs worth of egg substitute)

1 tbs vanilla

2 cups finely grated carrots

3/4 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 2 9 inch pans.
2. Put all dry ingredients into a bowl (flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves,ginger)
3. In a separate bowl place all wet ingredients (applesauce, egg whites, carrots, raisins)
4. Bake for 25-45 minutes
5. Let cool completely

Calories -- 430

Fat -- 0.7 g

Sodium -- 366 mg

Potassium -- 406 mg

Carbs -- 100 g

Fiber -- 3.6 g

Sugar -- 58.2 g

Protein -- 7.9 g

Fat Free Cream Cheese Frosting Glaze
2 8 oz containers fat free cream cheese
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
Small bag of powdered sugar

1. Place cream cheese and yogurt in a stand mixer
2. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until desired sweetness
3. Place in fridge until chilled and thickened

Have you ever tried to alter a recipe?  Did it work?  Did it fail? Let me know below!

To Market, To Market

To market, to market to buy a fat pig whatever you want.  One of the rules of shopping healthy is to never shop hungry.  We all know that sometimes that's unavoidable.  You get off of work late, you get stuck in traffic, your kids' activities run over and you're starving.  Things happen.  What can be avoided is buying a snack that is unhealthy.  

Here is my list of the best snacks to pick up when you need something munchy at the grocery store.

• Fruit -- Berries are best but, whatever fruit you like is okay.
• Vegetables -- Whatever kind you like.
• Popcorn -- Get the plain, unbuttered, kind. 
• Nuts -- Make sure to get the single serving bag.  Nuts are high in calories and fat and it's very easy to eat too many.
• Single serving baguette -- If you are in need of something carby go for a single serving roll.  The Walmart by my house sells them and the girls and Ken love to get one when we go.
• Beef Jerky -- Just check the sodium content.  A lot of these are very salty.

I personally pick up a container of blueberries or raspberries.  I love them because they are "pop-able".  I can pick them up and pop them in my mouth like you would with popcorn or chips.  What do you pick up when you are in the grocery store and need a snack?  Do you get something that I don't have on my list?