Cutting the Cake

You hear rumors about people cutting calories in cake by  doing "this" or "that" and you're never quite sure  what "they" did.   Well HungryGirl.com did lots of baking  and tasting and their wonderful results are below.  Thanks  once again HungryGirl or doing the homework for us!   BTW - I personally have made the cake mix and diet soda  version a couple times over the past years, and it's  definately a winner.  Patti Why make cake with eggs and oil when there are TONS of better  options? Cake mix with diet soda? Just egg substitute? Only  applesauce? We tried each of these methods and more (and had  fun doing it)!  Here's what we learned....

Cake Mix + No-Sugar-Added Applesauce PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 179  calories, 3.25g fat, 299mg sodium, 36g carbs,  0.5g fiber, 21.5g sugars, 1.5g protein --  POINTS®value 4* Ingredients: One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup no-sugar-added applesauce Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add  1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a  baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in  the oven until a knife inserted into the center  comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan  size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Yellow cake mix. It goes  perfectly with the fruity taste of the sauce. The Texture: VERY moist and fluffy. A+! The Taste: AMAZING!!!! Sweet and  slightly apple-y. Two YUMS up...

Cake Mix + Diet Soda PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 171 calories, 3.25g fat,  301mg sodium, 34g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 19g sugars, 1.5g protein --  POINTS®value 4* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix One 12-oz. can diet soda Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly and transfer  to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a  knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor Combo: Yellow cake mix + diet cream soda.  Runners-up include lemon cake mix + diet lemon-lime soda and  devil's food cake mix + diet cherry cola. The Texture: Moist and light. The Taste: Pretty darn impressive! However, if you're sensitive to  the sweetener in diet soda, you may notice a slight aftertaste...  especially if you use cola of any kind.

Cake Mix + Canned Pure Pumpkin PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 183 calories, 3.5g fat, 301mg  sodium, 37g carbs, 1.25g fiber, 20.5g sugars, 2g protein --  POINTS®value 4* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly -- batter will  be VERY thick -- and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick  spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes  out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate  bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Devil's food cake mix is CLEARLY a classic choice.  (Hello?!Yum Yum Brownie Muffins!) But spice cake mix... WOW.  Yellow and white cake mixes, sadly, do not work as well. The Texture: Thick and dense in the BEST possible way.  Brownie-like, in the case of the devil's food; the spice cake reminded  us of pumpkin bread! The Taste: No one would ever guess this is guilt-free in any way.  It's delicious!

Cake Mix + Fat-Free Liquid Egg Substitute PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 181 calories, 3.25g fat, 337mg  sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 19.5g sugars, 3.5g protein -- POINTS® value 4* Ingredients: One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original) Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk  thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray;  bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Egg sub is like the little black dress of cake companions;  it goes well with everything. The Texture: The first time we made this, we used only 1/4 cup of  water; it was a little dry and dense, but it reminded us of pound cake,  which isn't a bad thing. With a full cup of water, it came out light  and fluffy. It had a more substantial, cake-like consistency than the  applesauce and soda versions, but it wasn't quite as moist. The Taste: Good! But it's not our favorite. That one's up next...

Cake Mix + Fat-Free Greek Yogurt PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 180 calories, 3.25g fat, 306mg  sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 20g sugars, 3.5g protein --  POINTS®value 4* Ingredients:One 18.25-oz. box moist-style cake mix 1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%) Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk  thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray;  bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.) MAKES 12 SERVINGS Best Flavor: Devil's food cake mix. Hands down. The Texture: The word "velvety" comes to mind... Super moist and  decadent! Kind of like a brownie-cake hybrid. The Taste: YUMMY! Everyone who tried this loved it. There wasn't  any yogurt taste at all... just pure cake-tastic deliciousness!

5 Power Foods

The following snippet was sent to me from my health insurance company and they are big, big, big on eating healthy and moving more.  I thought it was a good piece and am therefore sharing it with you.  Oatmeal with blueberries, anyone?

5 POWER FOODS

from the editors of Healthy Cooking
www.tasteofhome.com/healthycooking

The right foods can do so much more than satisfy hunger. Some foods are so powerful, they fuel our body, pack our diets with nutrients and protect our health.

Here are five power foods you can add to your diet today:

1. Blueberries. These bright berries have cancer-fighting properties and can also help improve memory. An added bonus? They provide fiber and beta-carotene.
2. Spinach. This leafy green is known to help reduce the risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease. And, the magnesium in spinach helps to lower high blood pressure.
3. Oats. Known to decrease the risk of heart disease, oats also provide fiber and protein. Eating oatmeal on a regular basis may decrease insulin resistance and help stabilize blood sugar.
4. Salmon. Salmon is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which studies have identified as the most beneficial of omega-3s. It also helps keep your heart healthy by lowering blood pressure and triglycerides.
5. Walnuts. Walnuts are the only nut with a significant amount of ellagic acid, a cancer-fighting antioxidant. They also help improve cholesterol.