cheap & healthy desserts?

[cukal6]

I am so tired of my kids eating Little Debbie and Hersheys but I also don't want to spend a fortune on healthy desserts? Any ideas out there?

 

[KristiA]

Right now, my kids are happy with popsicles. After dinner, they grab a popsicle and they are set.

 

[Fall1]

I love store-bought or homemade-from-a-box angel food cake with fresh or frozen berries or peaches. Popsicles and Fudgesicles aren't bad either.

 

[linda0706]

My DD loves the 100 Calorie packs of brownie bites & blueberry muffins.

 

[Tazicket]

We cooked sliced peaches in a skillet with some cinnamon and a tiny bit of butter the other night. They were so good!!!

 

[NCTWINSMOM]

Yogurt and granola, jello, cottage cheese with fruit topping (yes my kids are weird!) and popcorn!

 

[TaraPA]

We cooked sliced peaches in a skillet with some cinnamon and a tiny bit of butter the other night. They were so good!!!

This is incredible with apples as well - then mix some brown sugar & granola & toss it in - YUM! Lots of fiber with the apples & granola.

 

[Stephanie218]

We cooked sliced peaches in a skillet with some cinnamon and a tiny bit of butter the other night. They were so good!!!

That sounds so good!! I do strawberries with whipped cream as well.

 

[Tazicket]

This is incredible with apples as well - then mix some brown sugar & granola & toss it in - YUM! Lots of fiber with the apples & granola.

That sounds so good!!! Is there a drooling smiley?

 

[Tazicket]

That sounds so good!! I do strawberries with whipped cream as well.

Yummmmm! Strawberries just went on sale at our grocery store..maybe I need to ask DH to stop on his way home.

 

[tinaninea]

This is incredible with apples as well - then mix some brown sugar & granola & toss it in - YUM! Lots of fiber with the apples & granola.

Put it on top of some no added sugar vanilla ice cream!

I make whipped cream, mix in some cream cheese, spenda, and sliced strawberries. Strawberry Cheesecake Pudding!

 

[JackJack08]

My kids LOVE this dip and we eat it ALL the time with whatever fruit is seasonal or we have around.

1 pkg. dream whip (made according to directions)
1 pkg. cream cheese softened
1 jar marshmallow cream

Mix all three together with a mixer about 2 mins. Yumm......
It is really called Better Than Sex Dip...... of course the kids don't know that.........!

 

[ekball]

My kids love homemade applesauce! 10-12 apples peeled and cut into chunks, ~1/2 cup water, cinnamon, and maybe a TBS of sugar (and often none at all). I let it cook all day on low in the crockpot, then mash it with a fork until it's the consistency we like. DD always goes nuts because "it smells like apple pie!"

I also like Trader Joe's for "special treats". They have a lot of cookies and crackers that have no preservatives, no trans fat, and they are reasonably priced. We have been working on 2 boxes of their version of oreos for a couple of weeks now. 2 cookies each after dinner - goes a long way!

We also like Fruit Salad for dessert - I make a big deal out of making it while singing "Fruit Salad, yummy yummy!" Doesn't take much to excite my kids.

ETA - don't forget pudding. Sugar free/fat free - mix with 2 cups (I think) of skim. Top with fruit or cool whip.

 

[merekc]

We love the Orchard Select Peaches (in a jar). Once you have these, you will never eat peaches out of a can again. They are really a good price at Costco (4 jars/$8).

 

[TaraPA]

Put it on top of some no added sugar vanilla ice cream!

I make whipped cream, mix in some cream cheese, spenda, and sliced strawberries. Strawberry Cheesecake Pudding!

Where was that drooling smiley again Tazicket! I swear if I had apples or peaches here right now I'd be making this!

 

[megcellent]

Do they like fruit??? I think that is the key. While it is still sugar, its "good" sugar ... at least better than the sugar in Debbie cakes. Frozen grapes are yummy!

fat free, sugar free white chocolate pudding -- YUM! And, you could drizzle (keyword - drizzle) it with chocolate or caramel sauce, and top with low fat whipped cream.

Of course, this probably wouldn't work for the kids, but for a healthy "sweet" snack for myself I usually freeze a carton of fat free, sugar free cool whip, then eat a couple spoonfuls - tastes like vanilla ice cream to me. Curbs my sweet tooth perfectly.

Also, have you tried adapting some "sweet" recipes to make them better - i used to love reading Light and Tasty a magazine that takes normal recipes and adapts them to be light in calories/sugar.

You could freeze your own yogurt pops - buy some small bathroom cups. Fill them with flavored yogurt, stick in a popsicle stick, or spoon and freeze.

My mom used to make a frozen fruit salad with bananas, strawberries and pineapples with cool whip, i think. I haven't had that in years - i bet the recipe is online somewhere.

Good Luck!

 

[flagdaytwins]

Anything in a blender -- that is our latest thing. It's our smoothie/milkshake phase.

Orange sherbet (3 parts), club soda, vanilla ice cream (1 part)....blend....delicious!

 

[PaulaSue]

My kids LOVE this dip and we eat it ALL the time with whatever fruit is seasonal or we have around.

1 pkg. dream whip (made according to directions)
1 pkg. cream cheese softened
1 jar marshmallow cream

Mix all three together with a mixer about 2 mins. Yumm......
It is really called Better Than Sex Dip...... of course the kids don't know that.........!

Sounds yummy!

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

My DD's Favorites are

Yogurt Bananna Split- One Banana, Trader Joe's Vanilla and Strawberry yogurt, with a drizzle of chocolate syurp (Trade Joe Organic).

Yogurt Pop- She takes the Trader Joe's 4 oz yogurt cups (they come in six packs of 3 Strawberry & 3 Banana,or 3 Bueberry 3 Vanilla) sticks a plastc spoon in them and sets them in the frezzer. When they are frozen she pulls them outand eats them like a popsicle.

Smoothies - Fruit juice and any frozen fruit with or with out yougurt , and a dash of splenda blended in our smoohie maker. She really likes Trader Joe's Orange, Peach & Mango Juice blended with frozen mangos, peaches , strawberries and bananas.
Orange juice vanillia yougurt and ice are really good too !

She also like to dip bananas in fat free vanillia pudding. Or top fat free chocolate pudding with fat free cool whip.

 

[ChillyWilleys]

I cut up strawberries and top with some fat free cool whip, or take some chocolate pudding (not the healthiest but it beats cookies or cakes) and sprinkle on some grahm cracker crumbs you can put the strawberries or cool whip with that too.