Cake time

Having your child's birthday and your partner's birthday within 3 days of each other is a recipe for disaster when it comes to eating healthily. I currently feel like I've eaten my bodyweight in cake and sweet treats this weekend. And how do I feel? Sludgy and lacking in energy!

My daughter turned 3 and at nursery the routine seems to be that the parents bring in cakes or sweets for the rest of the class when it's their childs birthday. So, this consists of heavily chocolate covered cakes, fancy cartoon fondant ones or the worst of all - little packs of haribo! There is no way a 3 year old is going to say no to any of those things and with November being big for birthdays at our nursery, this results in kids bouncing off the walls. Ahhhh.

Being a responsible (?!!) mum and one that rocks up to nursery in her gym gear, it seemed fitting that I do something a bit healthier. I opted for some carrot and raisin cupcakes. Admitedly I could have gone far healthier, but I did want the children to still like me! Despite not having the 'come eat me' look that heavily iced cakes have, they were pretty well received (I think!) and I felt better knowing I wasn't contributing to a sugar addiction.

BUT, while promoting my healthy ways at nursery, I still had to get a cake for candle blowing (for her party) and I felt compelled to make a cake for a family get together on Sunday - I went for a 'heavily chocolate covered' Gruffalo. So, I'm not really that good!! Eeek. I can't help it though, I love making and decorating cakes! And then, as my partner can't be fobbed off with left-over kids cake, he got a shop bought carrot cake this morning! My work will be very lucky tomorrow when I take a load of these cakes in!

So, what do you do when you have the urge (or indeed the need) to bake cakes? Can you stop yourself eating them? It's tough. I'm not saying just drool over it and force yourself to stay away. With most people this will just exaccerbate the desire. If you then break, you could end up scoffing the whole cake in one go and we don't want that. Try just taking a skinny slice to ward off those desires and sugar addictions and then step away. Give the cake to your relatives to take home or take to the office. That way it won't be in your kitchen calling you to eat it every time you go in. And, if you can, try and opt for the healthier bake, so if you do have to have the icing on (although scrap it off your slice if you can), it's not a full-on sugar mountain.

And, get exercising and eating healthily before and after. I've just done a homw workout and I'm about to go shopping for a trolley load of protein and veggies.

Good luck!