An F.H.E. treat: Cake-In-A-Mug

Need a treat for F.H.E. tonight? Still want your kids to wind down and get to bed on time?? Try out this tasty family favorite that is fun and easy to make! It's also much healthier that the original recipe and even has a whole serving of fruit. (:

Let's get started...

What you'll need is good size mug and a spoon for each member of the family. In your mug, and with your spoon of course, mix the sugar, flour, and cocoa. 

Add your 1/2 banana (mashed before or after putting it in the mug) and stir well. 

Lastly, add the rest of the wet ingredients and continue stirring. Once your batter is well mixed, sprinkle chocolate chips on top and microwave for 3 minutes. 

Piece of cake, huh? ;)

What I love about this quick treat is it is more than half the calories, carbs, and fat than the original recipe... and that's not even from halving the ingredients! Substituting the applesauce instead of oil and the banana in place of a whole egg makes this dessert much healthier while still putting that craving for chocolate to bed.

Original recipe- twice as much actual cake... I could hardly finish it! 

• Calories: 820
• Fat: 51.5 g (holy smokes!)
• Carbs: 158 g

Healthy recipe- includes 1 serving of fruit and is an appropriate size for any adult.

• Calories: 231 (+35 for 1/2 tbls choc chips on top)
• Fat: 2 g 
• Carbs: 72 g

Let's compare this healthy treat to "desserts" found at your local grocery store or vending machine:

2 Twinkies- Why eat one when they come in two's?

• Calories: 300
• Fat: 9 g
• Carbs: 54 g
• other not-so-healthy items: 20 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium 

1 HoHo's Caromel Rolled with Creamy Filling- can also come in two's.

• Calories: 380 
• Fat: 17 g
• Carbs: 53 g
• other not-so-healthy items: 25 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium

Here's the facts... I'll let you decide what you want in your body. (:

Ingredient-by-ingredient break-down for original recipe:

4 tbls sugar=12 tsp= 180 kcal, 60 carbs

4 tbls flour (white)=4 tbls= 1/4 cup= 100kcal, 22g carbs,

       alternative- whole wheat- 51 kcal, 11 carbs, (plus phytochemicals and such)

2 tbles cocoa= 15 kcal, .5g fat, 3g carbs

1 egg= 71 kcal, 5g fat (cholesterol, sodium, protein)

       alternative- 1/2 banana- 55kcal, 0g fat, 14 carbs

3 tbls whole milk=24 kcal, 1g fat, 64g carbs,         

        alternative- skim=9 kcal, 0g fat, 1.25 carbs

3 tbls vegetable oil= 360 kcal, 42g fat (mostly poly and mono)

      alternative- olive= 180 kcal, 21g fat, (most of which are poly and mono unsaturated), 0 carbs

      alternative- applesauce= 19 kcal, 5 carbs, 0 fat

vanilla= minimal nutritional value

1 tbls choc chips= 70kcal, 4g fat, 9 g carbs