Tis the season... for your sweet tooth

The New York Times has many indulgent recipes

It's here.  Holiday season.  We now have the Starbucks red cups (yayyyy!!), crowds making crossing 5th Avenue nearly impossible, tourists asking where Rockefeller Center is, and the release of Justin Beiber's Christmas Album.

I love this time of year.  It just smells good.  The chestnuts roasting outside, the cinnamon in drinks, the nutmeg in pies, the warm pumpkin glazes poured over pancakes, baked apple crisps... 

As great as the holidays are- this time of year can be treacherous for people's diets.  (Who can resist we have temptations from October 31 through December 31!!!).

Delicious blueberry pie can have close to 400 calories!

This time of year creates havoc on people's diets- from holiday parties and social events, where people eat mindlessly.  Having, just a piece or two of everything adds up!!  Cakes on average have 225 calories and 10 grams of fat per slice!  Cookies are not really any better- ranging from 50- 500 calories per cookie.  (by the way- did you know that a jumbo cookie equals TEN appropriately sized cookies!!!)

Information below is based on a standard serving size, and it is meant as a comparison.  All recipes are different, and they can be more or less calories than that which is listed.  Notice the differences in portion sizes for things like fruit cake or brownies.  Having "a little more" really adds up!!

Calories in cakes baked with a standard recipe (at home)*

<200 calories	200-300 calories	300+ calories
Angel food (73)	Coffee cake (220)	Spice (327)
Pound (116)	Boston cream (231)	Pineapple upside down (367)
Cupcake, iced (131)	Chocolate (234)	Fruit cake 1x3 in  (417)
Fruit cake 1x1 in  (140)	Yellow, (245)	Carrot cake with frosting (484)
Sponge (187)	Coconut (250)
	Devil’s food (250)
	Cheesecake (256)
	Gingerbread (263)
	Carrot (280)
	German chocolate (280)

Seems like a lot? Try these options for healthier versions of cake!

Calories in cookies baked with a standard recipe (at home)*

<50 calories	50-100 calories	100+ calories
Animal crackers (13)	Chocolate sandwich (50)	Biscotti, almond (120)
Butter (23)	Chocolate chip (50)	Oatmeal rainbow (200)
Wafer (26)	Fig bar (56-110)	Brownie 4”  (224)
Ginger snap (29)	Peanut butter (71)
Fortune (30)	Lady finger (87)
Graham cracker (30)	Macaroon, coconut (97)
	Brownie 2” (112)

 Seems like a lot? Try these options for healthier versions of cookies!

Calories in pies baked with a standard recipe (at home)**

200-300 calories	300-400 calories	400+
Chocolate Mousse (250)	Banana cream (388)	Apple (411)
Egg Custard  (262)	Blueberry (360)	Cherry (486)
Peach (261)	Butterscotch (355)	Mince (477)
	Chocolate cream (400)	Pecan (500)
	Coconut Crème (400)
	Lemon meringue (362)
	Pumpkin (316)
	Vanilla cream (351)

Seem like a lot?! Try these options for a healthier spin on pies!

Have no fear.  This post is to show you that you can enjoy the holidays and eat dessert with family and friends.  But it's also a reminder that you must be aware of the choices that you make.  Serving size plays a HUGE role in maintaining healthy eating habits during this time.

There are also some simple switches you can make to cut back on some of the calories and added fat that are rampant in desserts.  Fruit is a really good option for making desserts- but you need to be careful because traps come when the recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of butter, 2 cups or sugar, etc.

Here are 2 simple recipes you can make with apples (like I did!)

Apple sauce:

Take any apples- wash them and cut them into ~1 inch cubes.  (I leave the skin on because the skin is an excellent source of fiber and additional vitamins and minerals.  It also serves to add some texture to the sauce!!)  Place the chunks of apples into a pot and add ~1/4 cup of water to prevent burning.  Let them simmer for about 45 min, stirring occasionally.  Eventually, you will get a sauce that you can add cinnamon or nutmeg or anything you want to!  (Remember that the apples will reduce down, and be about half the size in volume- due to water loss.  There are still the same amount of calories though.  So if you put 6 apples in the sauce, and eat half of it- it's like eating 3 apples!)  However- this is a great treat and a great substitute for a sweet dessert without having the calories or fat!


Apple Crisp:

This is more of a typical dessert that you can bring to someone's house or have as a treat at your own!  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  I took half of the apples that were washed and cubed above and covered them about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl, I mixed 1 cup of whole wheat flour with 1 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal and half a cup of Splenda brown sugar.  I added 2 tablespoons of low-fat butter and mixed.  The topping is crumbly and dry, but that's normal!  You just put that over the apples (make sure they are all covered), and you bake for about 45min.  Sometimes you have to bake them longer, depending on the type of apple you use!  The result is a delicious crisp with very little added sugar and fat!  A great option for holiday desserts!


TIP:
It is important to remember that eating dessert is a treat and should be thought of like that!  A serving size of cake or pie is about the width of two fingers and the length of your hand!  Try to limit the cakes and pies.  But, it's okay to indulge once in a while.

Also- keep in mind that when you cook desserts for company, you don't need to make the full fat version.  People won't notice slight changes in reducing the added sugar and fat, but these changes will make a significant difference in the health of the dessert!

*Information directly from:

Brown, Amy C. Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub, 2011. Print.

 **Taken from CNN's Food Central.  You should take a look at other comparisons they make!