Healthy puds/sweets?

[Miffy]

Trying to lose weight but have a sweet tooth - can anyone give me some ideas on low fat puds?

 

Also like my sweets - anyone have any suggestions for 'better' ones to go for?

[sophia34]

A few ideas:

 

--sliced frozen bananas (slice them when they're just over-ripe and put on wax paper in the freezer) taste a lot like ice cream. Great for a quick, cool snack.

 

--A half-piece of bread with peanut butter and a teaspoon of all-fruit jelly

 

--A square or two of dark chocolate

 

--homemade oatmeal cookies (with half of the butter replaced with no-sugar applesauce). Homemade cookies of any type can be modified to cut the calories down, by cutting back on sugar and replacing some or most of the butter or oil with applesauce.

 

--no-sugar Jello gelatin and puddings. Now these have Splenda in them, so if you have a thing about artificial sweeteners, these aren't for you. I do try to avoid artificial sweeteners, but even I have to make an exceptioon. I have to have my desserts. These no-sugar jellos and puddings aren't only good by themselves, but if you go to http://www.jello.com, you can find a bunch of recipes for desserts that have very few calories if you use the no-sugar versions of these, as well as low-fat cream cheeses and whipped toppings, where required. (My favorite is the lemon cheesecake) Better yet, many of them take only 15 minutes or so to prepare.

 

--Frozen all-fruit popsicles by Edy's or Breyer's (Dreyer's in some parts). Taste great, only 30 or so calories.

 

--baked apple. Core and peel an apple, and fill the middle with some brown sugar and pecans. Bake until soft.

 

--Slice up some peaches and add just a sprinkle of sugar, and then microwave until warm

 

--low fat ice creams pretty much stay under 150 calories for a half-cup serving. I often fill a bowl with fruit and then just put a spoonful of low-fat ice cream on top.

 

--take a tortilla, and spread with a teaspoon of peanut butter. Put a few slices of apple and a drizzle of honey in it, then roll it up for a sweet snack.

 

Those are a few of the options I use to cope! I'm a big dessert fan, too, so I had to come up with some low-calorie-yet-satisfying options to allow me to eat dessert and still lose some weight. Of course, once or twice a month I got to a restaurant and order a salad for my entree--then I order my favorite, full-fat, all-the-calories dessert off the menu and I enjoy every bite.

[Miffy]

Wow, thank you so much for those suggestions.

 

I thought I might have got 'fruit and yoghurt' when I read my original post starter but you obviously understood exactly what I was asking.

 

The baked apples sound great, I am definitely going to try - as do the peaches in the microwave, not thought of doing that.

 

Not a fan of artifical sweetners, they all seem to have that yeuch aftertaste, even the ones I have tried that market themselves as not having but your suggestions will certainly help those who do.

 

Thanks

[sophia34]

It sounds like you and I are both dessert hounds! When I started this whole healthy eating thing, I knew I'd have to have lots of dessert options, so these are the ones I've come up with so far.

 

I also don't like the artificial sweeteners--the drinks flavored with Splenda are way too sickeningly sweet. But even full-sugar Jello might be an option, because it's not that many calories. Jello mixed with a low-fat whipped cream or a low-fat pudding (made with skim or 2% milk) and some fruit might give you a great lo-cal option with real sugar--probably at around 100 to 150 calories.

 

Good luck!

[JS17]

I can't believe this post came up because just before the weekend in my own quest for why I'm having trouble with my weight all of a sudden I came across this book Potatoes Not Prozac and it is amazing. It explains so many things. I haven't finished the book or tried to change my eating habits yet but basically it talks about people who are sugar sensitive. If this is all true it could change things for so many of us. This was the description of the book on Amazon.

 

The same brain chemicals that are altered by antidepressant drugs are also affected by the foods we eat. According to addiction expert DesMaisons, many people, including those who are depressed, are "sugar sensitive." Eating sweets gives them a temporary emotional boost, which leads to a craving for still more sweets. The best way to keep these brain chemicals in the right balance and keep blood-sugar levels steady, she says, is through the dietary plan she describes in Potatoes Not Prozac. Her rules are fairly simple--eat three meals a day, eat proteins with every meal (especially those high in the amino acid tryptophan, which creates the calming neurotransmitter serotonin), and eat more complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and, yes, potatoes. Not only will this make you less depressed, DesMaisons says, but it will also keep you from craving too much of the foods you shouldn't eat, making it a self-regulating system.--

 

If you all are interested I'll post more when I finish the book

[sophia34]

I have tried, without success, to give up sugar entirely, because of the connection I've read about between sugar and all sorts of consequences to one's physical and mental health. I've made it two weeks without any sweets whatsoever (only by sweetening things like oatmeal and plain yogurt with mashed banana). Did I feel better? Yes, I can honestly say I did. The sugar cravings even left after a while.

 

BUT, I enjoy dessert. It's not so much an addiction as it is just a plain enjoyment. So I've always gravitated back to it. The best I can do, I've decided, is to just cut back where I can. But I definitely think I'd be better off if I could get off the stuff permanently!

 

That said, there's one more recipe I wanted to share. Might as well take as many people down the evil sugar path with me...I meant to add this dessert before and I forgot! This cheesecake is wonderful--you wouldn't mistake it for the real thing, but it's still absolutely creamy, chocolatey and delicious. And you wouldn't guess that it has tofu in it. This recipe is from the book Stealth Health. Once you have all the ingredients, it doesn't take long to make.

 

Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

 

8 chocolate wafer cookies, crushed (I use a blender, and add in some pecans)

1 cup nonfat cottage cheese

12 ounces low-fat firm tofu, silken

1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese (don't use fat-free) at room temp

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder or instant coffee (I don't include this because I don't like coffee)

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick vegetable spray. sprinkle the chocolate cookie crumbs evenly on the bottom of the pan.

 

In a food processor or blender, puree the cottage cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the tofu and pulse until the mixture is creamy. Add the cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, and flour. Pulse until blended. Add the egg whites and vanilla. Pulse just until blended (take care not to overmix the egg whites or the cheesecake is more likely to crack).

 

Transfer half the filling to a bowl. Stir in the cocoa, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, almond extract, and espresso powder until well combined.

 

Pour half of each batter mixture on top of the cookie crumb crust. Then repeat. (Pour in one all over, then the other, then the one, then the other). Using a small knife, gently swirl the two batters.

 

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate.

 

To serve, run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake. Release the springform pan's sides. Cut into wedges. Makes 8 servings.

 

Calories per serving: 207

Fat grams: 4.3

Fat calories: 19

Protein in grams: 12

Carbs in grams: 26

Cholesterol in milligrams: 12

[FloatOn]

I like nutri-grain and nature valley bars