Delicious Low Fat, Low Calories Birthday Treats

Delicious Low Fat, Low Calories Birthday Treats
Page content

Cake

Instead of buying a cake from a bakery, make your own. Try this chocolate cake recipe:

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Sift 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 2 1/2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in 1/2 cup of non-fat milk and stir. Add the milk to the egg mixture, stir in 1/2 cup of hot water and add to the dry ingredients. Stir until smooth. Pour the batter into an 8-inch square cake pan (oiled and floured) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. After the cake cools completely, place it on a serving dish and lightly dust the top with confectioners’ sugar.

This recipe serves 12, and each serving only has 126 calories and 2 grams of fat.

Ice Cream

When buying ice cream, look for a “light” brand. A lighter brand still offers a great taste, but is less fattening than a regular brand. For instance, a 1/2 cup serving of Publix Premium light chocolate ice cream has 110 calories and 4 grams of fat, and a 1/2 cup serving of Publix Premium chocolate ice cream has 160 calories and 9 grams of fat. Better yet, choose a frozen yogurt instead of ice cream as a birthday treat. A 1/2 cup serving of Publix Premium chocolate low fat frozen yogurt has 100 calories and 1 gram of fat.

Chips and Dip

If you must have chips, buy baked chips. One serving of Lays baked potato chips, about 15 chips, has 120 calories and 2 grams of fat. One serving of Lays wavy original potato chips, about 11 chips, has 160 calories and 10 grams of fat.

Instead of chips, use vegetables. The following are virtually fat free and very low in calories: cucumber slices (1/2 cup = 8 calories), celery sticks (1 large stalk = 10), cherry tomatoes (1 cup = 27) and carrot sticks (1 large carrot = 30).

The following are a couple of simple recipes for low fat, low calorie dips:

Healthy Garlic Ranch Dip

Mix 16 ounces of plain low fat yogurt, 1 pack of Hidden Valley ranch dressing powdered mix and 1 teaspoon of dried minced garlic. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes before serving. This recipe has 16 servings, and each serving has 24 calories and 0.5 grams of fat.

Cottage Cheese Dip

Whiz 2 cups of fat free cottage cheese and 1 pack of Hidden Valley ranch dressing powdered mix in a food processor until creamy and smooth. Chill for 60 minutes before serving. This recipe has 16 servings, and each serving has 20 calories and 0.1 grams of fat.

Fruit

Fruit is delicious and nutritious. Serve fresh fruit in a bowl and top it with a “light” cool whip. The following fruits are virtually fat free and low in calories: watermelon (1 cup = 46 calories), strawberries (1 cup = 49), peaches (1 cup = 60), cantaloupe (1 cup = 60), grapes (1 cup = 104) and bananas (1 medium = 105). Kraft’s fat free cool whip has 15 calories and 0 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons, and its low fat cool whip has 25 calories and 0.5 grams of fat per 3 tablespoons.

The following is a tasty recipe for fruit salad:

Cut 1 apple, 1 orange and 1 nectarine into bite-size pieces. Combine these fruits and 1/2 cup of seedless grapes in a mixing bowl. Cover the fruit with fresh orange juice, toss and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, add a dollop of low fat yogurt on top. This recipe serves four, and each serving has 90 calories and 0.7 grams of fat.

Popcorn

Popcorn is another great low fat, low calorie birthday treat. One cup of air-popped popcorn has 31 calories and 0.4 grams of fat. You can spice it up with some oregano, paprika or garlic powder. Spray a small amount of grapeseed oil or olive oil on the popcorn so the spices can stick.

References

Eating Well: Chocolate Cake - https://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chocolate_cake.html

Spark Recipes: Healthy Garlic Ranch Dip - https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=21241

Spark Recipes: Cottage Cheese Dip - https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=290219

All Recipes: Chloe’s Quick Fruit Salad - https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chloes-quick-fruit-salad/Detail.aspx

My Fitness Pal: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Self Nutrition Data: https://nutritiondata.self.com/

Photo by Blaze of Lights / Flickr