With 2018 underway, lots of people are seeing this new year as a way to change their lives for the better. Whether it be hitting the gym, spending less money, or thinking more positively, this clean slate is the best way to start fresh.
One of the most popular resolutions among everyone is to eat healthier. While some people do this gradually by making small changes, like cutting processed foods or lowering their meat consumption, most individuals cut everything "bad" out at once. This leaves them with this false assumption that they have to limit themselves to boring bowls of lettuce and a mad case of the meal-time blues.
While I too have tried to convince myself that a life without sugary goodness is one I'm comfortable with, it never works out: It leaves me miserable and often eating worse than I would have if I gave into my cookie cravings when they happen.
Thankfully, there are 5 delicious solutions for all the sweet-tooth dieters trying to stick to their resolutions. Not only are they delicious and kick a craving, they're nourishing and have ingredients you can feel good about.
Black Bean Brownies
A popular treat amongst lots of vegans, these black bean brownies make for a perfect chocolate fix, and they're super easy to make.
Ingredients
•1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
•1/2 cup oats
•1/3 cup maple syrup (honey or agave will do!)
•1/4 tsp salt
•1/2 tsp baking powder
•2 tsp vanilla extract
•2 tbsp cocoa powder
•1/4 cup melted coconut oil
•1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional, but why would you not?)
Simply throw (gently, please) all the ingredients into a food processor and whizz away. After 20 minutes, you're left with fudgy brownies that will give Betty Crocker a run for her money.
The beans add tons of fiber, and the oats make them suitable for your gluten-free friends. Let's face it: You and these brownies were meant to bean.
Chickpea Cookie Dough
It's midnight, you're watching reruns of Friends on Netflix, and you want to be munching on one thing: A big bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough. Yep, we've all been there. Luckily, a few pantry staples can get you that satisfaction in no time.
Ingredients
•1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
•1 cup peanut butter
•2 tbsp maple syrup (honey or agave will do!)
•1/2 cup chocolate chips
Blend it all up, let it chill out in the fridge, and immediately devour. Because they're so versatile, feel free to throw in flavored extracts or different spices (cinnamon is my favorite) to amp it up even more.
#SpoonTip: Allergic to nuts? Sub out the peanut butter for equal parts sunflower seed butter and solid coconut oil to make these PB free.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
While I'd love to take all the credit for these yummy delicacies, I owe this discovery to my boyfriend's wonderful mom (shoutout to you, Ms. April!). From the moment I tasted these and found out the health benefits, I knew that I had to break up with Nestle Tollhouse.
Ingredients
•2 cups almond flour
•1/2 cup flaxseed meal
•1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1/2 tsp salt
•1/2 cup melted coconut oil
•1/2 cup maple syrup (honey or agave will do!)
•1 tbsp vanilla extract
•1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional, but it WORKS!)
•1/2 cup chocolate chips
Bake these at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes and you can thank me later. Gluten-free and accidentally vegan, these cookies are a must for your next potluck. Almond flour, shredded coconut, and flaxseed meal, oh my! Add in chocolate chips, what's there not to love?
Don't walk...RUN to your kitchen to make these.
Banana Bread
Sure, this isn't your grandmother's banana bread, but she's going to wish she had the recipe. This generic recipe has some healthy swaps, like coconut oil and an unrefined sweetener (like maple syrup), to make for a feel-good treat, perfect for dessert or a dish at brunch.
Ingredients
•1 cup mashed banana (make sure they're super ripe to make it sweeter!)
•2 eggs
•1/3 cup melted coconut oil
•1/2 cup maple syrup (honey or agave will do!)
•1/4 cup plant-based or dairy milk
•1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
•1 tsp baking soda
•2 tsp vanilla extract
•1/2 tsp salt
•1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees and let this bake for about 55 minutes.
Try mixing it up with different add-ins, like chocolate chips or walnuts (my personal fave). It adds even more goodness to this classic.
Samoas
Along with the new year is the almighty Girl Scout cookie season. Unfortunately for them, this recipe might put a damper on the numbers for their beloved samoas. These picture-perfects delights are only 30 CALORIES EACH. Yes, you read that right. No, I'm not missing a zero.
These require a little bit more work than the other desserts, but the outcome is so worth it.
Ingredients
Cookies
•3/4 cup whole-wheat flour or almond flour
•1/2 cup mashed banana
•2 tbsp melted coconut oil
•3 tbsp pure cane sugar
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•1/4 tsp salt
Roll them up, pierce a hole through the middle for that signature look, and bake them at 325 for about 12 minutes.
Coconut Caramel
•1/4 cup pure cane sugar
•6 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
•2 tbsp almond milk
Cook the sugar down in a sauce pan until it is tan in color, then add in the coconut. Once combined, pour in the milk and mix like a mad man (seriously, this stuff can burn quick!)
Spread the caramel mixture on the cooled cookies and drizzle each with a generous spoonful of melted chocolate.
From the first bite, you'll wonder how in the world this recipe has been kept from you for so long!
You can now have your dessert AND that hot beach bod! Here's to a sweet new year!