Healthy Snack Recipe: Low Fat Chocolate Berry Smoothie

When you're craving a refreshing, fruity drink, this low fat smoothie is an excellent choice. It's nourishing and light, sweet without overloading on the sugar, and a great way to get your chocolate fix alongside your favorite berries. 

So go ahead and gather a bunch of berries, grab a blender and whip this smoothie together in five minutes. Substitute sugar with honey or agave to make this a naturally sweet beverage! It's perfect for a post-workout snack. 

Low Fat Chocolate Berry Smoothie

(makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, chopped strawberries, cherries, black or red rasperries, etc.)
4 tablespoons honey or agave 
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup ice cube

Directions:1. Crush ice in a blender. 

2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth; about 30-60 seconds. 

3. Serve & enjoy!

Super Healthy Snack Recipe: Low Calorie Berries & Oats Smoothie

Smoothies are a really great snack option because they’re delicious and portable, serving as a perfectly reasonable breakfast on the go or as an afternoon pick-me-up. However, it’s important to realize that, while smoothies seem like a healthy treat of blended fruit, a lot of them are filled with sugar and sweeteners. Thus, a calorie bomb is born.

The good news is that smoothies are a breeze to make at home and can serve as truly filling, healthy options to get you through the day. We chose oatmeal to add extra protein and fiber, and to thicken up this smoothie—thicker is better, people—when you try it, be prepared for the newfound energy kick and revel in this yummy discovery!

Berries and Oats Smoothie

Serves 1-2

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup frozen raspberries, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup frozen blackberries, unsweetened
• 1/4 cup instant oatmeal
• 1 cup almond milk (or vanilla almond)
• 2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Directions

1. In a blender, combine milk and instant oats. Pulse until smooth.
2. Add blueberries, blackberries and raspberries and blend for 20 seconds. If mixture is too thick, add a little more milk.
3. Add honey and orange zest.
4. Optional: Add spinach, kale, bananas or plain, Greek yogurt to add extra nutrients and creaminess, and blend until smooth.

Low-Fat Dessert Recipe: Simple & Sweet Strawberry Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a deliciously rich and creamy dessert that hits the spot day or night, all year round. One of the reasons why it’s so good is because it’s not overly sweet; the cream cheese gives it a slight bite, but when served with fresh berries and strawberry purée, it’s heaven.

In order to get that flavor, however, the traditional recipe calls for a lot of heavy ingredients, so it ends up being a dessert that’s not awesome for people watching their figures. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got a solution; this recipe is low-fat, but still tastes like the original! Now you can indulge without worry—you won’t even taste the difference!

Strawberry Cheesecake

Yields 1, 9-inch pie

Ingredients 

• 1 cup reduced-fat graham crackers, crushed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 4 cups fat-free cottage cheese
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 (8 oz) packages fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 eggs whites
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup sugar-free strawberry jam
• 1/2 cup low-fat, plain, Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1-2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• fresh berries, garnish
• cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325º F and coat a 9x3-inch springform baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Pulse graham crackers in food processor and drizzle in melted butter. Should become a sand-like mixture. Press graham crackers into the bottom of pie pan in a thin layer.
3. Drain cottage cheese in a cheesecloth-lined sieve for 10 minutes before using. Discard liquid. Place in food processor and blend until smooth.
4. In a mixer on low-medium speed, beat sugar, vanilla and cream cheese until smooth.
5. Slowly add in flour, yogurt, eggs, lemon zest and salt. Mix until smooth and add cottage cheese.
6. Pour mixture into pie pan and bake for 90 minutes, or until almost set. Turn heat off and let cool in closed oven for 1 hour. Remove and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
7. In a saucepan, heat strawberry jam on medium-low until it liquefies and reduces, around 10 minutes. Pour jam through a strainer to remove seeds. Place cheesecake on serving dish and drizzle strawberry purée on top. Garnish with fresh berries.

Healthy One-Pot Recipe: Spinach, Red Pepper & Potato Frittata

A lot of people tend to forget about eggs when they’re thinking of cooking something other than breakfast, but we love them at any time of day; a frittata is a great choice in the morning, but is equally filling and tasty for lunch or dinner. Depending on your diet and tastes, you could use egg whites and omit the potatoes, or you could add goat cheese or feta to give it a little more creaminess and extra flavor…it’s up to you! This one-skillet meal is healthy and delicious, and the super speedy cleanup is just one of its many perks!

Veggie-Packed Frittata

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 pound spinach, chopped
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1-2 red bell peppers, seeded, pitted and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil), divided
• 1 tablespoon milk
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. In an ovenproof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and sauté your diced potatoes, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Add water, turn heat up to high and cover potatoes, steaming them for 3-5 minutes, or until water evaporates. Uncover and stir in the middle. Remove potatoes and set aside.
4. Turn heat down to medium-high and another tablespoon olive oil. Add red peppers and onions and sauté until tender. 5-7 minutes.
5. During the last, 2-3 minutes, add garlic and spinach (until just wilted).
6. Place potatoes back in with the spinach, peppers, onions and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. In a bowl, beat eggs in a bowl and add milk to make them light and fluffy.
8. Pour the beaten eggs on top of vegetables and gently swirl the pan so everything is covered evenly.
9. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the bottom begins to set, then transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 10-15 minutes.