Looking for nutritious dessert ideas

[suzieQ]

My sweet tooth is probably my biggest weight loss enemy. Can anyone recommend a lo-cal nutritious dessert? Particularily one that includes chocolate? I love chocolate but pretty much all the desserts I love that have chocolate in them are really high in carbs. Any suggestions?

[ChefMel]

Strawberries in dark chocolate. Find some fresh strawberries and melt dark chocolate down for a fondu or simply coat them and let them harden. Dark chocolate is made up of more cocoa and less sugar, so you'll get more antioxidants and fewer calories. Strawberries are so naturally sweet they'll make up for using sweeter chocolate. The flavor is to die for. Even if you have three or four, you won't blow your calorie budget, especially if you've been careful for the rest of the day. These are way easier to make than you might think and there are a bajillion recipes online that show you how. Just make sure to watch for dark chocolate only. The fewer ingredients, the better. I personally just melt the chocolate in a double-boiler and dip the bottom half or bottom 2/3 of the strawberry in, then set it on a wax paper lined cookie sheet to let them harden. Make sure the berries are room temperature or the condensation will make the chocolate go funny or fall off. Sometimes as they warm, they'll crack, too, if they're too cold to start. ENJOY!

[MadMike]

That's a really tough question suzieQ. I think if you really want to have chocolate, then make that your treat for the week. Have a piece of cake (reasonable size), or a candy bar on the weekend and just enjoy it exactly the way you love it. That'll be your calorie and carb splurge for the week and you don't have to feel guilty about it because you're being good the rest of the time. One candy bar in a week isn't going to hurt all that effort. Just don't give yourself treats every day, that's all.

[TammyBear]

It's summer! Make a fruit salad with fresh melon and berries! It's quick and easy and you can make a ton of it for not too much money.

[Whirlybird]

Believe it or not, this is just under 80 calories. Take two jumbo marshmallows and dip them in 2tbsp of melted dark chocolate so the top half is covered. Then sprinkle them lightly with chopped up almonds or shredded up coconut! You can have both of them for a real sugar and chocolate fix without the calorie guilt.

[suzieQ]

Thanks for all the tips everyone! Dipping fruit in chocolate is a great idea, and - believe it or not - something I didn't even think of trying, which is seriously foolish because DUH it is summer lol! I had cherries in chocolate the other day, and that was fantastic!

Whirlybird - That sounds fantastic. I'm going to try that recipe tonight. I love marshmallows!!

[TaraNorth]

Here's something easy and tasty that's low cal and nutritious - Take half a peeled banana, jam a popsicle stick in the bottom, dip it in heated dark chocolate, sprinkle coconut or chopped almonds on it and then throw it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Later on, you'll have a nice frozen and yummy treat to enjoy.

[TinaDancer]

I like angel food cake with low fat whipped cream and berries on it. It really feels like you're eating something "bad" but it's quite low in calories and fats. You're not doing half as much damage to your diet as you might think.

[1000kilowatts]

Huge tip: get fresh berries or buy a bag of frozen mixed berries. Toss them into a pretty glass like a martini glass and eat them with a spoon while they're half melted. I swear it will feel as though you're having an awesome treat dessert and not just a bowl of fruit haha. Don't let them melt too much. The frozen factor is part of the magic.

[2strikes]

Thanks for all the tips everyone! Dipping fruit in chocolate is a great idea, and - believe it or not - something I didn't even think of trying, which is seriously foolish because DUH it is summer lol! I had cherries in chocolate the other day, and that was fantastic!

Whirlybird - That sounds fantastic. I'm going to try that recipe tonight. I love marshmallows!!

YUM! I never would have thought of cherries in chocolate. Now I have a craving! Let us know if the marshmallows turn out good. Sounds really great. Sort of like a s'more but without the graham cracker (which I don't like anyway LOL).

[suzieQ]

Thanks for more great ideas everyone! Now I have a lot of options and I couldn't be happier hee hee

2strikes - I have to admit, I'm sort of addicted to the chocolates and cherries myself lol. As for the marshmallow dessert I'm pleased to report it was highly satisfying and I would recommend it. Actually, it is very s'more-like without the graham cracker (which I also don't like lol). Definitely give it a try

[Bean]

Thanks for more great ideas everyone! Now I have a lot of options and I couldn't be happier hee hee

2strikes - I have to admit, I'm sort of addicted to the chocolates and cherries myself lol. As for the marshmallow dessert I'm pleased to report it was highly satisfying and I would recommend it. Actually, it is very s'more-like without the graham cracker (which I also don't like lol). Definitely give it a try

I never would have thought that marshmallows could be a part of a diet dessert LOL