A prior blog post was about chocolate, and it is a topic I frequently get asked about. One of the best things you can do is to find ways to swap lower calorie foods for higher calorie ones. One of my favorite swaps is unsweetened Almond Breeze almond milk for regular milk for hot chocolate. Put a cup in the microwave for 1:40, add a little Splenda, maybe a few marshmallows and you’ve got yummy hot chocolate. I save 40 calories over skim milk. And, remember those calories add up. Almond milk is also a great alternative for those who avoid dairy and/or soy products.
Sometimes, only a baked chocolate product will satisfy that hunger. When that happens, I make a batch of Hungry Girl’s Death by Chocolate Cupcakes. These are a snap to make and have just 108 calories per cupcake which is about half of a regular cupcake. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 cups moist-style chocolate cake mix (half of an 18.25-oz. box)
Two 25-calorie packets diet hot cocoa mix
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
2 tbsp. semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/8 tsp. salt
Directions:
Place chocolate chips and the contents of both cocoa packets in a tall glass. Add 12 ounces of boiling water, and stir until chips and cocoa mix have dissolved. (I find my stick blender does a quick job of this.) Place glass in the freezer to chill for 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once cocoa has chilled, give it a stir, and mix with all other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whip batter with a whisk or fork for 2 minutes. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray, or line it with baking cups. Evenly spoon batter (which will be thin, but don’t worry, your cupcakes will puff up!) into the pan. Place pan in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. Cupcakes will look shiny when done. MAKES 12 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Calories: 108
Fat: 2.5g
Sodium: 239mg
Carbs: 19g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 12g
Protein: 2g
The trick is to know when you can and can not make a swap. Sometimes only one thing will satisfy that craving. Other times you can save some calories and still be satisfied.
Do you have some favorite swaps? I’d love to hear about them.