Quick and Healthy Desserts
Everyone feels the need to indulge a bit after a hard day of work and one of our favorite ways of doing so is by satisfying our sweet tooth. Desserts can be delicious, but they can also be hard on the hips. By finding and even creating the right recipes, you can keep the satisfaction without sacrificing your waistline. The following are a few ideas to get you started.
It’s important to first remember that baking is not meant to be a chore, but an enjoyable and satisfying creative escape. One simple way to make an easy dessert is to buy a favorite pre-mixed package and adjust the required ingredients to make it less fattening. You can even add additional ingredients to come up with a very different dessert than the original.
For example, try purchasing a devil s food cake mix and making it into something other than a cake. I have enjoyed using the mix to make low-fat pancake cookies. This can be done by adding two capfuls of oil, about one half cup of soymilk, and a little water. Mix the ingredients until you get a cookie like consistency and then spread heaping spoonfuls onto the pan. As these cookies bake, you’ll notice that they become rather large and puff up. After about 7-8 minutes, open the oven and press the cookies down so that they flatten like pancakes. Let them bake another 3 minutes or so and then remove while they are still a bit soft.
Once cooled, you can top them off with some fresh blueberries or chopped strawberries for a perfectly delicious treat. The texture of the cookie should be very soft which is a yummy combination with fresh fruit. Pour yourself a warm cocoa or a glass of milk and enjoy. This is a great treat for the whole family with much less fat than most cookies.
Another quick and healthy idea is to grab a box granola and a variety of mixed berries from your grocery store. Take the berries and heat them up in the oven for about 5-10 minutes. Then take the granola, add a bit of soymilk and heat it up in the microwave for a little less than a minute. Place the heated fruit on top, stir it up and indulge. This taste pairs perfectly with a nice herbal tea.
These are just a couple of simple recipes that anyone can make. You can come up with other great creative healthy dessert ideas of your own. Remember that a dessert doesn’t have to be overly fattening or rich to be very satisfying. Have fun with trying different combinations and you’ll find you can create wonderful desserts that you can call you’re very own.
