Most people are into healthy eating in today’s time and age. We try to avoid foods that are harmful to our health and those that are rich in calories. The so called, healthy foods are not a preferred choice for many due to its bland taste and texture. We all know how important it is to eat healthy to stay fit, but there are those moments when you would want to cheat on your healthy diet and try out something smothered in chocolate or a pack of French fries.
Now, you don’t need to worry about eating tasteless healthy food, as there are a range of healthy food recipes out there that are good considering your need to stay healthy and eat healthy, but are tasty too. These healthy recipes are ideal for satisfying your sweet tooth and can be made at home.
1. Almond Butter Stuffed Dates
These almond butter stuffed dates will not only cater to your cravings for sweets, but also is an excellent comfort food. Almond butter stuffed dates are one of the most delicious things you would try.
Ingredients
- Dates
- Almond butter
- Cocoa powder for dusting
Preparation
Slice open dates and fill the insides with a generous amount of almond butter and dust with cocoa powder. Your healthy recipe for sweet tooth is ready in less than a minute.
2. Chili and Beetroot Brownies
It is often difficult to believe that you can have your chocolates without any guilt. This brownie is rich and packs the flavors and punch of a chocolate fountain. Try them out and you will be blown away.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of buckwheat flour around 200 gms
- 2 bananas 300 gms
- 1 small beetroot 80gms
- 12 tablespoon of maple syrup
- 8 tablespoon of raw cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 4 tablespoon of chia seeds soaked in 10 tablespoon of water for 10 minutes
- 2 tablespoon of chili flakes
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 390 degree F. Place the beetroot in a baking tray and place this into the oven. Allow the beetroot to cook for about an hour, until you are able to peel off the skin. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. Once it is cooled peel off the skin and put it into a food processor along with the other ingredients and blend it until smooth. If you wish to use any goji berries, cacao nibs or raisins, you need to add it now. Turn the oven down to 350 degree F. Ready a baking tray with coconut oil and then neatly spread the mixture. Bake this mix for about 20 minutes and its ready.
3. Baked Banana Cheesecake
Your craving for cheese will be satisfied with this amazingly delicious recipe. You may have your doubts about how tasty this one would be considering it is healthy. But, don’t be fooled by the name, you have to eat it to believe.
Ingredients
For Base
- 50 gms butter
- 75 gms finely crushed oatcakes
- 50 gms cream cracker
- 1 tbsp cocoa, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tbsp of finely chopped salted peanuts plus extra to scatter over
For Topping
- 2 small ripe bananas
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 x 250g tubs ricotta
- 200gm tub of Greek yoghurt
- 4 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon sugar free vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 200ml double cream
Preparation
Heat the oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a non-stick loose-based 22cm cake tin. Melt the butter in a pan and to this add in crackers, chopped peanuts, cocoa and oatcakes until well coated. Press into the base of the tin until it forms a firm layer and then allow it to bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the heat to 420 degree F.
To make a topping, mash the bananas with lemon juice in a large bowl. Beat the ricotta, eggs, yoghurt, vanilla and corn flour until everything is mixed well. Pour this onto the biscuit base and bake it for 10 minutes and then bring down the temperature of the oven to 230 degree F and cook for an additional 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool inside. When cold chill it for 3-4 hours.
4. Healthy Nutella
Nutella is a popular comfort food that is rich in calories, but with the healthy Nutella you can spread this chocolate snack without any guilt. Leave alone the calories this healthy Nutella tastes good too.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of hazelnuts
- ½ cup of water
- ½ cup of maple syrup
- 3 tablespoon of raw cocoa powder
Preparation
Bake the hazelnuts at 350 degree F for about ten minutes. Once done take them out of the oven and allow it to cool. Once cooled place it in a food processor and blend for about 10 minutes. They should be crushed finely, once done add the maple syrup, cocoa powder and blend again before you pour water gradually.
5. Indoor S’Mores
S’Mores is often looked down, but whatever maybe the reason, they can be enjoyed anytime anywhere. They are little less of a guilty pleasure.
Ingredients
- 2 Whole Graham crackers broken in half
- 4 marshmallows
- 2 tablespoon of melted chocolate chips
Preparation
Place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler. Place the graham cracker halves on a baking sheet and place a marshmallow on top of each. Broil with the oven door ajar and watch the process carefully until the marshmallows turn golden brown. This would take 45to75 seconds. Remove from the oven and drizzle each S’Mores with little melted chocolate.
6. Chocó-Nut Popcorn
Popcorn is a favorite snack while watching a movie or a game, but they are high on calories. The Chocó-nut popcorn healthy recipes are a good choice for a guilt-free snack.
Ingredients
- 1 bag of natural popcorn
- 2 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
- Cocoa powder for dusting
Preparation
Heat up a bag of natural popcorn and top it with melted peanut butter and sprinkle with cocoa powder. If you prefer something sweeter, then replace the peanut butter with healthy Nutella.
7. Cinnamon Toast
This toast is so rich in flavors and sweetness from cinnamon that you will want to eat this often.
Ingredients
- 1 slice of bread
- ½ teaspoon of butter
- ¼ teaspoon of sugar
- Cinnamon (if you want more than 1 slice multiply the ingredients)
Preparation
Pop a slice of bread into a toaster and when hot spread ½ teaspoon of butter or a butter substitute and ¼ teaspoon of sugar. Now add cinnamon according to your taste and liking.
8. Blueberry Frozen Yoghurt
Craving for some frozen stuff? Then you need to seriously consider the blueberry frozen yoghurt recipe. It is sweet and creamy, a perfect solution for your cravings.
Ingredients
- 3 cups of fresh blueberries or 1lb frozen blueberries
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice of one lemon
- ¾ -1 cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1.5 cups Greek Yoghurt
- ½ cup whole milk
Preparation
Place the blueberries, sugar, salt, cinnamon and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Heat this on medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. While the mixture is on heat, mash the blueberries. When you see that all the sugar has dissolved, take it out and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Pour this into a food processor and pulse a few times and then pour again into the saucepan. Fill a large glass bowl with ice water and place the pan inside it. Add in milk and yoghurt and stir until it is completely mixed. Allow this mix to chill. Now, pour the yoghurt mixture into your ice cream maker and process according to the instruction from the manufacturer.
9. Hot Chocolate
Why not replace regular milk for soy milk or almond milk when you feel like drinking a hot chocolate. They have fewer calories and tastes equally good.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 to 2 tablespoon sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup of almond or soy milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Mix in cocoa, salt, sugar and 2 tablespoon of milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until cocoa and sugar are dissolved. Whisk in the rest of the milk and heat it over medium heat, stirring it occasionally until hot. Add in vanilla extract and serve.
10. Frozen Grapes
This is the mother of all sweet and frozen; freezer grapes are easy to make and has many other uses too.
Ingredients
- Grapes on the vine
Preparation
Freeze the grapes by washing and de-stemming by placing it on a baking paper. Place the grapes along with baking paper into the freezer. Once they are frozen they can be transferred into a Ziploc pouch. Add a handful in a bowl of yoghurt for a quick sorbet. Mix it with anything or eat solo as you wish.
11. Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pretzels
These lovely looking pretzels are treat to eat and take less than a minute to make.
Ingredients
- Chocolate of your preference
- 1 teaspoon of peanut butter
- 10 pretzels
Preparation
Heat the chocolate and peanut butter in microwave for about 30 seconds. Now, dip in the pretzels and enjoy your treat. You can even consider freezing the dipped pretzels in the refrigerator for a different taste.
12.Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Chocolate and strawberries are a beautiful combination that tastes delicious. Cover the strawberries with chocolate as a shell and make it a healthy treat and satisfy your sweet tooth. These chocolate dipped strawberries will give you a chocolate rush and of course with the benefits of the fruit.
Ingredients
- A punnet of strawberries or any fruit of your choice
- 1 small bar of dark chocolate
Preparation
Melt the chocolate to liquid and dip the fruit into the warm liquid chocolate. Keep it in the refrigerator for an hour to harden and then enjoy.
13. Dark Chocolate
Chocolates come in many different shapes, sizes and varieties. Choose a dark chocolate that is 70 percent cocoa to enjoy the benefits of chocolate. It will satisfy your cravings for chocolate without harming your diet. The dark chocolates come in many different flavors if you want a change in taste.
14. Nutella Yoghurt Dip
Not satisfied with chocolates, then try out this different variety of chocolate Nutella; the Nutella yoghurt dip. It is extremely chocolaty and turns out good too.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yoghurt
- ½ cup Nutella
Preparation
Mix the yoghurt and Nutella together in a mixing bowl. Whisk until they are combined well. Refrigerate until ready to use and serve it with fresh cut fruit.
15. Coconut Macaroons
Try out these amazing and delicious looking coconut macaroons to satisfy your sweet tooth without any guilt.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut butter
- 1.5 cup dried sugar free coconut flakes
- 5 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 dash sea salt
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Take a saucepan and over low heat melt coconut butter, add the remaining ingredients and stir until they are combined well. They should be able to stick together. Make tablespoon sized macaroons without packing them too hard. Place it on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the outsides are brown slightly.
16. Trail Mix with Dark Chocolate
Nuts are always proven to be healthy when eaten in moderation. A small serving of almonds, pistachios, cranberries, cherries and some chewy pieces of dried fruits when combined with dark chocolate makes for a healthy and low calorie snack mix that is rich in nutrition.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of mixed dried fruits
- 1 2/3 cups of dark chocolate morsels
- 1 ½ cup of mixed nuts like almonds, walnut, pecans, cashews and pistachios
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
Preparation
Combine all the fruits and nuts along with chocolate morsels in a large zip lock bag. Store the bag in a cool and dry place for up to 2 weeks. Your trial mix nut with dark chocolate is ready.
17. Cereal and Milk
This recipe can be made healthy or unhealthy; all depends on the ingredients that will go into this recipe. Go for the high-fiber whole grain cereal and you have a healthy cereal.
Ingredients
- Whole grain cereal
- Honey or cinnamon
- Low-fat milk
Preparation
This is a simple and easy to make recipe. Just mix the cereals, honey and milk in a bowl and your healthy whole grain cereal and milk is ready that not only satisfies your hunger, but is healthy too. Top it up with fruits of your choice.
18. Banana Ice-cream
This is a one-ingredient ice cream that is an ideal after dinner dessert. If you want to experiment, you can add in peanut butter swirl or a few teaspoons of cocoa powder to give it a chocolaty flavor. The mystery ingredient in this ice cream is banana and the fat in the bananas acts as a magic trick when it is frozen. They turn creamy with a texture of an ice cream.
Ingredients
- Bananas
Preparation
Peel the bananas first and cut them into small pieces. Freeze these on a plate for 1-2 hours. Once frozen, blend them in a blender and scrap it into a bowl and your banana ice cream is ready. This ice cream has a feel of a softy.
19. Baked Apple
If it is apple season, then you should think of making a baked apple recipe. These cinnamon coated baked apples are perfectly caramelized and almost instantly melt in your mouth. The recipe is quite simple and easy to make. This is gluten free plant based dessert that you can enjoy anytime.
Ingredients
- 6-7 apples (2 tart apples like granny smith, 4 sweet like honey crisp)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar or organic cane sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 3 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 3 tbsp fresh apple juice or water
- 1 pinch sea salt
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degree f and set out a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Peel and core the apples, quarter and use a paring knife to slice lengthwise. Thinner the better and make sure all are of same size. Add a baking dish and top it with lemon juice, coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cornstarch, apple juice or water, and salt. Toss this to combine well. Cover it loosely with foil. Bake this for 45 minutes covered. Then carefully remove the foil and bake for more 10-15 minutes or until the apples are tender and caramelized. Enjoy as it is or with whipped cream. You can store this in the refrigerator for a month.
20. Animal Crackers
A handful of animal crackers are an ideal snack for kids for sure, but even you can have these about 16 crackers as a nice snack on cheat days. They contain only 120 calories and 7gms of sugar.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup softened butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tsp flavor of your choice
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oats flour or finely ground oats
Preparation
Combine together honey, butter, salt, soda, sugar, and flavor until combined well. Add in flour and oat flour and mix well. Divide the dough into halves and flatten each half slightly to make a disk and then wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for an hour. Preheat the oven for 350 degree F. Grease a few baking sheets. Take a piece of dough from the fridge and turn it out onto the floured surface. Roll the dough into ¼” thickness. Dip animal cookie cutters on the dough and cut out the shapes. Transfer these cut shapes onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake these cookies for 8-10 minutes until they are browned. Remove and allow it to cool for several minutes. Transfer these cookies on parchment to rack to cool well. Repeat for the other dough’s. The above ingredients will yield 5 dozen animal crackers.