How to Create Low Calories High Fiber Snacks using Goji Berries?

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Tiny but Powerful Goji Berry

The incredible edible Goji Berry.

This little but power packed berry has been around since the early days of Chinese medicine (they are still used to treat eye, liver and kidney issues) and has recently surfaced and regained popularity.

Goji berries, considered both a fruit and an herb are native to parts of Asia (popular in the Himalayas and Tibet) and Europe and are sometimes referred to as “wolf berries” and “Tibetan goji.”

Although they are tiny in size, they pack a powerful nutritional punch, are low in calories, fat-free and loaded with fiber (they have tiny seeds). They provide us with an army of antioxidants and contain all essential amino acids. With 15% more iron than spinach along with an abundance of trace minerals such as calcium, zinc and selenium, it’s no wonder that this little berry has become so popular again.

Similar to other berries, Goji berries are also packed with beta-carotene (for beautiful skin and healthy eyes), they are known to boost the immune system as well as your energy reserves. Goji berries also provide almost 10 percent of the dietary protein required daily and are an excellent source of vitamin C.

Goji berries are usually sold as dried berries (they look similar to red raisins), you can also find them fresh. They are packaged and sold by weight at bulk food stores, herbal and specialty food markets.

You can mix them into cereal, oatmeal or yogurt for an instant nutritional punch or they can be mixed with dark chocolate chips, raw nuts and grated desiccated coconut and other healthy ingredients (just use your imagination here) for a great homemade trail mix.

They make the perfect snacking food with their rich, sweet taste and since they are high in fiber, they keep us feeling full longer – keeping our weight in check.

Their increasing popularity has made them easier to find locally. However, they are not inexpensive so you want to be sure and use up any that you purchase.

Try this delicious recipe…

Carrot Goji Berry Protein Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup carrots, grated
• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup goji berries, dried
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup protein powder (whey or plant based)
• ¼ cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

Place cashews in food processor and process until broken down and crumbly. Add all other ingredients and process until mixture is well combined. Spoon out into a small (8 x 8 inch) glass dish or pan. Place in fridge or freezer to firm up and set then cut into bars or small squares.

Chocolate Coating

• ½ cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid
• ½ cup cocoa or cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Let the mix cool down to room temperature so it will stick better. Dip the bars into the chocolate mix to coat. If a thicker layer is needed, simply place bars back in the fridge for a few minutes to set, then dip in chocolate again until the desired thickness is reached.

For more ideas on how to create low calories high fiber snacks, watch this video – 8 Healthy Low Calorie Snacks  *high protein weight loss snack ideas*

This recipe is one of 50 exciting new raw dessert and treat recipes that you will find in my newest addition: “Blended Bites” where I show you how to use a variety of fresh veggies in your sweet dishes to turn them into nutritional powerhouses.

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.

How to Create Healthy Sweet Snacks using Carrots, Sweet Potatoes and Beets?

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Carrots, Sweet Potatoes and Beets in Your Sweets

Veggies are highly versatile but unfortunately for the most part their role in our diets has been primarily as a salad, side dish, casserole or munchie snack.

Of course there have been a few veggies that have served multiple purposes in the past beyond the norm.

Carrots are probably the most recognized and used in the past for desserts because of the natural sweetness they offer.

They are rich in vitamin A (perfect for improving eye-sight), C, K and B8 as well as the antioxidant beta-carotene and provide other important antioxidants and super phytochemicals that work against cancer and cardiovascular risks.

They improve the immune system, provide us with a healthy dose of fiber and help regulate blood sugar. Nearly everyone has tried some form of carrot cake in their life.

But carrots are only one of many veggies that are perfect ingredients for desserts and treats and creative health driven cooks everywhere are coming up with more and more ways of incorporating different types of veggies into desserts to squeeze more nutrition into every bite we take.

Let’s take a look at a two other veggies that are excellent substitutes in your desserts and sweet treats:

Beets: Offering vitamins A and B with a healthy dose of vitamin C, folic acid and potassium they are also high in fiber. This brightly colored root veggie comes in a wide range of colors from bright gold to deep red and is currently gaining in favor for desserts. You can even find candy cane and white stripe versions.

Like carrots, beets have a sweet, earthy flavor. Betanin, the red pigment in beets, is nature’s natural food color creating pinks and reds and the perfect ingredient for your red velvet desserts.

They also offer a healthy dose of moisture to your sweet goods and are a unique source of phytonutrients supplying us with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Beets and chocolate are the perfect pairing so if you love chocolate…try pairing beets with our next chocolate dessert.

Sweet Potato: Without a doubt, sweet potatoes are considered a super food. There are as many as 400 varieties of this root veggie and the skin and flesh can be found in cream, white, yellow, orange, pink or deep purple.

The lighter colored yellow-orange or white-cream ones are the most commonly found and used. They provide us with a healthy dose of carotenoid pigments and vitamin A, they are a good source of vitamin C, manganese, copper, vitamin B6, potassium, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin B1 and B2, phosphorus and pantothenic acid.

They are the perfect substitute for eggs, oil or butter in desserts. Like carrots and beets they offer sweetness which allows you to cut back on sugars.

For more ideas on how to create healthy sweet snacks, watch this video – 3 EASY low calorie healthy sweet treats! || Quick, Guilt-free + Weightloss!

For some delicious, gluten, sugar and white flour free desserts that incorporate these healthy veggies and a whole lot more:

“50 Desserts with Hidden Veggies. ” In it you will discover no bake, Paleo friendly, no sugar, gluten free healthy sweet treat and dessert recipes…

Isn’t it time you began introducing these much ignored nutrient-dense super-stars into all your dishes…including your desserts?

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.