Holiday season is right around the corner; the time when working towards our health goals becomes a lot more challenging. The temptation to grab those yummy baked goods and holiday sweets as you walk through the office, local coffee shop, and countless social gatherings can be almost impossible to resist.

One holiday tip that can help is to bake up your own healthy sweet treats. If you do have a craving for something pumpkiny and sweet, you can easily whip up a single serving in your favorite mug to satisfy your sweet tooth.

You can make a Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake in less than 10 minutes, as featured in this week’s seasonal recipe.

Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Mug Cake

Did you know that you can create a faux egg for baking from flaxseeds? Use a flaxseed egg to substitute for eggs in baked goods to add fiber and omega 3 fatty acids and to reduce the cholesterol in your sweet treats. You won’t taste the difference, I promise!

All you have to do is mix together ½ tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 1 tablespoon of water in a mug and let the mixture sit for 2 minutes.

Voila, you got a vegan flaxseed egg!

Yield: 1 serving (1 cup = 8 oz)

Ingredients:

▪    1/2 Tbsp ground flax seed

▪    1 Tbsp water

▪    2 Tbsp canned pumpkin puree

▪    1 Tbsp maple syrup

▪    1 Tbsp plain unsweetened almond milk

▪    1/4 tsp vanilla extract

▪    1/4 cup whole wheat flour

▪    1/4 tsp baking powder

▪    1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice and/or cinnamon

▪    Optional toppings: raw unsalted pumpkin seeds, cinnamon chips, pumpkin puree

Directions:

In a mug, mix together the ground flaxseed and water and let mixture sit for 2 minutes. In the same mug, add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla and stir to combine. Then stir in the flour, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon.

Optional: mix in the cinnamon/chocolate chips and top with pumpkin seeds.

Place the mug into the microwave and cook for 2 minutes. Your pumpkin spice cake is ready to be served! Eat your cake directly from the mug or scoop out the cake and place on a plate…yum.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:

Calories: 167 kcal,
Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg,
Carbohydrate: 33 g,
Dietary Fiber: 6 g,
Protein: 5 g,
Sodium: 17 mg