In last week’s blog we had some fun with succulents. If you haven’t read that yet you should definitely check it out!  This week we’re talking about another of our faves… dessert and in honor of our country’s birthday, we’re going patriotic with red white and blue yumminess!

Now don’t get anxious about the “D” word – you don’t have to avoid the dessert table at the July 4th BBQ because you’ve got your beach body back (and if you already have your beach body back, we’re so envious!). If you eat smart with healthy servings of proteins, salads, veggies and fruits, you can surely dive into some sweets. And, if they are made with healthy ingredients? Then all the better!

We confess, the thirteen desserts that made our fab list were picked because we loved the look and creativity and not necessarily light in calories or considered healthy. The beauty of bringing the dessert is you control what goes in it and If you decide to make something off the list that might be more decadent than the Vegan Smoothie (#8) then try substituting with healthy ingredients. Here’s just a few ideas that can make a big difference in the overall caloric and fat content of your next dessert.

Try this:

• Reduce fat content with fruit purees or low fat yogurt – this is a great idea by lifeyourway.net who says if a favorite cake recipe calls for a cup of butter you can replace 25-50% of that butter with a favorite fruit puree or yogurt – even baby food works great!  
• Use 3/4 cup of applesauce per cup of oil. It adds moisture and flavor (this trick works best in cake, muffins and breads). You will lower the calorie and fat intake and up the fiber and vitamin C.
• Use dark chocolate instead of white or milk chocolate.
• Replace the fat and calories in buttercream cakes and cupcakes with non-fat whipped topping or powdered sugar, just as nice to look at and delicious too!
• Did you know replacing just one cup of white flour with the whole wheat adds 10 grams of heart-healthy fiber to your dessert?

So, should you fear the amount of calories and fat in all of those luscious desserts this holiday? Relax! Everything in moderation is just fine and being able to enjoy food is one of the best aspects of being human! Now, check out our fab list of 13 patriotic desserts for the Fourth of July, one for every stripe on the American flag (store that often forgotten fact for future trivia games)!

 1.  Patriotic Red, White & Blue Strawberries

2.  Fruit Sparklers

3.  Red, White & Blue Mini Cakes

4.  Banana Firecrackers

5.  Red, White & Blue Milkpops

6.  Easy Red, White & Blue Trifle

7.  Stained Glass Jello

8.  Vegan Smoothie

9.  Patriotic Berry Pie

10.  Festive Rice Krispie Treats

11.  Jam & Cream Cheese Pinwheels

12.  Fourth of July Milkshake

13.  Red, White & Blue Yogurt Popsicles

If you’ve served or are serving in the armed forces we salute and thank you! And to all, we hope you have a sparkling 4th of July! See you in the next blog!

Deb Fries is a freelance designer and writer, she has worked with Julianna Rae in graphics and customer service, she now writes lifestyle pieces for the blog at juliannarae.com/blog.