3 Macro Friendly Holiday Desserts

Dessert is by far the #1 dish we look forward to on the holidays. Below are a few macro friendly options that would be fantastic to take to a holiday gathering that will satisfy your sweet tooth! Yum!

1. Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This high protein spin on my favorite holiday dessert is SO good, similar to the original!

Mix together for a perfect treat! 

All you need:

1 cup Two Good Strawberry (or vanilla) yogurt

2 oz low fat cottage cheese

1 cup SF Strawberry Jello

1 oz diced strawberries

10 pretzel twists

Macro breakdown: 24P, 3F, 21C

Kate Lyman Nutrition

2. FunFetti Protein Cake

Who doesn’t love cake? My brother-in-law, Cory, made this recipe and I can’t get enough of it! Cake is the perfect dessert for ANY occasion! Holidays, birthdays, rainy days, etc!

Cake Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (159g) Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk pancake mix 

3 scoops (93g) Quest Vanilla Milkshake protein powder 

1/2 cup (96g) Swerve granular sugar substitute 

2 tsp (8g) baking powder 

1 cup (240 mL) unsweetened cashew/ almond milk 

1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened apple sauce 

1/2 cup (122g) canned pumpkin 

1 large egg (50g) 

2 tsp (8g) vanilla extract 

4 tbsp (40g) sprinkles 

Frosting Ingredients:

4oz. (110g) fat-free cream cheese, softened to room temperature 

1/2 cup (120g) 0% plain Greek yogurt 

31g (1 scoop) Quest Vanilla Milkshake protein powder 

2 tbsp (24g) Swerve granular sugar substitute 

1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract

All you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and spray two 8″ round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 
  2. Mix the dry cake ingredients in a large bowl. Keep sprinkles set aside. Add wet ingredients and whisk together until smooth. Fold 2 tbsp of sprinkles into the batter.
  3. Pour half of the batter into each cake pan. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cakes to completely cool before adding the frosting. 
  4. For the frosting: Blend the cream cheese and vanilla extract until smooth and pour into a medium sized bowl. Add the Greek yogurt and protein powder, mix thoroughly. 
  5. Frost the top of one cake before placing the second cake on top. Frost the top and sides of both cakes together and top with remaining sprinkles. Enjoy! Refrigerate after serving. 

Makes 8 slices, each: Cal: 200, F: 3g, C: 32.5g (2.5g fiber), P: 21g

Breanne Freeman, Master Your Macros

3. Mini Pumpkin Pies – Perfect for Thanksgiving! 

Morgan P. created these delicious mini pies! Prepare pumpkin filling mix  – {making the mix from the ingredients from the back of the pumpkin can}. Pour 1/4 cup mix in each mini pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for ~1 hour. Simply top with whipped cream! 

Macros for each WITH whip cream: 2.4P, 6.7F, 16.5C

Try new recipes! Look for healthier alternatives or substitutions while still incorporating your favorite foods and treats within your diet. To learn more about how to incorporate your favorite foods and still reach your goals, set up a call with us and get started!

 

Flexible Nutrition: A Lifestyle

I am not your typical dietitian. Or maybe how you think a dietitian “should” be. Most (not all of course) of my peers went to the gym at least once if not twice a day, dressed their best for each class and would make announcements such as “I would never put my food in a microwave.” I did not fit into that stereotypical “type A” dietitian persona, let’s be clear too, nor did I want to. At the time, I rarely made it to the gym, wore sweatpants everyday and definitely wore out my microwave, indulging in frozen meals or whatever Aldi had on sale for the week.  

I chose the dietetic field simply because I love all food and the human body has always been fascinating to me.  I’ve always had the desire to truly help someone improve their health… without the use of medicine. These are good enough reasons to go into the health and nutrition field, right? 

Moving forward to my first job as a dietitian at a local grocery store. What an experience, I really was grateful for the opportunity. However, I was a glorified meal prep organizer and online shopper at a supermarket.  I say that lightly with a smile on my face, I truly enjoyed my time – But I knew I had knowledge to share and felt like I wasn’t helping people with their health goals like I wanted! 

I’m a work in progress and so is my eating. My intake has evolved from frozen meals, to learning how to balance my meals with lean protein, veggies and complex carbs with the occasional BBOPS or foods that I enjoy. I’m not a perfect eater and I will never claim to be, but I’ve learned what has worked best for ME. Flexible nutrition – has 100% changed my all or nothing mindset. 

This goes to show that No ONE is immune to struggling. Not even the experts. 

Flexible nutrition. Sound familiar? 

A short summation of flexible nutrition is learning how to balance your plate while still eating the foods that you love and enjoy that fit into your macronutrient goals. Macronutrient or “Macros” are what your body needs in order to function properly consisting of protein, carbohydrates and fat.  

Eating shouldn’t be full of restrictions, certain timelines on when you can eat, or cutting out any food group. It should be learning how to fuel your body with essential nutrients while still eating all foods, especially those that you love. 

Like potatoes? Enjoy!

Steak? You betchya!

Donuts? My Friday favorite!  

Get past diet culture, remove the guilt and say YES to finding what works best for YOU!  

Through our personalized nutrition coaching, you will make sustainable changes that align with your current lifestyle through our flexible, macronutrient-based approach to nutrition. We’ll arm you with a solid nutrition foundation that will help you set goals and create progress you can sustain for a lifetime – not just a quick fix – and provide guidance every step of the way! Click here to “Get Started”.