Keep those Sweet Indulgences without Losing Sight of Your Goals
Mar 07, 2021I feel like I should begin this by reminding everyone that I am far from a nutritionist. Or a Coach, for that matter. I’m just a person who wants to feel strong, look good, and eat the occasional slice of cake. So take everything I have to say with a grain of salt (or sugar).
So here’s the thing: we all have our vices. Mine is absolutely sugar--well, and wine, but that’s not what this is about! I used to think I needed to have a dessert after every single meal I ate in a day. Yes, even breakfast. What’s a peanut butter cup at 8am, right? With that mentality, it will probably come as no surprise to anybody that that 8am peanut butter cup became two, and then three, and then four, and so on. And of course, that was only breakfast. Every now and then I’d start feeling sick (both physically and emotionally) by how much sugar I was consuming and I’d have a great plan in place to give up desserts cold turkey. It would always work for a few days, but eventually I’d go to Trader Joe’s, buy another box of peanut butter cups, and eat the entire thing. Back to square one.
This cycle obviously is not sustainable, especially when I have fitness goals to attain. So rather than continuing down this rabbit hole, I decided to turn my sweet tooth into something helpful by finding sweet treats that pack a bunch of protein into a few calories. My obvious first choice was slicing apples and dipping them in 1 to 2 tablespoons of Nutella. And as delightful as that combo is--seriously, it’s incredible--I wanted to experiment a bit with these “healthy” dessert options.
Here are my two favorites:
Peanut Butter Powder Cups
Best for when you’re trying to make gains
- 2 T. powdered peanut butter (I’ve also made these with powdered almond butter!)
- 1 T. protein powder (I use our vanilla Stout Nutrition but the Ascent Peanut Butter would also be amazing!)
- 2 T. Water
- 1 cup cool whip
Mix all of this together until there are no lumps--I typically use a milk frother tool to do this! Spoon into cupcake holders or an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, take dark chocolate chips and once melted, spoon a thin layer on top of the peanut butter mixture, then refreeze.
Et Viola! Low cal/high protein peanut butter cups!
Apple “Cookies”
Best for when you’re trying to cut a few pounds
- Apple of you choice, sliced thin
- Nut butter of your choice
- Granola
- Chocolate chips
- Coconut shavings
- Cinnamon
Core and slice your apple as thin as you can, about ⅛ of an inch thick. Spread a thin layer of your favorite nut butter on top--I use almond butter! Finally sprinkle with any accoutrements--I always do some sort of granola, white chocolate or yogurt chips, and coconut shavings with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top! But the beauty of these “cookies” is that you can add whatever you like best! Like oatmeal raisin cookies? Perfect, throw those ingredients on top! The options are endless!
I’ve found that by switching out my former desserts with these sweet treats, my goals have become much more attainable AND I feel so much better!
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