No Sugar Dessert Hacks

Listen up sweet tooth-ers! You don’t have to sacrifice your healthy lifestyle to have a sweet treat! Check out these real-food dessert hacks that’ll help fulfill that sugary need without using any added sugars, sweeteners or artificials!

Sweet N Spiced Chickpeas

Preheat oven to 400, open a can of chickpeas, rinse and dry. Spread out on a baking sheet and toss in some melted coconut oil or ghee, vanilla extract and ~2 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Roast for ~18-20 minutes or until crisp and sprinkle with sea salt

Golden Milk

Heat and whisk on the stove: ½ cup full fat canned coconut milk + 1.5 cups vanilla unsweetened almond milk + 1 tsp each of ground turmeric, vanilla extract and cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger or a pinch of fresh grated ginger root + pinch of black pepper (makes 2 servings)

Banana Cacao Pudding

Combine in a blender/food processor: 1 ripe banana, ½ avocado, 1 T raw cacao powder until very smooth, add a splash or two of almond milk if thinner consistency desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and enjoy topped with fresh chopped walnuts or a drizzle of almond butter

Baked Cinnamon Apple

Wash, half and core an apple; combine 2 T GF oats, 1 T chopped pecans, ½ tsp cinnamon and a splash of vanilla. Cut up ½ T salted butter (can use vegan) and mash into the oats with a fork; scoop chunky filling into apple halves and place in a microwave safe dish, cover with a moist paper towel and microwave for 6-8 minutes. Check tenderness and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender, let cool & sprinkle with extra cinnamon (can also bake ~45 min @ 350)

Have minimal time to cook or prep? These are some quicker ideas:

For the dark chocolate lover: 

• Pascha 100% cacao chocolate chips-these are tasty with a handful of raw almonds/walnuts after dinner
• Eating Evolved Midnight Coconut Bar-enjoy 2-3 squares

For the sweet n salty connoisseur:

• Purely Pecans Sea Salt Nut butter-enjoy 1-2 T slathered on an apple or pear

For the crunch seeker:

• Rhythm Foods Sea Salt Beet chips-grab a handful for a naturally sweet-tasting chip!

For the the coco-nutty:

• Nutiva coconut butter-melt this down and drizzle a spoonful on roasted sweet potato or kabocha squash with a dash of cinnamon-this combo is decadent!

For the fruit fanatic:

• Frozen organic cherries-snack right out of the freezer or top with a few spoonfuls of unsweetened coconut or plain grass fed yogurt + dash of cardamom