Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Pudding is a popular grab-and-go item if you want a snack or a dessert. However, if you frequently buy pudding at a supermarket or grocery store, what you will see in the ingredients list will shock you: vegetable oils, chemical compounds and artificial flavoring are just some of the harmful and unhealthy ingredients in store-bought pudding.

The good news is you can still enjoy pudding without exposing yourself to various health risks. Check out this Chocolate Avocado Pudding Recipe from Healthy Holistic Living. Not only does this recipe call for wholesome, all-natural ingredients, but every spoonful also provides you with a vital health boost.

Ingredients

• 3 large avocados, soft and ripe
• ¼ cup organic, high-qualitycacao powder
• 3 to 6 Tbsp. coconut milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp. raw honey

Procedure:

1. Combine avocado, cacao powder, coconut milk, vanilla, coconut oil and honey in blender. Blend on high for 1 minute or until smooth.
2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Lemon Cookies

A light, fluffy, low calorie lemon flavored cookie made with cream cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 6 tbsp. butter unsalted (room temperature)
• 4 oz cream cheese, reduced fat
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp. lemon zest

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat; set a side.
3. In a medium bowl add flour, whole wheat pastry flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder, mix until combined; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add lemon juice and lemon zest until combined. Add flour mixture just until incorporated. Note: The dough will be sticky.
5. Drop about a teaspoon size of batter on to prepared cookie sheets, abut 2" apart.
6. Bake in oven for 8 - 10 minutes until bottom of cookie lightly brown. Let the cookies rest on baking sheet for two minutes, then let them cool completely on a cooling rack.

Notes

Calories per cookie: 54, Fat: 2, Cholesterol: 9, Sodium: 51, Potassium: 6, Carbs: 8, Fiber: .04, Sugar: 4.4, Protein: 1

Skinny Mini Desserts – Banana Pudding

Ingredients

10 whole almonds
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Dash of Kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk, 1 or 2% is recommended, (optional canned lite coconut milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 bananas, thinly sliced
6 (4 ounce) dessert dishes

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees f. Roast almonds 12 minutes and allow to cool while preparing pudding. After cooled, mince almonds in a food processor or use a knife.

In a saucepan, combine cornstarch, salt and sugar. Add egg yolk to dry ingredients. Gradually stir in milk and continue stirring until well combined. Turn to medium heat and cook while stirring constantly. Continue cooking until a pudding like consistency.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. While still warm, alternate pudding with bananas in dessert dishes. Sprinkle minced almonds on top of pudding. Top with whipped topping if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Yields: 6
Serving Size: 3.2 ounces
Calories: 102
Total Fat: 2 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 37
Carbohydrates: 19 g
Sodium: 24 mg
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 14 g
Protein: 2 g

Skinny Meatloaf Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 pound (96%) extra lean ground beef or ground turkey, see shopping tips

1 slice whole wheat bread (I used Milton’s Multigrain bread)

1 cup onions, diced

2 egg whites

3 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon spicy brown or yellow mustard (not Dijon)

¼ teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

¼ cup ketchup

1 tablespoon spicy mustard or yellow mustard

2 teaspoon brown sugar

3 cups (1 pound) baking potatoes, peeled and cubed

⅓ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light

⅛ teaspoon salt

Black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a regular size (12-cup) muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. To make bread crumbs: remove crust, break up bread and add to a blender or food processor. Process until the bread turns into crumbs.

3. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, bread crumbs, onions, egg whites, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix together until well.

4. Using a ⅓ cup measuring cup, fill 9 muffin cups. In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Spread about 2½ teaspoons topping all over the top of each meatloaf cupcake. Bake for 40 minutes.

5. While the meatloaf is baking, make the mashed potatoes. Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain potatoes into a colander and place drained potatoes back in the pot. Mash potatoes with a fork. Add the butter or Smart Balance, broth and a little salt and pepper. Turn flame to medium and continue to mash potatoes until smooth and all the ingredients are heated.

6. Remove meatloaf muffins from pan and place on paper towels to drain the fat. Top each with 2 rounded tablespoons of mashed potatoes and serve.

Makes 9 meatloaf cupcakes

Nutrition Facts

for 1 meatloaf cupcake
154 calories
3g fat
1g sat fat
22mg chol
13g prot
17g carbs
2g fiber
337mg sod
6g sugar

FROSTED SPICED CUPCAKES

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes
1/2 cup expeller-pressed canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened almondmilk or other non-dairy milk
1 (6-ounce) container plain coconut milk yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon egg replacer, such as Ener-G, mixed with 1/4 cup warm water
2 cups white rice flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
For the Frosting
1/4 cup vegan margarine, softened
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened almondmilk or other non-dairy milk
1/4 teaspoon gluten-free pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. For the cupcakes, whisk together oil, almondmilk, yogurt, sugar and egg replacer mixture in a large bowl. In a separate large bowl, mix together rice flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Add flour mixture to milk mixture and stir to combine. Spoon batter into 16 paper-lined standard muffin tins, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake until cooked through and light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack and set aside to let cool completely.

For the frosting, put margarine, sugar, almondmilk and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined and fluffy, about 1 minute. Spread frosting on cupcakes, sprinkle cinnamon over the top and serve.

Nutritional Info

Per Serving: Serving size: 1 cupcake
250 calories (90 from fat)
11g total fat
1.5g saturated fat
170mg sodium
39g carbohydrates
1 g dietary fiber
22g sugar
1g protein

PUMPKIN SPICE PANCAKES

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cup lowfat (1%) milk or unsweetened nondairy beverage
1 cup pumpkin purée
1 egg
3/4 cup cooked quinoa*
2 teaspoons expeller-pressed canola oil

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin purée and egg. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture and stir until evenly mixed. Stir in quinoa. Set batter aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Oil a cast-iron griddle or large nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat until hot. Ladle a heaping 1/4 cup of the batter onto the griddle and cook about 5 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer, or until pancakes are cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter and serve warm.

*Use precooked frozen quinoa or cook from scratch by rinsing 1/2 cup quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a small pot. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside off the heat for 5 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork. Measure out 3/4 cup cooked quinoa and refrigerate or freeze the rest for a salad or a second round of pancakes.

Nutritional Info

Per Serving: Serving size: 2 pancakes
180 calories (40 from fat)
4.5g total fat
1g saturated fat
40mg cholesterol
480mg sodium
29g carbohydrates
4 g dietary fiber
5g sugar
8g protein

Greek Yogurt with Warm Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cup(s) fresh blueberries
• 2 Tbsp sugar, granulated
• 2 Tbsp water
• 0.5 tsp lemon zest, grated, or more to taste (plus extra for garnish)
• 0.5 tsp fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
• 1 pinch table salt
• 3 cup(s) fat-free plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar and water; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries burst and cook down into a purple sauce, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Remove sauce from heat and stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and salt; let cool to warm. (If not using right away, transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate until serving. Reheat before serving.)
3. To serve, spoon yogurt into small bowls; top with warm berry sauce and swirl sauce into yogurt. Yields 1/2 cup yogurt and about 1/4 cup sauce per serving.

Notes

Frozen blueberries can be used in place of fresh blueberries – especially when they are not in season. Just add a few minutes to the sauce cooking time. A sprinkling of toasted almonds would be a nice addition to this recipe (could affect SmartPoints values). If you really love lemon, spoon some lemon zest into the yogurt and also use some as a garnish.

Chocolate Brownie Bliss Balls

• 1 cup walnuts
• 10 medjool dates, seeds removed
• 3 tablespoons cacao or cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon concentrated natural vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

1. Place the ingredients into your processor and blend until the mixture is well combined and sticking together. Use your hands to press and shape the mixture into balls. Place the balls into the fridge to set and to store.
2. Eat and enjoy.

Ultimate Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

1 lb lump crabmeat (picked over)
1 cup fresh breadcrumb
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, beaten slightly
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons parsley, fresh chopped
2 teaspoons onions, minced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon flour, sifted for dusting
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or butter for frying)
cooking spray


Directions:

1.Put crab meat in a large bowl and cover with bread crumbs and moisten with milk.
2.Combine beaten egg with the mayonnaise in a separate bowl. Add baking powder, parsley, onion, salt, and pepper.

3.Pour this mixture over crab/crumb/milk mixture. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Dust cakes lightly with flour.
4.After one hour, form crab into cakes, not over mixing or over forming. Put each crab cake on wax-paper – (putting wax paper on top too) and let sit until ready to fry up. Let sit again, at least one hour, this makes the cake easier to hold together during the cooking process.

5.Spray cooking spray on bottom of pan, (either stainless steel, or non-stick),.
6.Heat butter or oil until hot. (Shimmering) Fry crab cakes approximately 4 minutes per side, carefully, flipping over and frying for another 4-5 minutes until browned.

7.Drain on paper towel and serve.


Makes 10 Servings

154 calories, 6.6 g fat, 55.5 mg cholesterol, 438 mg sodium,
10 g carbs, 0.5 g fiber, 12.5 g protein

LEMON BLUEBERRY CAKE

Ingredients

1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for oiling the pan
2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 egg plus 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2/3 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 7×11-inch baking pan and set it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, 2 cups of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir in lemon juice, zest, oil, egg and egg whites, buttermilk and vanilla, stirring after each addition until combined and smooth. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 tablespoon flour in a large bowl then gently fold into batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside to let cake cool until just warm then cut into squares and serve.

Nutritional Info

Per Serving: Serving size: 1 slice
200 calories (35 from fat)
4g total fat
1g sat fat
15mg cholesterol
220mg sodium
37g carbohydrates
1 g dietary fiber
22g sugar
3g protein

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients

1/4 cup canola oil, plus more for greasing
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an (8-inch) square baking pan with oil and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until well combined then transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake until the cakes pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Set aside to let cool then cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar, if you like.

Nutritional Info

Per Serving: Serving size: 1 piece
180 calories (50 from fat)
6g total fat
0.5g saturated fat
35mg cholesterol
160mg sodium
29g carbohydrates
3 g dietary fiber
18g sugar
3g protein