Healthy desserts: How to have your cake (and eat it too)

cupcake, dessert, chocolate

Yet another reason to embrace the cupcake trend: instant gratification and portion control! Single servings (or anything pint-sized) can save you big in the calorie-counting game, especially when you consider a small chocolate cupcake can contain as little as 200 calories and 7 g of fat, while a slice of cake can add up to 800 calories and 40 g of fat. That’s equivalent to a whole meal!

Get the recipe for this velvety beet cupcake with raspberry icing.

Do indulge in a berry parfait

Fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries and strawberries can be delicious good-for-you treats. Plus they’re high in fibre and packed with antioxidants, which can help ward off cancer and other illnesses.

Try it: Spoon 1/2 cup of plain or vanilla-flavoured Greekstyle yogurt (it’s creamier than the regular stuff and has more protein) into a small bowl, then top with 1/2 cup of berries and 2 crumbled low-fat graham crackers.

Make it a habit: Stash frozen berries in your freezer all year — you’ll never run out!

Do bake a too-good-to-be-true chocolate cake

Whenever you make desserts from scratch, add some extra goodness with these easy substitutions: Just be sure you opt for a nutritious one like low-fat oatmeal, which is packed with soluble fibre and slow-burn carbs that’ll feel more satisfying — and keep you from reaching for seconds.

Stir in stewed prunes: Replace half the butter in your recipe with this fruit fix — yes, if it calls for 1 cup of butter, you can use 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of prunes — and you’ll slash the fat by 39 g (1/2 cup of prunes contains only about 0.6 g of fat). Since prunes are sweet, you can also experiment with  reducing the sugar by up to half.

Sneak in some veggies: Add puréed squash, beets or grated zucchini for a fibre and vitamin boost. Experiment with small quantities at first (around 1/4 cup), keeping in mind you may need to cut back on liquids like milk, water and oil to prevent cake from becoming too moist.

Do pick a perfect cookie

Just be sure you opt for a nutritious one like low-fat oatmeal, which is packed with soluble fibre and slow-burn carbs that’ll feel more satisfying — and keep you from reaching for seconds.

Do think beyond baked goods

Cottage cheese with cranberry sauce: Spoon 1/2 cup of plain low-fat cottage cheese — a superb source of bone-building calcium — into a bowl. Top with 1 tbsp of cranberry sauce, which contains less sugar than jam.

Canned fruit: For a tasty twist, use canned mandarin oranges instead of the cranberry sauce.

Chocolate soy milk: One cup packs 30 percent of your recommended daily dose of calcium and vitamin D, plus a serving of lean protein.

Natural almonds with dried berries: Pair a handful of almonds with dried blueberries and cranberries for a sweet fibre-plus-protein hit.

Do compare your takeout options

Enjoy the odd treat on the go, but know fat and calories can vary a lot. Arm yourself to make smart choices by viewing nutrition info before standing in front of a display case.

McDonald’s
Red light: Cinnamon melts 460 cal, 20 g fat Green light: McDonaldland cookies (fun size) 40 cal, 1.5 g fat

Tim Hortons
Red light: Chocolate chip muffin 410 cal, 15 g fat Green light: Chocolate glazed timbits (2) 140 cal, 5 g fat

Starbucks
Red light: Iced lemon pound cake 490 cal, 23 g fat Green light: Lemon sweet square 120 cal, 6 g fat

Do be a health-savvy hostess

Impress guests at your next dinner party with these healthy upgrades to everyone’s favourite classic recipes.

Banana chocolate-chip “ice cream”

Prep 10 min Total 10 min Plus 2 hours freezing time

Ingredients: 4 large ripe bananas 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Fry’s 1 tbsp icing sugar 56 g dark chocolate, 2 squares, melted and cooled

Directions: 1. Peel and slice bananas in half crosswise, then lengthwise. Place banana quarters, cut-side up, on a baking sheet in one layer. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

2. Break frozen bananas into chunks and place in a food processor. Whirl until just creamy. Add cocoa, icing sugar and cooled melted chocolate. Whirl until mixture is smooth, with bits of chocolate throughout. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Per serving: 146 calories, 2 g protein, 30 g carbs, 4 g fat, 4 g fibre, 10 mg sodium.

Healthy upgrade for ice-cream sundaes: Low-calorie, high-fibre, loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants

Creamy almond rice pudding

Prep 5 min Total 1 hour 20 min

Ingredients: 1/2 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla 1 cup uncooked short-grain rice, preferably arborio 3 1/2 cups almond or rice milk 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup golden raisins (optional) zest of one lemon

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 325F. Split vanilla bean in half and scrape out seeds. Stir rice with milk, vanilla seeds, sugar and raisins in an 8 ×8-in. baking dish.

2. Bake in centre of oven, stirring halfway through, until rice is tender, about 65 min. Remove rice pudding to a rack and stir in lemon zest. Let stand for 10 min. Mixture will look runny, but it will thicken as it stands. Serve warm or chill in refrigerator and serve cold.

Serves 8.

Per serving: 169 calories, 2 g protein,37 g carbs, 1 g fat, 1 g fibre, 53 mg sodium.

Healthy upgrade for rice pudding: Low-calorie, low-sugar, low-fat, dairy-free

Quinoa crepes with maple-walnut apples

Prep 20 min Total 30 min

Ingredients: 1/3 cup quinoa flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup low-fat vanilla Greek-style yogurt

Directions: 1. Stir flour with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs with milk, 1 tbsp maple syrup and vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk into flour mixture until smooth.

2. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium-low. When hot, spray lightly with oil. Add a scant 1/4 cup of crepe batter to pan and move pan around in a circular motion to evenly coat bottom.

3. Cook until underside is lightly golden, about 1 min. Flip crepe and cook for another 30 sec. Fold crepe into quarters, then transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining batter, lightly spraying with oil if needed. Wipe pan clean.

4. Add apples, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup water to same pan. Set over medium-high and cook until apples soften and liquid reduces, 3 to 5 min. Add walnuts and cook for 1 more min. Spoon maple mixture over crepes and top each crepe with 2 tbsp yogurt.

Kitchen Tip: The first crepe usually doesn’t work. The recipe is designed to allow for one bad crepe.

Serves 4. Per serving: 231 calories, 8 g protein, 32 g carbs, 8 g fat, 2 g fi bre, 112 mg sodium.