The Conversation
Sometimes we eat healthy, and other times we let ourselves go. That’s life. The perfect compromise? Making dessert healthy… or more accurately, healthier. Whether your preference is adding fruit, getting rid of the gluten or demanding the chocolate as dark as it comes, there are plenty of ways to cut the calories while saving on taste. From healthy donut recipes to substituting olive oil for buttery alternatives and incorporating ingredients like sweet potatoes and chickpeas, these recipes will keep you guessing… and keep you fit… ish.
1. Whole Wheat Banana Spice + Brown Butter Glaze Muffins: In matters of staying on top of your health-conscious game, whole wheat is always the answer. Any time you can substitute natural wheat for a starchier batter, go for it. That allows some extra sugar room for add-ons like this yummy glaze. Or, dark chocolate chips, anyone? (via How Sweet Eats)
2. Pomegranate Spiced Poached Pears With Orange Cashew Cream: We hadn’t seen so many poached pear recipes until now. Different flavor combos and spices are all around us in food blog world, pick one or create your own with your favorite flavor. (via Jeanette’s Healthy Living)
3. Crazy Healthy Good Chocolate Chip Pan Cookie: This might look like an average cookie pie, but what you can’t see is the lack of butter, flour and eggs… and the presence of… wait for it… chickpeas! (via Sweet Anna’s)
4. Skinny Peanut Butter Granola Bites: Coconut oil, honey, peanut butter, rolled oats and sprinkles — we’re beginning to like this “healthy” thing. (via Inside Bru Crew Life)
5. Healthy Cheesecake Bites in a Quinoa Crust: You had us at cheesecake and quinoa. Making dessert bite-sized is another great solution for portion control… as long as you don’t end up popping 50 of them. (Hey, it happens.) (via Happy Food Healthy Life)
6. Healthy Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Bars: Checking butter at the door is a theme among these recipes, and oatmeal and chocolate prove to be just as scrumptious without it. (via Half Baked Harvest)
7. Mango Crisp With Almonds: This crisp is made with a modest amount of sugar, lots of natural grain for a great source of fiber and Vitamins A and C from mango. See? This isn’t so bad after all. (via Hoosier Homemade)
8. Baked Nutmeg Donuts With Raspberry Icing: The fact that we could find 15 healthy donut recipes makes us very happy about the state of the world. Here’s one of the most unique. (via The Vintage Mixer)
9. Skinny Champagne Parfaits: A light cake mix and diet soda are all you need to make fruit more interesting. (via Beyond Frosting)
10. I Can’t Believe These Are Healthy Brownies: We had to go ahead and create our own special guilt-free sweet. Secret ingredient? Black beans. Tasty? Absolutely. (via Brit + Co.)
11. Oat and Yogurt Fruit Pizza: Here’s a fruit tart you can make at home, so you know exactly what goes into it. Use applesauce and rolled oats for the crust and Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese, and you have a much healthier snack than what’s at the store. (via The Yummy Life)
12. Pumpkin Pie Dip: You’ll find hidden vitamins galore between the Greek yogurt and pumpkin in this treat. (via Shugary Sweets)
13. Maple Bourbon Tiramisu With Pecans: This tiramisu may look indulgent, but with light syrup, non-fat cream cheese and skim milk, you can cut the calories tenfold. (via BHG)
14. Sweet Potato Pie Crust: In addition to being delicious, sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. We know they make delicious fries, why not make them into a crust for your pie? (via Food)
15. Zucchini Banana Bites: Don’t worry, there’s still cocoa in these brownies, but there’s also veggies and fruit to fill you up on something good and good for you. (via BHG)
16. Red Plum Tart: It’s fruit and jam that make the filling for this tart. As for the crust, it’s okay to add a little sugar to ingredients that have lots of nutrients on their own. (via Sprinkle Bakes)
17. Carrot Date Cupcakes: Remember the good ol’ food pyramid? Your veggie serving is right here, in cupcake form. (via Runner’s World)
18. Dark Chocolate Mint Bites: Along with fruits and veggies, natural oats are also stars of this health show. Add cocoa powder and peppermint extract to make these bars extra appetizing. (via BHG)
19. Herbed Olive Oil Pie Crust: Substituting olive oil for butter is another smart move with turning pastries into healthier snacks. Check our desserts with olive oil, we promise there’s no difference in taste, just in the way you feel. (via My Fair Baking)
20. Silky Chocolate Pie: If you learn to depend on Greek yogurt — as well as low-fat milk and cream cheese — chances are, you’ll never have to live without your favorite treat. Simply, whip it up in a much healthier form. (via BHG)
How will you stay healthy while still getting your sweet fix? Leave us some healthy eating tips in the comments below!
Isara is a photographer who loves words, and a writer who sees the world as a series of photographs. She's an East-to-West-Coast transplant who eats a lot. You can find her foodie insights on her blog Alone With A Cupcake, where she shares her thoughts on the best restaurants in Boston, San Francisco and places in between.
More From Recipes
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.
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