The tricky part about traveling is the temptation to have something sweet to end off the meal. I usually carry some low carb chocolate for these trips but truly, there is only so much chocolate one can eat and I was already getting a bit bored of that. Kid#2 has been doing really well holding out against the million temptations we are exposed to daily. I kid you not, Taiwan is awash with carbs…pineapple cakes, biscuits, puffed rice bites…even the sausages are sugar-laden. So while we’ve been on the road for a week, I was relieved when we finally got back to Taipei city and got to a little apartment that allows home-cooking. It’s been rough trying to navigate a low carb diet while eating out all the time. And of course a good holiday for me is one where I get to cook.
I’m a slightly crazy traveler and half my bag is filled with food and kitchen utensils. Just an example of what I usually carry:
- Mini-electric cooker
- Vegetable chopper
- Chopping board
- Favourite small knife
- Julienne peeler
- Can opener
- Salt grinder
- Spices in little packets (ground black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic granules, oregano, rosemary, curry powder, cinnamon)
- Almond flour
- Monkfruit sweetener
- Vanilla essence
And with this entire repertoire I am able to cook anywhere – cauliflower rice or porridge, zoodles…This time the almond flour and sweetener was a new addition this trip. The last mom-son trip to Australia, kid#1 and I enjoyed making microwave mug cakes. It was easy to find almond flour and decent sugar substitutes in Aussie supermarkets but I anticipated having more difficulties in Taiwan and decided to bring my own. And it was a fantastic decision because I couldn’t find any almond flour or sugar substitutes in a couple of supermarkets I visited. Two pats on my own back for lugging almond flour and monkfruit sweetener all the way from Singapore, then all over Taiwan! My reward came tonight when kid#2 made her first mug cake. This recipe worked pretty well and was wonderfully and evenly moist. In fact her mug cake was distinctly better than what kid#1 and I had come up with in our last trip. It’s pretty likely that for the rest of the trip we will be trying other variations, like chocolate mug cake and lemon mug cake. And this will be one of the first trips that my low-carb family can have our cake and eat it! 😁
Microwave Mug Cake
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 4 tsp sugar substitute (I used monk fruit sweetener)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 medium sized egg
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
- 7-8 blueberries
Method
- In a mug, melt 1 1/2 tbsp butter in the microwave oven (about 15-20 seconds). Set aside and allow it to cool slightly.
- Mix the almond flour, sugar substitute and cinnamon together.
- Beat an egg very well and add in the vanilla essence. Mix together with the dry ingredients and the butter.
- Microwave on high for 70 seconds. Enjoy immediately.
Still Feeling Peckish 