Our October cooking class theme was Delicious Desserts! Desserts are great because…. WAIT, I DON’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN THAT TO YOU!
Of course, desserts are great because they taste amazing! Our recipes in this class were centered around great tasting desserts that also provide a nutrient boost.
Basics of “healthy” desserts:
- Remember that it’s perfectly healthy to include desserts and added sugars into your diet!
- You can incorporate fruits and vegetables into delicious desserts!
- No foods are inherently “good” or “bad”, so if you want that brownie or cookie, go for it. Pay attention to your fullness cue and how it makes you feel.
- Use dessert as an opportunity to improve your nutrition and get in some extra vitamins and minerals! Adding fruit or vegetables to your favorite desserts can be a great way to elevate the nutritional content of the foods you already enjoy eating.
- Some examples are putting some cut up bananas or berries as a base under your ice cream, cooking fruit in pies and cobblers, and adding fruit to cakes and muffins are all great ways to add a little extra produce into your diet.
- The great thing about fruit is that it’s naturally sweet, so you often don’t need to use as much added sugar in desserts that include fruit.
- Fall is a great time as there are so many apples, pears, and berries everywhere for making desserts with! Even pumpkins and squash can be made into desserts! Pumpkin soufflé anyone?
COOKING CLASS RECORDING
Here’s the recording of the class.
For both of the recipes, myself and Intern Courtney share our ideas on how to alter the recipes for your preferences and how to use a variety of cooking methods depending on what works best for you.
Click the links below for all the details and for printer friendly versions of the recipes.
RECIPES
WHOLE GRAIN APPLE CRISP
This one was new for me. I really like the flavor combos and the fact that it’s all cooked in one pot means that there’s fewer dishes to clean. It will be great the next day too. Find the recipe here. Yum!
CHOCOLATE PUDDING
We have two options for this, both great as a dip with fruit or graham crackers!
- Chocolate pudding with avocado. This version will provide more fiber, and mono-unsaturated (heart healthy) fats. It’s very smooth and creamy.
- Chocolate pudding with tofu . This version would be less fat and would be a good source of protein. It is a little less of a full texture since there is less fat. Great way to use up an avocado that will go bad in a day or 2.
We hope you enjoy!
-Julie & Intern Courtney
PS – You don’t want to miss out on any of my other programs coming up! Check out this page for the list of upcoming webinars and cooking classes, and links to register.
