Dessert Recipes That Are A *Little* Less Unhealthy

INDEX OF DESSERT RECIPES:

Just to be clear, as I've said before, you really shouldn't have sugar / sweet desserts all that much. I admire those who have kicked the sugar habit completely - I'm totally convinced that their bodies are much healthier, and will be for much longer, than someone like me who indulges now and then. But I have found some ways to at least make the following recipes a little less unhealthy...

1. Chocolate or Lemon Torte - there are many delicious variations to this recipe.
2. Healthy Dessert? Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sonia - Soft, Delicious, and Even a Little Healthy! - but only a little, as you'll read more about in the comments here.
3. Lemon Blueberry Pie - my favorite dessert of the summer!
4. Crystal's Healthy Chocolate Mousse Recipe - when you see the ingredients you won't expect this to be as dreamy as it is.
5. Healthy Popsicle Alternatives - thankfully, many of you commented to tell us about the healthy options out there.
6. Sonia's Organic Strawberry Bruschetta - Mmmm, nothing better in the middle of strawberry season.
7. Organic Homemade Chocolate Brownies Recipe - no more need for the boxed brownies full of trans fats.
8. Organic Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - I stumbled upon this recipe by accident.

Many more topics & recipes along the right in the blue section

photo by lookslikeamy

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Information found on the Kelly the Kitchen Kop site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright as marked.
© Kelly the Kitchen Kop. All rights reserved.

Healthy Dessert? Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sonia - Soft, Delicious, and Even a Little Healthy!

Sonia came over recently and asked me to try these Zucchini chocolate chip cookies she made. She got the recipe from the book she just read (and loved):

They were soft and sooooo tasty - I could've eaten no more than 15 at once.

"Healthy" Desserts?

Don't we wish! I can't go that far and say these are "healthy", they have sugar in them after all, and that stuff is bad news. (Read more about that in the comments section at the My Dark Secrets post.) But a little now and then, if the rest of your diet is pretty healthy and if you don't have diabetes (or pre-diabetes), should be OK. (However, read a much more knowledgeable bit of info about this topic of healthy treats in the comments below from Anna!)

Having said that, still, these are healthier than most treats you could have. Just that they're homemade is a huge jump from store-bought. And the zucchini...that's obviously healthier. Then you make them with butter and eggs and part whole grain flour, and this recipe even calls for honey for most of the sweetener - yes, much better than a lot of goodies you and your kids could be eating!! (Most cookies in the store have trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, refined/highly processed white flour, preservatives, artificial colors, etc.)

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Combine in large bowl:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2/3 c. honey (raw and local is best)
• 2 t. vanilla

Combine in medium bowl:

• 2 c. white flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
• 2 c. whole wheat flour (pastry flour)
• 1 t. baking soda (I use aluminum-free)
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. nutmeg

Blend dry ingredients with wet. Add:

• 2 c. finely shredded zucchini (local and organic is best)
• 12 oz. chocolate chips

Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes. (Mine were ready in about 9 minutes.)

Note: my comments in the recipe above are italicized.

Let me know what you think!

In the mood for more chocolate? Try this organic hot fudge sauce recipe.

Maybe I should tell you about my dark secrets...

If trying to figure out how to feed your family healthier meals stresses you out, just start slowly with these Rookie Tips.

(Many more topics & recipes along the right in the blue section!)

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Information found on the Kelly the Kitchen Kop site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright as marked.
© Kelly the Kitchen Kop. All rights reserved.

Lemon Blueberry Pie

Sally Fallon says in Nourishing Traditionsabout piecrust: "This is the only recipe in which we compromise somewhat on our principles." In making this lemon blueberry pie I used a few different recipes to come up with my own, and it is also still a pretty big "compromise" treat. We should probably do like Shauna and her family do: make this a once-a-year summertime treat.

I've never been a big pie fan, but when Shauna mentioned her blueberry pie in a comment earlier this week, I had just gotten more farm market blueberries and had the craving. I'm excited that it came out so delicious. Kent loved it too, but I couldn't get him to say it was even better than his Mom's apple pie - she's a great cook and that is his all-time favorite. :)

photo by thebittenword.com

Lemon Blueberry Pie

• Add these ingredients to your food processor to make a double crust: 2 c. flour (I used 1 1/4 c. Bob's Red Mill unbleached flour & 3/4 c. spelt flour), 1 t. sea salt, 12 T. cold butter, 1/4 c. sugar (I used organic cane sugar.) Blend 'til mixed well, add 1 egg yolk and blend more. Add 4 T. cold water and blend until it forms a ball. If it feels dry, add a bit more water. If it feels too wet, add a bit more flour.


• Split dough in half and roll each out into a big circle onto a lightly floured countertop. Form one into the bottom of a pie plate, trim the sides, and bake for 15 minutes at 300*. Cool.


• Meanwhile get out a big bowl and stir these ingredients together: 1 c. sugar (I used the organic cane sugar again), 1/4 c. Bob's unbleached flour, 1t.+ finely graded lemon peel (actually, it was a whole lemon's peel, I like a lot of lemon flavor!), and a dash of salt. Add about 4 1/2 c. fresh blueberries and toss to coat. (One recipe I looked at said you could also use a 20oz. bag of frozen, but then increase flour to 1/3 c.)


• Once the bottom crust cools a little, spoon in the blueberry mixture.
• Squeeze about 1 t. lemon juice over the top. (Recipe called for 2 t., but the pie was a little runny, so I think 1 t. would be better.)


• Cut up 2 t. cold butter into little pieces and drop them around the top.


• Cover the pie with the other piecrust, pinch edges, trim sides, and make fun designs, whatever you'd like! (Mine never ends up real pretty and I end up patching pieces to cover holes...I never said I was a Martha!)


• Cover loosely with foil, bake at 375* for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.


• Let cool before cutting, if you can...

Now just make it and let me know what you think, or let me know how you make YOUR blueberry pie?

• I looooove this pasta salad recipe from my step-sister, Mary Jane
• Creamed soup alternatives
• Mom tips: healthy snack ideas

(Many more topics & recipes along the right in the blue section!)

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Information found on the Kelly the Kitchen Kop site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright as marked.
© Kelly the Kitchen Kop. All rights reserved.

Crystal's Healthy Chocolate Mousse Recipe

When Crystal gave me this recipe I was skeptical. The ingredients sounded too funky for it to turn out good, but I was feeling brave and hopeful. I'm glad I gave it a shot, it tastes like a rich chocolate pudding...well, just like a chocolate mousse, only this one is fairly healthy, especially with the avocados! (My teenager didn't like it, but the other kids and I loved it!)

Crystal's Chocolate Mousse

photo by rexipe

• 1/2 c. pitted, soft dates
• 3-4 T. maple syrup (I did more like 6-7 T. until the taste was how I wanted it)
• 1 T. coconut oil
• 1 1/2 T. vanilla (I did more like 1 t.)
• 2 1/2 c. mashed avocado (about 3 large)
• 3/4 c. carob powder
• 4-6 T. cocoa powder (I didn't have carob powder and used all cocoa powder, also Crystal says she doesn't like the after taste of the carob so she uses less of that and more of the cocoa, too.)

Soak the dates in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain the water and blend together with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. (Add carob/cocoa last.) This keeps for several days in the fridge. Crystal spoons a little over fresh fruit, or suggested that it would make a great healthy frosting. The kids and I just ate spoonful after spoonful of it plain. It is so creamy and full of my beloved chocolate! Makes a big soup bowl full.

• Want another chocolate recipe? Try these organic chocolate brownies
• Does fat make you fat?
• Do you have a family favorite meals list yet?
• What's the big deal with high fructose corn syrup?

(Many more topics & recipes along the right in the blue section!)

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Information found on the Kelly the Kitchen Kop site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright as marked.
© Kelly the Kitchen Kop. All rights reserved.

Danger of Artificial Coloring in Foods / Healthy Popsicle Alternatives - Health & Nutrition News

With all the bright colored fruits and veggies packed with nutrition that God created, it's good that our eyes are attracted to those enticing colors. But as always, food manufacturers know how to use that to draw our eyes (and especially our kid's eyes), to processed/junk foods full of chemicals used in artificial colorings. Read the news story below on the danger of artificial colorings in food. Just the thought of how bad they must be for us, whether or not it's "proven", is disappointing: I really don't need one MORE thing to make sure I'm not buying!

Artificial colorings (and flavorings) are in so many products

Whether it's wine coolers for myself (thankfully there are alternatives), the many other processed foods you see at the store (we should be avoiding those anyway), or especially now that summer is here, those "freezer pops" that the kids love (full of artificial flavorings and colorings) - I just don't want to risk it.

photo by Reenie-Just Reenie

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES?

But the freezer pops are something easy and cheap to give the kids when they come in with their friends, all hot and bugging you for a treat - does anyone have ideas for inexpensive, easy alternatives to freezer pops? One idea is the popsicles I make from our leftover smoothies. The kids love these, and I do too because they're packed with nutrition, and they're also very easy. But it's not something I can just hand out to all the neighbor kids, in case their parents aren't aware of the health benefits of raw dairy. It's sad, but something I need to be careful about - many people are still misinformed on the safety of raw dairy, and I have to respect where they're at.

More ideas:

You could also use the same popsicle makers I use for smoothies (I found inexpensive Tupperware popsicle makers on e-bay) and make popsicles out of extra Kombucha (especially for the times it turns out really sweet) or with extra fermented lemonade! By the way, yes, I know these popsicle makers are made out of plastic, but foods frozen in plastic don't worry me as much as hot foods do.

NOTE: See the great comments below full of ideas!

Let me know if you have more ideas for easy summer treats for the kids! (Check out more snack ideas below, too.)

***Here's the news story: Consumer Group Asks FDA to Ban Artificial Coloring in Foods

Need more healthy snack ideas?

Here are some healthy & delicious salad recipes for summer

Adapting recipes to make them healthier

Read more on the dangers of artificial food colorings

(Many more topics & recipes along the right in the blue section!)

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Information found on the Kelly the Kitchen Kop site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright as marked.
© Kelly the Kitchen Kop. All rights reserved.

Organic Strawberry Bruschetta - Sonia's Recipe

I promised to get you Sonia's Strawberry Bruschetta recipe, so here you go!

Organic Strawberry Bruschetta (recipe originally from Cuisine at Home)

• 2 T. organic evaporated cane sugar


• 1/2 t. ground organic cinnamon


• 2 small ciabatta rolls (Organic ciabatta is available), split, buttered, and halved diagonally


• 1 c. fresh, local strawberries, hulled and diced
  
• 2 T. evaporated cane sugar (more or less to taste)
  
• 1 T. chopped fresh, organic basil


• Juice of 1/2 lemon


• 1/4 c. organic sour cream
  
• 2 T. organic plain yogurt
  
• 2 t. honey (local is best)


• 1/4 t. organic vanilla, not from Mexico (see info below from Sonia about vanilla)

photo by Clairity
Preheat broiler to high with rack 6" from heating element. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a dish. Sprinkle mixture (probably not all) on buttered bread, then broil on baking sheet until toasted - 2-3 minutes.

Toss strawberries with sugar, basil, and lemon juice. Stir sour cream, yogurt, honey, and vanilla together in a separate bowl.

To assemble: spoon 2 T. berries with juice on each piece of toast. Dollop with 1 t. of sour cream.

VANILLA INFORMATION FROM SONIA:

She found an interesting link for making your own vanilla: http://www.blackpearlbotanicals.com/vanextract.htm

She also did more vanilla research and found that there is Mexican vanilla sold as FDA approved, so consumers know it does not contain coumarin. "I had a hard time finding dates on a lot of the sites I looked for information; hard to tell just how current the info is. I think it's best to encourage people to be sure they are buying pure vanilla extract and to be wary of where the vanilla originates."

RELATED POSTS/LINKS: (Many more topics & recipes along the right in the blue section!)

• Sonia's guest interview


• Should you take cholesterol medicines?


• Do artificial sweeteners cause weight gain?


• Organic homemade chocolate brownies

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Organic Homemade Chocolate Brownies Recipe

For years I didn't have any luck with homemade organic chocolate brownie recipes, they always came out hard and I had to resort to the nasty boxed mixes that still have trans fats, until I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. These are so soft and yummy! But I've adapted and tweaked it a little. Note: these are more of a cake-like brownie, but very moist and dreamy.

ORGANIC CREAM CHEESE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Ingredients:

(Use as many organic ingredients as you can find and are willing to pay extra for, I'll make note below of where I do and do not use organic.)

photo by swruler9284

• 4 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate (I didn't have that on hand so instead used 4+ ounces of chocolate chips) - I don't use organic chocolate
• 5 T. butter - I use organic
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened - I don't use organic cream cheese, unless I make it myself with our fresh/"raw" milk (it's SO easy to make, by the way)
• 1/4 c. sugar - I use organic evaporated cane juice sugar (curious about Agave Nectar?)
• 3 eggs - preferably from a local farm with pasture-fed chickens
• 1 T. all-purpose flour - I use half organic whole wheat pastry flour (which I grind in my grain mill) and half Bob's Red Mill unbleached, unbromated white flour
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract - I use organic
• 3/4 c. sugar (see note above)
• 1/2 t. baking powder - I use the kind without aluminum
• 1/4 t. sea salt
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (see note above)
• 1/2 c. chopped crispy pecans (optional)
• 1 t. vanilla extract (see note above)

1. Melt chocolate with 3 T. of the butter over very low heat. Stir constantly until smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. Cream remaining 2 T. butter with cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add 1/4 c. sugar. Cream until light and fluffy. Blend into this 1 of the eggs, 1 T. flour and 1/2 t. vanilla. Set aside.
3. Now beat the remaining 2 eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually beat into them 3/4 c. sugar. Continue beating until thickened. Stir in the baking powder, salt and 1/2 c. flour. Add to this the cooled chocolate mixture. Blend well. Stir in the nuts and 1 t. vanilla.
4. Spread half of the chocolate batter into an 8x8" buttered glass baking dish. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top. Then drop the remaining chocolate batter by tablespoons over the top of the cream cheese mixture. Swirl through batter layers with a spatula or knife for a marbled effect.
5. Bake in a preheated 350* F (175* C) oven for 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan. Cut into squares or bars.
6. Being the chocoholic I am, I then sprinkle more chocolate chips on the top after the brownies come out of the oven - they melt into a yummy frosting.
7. A few notes since I just made this again: I doubled the recipe for a 9x13, and it took about 45 minutes, but oven temps can vary, so keep an eye on it. (I pulled it out when it was soft on top and felt almost set, but not too firm - I don't like them too done.) Lastly, the chocolate color is lighter than in the picture above, so don't worry if yours don't look just like that! (It has that swirled look to it, though.)

Let me know how they turn out for you!

RELATED POSTS/LINKS:

• Want to O.D. on chocolate? Here's another great chocolate recipe for organic chocolate hot fudge sauce...I'm feeling a craving coming on...
• Lest you think I'm a big fake, I'd better add a healthy link here - try these yummy, healthy salads
• Have you heard of Weston A. Price?
• My 7 favorite Kitchen Gadgets
• Coconut oil benefits for dieting and more, which I'll really need after all that chocolate

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© Kelly the Kitchen Kop. All rights reserved.

Organic Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe

If you're like me, you've struggled finding a good hot fudge sauce for ice cream. Yes, I know, we shouldn't be eating much of it anyway since it's full of sugar. We don't have it a LOT, but it's a fun treat sometimes. Most at the store have high fructose corn syrup - Sanders brand is the only one I could find without it, but this recipe is much more dreamy-licious, so I was thrilled to have come up with one that tasted so good!

I've had homemade hot fudge before, but any recipes I've ever seen are made with corn syrup. I came up with this recipe totally by accident when I was making organic brownies that start with this chocolate base - I always have to taste-test, it's why I love to cook! We all know that sugar isn't good for us, but the nice thing about this recipe is that it's made with natural sugars that are at least a little better than more refined sugars.

KELLY'S HOMEMADE ORGANIC HOT FUDGE SAUCE

• In medium saucepan, melt 1 c. organic butter
• Stir in 1/3 c. + 2 T. of organic cocoa powder, 1/2 c. organic cane sugar & 1/2 organic raw honey (preferably local)
• Heat slowly and keep stirring until all sugars dissolve, boil gently for a few minutes (without letting it burn), this way it will thicken as it cools
• UPDATE: I just made it again and added a few shakes of sea salt and 1/2 t. of vanilla and I liked it even better
• Now, good luck with your self-control!

Remember to either make your own ice cream (fun once in a while), or be sure to buy better quality ice cream, like Breyers. Important note: we only get plain chocolate, strawberry or vanilla - these have nice short ingredient labels. Anything else is full of ingredients I can't pronounce and I don't know what most of them are.

Here is the link for the ice cream maker Sonia recommends in the comments below:


As long as we're at it, I may as well explain how to make real whipped cream, just in case you don't know. (I didn't know how until a couple years ago.) It's very easy. Just remember, do not use ultra-pasteurized anything, including cream, this post about healthy milk explains why. Even better is using cream from the top of your raw milk.

REAL WHIPPED CREAM

Note: two cups of cream make about the amount in one Cool Whip tub, but this is SO much healthier and tastier than using the fake whipped cream full of nasty ingredients.

Pour your cream into a glass bowl. Set that bowl inside another bowl filled with ice. Use your stick blender in your cream until it thickens (5-10 minutes). That's it! I add some powdered sugar and vanilla to get the desired taste. (OK, sometimes I like a lot...I told you I had a nasty sweet tooth when I admitted my dark secrets!)

RELATED POSTS/LINKS:

• Is unpasteurized, raw milk SAFE to drink?
• Have you heard of Weston A. Price?
• Cod liver oil - answers to common questions

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Information found on the Kelly the Kitchen Kop site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. It should not be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or courses of treatment. Individual articles and information on other websites are based upon the opinions of the respective authors, who retain copyright as marked.
© Kelly the Kitchen Kop. All rights reserved.