Healthy holiday treats! | Happy Well lifestyle

Who doesn't love healthy holiday treats? I try to live by the 90/10 rule, which means I eat as clean and healthy as possible 90% of the time, but that doesn't mean I am disadvantaged. We eat incredibly delicious healthy meals. And 10% of the time I eat what I want! Are you surprised? What's more surprising to me is that I don't even want some of the things I longed for because I read labels to know WHAT is in things – and because I know what those ingredients actually do to my body.

Seriously, my list of favorite "goodies" included cones and jolly ranchers (full of artificial colors / flavors and high fructose corn syrup), Red Vines (full of wheat / gluten, artificial colors / flavors plus high fructose corn syrup). , Berry Pop-Tarts (again wheat / gluten, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors / flavorings), you got it … Although I loved and coveted these foods before, you probably couldn't pay me for them today to eat. As the saying goes, "Once you know, you can't know." And: "If you know better, you do better." And knowing what these ingredients do to my body (i.e., causing inflammation, excess body fat, and brain fog, to name a few), it is definitely NOT a pleasure for me to harm my only body.

So I opt for healthy holiday treats instead. And I'm sharing some of my favorite recipes with you here. These healthy holiday treats fall under my 10% rule. And they are mostly "healthy", although they contain some organic coconut sugar, maple syrup or molasses. But they also contain other healthy ingredients like cocoa powder (an amazing antioxidant and also a great source of magnesium), almonds (high in magnesium and healthy fats), coconut oil (a great healthy fat, and pomegranate seeds (among the highest antioxidants from fruits) and pumpkin seeds (full of protein, vitamin K, iron, and zinc) or ginger (immune balancing and anti-inflammatory). Plus, these healthy holiday treats taste so good that no one knows they're gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan!

Are you ready to try a dark chocolate Christmas bark with pomegranate and pumpkin seeds or vegan salted truffles made from dark chocolate, or how about a piece of spicy GF gingerbread cake?

Let's make these healthy holiday treats! Your friends and family will love you too. And if you're still on the hunt for some DIY gift ideas, wrap some of them with a pretty bow.

These vegan dark chocolate truffles are super tasty, quick, and easy healthy holiday treats. You can also experiment with other flavors. Try a few drops of peppermint oil in the chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy cane. (Or make your own dark chocolate peanut butter cups! Fill each mini muffin cup half full with chocolate. Put a spoonful of peanut butter in each cup and top with the remaining chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed peanuts on top.) You will get creative and leave a comment to share what flavors you made.

Salted dark chocolate truffles

These vegan dark chocolate truffles are so delicious your friend and family will be begging for more.

• 1/2 Cup Organic coconut oil
• 1/2 Cup 85% dark choclate chips
• 1/2 Cup Coconut milk
• 1/2 Cup Cocoa powder
• 1/4 Cup Maple syrup
• 1/4 TL vanilla
• 1/4 Cup Almonds finely chopped
• sea-salt

• Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a water bath over low heat. Remove from heat after melting.

• Stir in coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and cocoa powder. Stir until the cocoa powder is thoroughly mixed in and there are no more lumps.

• Fold in the chopped almonds.

• Pour into a mini muffin pan (greased) or into chocolate molds.

• Sprinkle with sea salt

• Store in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours before removing from the pan or mold.

• Store in the refrigerator. They melt if left at room temperature for too long.

This dark chocolate Christmas bark really is one of my new FAV healthy holiday treats. I adopted this from a different recipe that was more like a rocky road. Since we had several pomegranates and lots of pumpkin seeds, I thought this would look so pretty for Christmas. And wow do they taste fabulous too.

Dark chocolate Christmas bark

This festive dark chocolate rind is sprinkled with red pomegranate seeds and green pumpkin seeds, cocoa nibs and sea salt.

kitchen Gluten free, vacation

• 1/2 Cup 85% dark choolat chips
• 1 TABLESPOON Coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 Cup Pomegranate seeds *
• 1/2 Cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 Cup Cocoa nibs
• 1/4 Cup Mini marshmallows (optional), cut into quarters *
• Sea-salt, sprinkle over it (fine or medium)

• Lightly grease the sides of a roll pan or baking sheet

• Melt the chocolate chips in a water bath over low heat or in the microwave

• While the chocolate is melting, sprinkle the pomegranate and pumpkin seeds on the baking sheet or pan and mix well. Then sprinkle with the cocoa nibs. For more sweetness and chewy fun, add 1/4 cup mini marshmallows * cut into quarters.

• Stir the melted coconut oil into the melted chocolate chips.

• Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the seeds in the pan and cover all of the seeds. If necessary, use a spatula to coat the seeds with chocolate and distribute them evenly across the pan. (It probably won't reach the edges if you don't double the recipe.)

• Sprinkle the chocolate with fine or medium ground sea salt

• Put the pan in the refrigerator to cool completely for 6-8 hours, then break the rind into pieces.

*NOTE:
Use fresh pomegranate seeds and eat or split the rind within a few days, or store in the freezer. Pomegranate seeds can begin to ferment after a few days.
If you do use marshmallows, check your local health food store for "healthier" vegan marshmallows that use cane sugar or coconut sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

This delicious traditional holiday treat was adapted by King Arthur Baking to make it vegan and a little healthier. Their original recipe called for it to be baked in a 9 × 9 pan. But I prefer my gingerbread more like a pound cake, so I make it in a bread loaf pan. These would make great mini muffins too. As you experiment with different pan sizes you will need to change the oven temperature and / or the baking time.

GF gingerbread

This vacation favorite is so dense, moist, and flavorful that your friends and family will love it.

keyword Dessert, gluten free, vacation

• 2 cups GF / Paleo baking flour
• 1/2 TL Tapioca flour
• 1/4 Cup Coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 TL Baking soda
• 1/2 TL Salt-
• 2 TL ginger
• 1 TL cinnamon
• 1/2 TL Cloves
• 1/2 TL cardamom
• 1/2 Cup Coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 Cup molasses
• 1/4 Cup water
• 1 TL vanilla
• 1 Egg / replacement equivalent
• 1 Cup Coconut milk or other nut milk
• 1/2 Cup crystallized ginger, diced
• 1/4 Cup Currents
• 1 TL Mandarin / clementine peel

• Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Grease a bread pan and lightly dust it with flour.

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.

• Melt coconut oil and add molasses, then pour into dry ingredients and mix well.

• Whisk the water, vanilla, egg and coconut milk together. Stir in the batter until it is thoroughly mixed. Stir in crystallized ginger, currents and tangerine peel.

• Pour the dough into the greased and floured bread pan and leave it on the counter for 15 minutes.

• Bake for 60 minutes or until the cake comes off the edge of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean.

• Remove the cake from the oven and refrigerate on a rack for 15 minutes before slicing.

• Serve warm with whipped coconut cream.

Happy Holidays, Enjoy These Healthy Holiday Treats! Please leave a comment to let us know which ones you've tried and what delicious substitutions you've made.