I have found that if I eat whole real food 95% of the time, then I can give myself some leeway the other 5% of the time. Fresh fruit and whole unsalted nuts are my usual snack choices. It is important to be practical as you move toward recovery from chronic illness. And every now and then part of that practicality for me includes indulging in a little sweet treat.
From November to February we are plunged into several food-centric events: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Super Bowl Parties, and coming up soon - Valentine's Day.
Processed food and calorie laden options abound during these holidays and celebrations. But there are many ways to enjoy healthier choices and still not feel deprived of sweet treats. One of the most delicious treats you can make is fresh fruit dipped in chocolate. There are many organic chocolate choices. I like to use Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips for dipping, coating, and baking. Enjoy Life chips are organic and they are dairy, soy, and gluten free. Strawberries are my favorite fruit to dip in chocolate.
Select fresh firm looking berries. Buy organic strawberries if possible. If you buy the berries at your local supermarket there is an easy way to remove some of the chemical residue from the fruit. Fill a large bowl with 1/4 c of vinegar and 2 quarts of cold water. Add the strawberries and soak them for twenty minutes. Drain the berries in a colander and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Let the fruit air dry for fifteen minutes. Pat dry with paper towels. Store in an airtight container or bag with a paper towel placed on the bottom to soak up any remaining moisture. This method keeps the strawberries fresh and firm for one to two weeks. I also use this vinegar soak to remove chemical residue from other fresh fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, apples, lettuce, grapes, etc.
Take out the number of strawberries you want to dip in chocolate. One cup of Enjoy Life mini chips is enough chocolate to coat one large container of strawberries. Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Stir the chips frequently until completely melted. Keep the melted chocolate over warm water while dipping the berries. Dip the bottom half of each berry in the melted chocolate. Shake to remove excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper or on a cooling rack and leave until the chocolate is firmly set. Serve immediately.
I have modified many other dessert recipes to make them more healthy. I do not eat dairy and I have family members who do not eat gluten, peanuts, or soy. When I am making sweet treats for my family, I make our favorite recipes changing some of the ingredients to make them fit our dietary needs.
You can make any cookie or candy recipe healthier by adding whole rolled oats, dried fruit, almonds, walnuts, and milled flax seed. Here is a list of things you can substitute in recipes to make a healthier version of your favorites.
Flour. Use whole wheat or unbleached instead of white flour. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of milled flax and 1 tablespoon of organic wheat germ to each cup of flour. Substitute whole rolled oats for half of the flour called for in a recipe.
Gluten free flour. I have had the most success with mixing alternatives to wheat flour rather than using just one kind. My favorite combination is for each cup of flour called for in a recipe use 1/3 cup of almond flour, 1/3 cup of coconut flour, and 1/3 c of gluten free flour. I like King Arthur's but there are several brands to choose from.
Sugar Instead of white refined sugar, use unrefined organic raw sugar and raw local honey. For every cup of sugar called for in a recipe, I use 1/2 cup of raw sugar and 1/2 cup of honey.
Butter and solid shortening. For every cup called for in the recipe substitute 1/3 cup of solid coconut oil, 1/3 cup of Earth Balance butter substitute, and 1/3 cup of olive oil. I like Earth Balance because you can use it to bake, saute, or spread on bread and it comes in a dairy free and soy free version. Olive oil is the healthiest oil you can use.
Peanut butter. Use the same amount of almond butter instead of peanut butter. Almonds are packed with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and protein.
Milk. Use almond milk in equal amounts to the milk called for in your recipe.
If I want to make sweet treats when I do not have a crowd coming over to help us eat them, I make a batch of brownies or cookies and freeze them for my husband and me to eat. I take out only one brownie or cookie at a time for each of us to defrost and enjoy. Eating them at this rate, one batch of cookies or brownies lasts us a month or more. I like to make brownies using the substitutions listed above. I add several kinds of chopped nuts, milled flax seed, and almond butter to make them more nutritious. Our favorite cookie is oatmeal chocolate chip. I add lots of nuts, whole rolled oats, dried fruit, and organic chocolate chips to my favorite cookie recipe to make a healthier version.
My Valentine wish for all of my friends who suffer from chronic autoimmune diseases is that you will find ways to get healthier and feel better. That happened for me when I eliminated chemical products from my home, stopped eating processed food, and started eating whole foods rich in nutrients.
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