As soon as you come home, you hear from the children's room: "Maaaama, can I have something sweet?" Actually, you would like to say yes - if it weren't for all the sugar. But luckily you can still spoil your little ones: with healthy alternatives to sweets. Here we present you nine ideas that don't take much time and are made from natural ingredients - but still make your kids' eyes shine.
1. Freeze-dried fruits
100% natural and 0% additives - but a fruity snack that provides your family with filling fiber and valuable vitamins : freeze-dried fruits are perhaps the best alternative to sweets.
They give you as many nutrients as fresh fruit , have an irresistible crunch and tickle your tongue with such intense flavors that even people who don't like fruit want to empty the whole bag.
If your children crave something sweet, you can soon forget about worries about industrial sugar and preservatives - just let them snack on freeze-dried strawberries , bananas or apples .
It's quick and still healthy - unlike most other sweet alternatives on the market. After all, sweeteners and other questionable additives often hide in them.
2. Custard cream
Imagine being able to spoon a pudding that melts in your mouth almost like cream - but without a gram of sugar. Chances are, you've just found your new favorite dessert - and your kids are fighting over who gets to scrape the mixing bowl. That's why it's best to prepare a double portion!
To do this, put 0.5 liters of cold milk or soy drink in a tall measuring cup. Now add a teaspoon of guar gum and beat the mixture with a mixer to form a fluffy cream. Season with cocoa and birch sugar, garnish with freeze-dried strawberries and snack on pure happiness!
3. Cinnamon Chickpeas
When you think of chickpeas, you probably think of hummus - but when prepared correctly, the cheerful peas make a great substitute for sweets.
That's how it's done:
- Drain a glass of chickpeas
- Dry the chickpeas with a kitchen towel and mix them with 1 tablespoon of oil
- Spread the peas on a baking tray and bake them at 180 degrees for 20 minutes
- In the meantime, mix 2 tablespoons of agave syrup with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix with the chickpeas and bake for another 10 minutes.
Important: Not suitable for small children - they could choke on the chickpeas!
4. Sherbet
What could satisfy your craving for sweets better than ice cream ? Luckily, you don't need any sugar to make a creamy sorbet - just a good mixer.
Simply cut your family's favorite types of fruit into pieces, freeze them and puree them - and you've got a healthy fruit ice cream .
If you like, you can now add some nut butter or a dash of cream. Also delicious: spices like vanilla or even basil. Do you prefer to eat ice cream with crunchy pieces? Then top the sorbet with freeze-dried fruit!
5. Apple rings with peanut butter and cinnamon
When your children come home from school, they complain of being excruciatingly hungry - but will it take a while until the food is on the table? Satisfies their first appetite and is sure to make your little ones happy: apple rings with peanut butter and cinnamon!
To do this, cut an apple into slices and spread peanut butter on it. If you want to save even more sugar, peanut butter will do the same. Depending on your taste, you can garnish the apple rings with chopped nuts or freeze-dried blueberries and finally sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Sweet ice cubes
Sweet ice cubes can be a healthy alternative to chocolate and ice cream confectionery - of course not quite as sinful, but still delicious and, above all, without tons of sugar.
Mix 200 milliliters of coconut milk with 3 to 5 teaspoons of cocoa and season the cream with birch sugar or another sweetener. If you like, you can also stir in chopped coconut chips . Then pour into ice cube trays and freeze for two hours.
Tip: Are your children still small? Then it's better to use real ice cream molds - this way you can be sure that they won't choke.
7. Banana Bites
Are there brown bananas bobbing in the fruit bowl? A good opportunity to prove to your kids that it's what's inside that counts - make Banana Bites out of it!
To do this, cut the bananas into finger-thick pieces and freeze them for half an hour. Then spread a nut butter of your choice on a few banana pieces and place another slice on top. Finally, dip half of the bites into chocolate and put them in the freezer for another hour.
8. Sugar-free gummy bears
Although gummy bears have fewer calories than chocolate or chips, their sugar content surpasses pretty much every other snack. At least if you choose the conventional varieties in the supermarket. Just as delicious: sugar-free gummy bears.
But be careful: if you eat too much of it, you might end up spending the rest of the day on the toilet. A more natural and healthier alternative to wine gums - especially for children - are freeze-dried fruits.
9. Popcorn
Bet your kids will be wide-eyed when they open the lunch box and find a handful of popcorn in it? This may be an unusual snack, but made with little sugar and fat, it makes a great substitute for sweets.
Microwave popcorn usually already contains a lot of sugar. In addition, the non-stick coating of the packaging can be harmful to health. That's why it's better to use raw corn - it's almost as quick anyway.
Simply heat a tablespoon of oil in a pot and add enough corn to cover the bottom. Now it's time to put the lid on and wait until the banging stops. You can then season the popcorn with agave syrup or maple syrup and maybe even stir in some cinnamon. Complete!
Conclusion: replace sweets? No problem with our 9 ideas!
Of course, as a mom, you care about the well-being of your family - that also means you worry about what your children eat. Luckily, there are plenty of healthy, sweet snacks out there, as this list has shown you.
Do you still have some time left? Then discover in our next blog post how you can strengthen the well-being of your loved ones.
