It’s that time of year where people are decked out with colorful beads, masks, and all sorts of creative ensembles! That’s right, it’s time for Mardi Gras! This has always been an exciting occasion for most people because of the fun traditions, parades, and of course king cake! King cake is an oval-shaped cake decorated in royal colors of purple, green, and gold. Typically, a tiny plastic baby is placed in the cake and whoever gets the “baby,” gets to be King for the day! This cake has so many decadent flavors including, sweet vanilla, cinnamon, and even nutmeg! To help keep you on track with your healthy lifestyle, I’ve come up with 3 recipes to help you enjoy king cake in a much healthier way!
The first recipe is this delicious Mini King Cake! I covered mini dessert shell cakes in Mardi Gras inspired colors and topped them with a low-fat whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon! These Mini King Cakes give you the familiar taste of king cake, but in a smaller, healthier portion!
Mini King Cake
- 6 mini dessert shell cakes
- 6 tablespoons of reduced fat whipped cream
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- Purple, Green, and Gold Sprinkles
- In a medium bowl, combine a generous amount of each color of sprinkles. Take each dessert shell cake and roll it in the sprinkles until the cake is completely covered.
- Place cakes on a serving platter and top each one with a tablespoon of whipped cream.
- Top with a dash of cinnamon and Enjoy!
The next recipe is this tasty Avocado King Cake Smoothie! This smoothie has all the sweet flavors of king cake, but also a great source of healthy fats and protein! This is a great nutritious breakfast or snack option!
Avocado King Cake Smoothie- makes 1 (12 oz) serving
- 1 avocado, skin and seed removed
- ½ cup low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 cup sugar-free vanilla almond milk
- Optional: whipped cream and sprinkles
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and sprinkles, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Last, but certainly not least, are these Fruity King Cake Parfaits! The green kiwi, yellow pineapple, and purple sprinkles gives this parfait the perfect look for Mardi Gras! This parfait is made with a wholesome serving of granola and a low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt infused with the delicious flavors of king cake!
Fruity King Cake Parfait
- ¼ cup Granola
- 1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup chopped pineapple
- 1 cup low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Optional: pecans and sprinkles
- In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt, nutmeg, and vanilla. Set aside
- In a small glass or container, pour granola onto the bottom and top with half of the Greek yogurt mixture.
- Layer kiwi and pineapple, and top with the rest of the Greek yogurt mixture. Top with pecans and sprinkles, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Comments
These look great. Thanks for the tip.