Lesson Number 1: Learn what you can substitute before you actually do.

I had another MOM THE BAD COOK MOMENT!

 Lol.

 My family and I have started to eat low carb again.

 So one of my daughters is addicted to watching the 

Cupcake Wars.

 I mean really addicted she chooses that over any other shows. 

So I watched an episode than watched another one and what they do on that show is amazing. 

I have made cakes for birthdays and weddings before but what they do is crazy awesome. 

Back to the point! 

So I got a craving for cupcakes. 

So i looked up a low carb strawberry cupcake recipe.

 They look so good. 

Truly looked amazing on the picture on the recipe. 

I would like to thank TabiEats for her wonderful recipe.

 So at this point I am excited.

 So on my next day off I put the kids on the bus went to the store got all the ingredients. 

Super excited I put on my baking apron, 

got all my Tupperware ready 

and started well I than realized I forgot to get Grape-seed oil.

Okay we have plenty of coconut oil. 

Please remember for the ones who are absolutely spitting your drink all over the computer screen laughing that I am not an adventurous/experienced cooked. 

So I supplemented it and felt awesome was going to have these awesome cupcakes when the kids got off the bus, and when my husband got home from work.

 I am not one to taste my own cooking first (speaking from experience) haha so I was mean and tested them out on my kids.

 I know everyone reading this is like she is so mean make her kids taste her cooking. Mind you I tasted the batter and lived until they got home. 

Okay so they look good got them all iced and the kids get home and I'm all excited and tell them I have a surprise for them. 

RIGHT! A SURPRISE! 

My kids get excited then I said I made you cupcakes! They look puzzled at each other. 

Out of the box? 

NO! From scratch. 

Their faces went from excited and confused to like oh no MOM has been BAKING! 

Then my oldest says I have homework.
Really she is going to do homework over my cooking. 

YEP! 

That's how many times I have tried new recipes and have failed at them. 

I am not a patient cooker. 

It took me a long time to understand that if you turn the heat up it doesn't really cook faster. 

I stray away from the point often. 

So they all stare at each other at the table like who is going to be the first to try this.

 It was like a western gun draw. 

Very quiet and everyone was so motionless that I was scared. 

So they try it all together at the same time and the faces of my poor little guinea pigs(my kids) look like they just ate broccoli and asparagus at the same time. 

Two of them spit it out and the other two tried really hard to swallow it so they would not hurt my feelings. 

Then I tried it it wasn't that bad just oily, and cardboardish. 

So that was another bust. 

My husband comes home and I asked him if he would like to try. 

My 6 year old yells daddy "NO" it was the worst one yet. 

So I laughed and told

him they were not that bad and she did not agree.

So moral of the story: Make sure you investigate if you can substitute coconut oil for grape-seed oil!

I will try again, my husband found me some grape seed oil!

Now for anyone that is interested here is the recipes. I will update you when I try to cook it again.

No-Sugar Gluten Free Low Carb Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 2 cups almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 15 packs Splenda or other sweetener
• 6 strawberries smashed into tiny bits
• Frosting:
• 1/2 cup cream cheese softened
• 2/3 cup heavy cream, whipped until stiff peaks form
• 6 strawberries smashed into tiny bits
• 10 packets Splenda or other sweetener

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix almond flour, baking powder, sweetener and salt together in a bowl.
3. Smash strawberries with a back of spoon until into small pieces.
4. Add grapeseed oil, eggs, water, vanilla extract and smashed strawberries into the dry ingredients.
5. Mix the ingredients until well combined.
6. Pour mixture into muffin tins to 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 15 minutes of until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Completely cool cupcakes before frosting.
9. To make the frosting, mix sweetener and cream cheese with electric mixer or spoon in a large bowl.
10. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
11. Gently fold in the whipped cream into the cheese cream mixture.
12. Fold in smashed strawberries until combined.
13. Frost cooled cupcakes with the frosting.
14. Garnish with a fresh strawberry if desired.

Thank you and have a Blessed Day!