Have you ever seen something that was such a great deal that you just couldn't pass it up? You didn't necessarily have a need for the item and honestly had no idea what you're gonna do with it, but you went ahead and bought it anyway?  Yeah, me too.

Last weekend, as hubby and I were looking for some last minute ingredients to complete our Super Bowl menu, I stumbled across some sugar free strawberry glaze marked down to .39. I had to get it. Who passes up thirty nine cent sugar free strawberry glaze... apparently not me and so began my quest to find something to do with aforementioned sugar free strawberry glaze.

Of course strawberry shortcake was the most obvious answer, so I decided to try my basic mug cake recipe, increase the vanilla, then top with fresh whipped cream and the s.f. glaze. It was pretty darn good. Definitely calmed the sweet craving, without much guilt. (6 net carbs)

Honestly though, I am still not very fond of the aftertaste of the glaze. It just tastes very "artificial" to me. It's definitely not the strawberry shortcake flavor you remember from your childhood... unless your Mom or Dad was diabetic, but it is still really good for when you need a sweet treat.

1. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a microwave safe mug. (I use a chili type mug I found at Dollar Tree)
   
2. Add 3 Tbsp of almond flour, 1 Tbsp coconut flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder (not soda), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla extract, 3 or 4 drops of *liquid Sucralose or Stevia, mix well.
3. Add 1 well beaten egg to this mixture, stir well and microwave for 2 minutes.
4. When the 2 minutes is up, you might have to zap it for a few more seconds, if the middle is still mushy. I go in 15 second increments, until the middle is firm or a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Invert the cake onto a plate, add some *fresh whipped cream and a small spoon-full of the *s.f. strawberry glaze, then eat it before anyone notices what you have.

*You can make whipped cream easily at home by combining 2 Tbsp heavy cream, a drop or two of your favorite liquid sweetener and a splash of sf syrup and whisking with an electric mixer for a minute or two.
*If you don't have liquid, you can always use the packets or granulated, but it will add hidden carbs.
* The glaze should be in the fruit and veggie section of your grocery store.

Even the most disciplined low carber craves a treat every once in a while... or twice a week, I'm not judging. For those times when your sweet tooth refuses to be silenced, don't give in and reach for a donut or a huge piece of birthday cake (but if you do, get Publix, theirs is the best), try this easy mug cake instead.

It only has 5 net carbs and if your kids are like mine, you won't get to finish it all by yourself anyway, so it will probably be more like 3 net carbs. Sharing for the win!

I admit, there are a few steps to this recipe, but once you make it once or twice, it will be second nature. Note: It is important to do the steps in order, to assure you don't end up with a bowl full of fried egg.

1. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a microwave safe mug. (I use a chili type mug I found at Dollar Tree)
2. Add 3 Tbsp of almond flour, 1 Tbsp coconut flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder (not soda), 1/4 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, *3 drops of liquid sucralose type sweetener, 1 Tbsp sugar free Torani English toffee flavored syrup and stir well. (or any s.f. syrup will work)
3. Add 1 well beaten egg to this mixture, stir well and microwave for 90 seconds.
4. When the 90 seconds is up, you might have to zap it for a few more seconds, if the middle is still mushy. I go in 15 second increments, until the middle is firm or a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Invert the cake onto a plate, add some *fresh whipped cream and eat it before anyone notices.
   

*You can make whipped cream easily at home by combining 2 Tbsp heavy cream, a drop or two of your favorite liquid sweetener and a splash of sf syrup and whisking with an electric whisk.
*If you don't have liquid, you can always use the packets or granulated, but it will add hidden carbs.

Eating low carb doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite goodies, it just means you have to find a work around. This cheesecake recipe was super easy to "doctor up"; I just subbed almond meal for the graham cracker crust and used liquid sucralose instead of sugar and this cheesecake is *just as good as my Mom's, without any of the guilt or blood sugar spikes.
*Don't tell her I said that.

If you're a "true low-carber", you will probably have all of the necessary ingredients on hand, if not, they can all be found easily at your local grocery store. If you can't find almond meal, you can always make your own with a bag of unblanched almonds and a food processor. (for this recipe, I prefer the coarse grind you can only get if you make your own)

Eating low carb doesn't mean you can't still enjoy your favorite treats. With a couple of tweaks and substitutions, you can enjoy the foods you crave, without the carbs.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Almond Milk*
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree**
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (+/- based on your taste)
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 or 2 Splenda Packs (+/- based on your taste)

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender, liquid first and blend well. That's it. Easy as pie... pumpkin pie. 


Note: If you're feeling really fancy, you can freeze some almond milk the night before, in an ice tray and use it in the smoothie for more of a frappe texture.

*For this smoothie, I used Califia Farms' coconut/almond milk blend. It's unsweetened and only had a carb or two per the amount I used and it's dairy free.
**For the pumpkin, make sure you use only pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling.