Our team loves sweets of all sorts, from candy to cake. We really do. But, those of us with blood sugar or other health concerns frequently skip sweet treats. With our concerns for health and weight, many of us swear off desserts completely. We favor savory foods that may be lower in carbs and are certainly less sweet.
But, while we want to make healthy choices, the fact is that some people aren’t fans of vegetables. Many thought they would grow out of it, thought they just disliked veggies because they were young. Now, even as adults, many people just don’t like their greens. For these folks, eating their vegetables can be a mammoth task. We all know vegetables are good for us. But, if you don’t like them, you don’t like them.
So, how do you combine a distaste for veggies and a mindset where desserts are forbidden for being unhealthy and still get a happy ending? You make treats out of vegetables!
Carrot cake is probably one of the few vegetable desserts we can all name off the top of our heads. The problem with this delicious, dense, moist cake is that it’s also calorific and carb-heavy. Despite its veggies, it’s not a healthy option. But this version from Ditch The Carbs uses almond flour, and calorie-free sweetener, making for a lighter form of the cake. The recipe yields 10 slices that, with icing, have 321 calories and under six grams of carbs. Check out the recipe here.
Probably the second most ubiquitous veggie-filled cake is zucchini bread. But, just like carrot cake, its healthy name can hide an awful lot of sugar. This version from Wholesome Yum adds lemon juice and blueberries to increase the flavor oomph. Another recipe using almond flour, this gluten-free bread with its glaze only has 139 calories per slice with five grams of carbs. Get the recipe here.
Maybe the zucchini in the bread and the carrot in the cake are too obvious for your palate. That’s fine. We still have a recipe for you: chocolate pudding. Of course, you can get low carb chocolate pudding from the store. Mass-produced versions of sugar-free chocolate puddings are available both as a ready-to-eat product and as a powder. However, those do not conceal vegetables. The genius of this version from Low Carb Yum is that you can have a serving of cauliflower with your chocolate. With 84 calories and less than seven grams of carbs, this could become a go-to treat even if you don’t like veggies. Read the recipe here.
This recipe might be the biggest fake out of them all. Few things are more indulgent than chocolate cupcakes. Yet, this recipe from I Breathe I’m Hungry contains garbanzo beans. You won’t notice them. According to the website, these cupcakes are so fudgy they can be had without icing as a brownie if you prefer. Pre-icing, the cupcakes have 85 calories and five grams of carbs. With frosting, they have 217 calories and seven grams of carbs. That’s a big difference. You may want to swap that icing out for another of your choice! Get the recipe for both cake and frosting here.
Hopefully, one of these delicious recipes hits the perfect balance for you. That way you can have deliciously sweet desserts while getting your five a day!
