Most people have a weakness that makes losing weight difficult. For many, it is desserts. However, because more than 108 million American adults are obese, according to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, overcoming the weakness to maintain a healthy weight is important. Have your cake--or other favorite dessert--and lose weight, too, by keeping portions small, infrequent and somewhat healthy.
Grilled Fruit
Fruit added to traditional sweets bumps up the nutritional value of the dessert, making it easier to keep calories under control. Try grilling fruit, as it extracts the fruits' natural sugar by caramelizing the surface, according to NPR article "Grilling Your Dessert." The sugar liquefies, becoming a sweet, brown syrup. Firm fruits such as apples, pears and pineapples are easier to grill than soft fruits such as mangoes, peaches and nectarines. Spoon the fruit and its sauce over a small bowl of low-fat vanilla ice cream.
Yogurt
Make a yogurt parfait by layering nonfat yogurt and a variety of fruit for a low-fat and low-calorie dessert. Spoon unsweetened yogurt in the bottom of a cup. Sprinkle raw sugar or honey over the yogurt if you need a bit of sweetness. Add cut fruit such as pineapples, kiwi, strawberries or blueberries. Spoon in another layer of yogurt and top it off with more fruit.
Yogurt gives you calcium, protein, vitamin B-12 and riboflavin, making it a good choice for a nutritional dessert.
Chocolate-Covered Bananas
Another example of combining sweets with healthy fruit is chocolate-covered bananas. These are easy to make at home by microwaving a cup of semisweet chocolate chips. Look for high cocoa content to get health benefits from the chocolate. After the chocolate is melted, you can either dip the whole banana into the chocolate and freeze it on parchment paper for an icy treat or drizzle the melted chocolate over banana slices. Bananas offer potassium and vitamin B-6, while chocolate has antioxidant effects and can help to keep your blood pressure down.
Butternut Squash Flan
It’s not just fruit that can be incorporated into a healthy dessert—vegetables can be, too. For example, the recipe for a butternut squash flan from Epicurious is a good source of vitamin A. Take a small butternut squash that’s halved length-wise and seeded. Bake the squash at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Scoop out the flesh and puree it in a food processor. In a double boiler, pour 1 ½ cups of warm milk over simmering water. Add this to the squash in the processor and puree for 1 to 3 minutes. Add 4 large egg whites, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup maple syrup, 3 tablespoons vanilla, 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon cloves. Process all of this for about 1 minute. Divide the batter evenly among 18 3-ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large roasting pan and add enough hot water to the pan so that it comes up halfway up the side of the ramekins. Cover the pan with foil and bake until the flans are set up the middle, or about 22 to 25 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the pan and chill for about three hours.
Light cheesecake
Lighten up some of your favorite dessert recipes, such as cheesecake, with this recipe from Good Housekeeping that slashes 200 calories and 21 grams of fat from an original cheesecake recipe.
In a 9-inch springform pan, mix ¾ cup of graham cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons melted margarine. Press it firmly to cover the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. While it’s baking, mix 24 ounces of reduced-fat cream cheese in a large bowl. Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and slowly beat it the mixture into the cream cheese. Add 1 ½ pints of fat-free sour cream and 1 ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add 2 large eggs and 2 large egg whites one at a time. Pour the batter over the crust and bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in there for one hour. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours.
Member Comments