Guilt Free Snacks for a Healthier You

photo credit: Don Nunn

Did you know that desserts need not make you feel guilty? For as long as they are healthy and yummy, there is no need to feel bad about munching on some snacks such as delicious morning muffins, apple cinnamon granola and chocolate ice cream sandwiches.

For the delicious morning muffins, you will need 1 cup of whole wheat flour, ½ cup of all-purpose flour, a cup or oats, ¾ cups of brown sugar, cooking spray, a tablespoon of wheat bran, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, a quarter teaspoon of salt, 1 cup fat-free yogurt, 1 cup mashed bananas, 1 egg, 1 cup of chopped dates, half a cup of chopped walnuts, half a cup of dried pineapples and three tablespoons of ground flaxseed.

After preheating your oven to 350°, combine the flours in a large bowl along with the dry ingredients and the egg. Then, add the yogurt and banana and stir it until it becomes moist. You then fold the dates, pineapples and walnuts in and pour this batter onto muffin cups. On the top, sprinkle the flaxseed. Bake until the muffins have a nice springy top.

Apple cinnamon granola is easy and yummy. You just need 3 cups of regular oats, a cup of toasted oat cereals, one third cup of oat bran and chopped walnuts, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon of cardamom, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/3 cup of applesauce, a quarter cup of honey, two tablespoons of brown sugar, a cup of chopped dried apple and cooking spray.

First, preheat your oven to 250°. Next, add the first six ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Add the applesauce, the brown sugar and the honey and let it boil. Stir it frequently for a minute before pouring the applesauce over the oats. Spread it in a roll pan coated using the cooking spray. Bake it for an hour and a half, and then stir in the chopped apples when cooled.

And finally, have some ginger chocolate ice cream sandwiches to keep you happy without the guilt! Soften two cups of light vanilla ice cream and mash in 1 oz. of bittersweet chocolate and 1 oz. crystallized ginger. Stir everything with a wooden spoon. Get six chocolate wafers and add a dollop of ice cream in the center, then press another wafer on top. Cover them up with plastic wrap and freeze two hours before eating.