It's Valentine's - Indulge without all the calories

I love sharing dessert with ad man hub. It's kind of a sweet way to say that we share our lives and love together (and it's less calories). I like to think all the sugar and calories are in his half! But, this Sunday, even though it's Valentine's Day, I'm not letting it be an excuse to eat too many calories.

I'm going to make a sweet, yet sinless, dessert for us to share. Here are some easy recipes and ideas for your Valentine's sweet tooth. Share 'em with your honey of course!


Sweetheart Soda Pop Cake

Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 can Diet Dr Pepper cherry
1 tub fat free cool whip
1 box fat-free, sugar-free jello mix
1 jar sugar-free or low sugar strawberry jam

Directions
Preheat oven as indicated on your boxed cake mix. Grease two round cake pans with a nonfat cooking spray. Add 1 cup of the Diet Dr Pepper Cherry to the cake mix. Stir until moist. You may need to add a splash or two more to make it completely moist. Yep, that's it - no eggs, no milk, no oil. Pour the batter into two round cake pans and bake as indicated on box. It will take a little longer to finish, but start with the amount of time the box calls for. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

While cooling, mix 3/4 of the box of jello mix with the cool whip and put in fridge.

When cake is completely cooled, spread a layer of jam on top of one round cake. Stack the other one on top and spread the cool whip on top and sides. Sprinkle with sugar-free sprinkles for a festive touch. Yep, they make sugar-free sprinkles.

180 calories, 3 grams of fat, 1 gram fiber


Champagne-soaked Strawberries
Remove strawberry tops and slice in half. Place strawberries in a shallow bowl. Pour two cups of champagne over top and soak for at least 3 hours (overnight is best). Serve with a dollop of cool whip mixed with 2 TBS of champagne. Serving is 1 cup of strawberry halves

115 calories, .5 g fat, 3 g fiber


Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches (courtesy of Ellie Krieger)

Treat yourself to three (yes, three!)

Ingredients
1/2 cup light vanilla ice cream (or frozen yogurt), softened at room temperature
24 vanilla wafer cookies (1 1/2 inches in diameter)
1 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

Directions
Line a shallow storage container with waxed paper. Put a small scoop of ice cream (about 2 tsp) on a cookie; top with another cookie. Roll sandwich in chocolate so chips adhere to ice cream. Place in container. Repeat with remaining ingredients until you have 12 mini ice cream sandwiches. Cover container and place in the freezer to set for at least 30 minutes, or freeze for up to 1 week.

220 calories for 3 sandwiches, 8 g fat, 1 g fiber


Raspberry-Chocolate Angel Food Cake (inspiration from a SELF.com recipe)

Ingredients
1 box angel food cake mix
1/2 cup sugar free or low sugar raspberry jam
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup light sour cream
1/2 pint fresh raspberries

Preparation
Bake angel food cake as directed on box, except bake in a 9" x 13" baking pan with cooking spray. For filling, heat the jam in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a light simmer. For the frosting, heat chocolate chips in a zip-loc bag in microwave. Heat in 10 second increments until completely melted. Open zip-loc and drop in sour cream. Squeeze bag to mix.

To assemble: Place a cutting board over cake pan; invert cake onto board. With a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (or heart-shaped), cut 12 rounds from cake. Top 6 rounds with 1 heaping tbsp of raspberry filling (you will have some left over), then place 6 remaining cake rounds on top. Snip the corner of the ziploc bag to create a piping bag. Spread 1/4 cup frosting over top and sides. (You should have some frosting left over.) Top with raspberries. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and bring to room temperature 1 hour before serving.

250 calories per cake, 5 g fat, 3 g fiber


Wishing you a sweet Valentine's Day!