10 Healthy Alternatives to Guilty Foods

How many of us have decided to improve our diets one day, only to get food cravings the next? Sometimes our mind and bodies have different ideas about our healthy lifestyles. Next time cravings kick in, try these healthy alternatives to guilty foods. Yoga teacher, Meera Watts, has pulled recipes from famous chefs and vegan yogis to create a dynamic list of delicious & nutritious foods. Needless to say, we’re thrilled to have her collaborate with us here at Natural Health Strategies! Keep reading for 10 healthy alternatives to guilty foods… and to learn more about Meera 🙂

1. Chocolate Chia Pudding with Coconut Chips

This easy to make dessert is packed full of nutrients to keep you going. It includes healthy fats, protein and fiber.

1 can Coconut Milk (full fat)
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
¼ cup Chia Seeds
2-4 teaspoons Maple Syrup
1-2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Mix all ingredients together, pour in bowls and chill to set.

2. Dates with Peanut Butter

This simple healthy guilty pleasure includes slicing opening a date, putting in 1 teaspoon of peanut butter and a walnut. All you have to do now is enjoy!

3. Fruit Crisp

Fruit crisps are super healthy. You can add any type of fruit you want plus nuts and fruit. Also, they are super easy to make. Personal favorites include the combination of strawberry and rhubarb.

2 cups Gala apples peeled & sliced
1 cup Strawberries, hulled & sliced
2 cups Rhubarb, chopped
¾ cup Coconut Palm Sugar**, divided
1 Tbsp Tapioca Starch or Flour
½ cup Oat Flour*
¼ cup Sorghum Flour
¾ cup Quick Oats
¾ cup Large Flake Oats
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ cup Coconut Oil or Margarine

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place all fruit in a glass baking dish. Stir in ¼ cup Coconut Palm Sugar and Tapioca Starch. In a medium bowl, stir together oat flour, sorghum flour, oats, remaining sugar, and cinnamon. Next, cut coconut oil or margarine into dry mixture with a pastry blender. Spoon crumble over fruit, sealing edges, if possible. Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and the crumble is golden brown.

4. Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes, only a cookie will fill your craving. These cookies are delicious and include all the nice ingredients that mimic the super sugary, fattening ingredients of yummy chocolate chip cookies. No guilt here though.

1 cup oats
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup potato starch
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup unrefined sugar
2 eggs
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup xantham gum
1 cup chocolate chips

In your food processor, add oats, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Process it until it has the consistency of flour. Then, put your flour mixture in a medium sized bowl. Add in the tapioca flour, potato starch, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Combine everything together by stirring. Beat the coconut oil in a mixer until it’s creamy. Add the sugars and beat well. Next, add eggs and vanilla and beat it again. Add the flour mixture to the coconut oil mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake on a a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. You won’t believe these are good for you.

5. Lemon Mousse

This is a refreshing dessert and great for the summer months.

For mousse:

½ cup raw cashews
1 pkg Silk Tofu (Mori-Nu)
½ cup lemon or lime juice, fresh squeezed
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup agave or maple syrup
1 tbsp. raw cane sugar
Zest from one lime and one lemon.

For streusel topping:

2 tbsp. Coconut Oil
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. raw cane sugar
2/3 cup large flake oats
1/3 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup chopped white chocolate (Vegan within Reason!)

For Mousse: Put cashews in your food processor until it looks like wet sand. Add silk tofu and blend till smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add lemon/lime juice, vanilla & agave. Mix well. Process until smooth. Stir in raw sugar & lemon/lime zest. Pour into a bowl and chill for several hours. For Streusel Topping: Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt Coconut Oil in a baking pan, then stir in all ingredients, except for the white chocolate. Bake 12-15 minutes in preheated oven, stirring twice throughout baking time. Should be browning around edges when done. Stir in white chocolate. Spread evenly in baking pan and allow to cool to room temperature. To serve, spoon mousse into small dishes, and top with streusel. Garnish with more lemon zest.

6. V’s Peanut Butter Balls

Veronica is a yogi, long-distance runner, and a vegan. This recipe is magic and really good for you too.

2 cups Adams Natural Peanut Butter (salted)
¾ cup Goji Berry Goodness mix
½ cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, dates and whatever else you like)
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
¾ cup unsweetened coconut
¼ cup chopped nuts
¼ – ½ cup mini chocolate chips
A drizzle of honey to taste
¼ – ½ cup quick oats
A sprinkle of turmeric & cinnamon

Combine all ingredients very well. If the dough is too sticky to form balls, add more oats until mixture holds together in a ball. Roll into walnut-sized balls, and chill until firm. Freezes well.

7. Healthy Mounds Bar

Delicious no bake healthy snacks that mimic the taste of mounds.

1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
3 ½ to 4 tbsp agave or pure maple syrup
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
¼ cup plus ½ tbsp cocoa powder
A few stevia drops, or up to 1 ½ tsp pure maple syrup
¼ cup liquid virgin coconut oil (Or omit these last three ingredients and melt 2/3 cup chocolate chips instead.)

Combine the first five ingredients in your food processor. Press the filling into the bottoms of mini muffin cups. Make sure to press hard. Freeze for at least a half hour. To make the chocolate coating; Mix the last three ingredients together. It should make a thin sauce. Pop out the hardened coconut treats and coat them in the chocolate sauce you made. Put them back in the fridge and they’re ready to eat anytime you’re craving chocolate.

8. Vegan Pumpkin Cookies

These flaky, delicious cookies are healthy and delicious.

½ cup vegan butter
½ cup organic cane sugar + more for topping
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup pumpkin puree
1 ½ cups + 1 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
½ Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)

Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl and cream with a mixer for 1 minute. Next, add sugar, brown sugar and vanilla and beat for 1 more minute. Add pumpkin and mix once more. Set your sifter over something that will catch fall out and add dry ingredients. Use a spoon to briefly stir, then sift over butter and sugar ingredients, to combine. Mix until incorporated, being careful not to over mix.

Then, add almond milk and mix until a soft dough is formed. Freeze dough for 15 minutes, refrigerate for 30 minutes, or chill overnight. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Scoop out heaping 1 Tbsp amounts of dough and roll into balls. Place on a clean baking sheet 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Dip a glass into cane sugar and then gently smash the cookie ball down into a disc (see photo). Bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes, or very slightly golden brown. Let rest on pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Prepare frosting in the meantime. Keep reading to learn more healthy alternatives to guilty foods!

9. Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe is from the Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon and you won’t believe that it’s gluten free when you eat it. It’s like a schnitzel but totally vegan and gluten-free. Even kids like it.

One large eggplant, peeled and sliced vertically into 8 cutlets
1 cup of unsweetened/unflavoured almond milk
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp dried basil*
2 cups breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
Pasta sauce of your choice
A package of non-dairy cheese
Cooked spaghetti or greens, for the base

Peel and slice eggplant into 8-10 pieces. Sprinkle each slice liberally with salt. Let it stand for 30 minutes while the salt draws out the water. Meanwhile, make your batter by whisking the milk, flour, vinegar, salt, pepper, and seasonings together in a medium sized bowl. After 30 mins, preheat oven to 450 F and rinse eggplant with water and pat dry with a towel. Dip each piece into the batter and then into the breadcrumbs on each side. Place on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-9 mins at 450 F and then flip and bake for another 8-9 minutes watching closely at the end. You want them very crispy and golden! Top with heated pasta sauce and homemade cheese sauce and serve over a bed of cooked pasta or fresh greens.

10. Cheesy Quinoa Scramble

This delicious dinner recipe is designed to give you energy while filling you up.

2 cups cold, cooked quinoa
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded old cheddar OR Forager’s Organic Vegan Mozzarella
½ cup finely grated yams, packed
Salt and Pepper, Granulated Garlic, and Paprika
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients well. Chill 20 minutes. Drain any liquid off. Heat up oil in a non-stick pan on medium high. Place scoops of mixture into pan in a thin layer, like pancakes. When bottom is medium brown, flip, and brown other side.