Healthy Dessert? Yes It’s Possible!
Looking for a Good Vegan Healthy Dessert…We Have A Few!
Why not have a healthy dessert-like dish for lunch? With these recipes, you get flavorful sweets that are filling & full of the nutrition you need, so why not have dessert for lunch? Chef Tracy Childs joins us again on #LunchBreakLIVE and shows us how to make a really easy, creamy & tasty plant-based Berry Chia Parfait filled with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, as well as a Mixed Berry Chia Pudding. Let’s dive right in…
Tracy Childs, Queen Of The (Healthy) Kitchen
Tracy is a super passionate vegan, having fully embraced this lifestyle since first becoming vegetarian as a teen in 1979, then vegan in 1990. She is co-founder, chef, and director of Tracy’s Real Foods a whole -foods, plant-based company that ships healthy goodies nationwide. She’s a certified Nutritional Consultant and holds a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell. Tracy has also taught nutrition and cooking for over a decade as a Food for Life Instructor, certified with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. As the Founder and Director of Veg-Appeal in San Diego, she offers educational cooking classes, corporate wellness, individual & cooking lessons, store tours & personal health coaching. Tracy is also the Founder and Director of PlantDiego, a San Diego-based nonprofit “PlantPure Pod” inspired by the movie PlantPure Nation to educate and support people in living a healthy, whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. In addition, Tracy is a cookbook author! She contributed over 100 recipes for the book — Handbook to Higher Health Consciousness.
Healthy Dessert For Lunch? Count Me In!
If I am offered a healthy dessert for lunch, delicious and nutritious, I am pretty sure I would take the offer. Chia Parfait and Pudding are so easy to make and delicious! Chia seeds are high in protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids which are excellent for brain and heart health, not to mention anti-inflammatory. And berries are so full of antioxidants, you’ll want to consume them every day! These recipes are a delicious way to do just that! Using frozen bananas provides a surprisingly creamy texture to your parfait. Easy, low-fat, and delicious! Who could ask for more? Don’t forget to include Tracy’s Buckwheat Cinnamon Crunch Granola and either Mighty Mocha or Double Chocolate Cookies for a really amazing treat! Yummmmm!
Berry Chia Parfait
Ingredients
- Mixed Berry Chia Pudding chilled (recipe below)
- 1 frozen banana sliced (or fresh is OK)
- 1/2 cup mango cubes frozen thawed works great
- 1/4 cup toasted rolled oats
- 4 blackberries
- Granola of choice I suggest Buckwheat Cinnamon Crunch Granola from Tracy’s Real Foods
- 2 vegan chocolate cookies Mighty Mocha or Double Chocolate Cookies – One split into quarters and one in half or a sprinkle of cocoa nibs.
Instructions
- Place a tablespoon or two of the Mixed Berry Chia Pudding into the bottom of two parfait glasses.
- Place in a few banana slices then some mango.
- Top that with some toasted rolled oats then more pudding.
- Keep layering until it's full and then top each serving with a few pieces of granola a half of cookie, more banana slices and a few blackberries.
Mixed Berry Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups non-dairy milk make your own with this simple recipe: Hemp Oat Milk
- 2-3 tablespoons pitted dates
- 2 cups mixed berries can be frozen
- 1/3 - ½ cup chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to your blender in the order given (don't add the chia seeds first, they may clump. Blend all ingredients, starting with 1/3 cup chia seeds. Test thickness for pudding. If it’s not thick enough, add the rest of the chia seeds and blend again, until smooth. Place in a bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two to chill, but it’s ready to eat right away! It will thicken as it chills.
- Serve with assorted toppings – toasted rolled oats, granola, toasted pumpkin seeds, coconut, nuts, fresh or dried fruit. Use to make a delicious parfait with frozen banana slices as the “cream!”
Thanks For Joining In On Our Healthy Dessert For Lunch Special!
Having dessert for lunch sure is fun! Especially when it is a healthy dessert that tastes like it should be unhealthy cause it’s sooooo good! I hope you give these recipes a try and let us know how you liked them. If you are eager to try more plant-based recipes, be sure to jump over to the #LunchBreakLIVE page where we have a ton to choose from. Until next time…keep cookin’!
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