Guilt Free Carrot Bundt Cake & a Jillian Review

Yes! Two posts in one day! I did it. It's a miracle. I didn't think it would ever happen.

Do you know what has never happened in all my twenty-two years living in the Springfield-Branson area? Fifteen inches of snow. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for our area. That is nuts! That is just plain crazy. I've never been under a blizzard warning either. The ice/snow is supposed to start in the middle of the night and continue all day tomorrow. I might have to update the blog with snow pictures if we get as much as they're saying.

Maybe I'll even make some snow ice cream. Nah, probably not because I made real vanilla ice cream today. There's nothing like homemade ice cream and a blizzard! That's what I say.



How's everyone's diets going this year? I hope they're going well for you if you are on one. I haven't been dieting this year, but I've been mixing up the desserts... some nights I eat healthy ones... some nights I do not. I've been working out quite a bit and trying out some new workout DVD's.

You may recall, I have a workout DVD addiction. I've been collecting Jillian Michaels' workout DVDs since last summer. Now they're pretty much the only ones I use. The rest of my workout DVD's don't compare at all. I always feel like I get a good workout when I use her DVD's.

Now that I've been working out to Jillian I feel like I'm stronger and in much better shape.


It all started with this DVD. I recommend 30 Day Shred over any of her other workouts. It's a complete workout with cardio, upper body, and abs. The DVD is divided into three twenty minute workouts with different levels of intensity.


No More Trouble Zones is another tough workout. This is a forty minute circuit that focuses on upper body, lower body, and abs. The upper body sections kill me in this.


Banish Fat Boost Metabolism isn't quite as hard as the first two. It's more cardio than the others. It's a forty minute circuit like No More Trouble Zones.


Yoga Meltdown is a workout I use on my "down" days, even though it's still difficult. It's yoga at a faster pace and anyone can do it. I had never completed a yoga DVD until this one. By the way, I can't do crow. I've tried multiple times.


I bought Shred-It with Weights about two weeks ago. The first time I tried it I was sore for days and could barely walk. Haha. That's a sign of a good workout DVD. The DVD is a total body workout and is divided into two thirty minute circuits. You need a kettlebell or hand weights for this one.


6 Week Six Pack is my newest DVD and it's HARD; I had to pause it several times to rest. I wonder if you can really get a six pack from using it? I guess it's possible... this DVD is divided into two thirty minute circuits. You basically repeat the same routine in each circuit.

Well, I hope my little Jillian review might help you out if you're on the fence about buying her DVD's or trying to decide which workout is the right one for you. :)

Have you tried Jillian? What do you think?



Guilt Free Carrot Bundt Cake is a healthy dessert, but it's really flavorful and tastes good. This cake still contains oil, sugar, butter, and cream cheese, just in smaller amounts. Shredded carrot, toasted coconut, toasted pecans, pineapple, raisins and spices add extra flavor and nutrition to this carrot cake.



The cake is still pretty moist even without the fat, because the batter contains buttermilk and pineapple juice, and the carrot and pineapple add moisture too.

The bundt cake is topped with a cream cheese frosting made out of reduced fat cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. I used fat free cream cheese, but I would not recommend it. I don't think I'll ever use fat free cream cheese ever again; the texture is too stiff and rubbery. Use neufchatel cheese if you bake this cake.


Guilt Free Carrot Bundt Cake
Printable Recipe

1 3/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in hot water
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, coarsely chopped (reserve juice)
1/2 cup old fashioned oats

Frosting
3 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (a little less than 1/2 block), softened
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat inside of a bundt cake pan with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together oil, buttermilk and brown sugar until well combined - about 1 minute. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined - about 1 minute. Beat in carrot, coconut, pecans, raisins, pineapple, pineapple juice and oats until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined.

Spread cake batter into prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until well risen, set, and golden brown. Cool 12 minutes on a wire rack before flipping out cake onto a platter.

To make the frosting, in a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese until creamy - about 1 minute. Beat in butter until combined. Beat in confectioners sugar and vanilla until combined - about 2 minutes. Drizzle/spread frosting over cake.

Makes 8 servings