Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice

Appetizer
Satisfy your sweet tooth MORE often. I bet you didn’t think I was going to say that, did you? Well, it’s true. You should periodically allow yourself to reasonably splurge on something that you’re craving because this will help you avoid an all-out binge.

Please pay close attention to the words “periodically” and “reasonably.”

Periodically = About once a week
Reasonably = 1 or 2 cookies – not the whole package


Main Course

Whenever that sweet tooth starts talking to you, try to quench it with a piece of fruit. The natural sugar in fruit, called fructose, will usually take the edge off. Here is a very tasty recipe that incorporates fruit and other ingredients:

Sliced Bananas with Butterscotch Pudding
This recipe serves: 8

1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup low-fat milk
granulated sugar (optional)
8 bananas, sliced

1. In a 1- or 2-quart stainless-steel saucepan, whisk the egg, cornstarch, salt and vanilla for 2 minutes. Set aside.

2. Melt the butter in another saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar. Cook over low heat until the butter and sugar blend together. Add the milk and heat until the sugar dissolves. (The sugar will get hard when the milk is added; it will melt again as the milk heats.)

3. Whisk a few tablespoons of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Gradually whisk in the rest of the milk mixture.

4. Over medium heat, whisk the combined mixture constantly until it comes to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat.

5. Pour into a bowl. (If you don't want a skin to form on the top of the pudding, sprinkle it lightly with granulated sugar.) Refrigerate. Cover with plastic wrap when cool.

6. Place 1 sliced banana into each of 8 serving bowls. Top with a few tablespoons of pudding.

Serving Size: 1banana and 3 tablespoons of pudding, 216 calories, 4g fat (2g saturated fat)


Dessert

Luckily, my sweet tooth is not too out of control. I usually prefer to take my not-so-healthy calories in with dinner, not dessert. However, there are times when my body decides to completely revolt against what my mind has planned, and I need (want) something sweet. As I recommended to you above, my first choice is usually fruit. I am quite partial to strawberries, and I like to cut them up and sprinkle ‘em with Splenda. Mmmm…this is tasty.

While I wish I could say that this always does the trick, I can’t. I have to keep it real and acknowledge that sometimes I want something that is a real dessert – not something healthy dressed up like dessert. For these occasions, I turn to frozen desserts from Smart Ones. They have 11 desserts to choose from, and my personal favorite is the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundae. With only 170 calories and 3 grams of fat, it keeps me satisfied and guilt-free.

Finally, for those days when only the best will do, and I’m completely craving something delicious and decadent, I break down and go for the gusto with fresh based brownies. They can’t be store-bought because I want to experience the process of making them and smell them baking in my kitchen. By this time, calories aren’t really mattering to me at all (oops! Did I say that?), so I go ahead and add caramel and lots of nuts too. These things are so good they should be downright illegal.

Warning: These brownies can only be eaten once a month or less because weekly is way too often. Also, find someone to give the rest of the batch to after you’ve indulged in a couple.

About Cafe Physique:
The mission of Café Physique is to help clients reach and exceed their personal fitness and nutrition goals. If you’re in need of an a nutritionist in Atlanta or an Atlanta personal trainer – Café Physique is the perfect solution. We offer Atlanta yoga instruction, Atlanta prenatal workouts, and Atlanta personal training. We also have private sessions of pilates that Atlanta residents are raving about. We invite you to let a member of our Atlanta registered dietitian staff or personal training team develop and implement a realistic and healthy lifestyle plan to meet your personal goals.