This is perfect for the hot, summer day dessert. Fresh and sweet, but not heavy. Plus, we all love a make-ahead recipe!

Ingredients:

4 slices watermelon (3/4 inch thick)
3 medium pears, peeled
1/3 cup sugar free apple juice
2 cups blackberries

Instructions:

Chill the watermelon slices. While watermelon is chilling, peel and slice pears into 4 pieces each. Be sure to remove the cores. Pour the apple juice into blender and add pears. Blend until pureed. Remove watermelon slices and cut each slice into quarters. Remove the seeds and rind. Place watermelon quarters on large plate. Pour pear sauce over the watermelon slices. Arrange the blackberries decoratively on top. Serve cold.

What a name huh? lol You can’t judge a cookie by it’s name, that’s for sure. Low cholesterol and low fat, but still chocolate!

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup sugar substitute
1/3 cup brown sugar substitute
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup 1% buttermilk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the cocoa, sugar substitutes and baking soda. Mix together well being sure all the ingredients are combined.

3. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until the dry mixture is completely moistened. Fold in the applesauce and continue stirring until the batter is thick and very moist.

4. Spray a cookie sheet well with a non stick cooking spray. Drop 1 mounded tablespoon at a time of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. The mounds should look like clumps of mud and can be slightly flattened with a fork if they mound too high.

5. Bake 9 minutes or until the cookies are firm. Cool completely before storing.

Nutritional Information: (Approximate Values based on 1 cookie)

56 calories; 1 g fat; trace saturated fat; trace cholesterol; 44 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrate; trace fiber; 1 g protein

Add coconut milk and cool whip and it’s automatically decadent!

Chocolate Almond Pudding Treats

Ingredients:

1 can light unsweetened coconut milk
2 1/2 cups skim milk or regular
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 packages sugar-free instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
Cool Whip

Instructions:

Combine skim milk, coconut milk, and almond extract and pudding mix in a bowl. Beat with a wire whisk until thick and smooth. Refrigerate and serve with Cool Whip.

This is a very quick recipe and the majority of ingredients are staples in the house.

Ingredients:
4 fresh ripe peaches

For the Strawberry-Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup frozen or fresh strawberries (raspberries if preferred)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp granulated sugar or honey

Fresh strawberries to garnish

Directions:
1. Peel the peaches and slice (Tip: blanch the peaches in boiling water to make it easier to peel. Blanching means dropping them quickly in boiling water.)

2. For the Strawberry-Yogurt Sauce combine strawberries, yogurt and sugar in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Chill in refrigerator until needed.

3. To serve, put the peaches on individual dishes and spoon the yogurt sauce on top.

4. Decorate with fresh strawberries for a delicious and light dessert.

Carrot Cake

I love carrot cake, but so often it is just full of oils and we all know the cream cheese frosting that is an inch thick on top is not healthy.  Try this
option full of alternatives that make it taste even yummier than the boxed version we are most used to.

Ingredients:
2 cups firmly packed finely grated carrots (approx. 3 large)
1 large orange, juiced
2 tsp natural vanilla extract
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 cup honey, liquefied in microwave (30 seconds)
1/2 cup crushed or chopped pineapple, drained
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Stir together carrots, orange juice, vanilla, olive oil, liquified honey, and pineapple until well blended.

3. In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flours, baking soda, and spices. Mix in the walnuts.

4. Blend the dry ingredients into the carrot mixture, stirring until just mixed.  Will be slightly lumpy.

5. Pour the batter into a nonstick 8-inch-square baking pan and bake for 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove
from oven, let cool slightly, and remove from pan.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
334 calories
9 g total fat (1 g sat)
62 g carbohydrate
5 g protein
4 g fiber
25 mg sodium

I love carrot cake, but so often it is just full of oils and we all know the cream cheese frosting that is an inch thick on top is not healthy. Try this option full of alternatives that make it taste even yummier than the boxed version we are most used to.

Ingredients:
2 cups firmly packed finely grated carrots (approx. 3 large)
1 large orange, juiced
2 tsp natural vanilla extract
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 cup honey, liquefied in microwave (30 seconds)
1/2 cup crushed or chopped pineapple, drained
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Stir together carrots, orange juice, vanilla, olive oil, liquified honey, and pineapple until well blended.

3. In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flours, baking soda, and spices. Mix in the walnuts.

4. Blend the dry ingredients into the carrot mixture, stirring until just mixed. Will be slightly lumpy.

5. Pour the batter into a nonstick 8-inch-square baking pan and bake for 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and remove from pan.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
334 calories
9 g total fat (1 g sat)
62 g carbohydrate
5 g protein
4 g fiber
25 mg sodium

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sushi rice
1 14 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup Sucanat or Rapadura
2 t all natural vanilla extract
3 mangoes, sliced

Combine rice, 2 1/2 cups water, Sucanat and 1/2 cup of the coconut milk in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to med/low and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in remaining coconut milk and 1 more cup water. Cover and cook 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and leave lid on for 20 minutes. Stir in vanilla. To serve, place servings of rice on a plate and top with mango slices.

Are you looking for healthy, whole foods recipes? Visit Carrie Lauth at www.NaturalMomsRecipes.com

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cooked oatmeal
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated apple
2 cups raw, grated zucchini
1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl combine oatmeal, honey, olive oil, apple, zucchini and vanilla.  Beat ingredients until well blended.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt, baking soda, powder and cinnamon.  Stir both bowls of ingredients above together into a new bowl and blend well.  Pour mixture into 2 small bread pans.  Bake for 1 hour.  Allow bread to cool completely on a cooling rack before serving.

Apple Sauce with Rhubarb

Ingredients:

4-5 large apples
3 rhubarb stalks
1/2 pint strawberries
1/4 cup water

Instructions:

Peel rhubarb and cut into small pieces.  Next, core and peel apple and chop.  Remove stems from strawberries.  Combine all ingredients into a pot and add water.  Cook mixture over medium heat until boiling.  Turn heat down and open cover just enough to allow a bit of steam to escape the pot.  Simmer until the majority of apples are dissolved and sauce isn’t watery looking, stirring occasionally.  Simmer for approximately 30 minutes.  Turn heat off when there is still a bit of water left in pot.  Allow to cool and then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tips:

You can use cranberries as a substitute for rhubarb in this recipe.

Some prefer a chunkier texture to their apple sauce and you can accomplish this by not simmering the mixture as long.

Add a dollop of fat-free ice cream to the top as a yummy dessert.