Following a healthy low calorie diet of 1200 to 1500 calories leaves little room for anything other than nutritious food. Sometimes I want more! Nothing less than a luscious satisfying dessert or treat will do. So I occasionally splurge on a high calorie less than healthy dessert and then devote some extra time to burning calories to keep the whole thing from being a complete train wreck and derailing me from my weight loss or maintenance efforts!
Clearly that strategy doesn’t work on a regular basis. So what other options are there? There is a way to indulge in a small portion of a tasty low cal treat or dessert AND get the nutrients your body needs at the same time.
Today I’m sharing a couple of the recipes I turn to for great taste and satisfaction as well as a few others I’ve discovered online that I have yet to try. Check them out! I think you’ll find one or more that you can add to your repertoire of tasty treats that won’t wreck your healthy diet. Most are quick and easy to prepare.
The first recipe I’ve included is for a simple fruit cobbler that calls for adding whipped cream as a topping. Given that whipped cream can quickly rack up the calories in a dessert along with unhealthy saturated fat, I have a suggestion for something else. I’ve discovered that there’s a far better choice than either whipped cream (made from real cream) or the manufactured Cool Whip.
Whether you are making whipped cream at home or you’ve purchased whipped cream in a pressurized can the end result is about the same for calories and nutrients. Cool Whip might seem like a better choice but I beg to differ. Here are the facts so you can decide for yourself:
Cool Whip (per cup):
120 calories
0 grams protein
0 grams total fat (0 grams saturated fat)
0 cholesterol
3 grams carbohydrate (1 grams sugar)
If you only read the Nutrition Facts label, Cool Whip looks pretty good. But hold on. Let’s see what the Ingredients tell us.
Cool Whip Ingredients (Kraft):
WATER, CORN SYRUP, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND PALM KERNEL OILS), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE (FROM MILK), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN AND GUAR GUMS, POLYSORBATE 60, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, BETA CAROTENE (COLOR).
Yuck! (In my humble opinion)
I couldn’t actually find the nutrient breakdown for a cup so I had to extrapolate from the nutrient values for 2 tablespoons. Clearly there is some fat including trans fat in this product because of the hydrogenated vegetable oil listed. Evidently there must be less than .5 grams in 2 tablespoons for the company to be able to list 0 grams of fat. Had the values been provided for one cup, I would imagine it would be a different story…
So how does whipped cream (made from real cream) fare?
Whipped Cream, cream topping, pressurized (per cup):
154 calories
~2 grams protein
13.3 grams total fat (8.3 grams saturated fat)
46 mg cholesterol
7.5 grams carbohydrates (4.8 grams sugar)
That’s a lot of fat and not of a kind most of us should be eating (8.3 grams of saturated fat per cup!).
My suggestion for a healthy low cal substitute is greek yogurt.
Greek yogurt:
5.3 oz container (just shy of 1 cup by a tablespoon or two):
80 calories
15 grams protein
0 grams total fat (0 grams saturated fat)
0 cholesterol
6 grams carbohydrates (6 grams sugar probably all from the milk sugar lactose)
Add two teaspoons of sugar to the container of greek yogurt and mix well to make a very passable whipped cream. Each teaspoon of sugar adds about 15 calories so this makes a total of 110 per cup.
Still a little too tangy? If two teaspoons aren’t enough for you, 3 should do it (for a total of 1 tablespoon). That’s still only 125 total calories per cup. Who eats a cup of whipped cream anyway? Two to three tablespoons of whipped cream are probably plenty to add to your dessert treat.
I understand 2% Greek yogurt is even better tasting than the nonfat yogurt but I have not yet had a chance to try it. The 2% would of course have more calories but might not need the addition of sugar. I don’t know. I’ll let you know when I’ve had a chance to try it.
3-Minute Fruit Cobbler
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
4 Vanilla Wafers
½ cup Blueberries (or other berry)
2 Tbsp. Whipped Cream Substitute
1. Make whipped cream substitute. Add two teaspoons to a 5.3 oz container of nonfat greek yogurt. The sweetness added to the thick and creamy yogurt gives it a taste like whipped cream. If it’s not sweet enough for you add another teaspoon of sugar (only 15 calories per tsp. of sugar).
2. Now add the 4 cookies to a small microwave oven safe dish. Top with fresh blueberries. Microwave on medium high for a couple of minutes or so. Then top with a dollop or two of the Greek yogurt mix.
(130 calories per serving)
Prefer to have more of a pie taste? How about substituting the vanilla wafer cookies with Whole Wheat Honey Graham Crackers by Mi-Del.
[Regular Graham Crackers, Honey or Plain: 1 large rectangular piece or 2 squares (14 grams) has about 59 calories with 0 grams dietary fiber.
Mi-Del Whole Wheat Honey Grahams have about the same number of calories as regular graham crackers but with 1-2 grams dietary fiber. (140 calories for 38 grams or 4 crackers. This would be the equivalent of 52 calories for a 14-gram portion)]
This recipe from The World’s Healthiest Foods website calls for combining a little honey with lemon zest, lemon juice, and low-fat yogurt to make a tangy sauce served over orange sections. Fast, easy, low cal and nutritious. Bet it tastes good too!
(82 calories per serving)
10 Minute Fresh Berry Dessert with Yogurt and Chocolate
The picture says it all. Doesn’t it look good? This recipe can be found at The World’s Healthiest Foods Website.
(The calorie count is not provided, however, you can keep it to a reasonable number by going easy on the chocolate!)
O.K. I admit, this recipe posted on Health.com calls for using a “measures-like-sugar” calorie-free sweetener such as Splenda (I’m not a fan of sugar substitutes). However, It DOES look very tempting and for only 58 calories I may just have to give it a try!
(58 calories per ½ cup)
Creamy Chocolate Banana Bake
This one is easy to prepare and makes a very satisfying treat!
Makes one serving.
Ingredients:
1 small banana
1 small square of dark chocolate (50 calories or less)
Start with a SMALL banana (to keep the calorie count down). Leave the peel on. Cut open the banana lengthwise with one long slice through the outer peel and the banana inside but not all the way through. Keep the peeling on. Break the dark chocolate square into a few small pieces. Wedge the chocolate pieces inside the sliced spot. Now close the banana back up and wrap in tin foil. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes or so, just long enough to warm the banana and melt the chocolate.
Remove from the oven. Open up the foil and voila! You now have a creamy chocolaty treat or dessert for only 150 calories or so. Very satisfying!
How about sharing one or more of your easy, healthy, yet tasty low cal treats? Go ahead and share in the comment box. The hundreds of readers who visit this site each day would love to have more ideas. Thanks!
Till next time watch those calories!
