Sweet treats that are high on taste, but low on calories. (Photo: Philippe Desnerck/Getty Images)
What better way to spend a hot summer weekend afternoon than indulging in a cool, sweet, treat? These delicious recipes are low in calories, quick and easy to make, chocked full of flavor, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other goodies.
Each recipe is less than 200 calories a serving, but they are all so tasty that you won’t notice. All you need is ripe fruit — summer’s natural bounty — a blender or food processor, and a few things from your pantry.
Creamy Watermelon Smoothie
This four-ingredient wonder is high in vitamin A, calcium and vitamin C with a respectable amount of fiber.
2 cups seeded watermelon
1 ripe peach, sliced and peeled.
1/3 cup vanilla, 2% fat, Greek yogurt (chill in the freezer for 20 minutes first)
1/2 cup fresh (or frozen) strawberries sliced
Chill all fruit before preparing. Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until creamy. Adjust fruit amounts to achieve the texture you want.
Tropical Summer Salad
Every ingredient here is filled with vitamin C. Pineapple is also a powerful anti-inflammatory. Papaya has folate, vitamin A, magnesium, copper, pantothenic acid and fiber.
1 mango diced
1 cup fresh pineapple diced
1 papaya, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 medium orange, seeded and sliced
2 teaspoons of honey
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp grated coconut
Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Chill. Serve with grated coconut on top.
Chocolate, Cinnamon Banana Ice Cream
This rich, three-ingredient treat gives you the pleasure of eating ice cream without the calories or the fat. Bananas are also a great source of potassium and B-6. In addition to being delectable, cinnamon helps your body balance and lower blood sugar.
4 ripe, sweet bananas (5 if small)
2 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Slice bananas and freeze. Place frozen bananas, cocoa powder and cinnamon in food processor and pulse until the bananas are gooey and creamy. Eat your ice cream soft, or place it in a container and freeze for about a half-hour.
Have a yummy, summer weekend!
About Fierce Fridays — Tips for Weekend Well-Being
We each cherish those precious days off at the end of the week, but increasingly those of us who are charter members of the sisterhood of the stressed and overworked are losing our Saturday and Sunday leisure time to weekend work and domestic duties.
To make sure that you do something every weekend that’s just for you, we’ll be sharing a little advice to make those 48 hours a great time to recharge your batteries, bring a little good news into your life, or discover a quick and easy way to improve your health.
