Four Ways to Make Healthy Desserts

A certified sweet tooth will certainly not give up on one thing--eating desserts. Whether you're a self-confessed sweet-tooth, or just someone who decided to find healthy choices when it comes to eating desserts, here are four ways on how you can make your sweet escapades guilt-free.

Four Ways to Make Healthy Desserts

1. Experiment with fruits - fruits have a natural sweetener within them, called fructose. Fructose is healthier than most artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. Instead of just preparing sliced fruit, experiment with the different fruits you can find and prepare them as a salad. You don't have to add cream because this can add to the fat content of your desserts. Fruits are sweet as they are, but if you would like to add a little bit more, either add a table spoon of honey or maple syrup.
2. Ice pops - ice pops are very ideal for the hot summer days. For a healthier option than just using the fruit juices available in the groceries, try squeezing fruit juice and adding a little bit of cane sugar. For example, squeeze 1 cup of orange juice on a tall container, add a little bit of sugar to sweeten, and adjust a Popsicle stick and let it freeze overnight. This is generally healthier than buying ice pops in the local supermarket that contain tons of chemicals and food additives.
3. Whole Grain Cookies - instead of indulging on the fat-filled chocolate chip cookies that you see in the market, why not try a better alternative instead? Try oatmeal cookies with different flavors. Who knows? Low fat milk and whole grain cookies--it may be your best alternative to the guilt-inducing chocolate chip cookies and milk.
4. Frozen Yogurt - instead of buying the flavored yogurt, you can opt to buy the plain white yogurt and pick the fruits that you would like to place on the yogurt instead. Choose your fruits from the market (strawberry, blueberry, banana) and then slice them into small cubes. Mix them gently over the plain yogurt, chill or freeze for a couple of hours and and there you go! A healthier alternative to flavored yogurt, with probably more additives than you need.

Four Ways to Make Healthy Desserts

These desserts are relatively easy to make, and with a little effort and good choices, you can make your sweet treats delicious and healthy at the same time. Give it a try and hopefully, the desserts you make will eventually help you in your quest for an overall healthy diet.

Healthy Desserts : Easy and Healthy Dessert Recipes For Kids

Do you ever remember sitting at the dinner table finishing every morsel of food on your plate and awaiting the best part of the meal? For many, if not all children the best part of a meal is always dessert. Nothing can be more rewarding than getting a slice of your favorite cake or a dish of ice cream. The only problem is that as more and more parents become concerned with the health of their children dessert can be more of an issue. Serving your child with something that is sugary or filled with unnecessary calories can be something that you would want to skip. Here are some easy and healthy dessert recipes for kids:

Healthy Desserts : Easy and Healthy Dessert Recipes For Kids

Healthy Desserts : Easy Graham Cracker Cake 

Ingredients:

• 1 box graham crackers 
• Fresh mango slices 
• 1 can cream 
• 1 can condensed milk

Directions

1. Mix the cream and condensed milk in a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour. 
2. Line a pan or plastic container with your graham crackers, making sure that everything is even. 
3. Spread some of the cream mixture on top of your graham crackers. 
4. Put some of the mango slices on top of the cream. 
5. Repeat the steps as desired or until you have two or three layers.
6. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve

Healthy Desserts : Jello Bowls 

Ingredients:

• 1 regular package instant unflavored Jello 
• Fruit juice 
• Fresh fruit pieces 
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. Cook Jello according to package directions, substituting fruit juice for water. 
2. Add chopped fruit pieces to Jello when it is done cooking.
3. Pour into individual bowls and chill. 
4. When ready to serve put Jello bowls into individual platters and top with whipped cream.

Healthy Desserts : Baked Apples 

Ingredients:

• 3 Medium sized apples cored and cut in half 
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 6 tablespoons butter 
• 1 cup granola 
• Light cream

Directions

1. Mix the butter and brown sugar together in a bowl. 
2. Put sliced apples into a baking pan and spread the butter and sugar mixture on top 
3. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until apples are done. 
4. Cool the apples and top with cream and granola

Having a healthy meal does not necessarily have to mean depriving your child of some good old dessert. Every kid deserves a good memory of what it is like to sit and wait in anticipation of what dessert will be. So go ahead and serve your child some of these easy and healthy dessert recipes and watch them enjoy it.

Healthy Dessert : 5 Ways To Bake Healthy

I've come here today to share some of my best kept baking secrets, so you can start enjoying your favorite treats more regularly, without the guilt! You see, when we bake with high quality, nourishing ingredients that give to our bodies, instead of depleting ingredients that take away from our bodies, desserts can end up being rather beneficial to our health and a great part of our daily diet.

I'm going to be honest. I am a big-time regular-dessert-eating advocate! In fact, I indulge in a little bit of sweetness every day! This practice does, however, come with some strings attached, so listen up before this notion backfires on you!

• Factor treat into daily calorie budget: Treat it as any snack or meal so that you're not adding excess calories into your diet.
• Enjoy in small doses: Think you're hungry for more? Wait at least 20 minutes before reaching for a second serving. Try not to exceed two servings a day.

Healthy Dessert : 5 Ways To Bake Healthy

Remember that the bottom line is this: If you want it, have it, but be mindful of what you've already eaten, are going to eat and how you will feel as a result of eating the treat!

Now that you have an idea on how you can enjoy treats guilt-free, here are:

Healthy Dessert : 5 Ways To Bake Healthy

1. Replace refined white flour with one of the following: Oat flour, whole wheat flour, almond flour, hazelnut flour or coconut flour. I prefer to use oat, almond and coconut most of the time because they're gluten-free (less inclined to upset the tummy = flat belly friendly) and the flavors are pretty universal, in that you are free to create all sorts of different variety/flavor combos! They're also high in fiber which helps to keep you full and satisfied for a long period of time.
2. Replace refined white sugar with one of the following: Coconut sugar, raw sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup, honey or fruit puree. I love using coconut sugar because it has a low glycemic index and doesn't cause a spike in blood sugar, which basically means that you're not going to be ravenous shortly after eating. Fruit puree is also awesome because it's filled with fiber and can add moisture to batter or dough, resulting in super soft cookies! Try pumpkin or banana puree. Those are my favorite!
3. Replace shortening and oil with the following: A combination of small of coconut oil plus fruit puree! I usually only use one teaspoon or tablespoon of coconut oil with 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin (low in sugar) or banana. Pumpkin has a more universal flavor, whereas the flavor of banana comes through a lot in the cookie.
4. Add nourishing seeds, nuts and nibs for texture: Chia seeds, flaxseeds, raw cacao nibs, poppy seeds, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews and pecans are all delicious if you want to add another dimension to your cookies! Just 1-2 tablespoons of the seeds or 1/3 cup of the nuts or nibs should do the trick! I love using seeds the most because they're tiny and add just the right amount of crunch! These nuts, seeds and nibs are jammed with healthy fats (chia, flaxseed and walnut have Omega-3's) vitamins and minerals.
5. Use high quality dark chocolate chips and raw cacao: Dark chocolate and raw cacao are high in antioxidants and contain resveratrol, which is an antimicrobial that is believed to lower blood-sugar, enhance physical performance and potentially prolong life. Often times I'll mix raw cacao nibs with chocolate chips to add a crunchy texture to the cookies.

The beauty of these bake-healthy tips is that because you're replacing empty and depleting sugars and flours with nourishing ingredients, you will find yourself satisfied after just one serving, which is the way it should be! They really do fill you up and keep you full for a long period of time.