I’ve made healthy, easy, quick dinner-time food, because when I think about eating healthy, I think about mealtimes. But truth be told, I’m pretty good about eating healthy meals – I rarely eat meat, I’m good about incorporating vegetables into everything I eat, and I frequently choose whole grains as my starch just because they’re tastier. The areas where I really struggle are sweets, and snacking. And don’t worry, I know I deserve treats sometimes – just not 10 times a day. Having a desk job doesn’t make it any easier, especially when you sit next to the department chocolate bowl, and the snack drawer is full of additive-heavy granola bars and peanut butter-filled pretzels.
One solution? Bringing my own snack, one that I can feel good about, but that will still satisfy my cravings. Since I usually crave cookies or brownies or other baked treats when I want a snack, sneaking filling and health ingredients into baked goods is an essential skill. These fruit and nut bars from Joy of Baking are a perfect example. They have just a teensy amount of sugar and flour, no butter, and are primarily composed of dried fruit and nuts, but are still super delicious and satisfying. The effect of that small amount of sugar and flour is great – it’s almost like a sweet tempura, in that the fruit gets a very light coating of a slightly sweet, crispy coating.
Dining and Cooking