Tag Archives: cookies

Santa’s on a Diet! Try These Healthy Christmas Cookie Recipes

Ah, Christmastime! From fond family memories to delectably sweet treats, this time of year holds a special place in many of our hearts. When I think of Christmas, one of the first things I think of is Christmas cookies.

However, the heavy emphasis on cookie recipes during this time of the year can be a disaster waiting to happen for those who prioritize healthy eating. On one hand, you don’t want to ingest all the fat, sugar and calories found in your typical easy cookie recipe. On the other hand, you don’t want to be a Grinch and thumb your nose at all that holiday cheer. What is a healthy eater to do?

Compromise, of course! This holiday season, you can have your cookie and eat it, too. When you make Christmas cookie recipes at home using wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, skim milk, all-natural margarine alternatives, you can make healthy cookie recipes perfect for the season. Here are my 10 favorite Christmas cookie recipes:

Gingerbread Men – What makes this recipe so great for your health is that it has no milk or eggs in it at all, plus it uses all-natural, no-calorie stevia instead of sugar.

Sugar Cutout Cookies – Sugar cookie recipes are usually the most dangerous baked goods because they are not filling at all. This vegan recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour and stevia to make it light and sweet, yet healthy. (more…)

Posted on December 6, 2023 by FitBottomedGirls

Who Knew WhoNu Cookies Could Fool Health-Conscious Consumers?

I did!

The first time I saw the commercial of people excitedly enjoying a healthy cookie that resembled America’s favorite sandwich cookie I knew something was too good to be true. It usually is. This time was no different.

WhoNu Cookies claim to have as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal, as much calcium as an eight-ounce glass of vitamin D milk, as much vitamin C as a cup of blueberries, as much iron as a cup of spinach, and even as much vitamin E as two cups of carrot juice. However, WhoNu Cookies are not anywhere near as good for you as any one of these foods. Frankly, they are far worse for you.

Their website does a great job of luring you in with these flashy selling points, but fails to show you what the actual ingredients are. I was hopeful to find a box that included these ingredients… you know… the way mom will hide spinach in lasagna or cauliflower puree in macaroni and cheese. That was not the case. (more…)

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Natalie K

Caveman Cookies Are a Sweet Treat for Paleo Devotees

paleo diet cookiesThe phrase “Caveman Cookie” may sound like an oxymoron to those who know about the caveman diet, but the idea is pretty simple: dessert made from ingredients that humans have been eating for tens of thousands of years. You won’t find any milk, eggs, flour or refined sugar in these cookies, not to mentioned artificial additives. “Cavemen didn’t have refined sugar,” explained Stephanie Lester, the founder of Caveman Bakery LLC. The three flavors of cookies — Original, Tropical and Alpine–are made mostly from nuts and honey.

Lester began eating like a cavewoman in her junior year of college, using the plan laid out by Loren Cordain in The Paleo Diet. She found that she had better energy and that her skin improved. “Back in college I already started making some cookies that people liked,” she said, but would have never anticipated that her baked goods made from hunter-gatherer ingredients offered a potential career path. She went on to earn a law degree, but found that practicing law wasn’t for her. Lester started her bakery while working as a trusts and estates attorney, and soon left her firm to dedicate her full energy to Caveman Cookies. Today, Lester and her husband both follow the paleo diet, but allow themselves modern food on occasion.

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Posted on June 16, 2023 by Margaret

25 Healthy Recipes for Graduation Parties

This month is a popular one for graduation celebrations, with high schools and colleges throughout the country concluding their academic years.

Whether you’re planning a graduation celebration for your favorite recent graduate or attending a potluck party, we have the perfect recipe for you – from finger foods to decadent desserts.

Finger Foods: Simple to prepare and easy to eat, finger foods are a fun and portable way for your guests to nosh while they mingle. These recipes don’t require forks or knives, but they might call for extra napkins.

Boneless Buffalo Strips

Low-Calorie Pigs in a Blanket

Rosemary Skewered Chicken with Orange Glaze

Antipasto Skewers from Mele Cotte

Cucumber Cups with Caramelized Onions & Bacon from Lemons & Anchovies

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Posted on June 14, 2023 by Maris

SnackWell’s Introduces New Higher Calorie Treats

Remember SnackWell’s snack cakes? Think back to the mid 90s and you might remember the distinct green packaging and popularity of their Devil’s Food Cookie Cakes. Nabisco SnackWell’s came along in 1992 and grew enormously popular as the go-to brand for low-fat snacks. Unfortunately, other brands caught on to the low calorie snack craze and forced SnackWell’s to stop advertising in 2005.

Now SnackWell’s is reintroducing the brand with several new snacks that are higher in calories than the popular 100 calorie portioned snacks that are widely available. The new offerings from SnackWell’s will have a very different packaging and will vary in calories but range from 130 to 150 calories per serving.

Although these snacks offer a low calorie count, all calories are not created equal. This product line is still very highly processed. The new products from SnackWell’s include Cinnamon Raisin Cereal Bars, Peanut Butter Cereal Bars, Chocolate Cereal Bars, White Fudge Drizzled Caramel Popcorn, Fudge Drizzled Caramel Popcorn, Vanilla Crème Brownie Bites, Fudge Crème Brownie Bites and Fudge Drizzled Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. A closer look at the ingredients on these new products reveals that most of them have brown sugar, sugar, maltitol syrup and corn syrup listed in the first five ingredients. They also include things like fructose, which is also a form of sugar, and partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil which is trans-fat. The products are still allowed to make the claim of being trans-fat free if they contain less than 0.5 grams per serving, which is the case with the SnackWell’s products. This new product line proves the importance of reading nutrition labels.

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Posted on June 12, 2023 by Descygna

Diet Disaster: Nabisco Confirms the Triple Double Oreo

Triple Double Oreo cookie and packageFirst leaked by a Reddit user as a “pre-release product” to be tested for Nabisco, the Double Triple Oreo is the latest portion-bloated Oreo. Not unlike a Big Mac’s third bun, the new cookie will have a third cookie and two layers of creme, one vanilla and one chocolate.

Nabisco confirmed the rumor with the following statement sent to Today.com:

“This summer, Oreo will introduce a new ‘twist’ on the iconic cookie: the Triple Double Oreo. Three chocolate Oreo wafers with two layers of creme — one classic vanilla, and one chocolate. While we tried our best to safeguard this news, we couldn’t hold back the buzz.”

When these new and ridiculous products get announced, I usually try to estimate how bad it will be for you, based on the composite ingredients. Now, it’s not just a Double Stuf Oreo multiplied by two. One Double Stuf cookie contains 70 calories, and according to LiveStrong, 50 of those calories come from the frosting-like filling. So, each wafer in the Oreo has 10 calories.

  • (Three wafers x 10 calories) + (2 cream fillings x 50 calories) = 130 calories per Double Triple Oreo

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Posted on May 10, 2023 by Margaret

Fun Green and Healthy St. Patrick’s Day Treats for Kids

Move over Red Velvet Cupcake…it’s time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. During the month of March, stores are filled with Irish-inspired items, most of which fall under the not-so-good-for-you category.

Whether you’re the parent in charge of bringing slimmer shamrock-style snacks to your child’s class party or you’re looking to lend a little luck of the Irish to your own family, think beyond Lucky Charms this year.

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread: Instead of traditional white flour, this year you can opt for a whole wheat version of this favorite Irish treat. Think soda bread at its finest – unadulterated without bells and whistles – and without a lot of added fat or calories.

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Posted on March 9, 2024 by Maris

Biggest Girl Scout Cookies Calorie Offenders

February means lots of things – Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and that most traumatic time of the entire month – Girl Scout Cookie time!

Going to the grocery store means that you are confronted with sweet little faces, begging you to buy just one box, please? What harm can there be in purchasing such delights? They are for a good cause, after all. Beware, however – altruistic moves can have devastating consequences on your waist line. Here are the top 6 Girl Scout cookie offerings and their calorie counts along with the necessary exercise needed to burn them off. Read the labels and make an educated decision; don’t be swayed by  guileless smiles and sweet dispositions.

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Posted on February 22, 2024 by Carmen

Healthier Cookies to Leave for Santa Claus This Year

While most of the United States is painfully aware that 25% of Americans are obese, the one person who might not be privy is jolly old Saint Nick.

That’s right: on Christmas Eve, as those who celebrate the holiday tuck their families into bed,  most leave cookies out for Santa Claus without thinking about the calories, fat and sugar that Santa has to consume in one night.

So, we’re here for Mr. Claus. We’ve pulled together our favorite recipes to get you through the last days of cookie season.

Chocolate Cookies: Every chocolate lover will agree that there is nothing better than a warm cookie right out of the oven. Whether it’s chocolate chips dotting your favorite biscotti or hints of chocolate in a traditional gingerbread cookie, there are plenty of ways to incorporate chocolate into holiday cookies.

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Posted on December 24, 2023 by Maris

Empty Calories Comic: Christmas Cookies

See more Empty Calories right here in the blog each week, or receive one each month when you subscribe to our free newsletter. (more…)

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Health Buzz

Four Healthy Holiday Menus Sure to Please

If you’re planning a holiday party, planning the menu is probably the most stressful part of the event (not counting the post-party clean-up, of course). To simplify your party preparations we’ve put together a menu for several festive celebrations, whether you’re throwing a New Year’s Eve Bash, a holiday cookie swap or an open-house soiree.

Potluck Dinner: If you’ve invited each of your guests to bring a favorite dish, you’ll still want to serve a few versatile staples for early-arriving guests.

Rosemary Skewered Chicken: Simple and tasty, you won’t have one leftover.
Stuffed Mushrooms: A simple, classic appetizer filled with the “good stuff.”
Quick Bake Lasagna: Wow, your guests with an easy, pleasing lasagna.
Goat Cheese Salad with Spinach & Tomatoes: A flavorful combination for a great salad.
Almond Biscuit Ring: A great dessert or snack, even for diabetic diners.

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Posted on December 14, 2023 by Maris