The country, and world, are going through an unprecedented experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of us never could have imagined being stuck in our homes for this long. We all expected the rush at the supermarket to ease off. We assumed shelves would be fully stocked again by now. However, supermarkets are still struggling to keep up with demand. Going to the store requires a plan and protective clothing. Grocery shopping used to be a regular activity, now it is something to be avoided.
Many of us are turning to our pantries to cook nutritious meals without needing to make frequent trips to the store. We’ve been sharing great pantry-based recipes. Thus far, we’ve only been looking at savory recipes. Today, we are sharing four sweet recipes that use things you probably already have. While following shelter-in-place guidelines, it’s essential to eat well and stay healthy. But, sometimes you want a dessert. These are lower in carbs than many prepared sweets and can be enjoyed in moderation!
These sweet morsels remind us of the Jell-O Jigglers that were popular in the early 1990s. Using yogurt instead of water produces Jell-O with a much firmer, creamier texture. The tartness of Greek yogurt cuts through the cloying sweetness that Jell-O has, making a delicious marriage. And they are a treat for your mouth and your diet. The recipe yields six servings with 47 calories and three grams of carbs. The instructions say to use molds but, if you don’t have silicone molds, you can easily make it in whatever pan you usually make Jell-O in and just slice it! Get the recipe.
Usually, when we want lower-carb ice cream, we like to freeze over-ripe bananas and then put them in the blender with a splash of milk. But, right now, we aren’t making many trips out for fresh produce. So, instead, we’re reaching into the pantry to grab a can of coconut milk. This super simple recipe can be made using an ice cream maker. But, if you’re like us and don’t own an ice cream machine, you simply freeze the mix in ice trays and then throw the cubes into a blender when you want to enjoy them. You get very creamy, delicious ice cream with just four ingredients. You can add other things in, like cocoa powder, but the basic ice cream has only four ingredients! One serving has 184 calories and 4.4 grams of carbs. Get the recipe.
We love this recipe because, while it calls for a can of no sugar added cherry pie filling, you can use whatever canned fruit you have in your cupboard. Pick canned fruit based on what liquid they are packed in — avoid anything packed in heavy syrup. Always read labels. We also like that this recipe is easily scalable. The instructions make six servings, but you can make one serving if you prefer! This is not a low-calorie dessert; a serving has 361 calories but only 10 grams of carbs. Messing around with toppings and swapping the cherries for something else can cut down both the calories and the carb-count if you prefer. Get the recipe.
When you are cooking with what’s in your pantry, you often stumble on out-of-season ingredients in the back of the cupboard. Now that it’s spring, we are very done with pumpkin pie. But, these pumpkin-carrot bars combine the best aspects of pumpkin-pie and carrot cake. So, if you have a can of pumpkin pie filling leftover in your pantry, this will be a hit. The recipe calls for whole-wheat pastry flour, but it can be swapped for a low-carb flour of your choice. And, while the instructions have a cream cheese frosting, we don’t think it’s needed. The recipe makes 48 squares, a square has 71 calories and 13.1 grams of carbs. Get the recipe.
We’re all avoiding the stores, but hopefully, you have the ingredients to try one of these delicious desserts today. Eventually, these stay at home measures will be lifted, and we’ll be cooking normally again. Until then, we’ll keep sharing great recipes that you can make from things in your house!
