Curb the Sweet Tooth

I think everyone in our family has a sweet tooth, so I figured you all might appreciate some more suggestions for when you're craving cookies. Here are a couple more successful things I've tried. Note: These are all from 1 fit chick.

Okay, actually the first one isn't sweet but it's a great snack.

Hummus!

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. Blend on low speed, gradually adding reserved bean liquid, until desired consistency is achieved.
2. Eat with any veggies, crackers, bread. EJOY!

No Bake Energy Bites :

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Great cookie substitute!

..................................

Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt Pops

THESE ARE GOOOOOD!

makes 12 mini ice pops

2 c. greek style yogurt (i used plain)

1 c. milk (i used almond milk)

1 1/4 c. smooth peanut butter (i actually used natural CRUNCHY peanut butter AND natural almond butter. It's just what I had in my fridge.)

1/3 c. honey (or 1/2 c. honey if you prefer sweeter)

combine ingredients in blender + process until smooth. fill 12 shot glasses with the mixture + freeze until they become almost solid (1-2 hours). insert mini stick. continue to freeze overnight. remove ice pops from the shot glasses by dipping them in warm water.

we love these! just made them last night and have been eating them for snacks today.

And if anyone's thinking these don't seem so 'healthy' with chocolate chips, peanut butter,

honey. . . .these are meant to be good substitutes for junk food. They may not be

extremely healthy, but I really think it's a good idea NOT to make drastic changes in your

diet. If you're used to eating sweet treats, you need to have some treats on hand that can

satisfy your craving without making you feel so guilty. Just eat them in moderation. These

are much healthier than what you COULD be eating.

I love to make one or two treats every few days, that can just sit in the fridge or freezer,

ready to fill the need. Because I WILL need them. : ) This has helped me SO MUCH. I don't

crave the REALLY bad stuff anymore, because I've usually got a healthier option on hand. My

kids really like to help too, and I think they're enjoying that mommy's been making more

snacks with them lately. It's a win/win!

Snack Time

I'm working hard on not eating junk all day. The trick is to eat every few hours and stay full.

In order to do this, I drink A LOT of water.

I also keep healthy snacks on hand, so that I have a good option when sugar is calling my name. (I have a major sweet tooth). Here are some of my favorite snacks lately:

1. Fat Free Frozen Yogurt. This tastes surprisingly delicious. I got chocolate (because you can't go wrong with chocolate) and I don't feel guilty eating it when my husband and I watch our favorite shows after the kids go to bed. I add some sliced almonds and soy milk (I've always added milk to my ice cream. Makes it taste like a milk shake. DELISH!)

2. Frozen Grapes. SUCH a good snack, and these are so delicious. They taste like bite sized grape popsicles. I'm absolutely hooked on these and will be keeping the freezer stocked. Directions: wash the grapes, let them dry on a towel on the counter, fill individual sandwich bags with them, and put in the freezer. Trust me, you WANT to try this! Oh, so good!!

3. Cocoa Roast Almonds. I went looking for cinnamon almonds and found these instead. The whole family loves them and they're a great healthy snack. (you can even add them to other sweet treats (like your frozen yogurt, see above).

I also got some of these 100 calorie Right Bites. Not very filling, but good for when you're craving candy or chocolate. Just make sure you don't fall into that trap of justifying "just one more bag" because they're only 100 calories. One at a time!

Oh! And one more. Sometimes I add a couple Tbls. Ranch dressing mix to plain yogurt and dip my veggies in it. I found this idea at Undressed Skeleton. Way better than sour cream!