Sometimes you just want a sweet treat, but you do not want the guilt. There is also this belief that if you want to be healthy, sweets and desserts have no place on the healthy diet plan.
What if I tell you that there are some sweet treats you can enjoy, in moderation of course that can be described as a healthy dessert? Well there are some options for those sweet tooth cravings, which will not hurt your waistline or your health goals.
Here are some sweet and healthy ideas
Sliced pears with almond butter
For an easy snack, try naturally sweet pears. Slice them and add a tablespoon on almond butter with them. This will curb your cravings and the calories will be only 197.
Red seedless grapes, halved, with some honey
Take a cup of grapes that have been halved and add not more than four teaspoons of honey to them.
Light cheese and dark chocolate
For those with a sweet tooth, or even to those that just love cheese, add some extra dark chocolate with some light cheese for a delicious treat.
Agave peach
Forget peaches and cream, instead slice up a whole peach and drizzle with a tablespoon of agave nectar for an extra hint of oozy sweetness packed with potassium and vitamin C.
Dried apples with cinnamon yogurt dip
What has fiber, calcium, potassium, and protein with cinnamon all over? To make this easy snack simply combine cinnamon with 4 ounces of fat-free vanilla yogurt and grab five-dried apple rings for dipping.
Here are some dessert recipes to treat yourself without the guilt
Carrot cake oatmeal cookies
This recipe uses maple syrup to sweeten it. More so these cookies are packed with healthy ingredients likes oats, cinnamon, carrots, and coconut oil.
Ingredients:
1 cup (100g) instant oats
¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp salt
2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup pure maple syrup or honey or agave
¾ cup grated carrots
Instruction:
1. Use a medium bowl. Then whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla together. Stir in the maple syrup until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the carrots. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
3. Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops on the baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Banana peanut butter ice cream
This is a simply dessert to prepare and you use ripe bananas to sweeten it. More so, you will only use two ingredients, bananas and peanut butter.
Ingredients:
• 4 large very ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
Directions:
1. Peel bananas and slice into 1/2 inch discs. Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a large plate or baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours.
2. Place the banana slices in a food processor or powerful blender. Puree banana slices, scraping down the bowl as needed. Puree until the mixture is creamy and smooth. If you have a hard time creating a creamy consistency, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to help puree the banana slices. But do make sure you use a powerful food processor or blender.
3. Add the peanut butter and puree to combine. Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream consistency. If you prefer harder ice cream, place in the freezer for a few hours and then serve.
Roasted honey and cinnamon peaches
Ingredients:
2 Large ripe peaches
2 Tbsp. Light butter
1/2 Tsp. Ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. Honey
12 Oz. Fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
Carefully cut your peaches in half and remove the stone.
Top each peach half with 1/2 tbsp. butter, a sprinkling of the cinnamon, and about 1/2 tbsp of honey.
Place the sheet into the oven and back for 20-30 minutes or until the peaches are tender, golden brown around the edges, and bubbling with awesomeness.
Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Serve warm over 3 oz. of yogurt and enjoy!
