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Have a happy Low-Carb Easter!

If you’re following the Low-Carb Plan, you might be feeling a teeny bit left out this Easter what with all those chocolate eggs rolling around, not to mention all the other Easter treats such as hot-cross buns and Simnel cake. You probably don’t even need to check out the carb content on these foods to know that they are definitely not Low-Carb friendly. Even a tiny morsel of Easter egg will set you back weeks on the Low-Carb Plan, and you don’t want to undo all that hard work at this stage.

But you’re forgetting about all the Easter treats that you CAN have! The Easter bunny will have something for you after all, even if it’s not covered in shiny purple paper with chocolate treats inside.

For Easter Sunday dinner, how about delicious Spring lamb with seasonal buttered vegetables followed by strawberries and cream? Or you could be really wicked and try our Low-Carb friendly chocolate mousse mini cheesecakes, which I guarantee will have the rest of the family throwing their Easter eggs aside and fighting for a nibble of one of these treats.

For tea, you don’t have to miss out on the traditional Easter Simnel cake, because we have an Low-Carb Almond Cake that will keep your carbs in check.

Don’t forget that the Easter holidays are the perfect time to get out and get active, especially now that the weather is better and the days are longer. Get the kids to paint hard boiled eggs and have an Easter egg hunt – and afterwards you can munch on the eggs as a snack! Go for long walks on the beach or in your local forest park – perfect for kick-starting your summer shape-up! And remember to make some time for yourself so that you can relax and enjoy yourself - without piling on the pounds. You’ll be able to head back to work next week full of the joys of spring!

Check out these delicious recipes!

Chocolate mousse mini cheesecakes

120g artificial sweetener such as Splenda®
90g unsweetened chocolate, melted (in microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water), slightly cooled
2 packets (200g each) of cream cheese, softened
180ml double cream
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Fresh mint sprigs, unsweetened chocolate shavings and raspberries to garnish.

Heat oven to 165 degrees C. Place 8 small ramekins in a roasting tin and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until softened, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add chocolate and mix well to combine.
Add sugar substitute, beating until combined. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
Add the double cream and almond and vanilla extracts, beating until completely smooth.
Pour mixture into ramekins. Carefully pour enough boiling water into the roasting tin so that it comes about halfway up the side of the ramekins.
Bake for about 20 minutes until puffed and set in the centre.
Remove from oven and cool in water bath for 10 minutes.
Transfer ramekins to a wire rack until completely cooled.
Refrigerate well and serve garnished with mint sprigs, chocolate shavings and raspberries.

Note: Extra cheesecakes can be frozen for up to 1 month and thawed in the fridge overnight.

Nutritional values per cheesecake: 354 calories, 35g fat, 5.5g net carbs.

Almond cake

200g butter (softened)
100g cream cheese (softened)
240g artificial sweetener such as Splenda®
5 eggs
480g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Cream butter, cream cheese and sweetener together. Add eggs, beating one at a time. Mix ground almonds and baking powder and add to egg mixture. Add extracts. Pour into a greased 9-inch round cake tin. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Serve with fresh berries and whipped cream.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional values per serving (1 slice, 85g by weight): 364 calories, 34.4g fat, 5g net carbs.

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