My mom used to tell me that rice cakes were cookies. I lived in that delusional phase until I was four. A neighborhood birthday party opened my eyes to sugar, and long story short, while the rest of the kids were playing with the ponies, I was in the house knee deep in frosting and cake.
Flash forward sixteen years later, and I’m baking sweet potatoes for an after dinner treat because to me it tastes like candy. Don’t get me wrong, I live for the occasional red velvet cake or sweet gelato (God bless you Italia), but I had my teenage years of eating as many sweets as I wanted and living on that sugar rush. Now, I feel better and enjoy living a health-oriented lifestyle.
In college the temptations are everywhere. You can walk out of a lecture straight to Molly’s Cupcakes (or your campus’ s equivalent), or run to the gas station for a bag of gummy worms as a late night study snack (probably more like a power walk, but that’s worth ten gummy worms right?) But if you are trying to make healthy decisions, or just want to try some new ways to get your daily dose of fruits and veggies, we’ve got some inventive ways to take “meh” to “YUM”.
Craving ice cream?
Believe me, you will become obsessed with this healthy alternative to Ben & Jerry’s (sorry fellas, you will always be my first love).
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3 bananas
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
Directions:
1. Cut 3 ripe bananas into small slices.
2.Put the slices in a Ziploc bag or airtight container and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours.
3. When bananas are frozen, put them in a blender and pulse till they are a smooth consistency.
I like to add cinnamon to the bananas before I freeze it to add an extra sweet kick, but you can get creative and add a spoonful of Nutella or chocolate chips and peanut butter to the mix. The bananas have the same consistency and sweetness of ice cream once frozen, so you could even add your favorite sundae toppings before you dig in.
Craving Skittles?
I’m not saying that frozen grapes taste anything like Skittles, but if you’re the type of person that craves a chewy snack that you can eat by the handful, then this is the treat for you. Grapes are already a sweet treat from Mother Nature, but put them in the freezer for 4 hours and you’ve got an experience your taste buds will thank you for.
Craving pie?
Sweet potatoes are probably my absolute favorite food. When roasted, these bad boys are reminiscent of pie, most similar to pumpkin pie. In this post you can find the directions for making the perfect savory sweet potatoes. Trust me, you are going to be roasting sweet potatoes for snacks, a side at dinner, and dessert.
Craving pudding?
How does a cup of pudding that aids in weight loss, glowing skin, and energy sound? I tell you exactly how to make chia seed pudding and the benefits of chia seeds here.
