Healthy Baking

[Karen Watson]

I make my own whole wheat bread and pizza dough and by keeping the servings small I know my meals are reasonable. The problem I have is that I find left over cake or cookies irresistible. I exercise every day but found this was not enough if I gave in to the temptation of snacking on treats. My solution was to make very small batches of cookies or single serving cakes that I use to reward myself for dipping below my target weight.

Do you use a strategy for baking without breaking the scales?

 

[Marie]

I find that it's quite easy to substitute the unhealthy ingredients in baking for healthier things.. much easier than trying to control myself around cookies, anyway.

e.g. substituting sugar for Agave Syrup or Date Syrup. Date syrup is simply concentrated dates, very very sweet but natural sugars so healthier. Agave syrup is a natural plant extract, suitable for diabetics in that it has a very low glycemic index, so gives the sweetness without the sugar rush, and sugar spike in diabetes.
I make flapjacks with agave syrup rather than golden syrup, because I can't resist it. If your self control is anything like mine.. just one slice is never enough, ha! Agave syrup is also great for putting on cereal instead of sugar (it's like honey), and can be used in tea / coffee too.
The idea is, if you're using it instead of white/brown sugar, you'll have to either use less as it's a liquid (it's sweet enough to do so) or add more dry ingredients, to try and achieve the same consistency. There's probably an exact substitution if you look on Google, but I tend to go for trial and error, and find out what works best for me.

Also, you can substitute oils (and butter in some recipes) for unsweetened apple sauce, making it completely fat free. I can never find unsweetened apple sauce in the UK though, so I always keep a stock of stewed cooking apples frozen, and fresh when they're in season.


There's probably other ways, but there's my two cents.
Good luck in your quest for healthy tasty treats

 

[Karen Watson]

Thanks Marie I have not heard of anyone using a Agave in a long time. I think I will give it a try. I cut sugar out a long time ago except in my arch enemy; ice cream!

 

[Marie]

I have the perfect solution for icecream: Bananas!

3 very ripe bananas can make about three 2-scoop servings.

Basically, peel them, chop them into 1-inch ish pieces and freeze them in a tub for a few hours (or overnight etc). Then take them out and put them into a food processor / blender and blitz. You might beed to pulse it first to chop it up finer but then just blend until soft and creamy. You can eat it straight away or freeze it again and have it whenever.

Banana Icecream. Totally healthy! You can add frozen, sliced strawberries, blend them too to make strawberry and banana flavour. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, cinnamon?

Or add frozen raspberries and almonds.. Peanut butter and nutella.. Pistachio nuts. The possibilities are endless and you don't even need an icecream maker.

I'm addicted to this.. Hehe.. I have around 4 tubs of different flavours in my freezer at any one time

Bon appetit!

 

[Karen Watson]

That's another Great Idea Marie. I do freeze bananas and thaw them for shakes It really brings out the flavor in them. It's so Hot today I think I will throw in some frozen strawberries, Cheers!

 

[ACSAPA]

I make my own whole wheat bread and pizza dough and by keeping the servings small I know my meals are reasonable. The problem I have is that I find left over cake or cookies irresistible. I exercise every day but found this was not enough if I gave in to the temptation of snacking on treats. My solution was to make very small batches of cookies or single serving cakes that I use to reward myself for dipping below my target weight.

Do you use a strategy for baking without breaking the scales?

I just freeze the leftovers or share them with my neighbors.
I also saw on Pinterest that you can make a full batch of cookie dough and freeze little balls of the dough. Then you just bake a couple of the cookie dough balls when you want single cookies and leave the rest in the freezer.

 

[Marie]

I also saw on Pinterest that you can make a full batch of cookie dough and freeze little balls of the dough. Then you just bake a couple of the cookie dough balls when you want single cookies and leave the rest in the freezer.

I find freezing the cookie dough into ice cube trays is quite helpful. If prevents them from sticking together in a huge clump when frozen, and doesn't take up a lot of room. You then just pop a couple out and bake.

 

[jose1986]

I have never been a fan of extreme dieting which is why I am always trying to find baked goods that are done the healthy way! I believe in moderation! Sadly, there aren't a lot of stores that sell healthy baked goodies! I have found one and unfortunately, the store sells them at prices that are just unjustifiable!

 

[Karen Watson]

Josie why not try doing your own baking? It's much cheaper and you can cut the fat and sugar in recopies or substitute healthy ingredients. The thing I like best about baking is I know how many calories I will be having before they go in the oven!

 

[LadyLuck7]

Moderation and healthy substitutes in baking dessert recipes is about all you can do. But all of us has our "sweet treat"indulgences. Our only recourse is to remind ourselves that a healthy body is a feel-good body, and moderation, moderation, moderation. It has become my daily mantra.

 

[jose1986]

Josie why not try doing your own baking? It's much cheaper and you can cut the fat and sugar in recopies or substitute healthy ingredients. The thing I like best about baking is I know how many calories I will be having before they go in the oven!

I am researching and trying things on my own now. This should be fun!!! I already bought my own pans which I have used to make my first batch of brownies (out of a box!). It's cheating, I know but hey I've learned now the basics through it such as the importance of following instructions and stuff. The next batch I will be making stuff on my own. No more brownies from a box!

 

[Writer E]

My grandson has Type 1 diabetes, so I'm very interested in low sugar baked treats. Does anyone have any suggestions for things like birthday cake? We could go with a regular cake, but if there was a healthier alternative that would be fantastic. I will have to look into using agave syrup and banana "ice cream". I'm bookmarking this thread so I can come back to it.

 

[cefmac]

I bought (well, technically my grandma bought me it as a present!) a healthy cookery book yesterday and it's got some suggestions for what to use to reduce sugar in your baking. Xylitol seems to be the main recommendation, but they also recommend things like agave syrup and honey.

 

[Writer E]

Can you give me the title of your book? I would love to look it up on Amazon. Thanks!

 

[cefmac]

Can you give me the title of your book? I would love to look it up on Amazon. Thanks!

It's called '500 of the Healthiest Recipes and Health Tips You'll Ever Need'. Here's a link to it on Amazon (I know it's only got a two star rating, but that's based on one review and on the UK site, it's got multiple 5-star reviews!)

 

[Josie]

I find that eating whole foods has been the only way to never have to worry about weight again. Your weight is food.. exercise is muscles, joints etc.. that's why it doesn't matter how much you sweat it out the next day. What you put in your body is what matters most. To keep my foods as real as possible (no processed, organic as possible), I have to get super creative sometimes (sometimes not so much, there are a ton of easy and actually healthy "sinful" desserts and treats out there) I never have to avoid eating the leftovers

 

[OhioTom76]

I've been fortunate in the sense that I very seldom have cravings for cakes and cookies and the such. My biggest vices are breads and cheeses.

That said, I have in the past tried various "low fat" recipes for bake goods, and was pretty surprised at the results. Mashed ripe bananas work really well as a substitute for oil in chocolate cakes, for example. They give it a creamy moist texture and you practically cannot taste the banana in them. Applesauce in place of oil also works well too.

I've also seen recipes for a flourless chocolate cake, that I've been always meaning to try.

 

[Christine Mlinek]

I bake every weekend in my house for friends, coworkers, neighbors. My husband doesn't eat sweets, so it is easy to bake up, pass out as soon as I see my neighbor. I only "sample" what I made, and the rest is farmed out. The rest of the week is regular eating regimens. I have a restricted diet anyway, so most treats others bring into work, I cannot eat so it helps.

 

[andrew172]

I suppose it's pretty easy to just swap over unhealthy ingredients for healthy ingredients. But honestly I only ever bake to make sweet stuff (with the exception of Roast Dinners) If I'm not baking I'm grilling, barbecuing or frying as that's the kind of 'healthy' food I like.

 

[S. Paige House]

I sympathize completely with your dilemma. Although I've found it relatively easy to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into my diet, I just can't seem to say no to desserts. Along with substituting fattier ingredients for their healthier counterparts, I also try to cut recipes in half. That way, there isn't as much product available for me to gobble down.