Disney Traveling Family

Sorry I have been slacking on posting lately. Olivia has been very needy which means I have little to no time to blog. Or do anything else. Today we are going to talk cupcakes. For some odd reason I have been starving for about two weeks. Yes I eat. Tons, lately. I eat and then a little bit later I am belly rumbling hungry. No idea why. I just go through phases like this. Well, Zach and I got tired of the humdrum of school and since we don't take teacher in service days or days off like MLK day or Predsident's day, we take random holidays and "home ec" days. Home ec days are where Zach learns something related to the home. He will 14 in May and has Asperger's Syndrome. For those of you that don't know, it is a high functioning form of autism. So we started home living skills a few years ago. If he is to have a chance at living on his own someday (hopefully) he will need extra time to learn home tasks. Yesterday I had him bake the most delicious cupcakes! I found this recipe for Sister when she had to make some diabetic treats to take in for a potluck at work. She said they were yummy so I thought...."hey self, you are trying to lose weight, you know you will probably have diabetes when you get older (thanks genetics and gestational diabetes I am higher risk) so why not start to incorporate some of that stuff into our diet NOW? It can't really hurt to be a little healthier, right?" I try not to answer myself when I have these sorts of questions. And just to make myself feel better...I am calling these "low sugar cupcakes". I forgot to buy frosting so we have been eating them plain. Still super yummy!

6 tablespoons reduced-fat margarine
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper baking cups. Melt margarine in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; add dry mixture alternately with the buttermilk and vanilla to the saucepan containing the margarine and sugar. Stir the batter with a whisk until it is well blended. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. Store, covered, at room temperature.

Yield: 18 cupcakes
Serving size: 1 cupcake
Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
Calories: 97
Carbohydrate: 18 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 2 g
Saturated fat: <1 g
Sodium: 146 mg
Fiber: <1 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 starch
Carbohydrate choices: 1