Now I’ve never really had much of a sweet tooth, but every now and then, a craving strikes and it strikes hard. However, we all want to keep up (or carve out) these Greek bodies, right? And dessert is an enemy in the fight for an awesome physique, no?
Not always.
Now if you’re doing a slice of cheesecake with ice cream and strawberry compote and an after dinner coffee, yes. That’s bad. However, these little solutions are not only delicious, but pretty easy on your calorie counter too!
Shaved Ice
But Resa, you’re talking about frozen chunks of water doused in artificial coloring, fake flavors, and all sorts of sweeteners that I may or may not have ever heard of!
Did I say sno-cone?
Nope. I mean shaved ice topped with fresh chunks of fruit and drizzled in sweet condensed milk or honey. Drizzle sparsely and BAM! You have a 1/5 on the dessert guilt scale. Note also that honey is fat free whereas the caloric content of sweetened condensed milk is 1/5th fat.
Fresh Fruit Sorbet
Take a cue from your favorite authentic gelato spot and make your own sorbet with fresh fruit and without much more!
Freeze chunks of your favorite fruit (we’ll say 1 entire mango here because I do love me some mango) then throw them in a blender with a teaspoon of water and 1/2 a teaspoon of lemon juice. Blend until it’s smooth and it’s good to go!
If you want to be really creative, keep the fruit shell with about a half inch of fruit still lining the peel. Pack your fresh sorbet into the shell and stick ‘em into the freezer together. Delicious AND a really fun treat that’s sure to impress!
Sweet, Sticky Rice & Mango
This one is simple and an absolute favorite of mine.
Prepare Thai Sweet Rice (also known as gelatinous or sticky rice) by first soaking 1 cup of rice in 1 cup of water for about 20-30 minutes. After soaking, add another 3/4 cup of water, plus 1/4 cup of coconut milk and a pinch of salt. Give it a good stir and make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. Bring it to a boil, cover it (but leave an opening for steam!) and let it simmer on your stove’s medium setting for about 15 minutes (or until it’s no longer a rice-soup).
In the meantime, simmer 3/4 cup of coconut milk in a saucepan with 1/4 cup of raw sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract, but be careful not to let it boil! Dissolve 2 tbsp of cornstarch in a small bowl and add to the sauce as a thickening agent. Once it’s nice and thick, take it off the stove.
Now either before or after your get started, you can cut up your ripe (and I do mean ripe) mangos into slices or bite sized pieces.
Once the rice is ready, serve it out, laying your mango pieces on top and drizzling your coconut sauce over both.
Tadaaa!! Delicious and simple.
Chocolate Drizzled Fruit Kabobs
Need I say more? Use a double boiler to melt down your chocolate of choice (chopped dark chocolate, chocolate chips, fonduing chocolate chips, etc) and drizzle them over skewered fruits of your choosing. Pineapple, strawberry and – you guessed it – mango, are my favorites but if you think it will go well with chocolate (and what doesn’t?), go for it!
Cheese & Fruits
You can go a wholly different direction with your desserts by trying the savory side of things with a soft or semi-soft cheese plate paired with fruit or chutney. My fave pairings?
Gruyere & Apples
Brie & Melon
Camembert & Pear
Chevre & Kiwi
Gouda & Grape
A Few Quick Tips
Now there are a few desserts that I know we can’t completely healthify, BUT you can try, no?
So there you are!
You have a multitude of healthier desserts than the typical cakes, cookies & pies PLUS they’re (for the most part) quick and easy to make.
So what are YOUR favorite healthy desserts and what do you do to make your favorite dessert recipes healthier?
Sticky rice and mango is my FAV.
anything with mango… i’m totally on board!