Foodie Friday: Healthy & Sweet...

Last weekend while running errands I was face to face with one of my favorite seasonal indulgences: Easter candy! Growing up I was always thrilled to receive pretty pastel Easter baskets filled with little treasures picked especially for me from my parents, and my favorite treats nestled inside as well…cadbury creme eggs, robin eggs, reeses eggs, chocolate bunnies, peeps, you name it, I loved it all! So when I saw them calling to me on the shelves, I figured what the hell, I’ll enjoy a few, its only once a year! But to my displeasure, when I finally decided to break open the candy shells, I did not find them satisfying at all.

One by one, I tasted each…and immediately threw them all away. Granted, yes, I admit I wasted…but in reality I wasted nothing that was nourishing to my body anyway. It was disappointing at first, when I realized my taste buds no longer enjoyed the packaged, processed taste of white sugar and food coloring, but once the dust settled I realized what a wonderful blessing it is that after my cleanse and changing my diet completely, my body no longer craves or appreciates that taste for candy anymore…at least the really bad kind. It tasted sickeningly sweet, far beyond anything I could handle…which is a surprise for someone whose grown up with a cavity or two (a slight under exaggeration haha…my dad’s a dentist hehe) due to a severe sweet tooth downfall. So today I decided that instead I’d share some of the sweets I have been indulging in and truly enjoying as an alternative to those packaged candies I used to love…better, healthier sweets to satisfy your sweet tooth! Hope you enjoy them!

Dagoba Drinking Chocolate-this is something I started really appreciating in the past year when I wanted something sweet at night but not something overly indulgent. I drink soy, almond or rice milk so you can get a dairy free sweet fix also which is great, and any real chocolate (the dark, pure, good stuff!) is best! One of my favorites is the Dagoba brand which is a bit more expensive but goes a long way as it is rich & velvety…xocolatl is my favorite for its unexpected, spicy kick!

Coconut Bliss Ice Cream-another treasure I discovered in the past year that is a wonderful non dairy alternative to ice cream when you need a cold, sweet fix its perfect! Being obsessed with coconut as is, using coconut as the creamy base is genius, and it comes in a 14 delicious flavors! (My fav is Mint Galactica…and fyi the coconut is so cool, it hardly melts!)

Ciao Bella Lemon Sorbet- My dad made a wonderful dessert a few weeks ago using lemon sorbet that was absolutely delicious! He put a tiny scoop of  sorbet over a mix of berries (blueberries & blackberries I believe) with pine nuts and a bit of shaved dark chocolate on top-it was tart, sweet, fresh, and perfectly balanced. Loved it! Definitely gave me a newfound appreciation for sorbet & want to try some new sorbet flavors.

Whole Foods Vegan Cookies- In keeping with the vegan alternatives my parents & I have been trying to explore, I have found these cookies to be my favorite. Although not gluten free, these indulgences are perfect for a cookie monster such as myself, still soft & chewy and with a hint of sweetness, rather than the overpowering sugar of others. Love the chocolate chip & peanut butter flavors!

Chocolove Chocolate Bars- these little nuggets will be the death of me! Dark chocolate has become an addiction of mine, while their 19 flavors boast mostly dark alternatives ranging from 55%-77% cocoa content, which I adore. They are way too easy to eat…and eat…and eat. In such interesting and complex flavors such as dark chocolate & crystalized ginger or dark chocolate with chili & cherries, my favorites of the moment are dark chocolate peppermint & dark chocolate with sea salt & almonds. My favorite sweet treat of the moment!

More than anything, what I crave most is baked goods. Trying to stay gluten free makes that more difficult because majority of baked goods contain wheat and unnecessary flour, so I am purchasing this new cookbook to teach myself how to bake with almond flour as an alternative which is fantastic because it not only will allow me more indulgences but almond flour is also high in protein-double bonus! Very excited about this new purchase and will of course be posting my most successful outcomes Hope you’re able to try some of these amazing sweets…and happy Easter as well!

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