Mug cakes are great because I can make one serving and avoid the temptation to binge! They’re also made with just a handful of basic ingredients and take only a few minutes to throw together. There are endless variations. This banana cake version is delicious. It’s gooey and a little pudding-like in texture. It satisfies my sweet tooth and is a special treat. In future posts, I plan to share recipes for chocolate, snickerdoodle, and peanut butter versions.

Have you tried microwave mug cakes before? Share in the comments.

Chicken tikka masala is chicken cooked in a creamy sauce with a mix of Indian-inspired masala spices. In this lightened-up version from Weight Watchers, tomatoes make it rich and filling and Greek yogurt gives it creaminess. It is spicy in the sense of being filled with the flavors of ground spices (there are no hot peppers). The recipe takes about 15 minutes to throw together. You can easily double it. It freezes well.

This rendition of creamed corn couldn’t be any easier and my family gobbled it up. It’s just corn, jalapenos, and cream cheese. But it tastes like so much more. The jalapenos give it a nice bite that hangs around in your mouth awhile, leaving a tingly warm aftertaste. The cream cheese and corn dampen the spiciness so it doesn’t overwhelm. I’m pretty sure everyone in my family went back for seconds. We finished every last bite!

This meaty cobbler is an impressive, comforting, and satiating meal. It’s pretty wholesome too. There isn’t much bread overall, with the bulk of the dish made of tomatoes and beef (you can sub turkey). If you’re limiting carbohydrates, you can easily leave out the corn, but I like it for the fiber and nutritional boost, not to mention the pretty color. The abundance of spices—cinnamon, allspice, ginger—gives the dish fun flavor. Spiced beef cornbread cobbler is delicious, works with my diet plan (yay for the flexibility of weight watchers!), and is pretty enough to serve to company, as I often have.