15 Summer Dessert Recipes for a Guilt-Free Cooldown

From sweet and fruity to light and creamy, The Leaf Weight Loss Blog is filled with healthy treats for your summer menu. These 15 refreshing summer dessert recipes can serve as a cool pick-me-up on a hot summer day or the perfect end to a warm-weather meal.

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Here are 15 summer dessert recipes to help you beat the heat this season:

1. Strawberry Icebox Cake with Lemon >

Calories per serving: 152

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 SmartCarb and 1 Extra

A standard icebox is made with chocolate wafers and whipped cream. However, this (much) healthier version creates the cool layers of this epic summer dessert favorite with crunchy graham crackers, thick yogurt and fresh strawberry slices instead. Each bite delivers a sweet flavor combo of berry, lemon and vanilla that makes this cake as delicious as it is nutritious. Add this dessert to your next backyard party menu: It takes no time to prep and is pretty enough to impress your guests.

2. 4-Ingredient Banana Nice Cream >

Calories per serving: 110

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 SmartCarb

What makes this frozen treat so nice? The sweet bananas, tasty almond milk and splash of vanilla are three delicious reasons. Plus, it’s a low calorie dessert and you only need a blender to make it: simply puree the ingredients to a soft-serve consistency or pop it in the freezer for a firmer texture. Then grab a spoon and dive in without an ounce of guilt!

3. Vanilla Latte Protein Smoothie >

Calories per serving: 176

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 PowerFuel and 1 Extra

Start your morning sweet with this java-flavored healthy smoothie recipe. Made with vanilla almond milk, a few scoops of Vanilla Nutrisystem Protein and Probiotic Shake Mix and a teaspoon of coffee grinds, it’s got all the energizing nutrition you need to fill up and fuel your day. We also add some Greek yogurt for creaminess and a dash of vanilla extract for sweetness. Enjoy your morning latte made healthy!

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4. Dirt Pudding Cups >

Calories per serving: 215

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 PowerFuel, ½ SmartCarb and 2 Extras

Remember eating dirt as a kid? We’re not talking mud pies, but the sweet kind made with pudding, whipped topping, crushed chocolate sandwich cookies and gummy worms. This reimagined dirt dessert delivers the same nostalgia for a fraction of the calories. Process dates, walnuts and cocoa powder until crumbly, then stir in shredded coconut for texture. Add thin, matchstick-like pieces of fresh fruit like strawberries to replace those sugar-filled gummy worms. Spoon the “dirt” over chocolate pudding, add a mint leaf or two for garnish and enjoy this healthy summer dessert while feeling like a kid in a candy store!

5. Ice Cream Sandwich Shake >

Calories per serving: 255

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 Nutrisystem Snack, 1 SmartCarb and 1 Extra

It’s a marriage made in dessert heaven: the classic ice cream sandwich and quintessential thick milkshake join forces to become one decadent dessert. And it takes only minutes to make: toss a Nutrisystem Ice Cream Sandwich, some almond milk and a frozen banana into a blender or food processor. Hit the button and voila—a super creamy, uber-hearty summer dessert shake recipe that’s destined to become a favorite this beach season.

6. Cinnamon Banana Protein Popsicles >

Calories per serving: 147

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 PowerFuel and 1 Extra

These inspired summer dessert treats are made with flavors both you and your little ones will love. Banana and cinnamon are sweetened with vanilla, made creamy with yogurt and dotted with slivered almonds for an unexpected crunch. The best part about these delicious pops? If one isn’t enough to cool you down, feel free to have another—each serving is two popsicles.

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7. Red, White & Blue Pudding Cup >

Calories per serving: 71

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 2 Extras

These patriotic cups stack refreshing red gelatin, white cool whip and juicy blueberries for a healthy, all-American treat that’s perfect for your Fourth of July party—or really any day of the year you want to declare your independence from desserts that ruin your diet.

8. Skinny S’mores Frozen Yogurt >

Calories per serving: 174

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 SmartCarb and 2 Extras

It’s got all the makings of your campfire favorite but with a refreshing twist. Blend frozen bananas and yogurt until creamy, then stir in the s’more standards: golden graham crackers, milk chocolate chips and puffs of mini marshmallow. Pop it in the freezer for about an hour and out comes a delicious, diet-friendly summer dessert that gets you the flavors you crave in a cooler and easier-to-eat form.

9. Matcha Melon Smoothie >

Calories per serving: 113

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 SmartCarb and 1 Extra

Matcha gives this smoothie much more than its vibrant green hue. Made from the same plant as green tea, the healthy powder provides disease-fighting antioxidants and has been shown to protect the liver and promote heart health, says Healthline. Blend it with milk and yogurt for creaminess, honey and honeydew melon for sweetness and chia seeds for protein and fiber. Whip up this perfectly healthy smoothie for the perfect start to your day.

10. Raspberry Lime Protein Popsicles >

Calories per serving: 100

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 PowerFuel

You taste all the flavors of summer in these yummy popsicles. They’re made with raspberries and lime juice, as the name implies, but also contain milk and Greek yogurt so they’re a little more satisfying. They also feature chopped mint leaves for a burst of freshness.

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11. Mango Vanilla Chia Pudding >

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 SmartCarb, 2 PowerFuels and 2 Extras

The mango provides tons of vitamins and minerals. The tiny chia seeds are loaded with filling fiber and protein. And when combined with Vanilla Nutrisystem Protein and Probiotic Shake Mix, it creates a beautiful pudding that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. Just whisk together the shake mix, milk and chia seeds, stir in chunks of mango and refrigerate overnight. When the pudding sets, top with more mango chunks and enjoy in the morning for breakfast or as a mid-day snack.

12. Smore’s Icebox Cake >

Calories per serving: 92

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 3 Extras

No need to stoke the fire for these s’mores. And no need to turn on your oven either. This no-bake cake features layers of graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate stacked high and chilled in the fridge to make the perfect after-dinner summer dessert.

13. Strawberry Cheesecake Pudding >

Calories per serving: 98

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 PowerFuel and 1 Extra

There are a couple of differences between this healthy summer dessert and your favorite slice of cheesecake. First of all, you need a spoon, not a fork. Plus, you can indulge without any guilt whatsoever. Otherwise, this pudding packs the same flavors of the strawberry cheesecake you crave in every creamy bite. Made mostly with fat-free cottage cheese, a little low-fat cream cheese and fresh strawberries (plus vanilla extract and stevia for sweetness), this easy-to-make, tasty concoction weighs in at less than 100 calories. Enjoy a healthy sweet treat while quelling your cheesecake craving!

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14. Blueberry Lemon Ice Cream Sundae >

Calories per serving: 250

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 Nutrisystem Snack and 1 SmartCarb

Sweet meets sour in this fresh ice cream sundae. Simply blend frozen blueberries, bananas, almond milk, lemon juice and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Stir in a crumbled Nutrisystem Lemon Cooler Cookie for extra lemon and added crunch. This mouthwatering summer dessert option is calling your name!

15. 3-Step Banana Pudding >

Calories per serving: 149

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 1 SmartCarb, 1 PowerFuel and 2 Extras

Not only do these sweet fruits taste good, they’re (so) good for you: bananas are packed with heart-healthy potassium, filling fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals. When transformed into a creamy pudding, they become the epitome of comfort food. Just puree a banana, milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, corn starch and stevia. Simmer the mixture on the stove until thick and throw it in the fridge to chill. Once it has set, top your banana pudding with a dollop of whipped cream, grab a spoon and settle in for a comforting sweet treat.

For more summer dessert inspiration, visit The Leaf’s recipe section or find your next family dessert favorite with this amazing summer pie recipe list! >

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Can’t Stand the Heat? 9 Healthiest Foods to Order When It’s Too Hot to Cook

When summer swelter hits its peak, we all want to avoid heating up the kitchen. Going out to eat or bringing food in can be a cool choice at this time of year, even when you are trying to shed excess pounds. Just keep in mind all that you have learned from Nutrisystem about portion size. (Bookmark our handy Grocery Guide > so you can quickly check.) And always search for the healthiest foods to order.

Here are a few hints to help you choose the healthiest foods to order :

1. Grilled Chicken

White meat chicken is a PowerFuel that’s high in protein and healthy fats. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), you get 70 calories and 1.5 grams of fat in a 2-ounce serving of grilled chicken breast. Stay away from breaded fried chicken breast, which has a whopping 266 calories and 16 grams of fat in a similar size serving.

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2. Sirloin Steak

Meat lovers can enjoy beef when eating out, but should order lean cuts, such as sirloin steak. Being mindful of portion size is especially important with beef—in restaurants steaks typically are at least 6 ounces, which is the equivalent of three servings. Pick beef dishes that are not served with glazes, which often are high in fat, sugar and calories.

3. Raw or Steamed Seafood

Shellfish, including crabs, shrimp and lobster, along with clams, mussels and oysters, turn any summer meal into a beach party. Better yet, they are an excellent choice when you’re trying to lose weight, too. Shellfish are PowerFuels, high in protein and low in saturated fats. Plus, they treat you to a dose of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Be sure to order raw or steamed options and steer clear of fried or sautéed items. Also pass on dipping seafood into melted butter or creamy sauces, which are high in fat and calories. Instead add extra flavor with a squeeze of lemon juice or a dash of hot sauce—both Free Foods in your Nutrisystem plan.

4. Fresh Fish

“Catch of the day” is a summertime favorite, and it’s often among the healthiest foods to order in any season. Salmon (wild-caught or farmed), tuna, cod, flounder and other kinds of fish are PowerFuels that fill you up with protein, but are low in saturated fats and calories. Go with grilled, broiled, or poached fish, which won’t have added fats or other calories. Your best picks are dishes seasoned with herbs and spices and not coated with calorie-laden sauces or glazes.

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5. Salads

Warm weather brings the peak of fresh produce season, a perfect time to order salads that are filling enough to be a meal. Add a PowerFuel, such chicken breast, tuna or chickpeas, along with the greens and other raw vegetables, to make a more satisfying salad. For dressing, go with balsamic or other vinegars and stay away from blue cheese, ranch or any other creamy type of topping.

6. Burrito Bowls

When the whole gang is craving Southwest flavors, a burrito bowl is the healthiest food for you to order. At a popular takeout chain, a packed burrito bowl can clock in close to 700 calories. No matter what you get in your bowl, pass on high-fat additions such as sour cream and queso. Ask for second helping of raw or grilled vegetables instead.

7. Pizza

The rules of thumb for ordering healthy pizza are simple: Thinner crust has fewer calories and carbohydrates than thick crust; minimize the cheese; load up on veggies; beware of deep dish and stuffed crust options, which often have more excessive calories and saturated fats. Do you like meat on your pie? Consider Canadian bacon, which has 63 calories and 1.5 g of fat in 2 slices (3 ounces), according to the USDA. The same amount of pepperoni has an astounding 428 calories and 40 g of fat.

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8. Lettuce Wraps

At a burger chain restaurant, a brioche bun can add an abundant amount of extra calories and carbohydrates to your choice of patty. Get it wrapped in lettuce instead, which comes with just 15 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates. Better yet, order a plant-based patty instead of beef and you can save more than half of the calories (320 vs. 800) and cut the fat content from 17 g to 2.5 g.  Use as much mustard as you want atop your burger, but watch your servings of ketchup and mayo.

9. Chilled Soup

We usually think of soup as cold-weather food, but summertime menus often offer flavorful and cool choices such as gazpacho, cucumber-yogurt, potato-leek and even fruit-based soups. They can fill you up and help you get a serving or two of non-starchy vegetables. Just watch for those made with fat-laden crème fraiche rather than low- or nonfat yogurt.

 

The post Can’t Stand the Heat? 9 Healthiest Foods to Order When It’s Too Hot to Cook appeared first on The Leaf.

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6 Summer Slim-Down Foods That Help You Lose Weight

Whether you’re at a backyard barbecues, a ballgame, on the beach or basking in the sun, a big part of summer fun is the food: Favorites you’ve had since school days that signal the season of sunshine is here, and you’re enjoying it. If you’re on a weight loss program, some of those perfect-for-summer foods can actually help you on your journey. So exactly which are the summer slim-down foods that help you lose weight?

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These six options are more than just delicious summer favorites—thanks to the right combinations of nutrients, they’re also foods that help you lose weight :

1. Cool cucumber, local tomatoes and slices of watermelon

What do these foods have in common? Water. Thanks to their high water content, all three of these summer favorites don’t just cool you down, but they’re low in calorie density—which, according to Science Daily. means you can eat a lot of volume without eating a lot of calories. When scientists had obese women in a study add more water-rich foods to their diet plans, they lose 30 percent more weight during the first six months of dieting than those who didn’t focus on adding water-rich foods.

If you’re a watermelon lover, keep track of your portions: Because it’s high on the glycemic index, one cup of the luscious fruit counts as one SmartCarb on Nutrisystem program. Tomatoes and cucumbers, though, are unlimited foods, and count towards your four daily servings of non-starchy vegetables. Pile them on your plate next to your backyard burger or in a fresh, chilly summer salad to help you lose weight.

2. Cool, creamy smoothies and frozen Greek yogurt treats

Greek yogurt has 17 grams of belly-filling, hunger-fighting protein in every 100 calories, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). And it’s also got calcium, which can help more of your weight loss come from fat.

Combine this thicker, creamier yogurt with berries for a cool parfait, or mix them in and freeze in popsicle molds for a fat-fighting fro-yo dessert. Smoothie lover? Double up on the weight loss power of Greek yogurt: Mix in leafy greens with your favorite fruit, Greek yogurt and ice for bonus nutrients and fiber to make your smoothie more filling. The sweetness of the fruit will help mask the flavor of the spinach or other leafy greens, getting you closer to your four daily servings of non-starchy vegetables.

Check out our favorite smoothie recipes here >

3. Summer berries

Berries are sweeter (and cheaper!) in the summer, and they’re a top choice on our list of foods that help you lose weight. Those fresh little red, blue and black gems are low on the glycemic index, so they won’t spike your blood sugar. That’s thanks to their fiber content: One cup of raspberries, for instance has nine grams of this filling nutrient, meaning the serving can help you feel fuller for longer. That fiber can also help you lose weight around your middle: According to one study published in Science Daily, for every 10 grams of fiber you eat per day, you could have as much as four percent less fat around your belly.

Blueberries may be especially helpful at targeting belly fat. In one 2009 study on rats, the rodents who were given blueberries as part of their weight loss diet lost more belly fat than those losing weight on a berry-free nutrition plan.

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4. Tall glasses of iced green tea

Green tea never seems to stop having new benefits: According to nature.com, it’s been shown in studies to help reduce cancer risk, diabetes risk, and even help participants lose weight. In one specific study from the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, obese participants who drank four cups of green tea per day lost significantly more weight over eight weeks than those who drank four cups of water.

Try having a cold glass as a pre-lunch or -dinner drink for bonus weight loss benefits. A study conducted (published in Obesity) asked one group of adults aged 55-75 to have a 16-ounce beverage before each meal while on a diet, they lost 44 percent more weight over 12 weeks than another group that was on the same diet, but didn’t drink. It’s that simple: A pre-meal drink can make you feel more full, so you’ll eat less and lose more.

5. Hit the trail for a hike with some healthy fat

If summer means a hike with family or friends, give your trail mix a boost: Make sure it includes almonds. The monounsaturated fat in these nuts has been shown to help dieters lose belly fat, according to Science Daily. Since fat can help you feel full faster than carbohydrates, it can also make your trail mix help you lose weight while you trek.

But even if you don’t have a caloric deficit on your hiking day, including almonds can help you shed fat around your middle. In a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), of 48 people with elevated “bad” LDL cholesterol, those who ate a daily snack of almonds lost fat in their bellies and legs, even when they didn’t lose weight.

6. Fresh, whole fruit

When you’re looking for foods that help you lose weight, whole foods are always a great choice. When it comes to fruit, the reason is the fiber: Snapping into a medium-sized apple delivers 125 calories, but comes with 4.9 grams of the filling nutrient.

Haven’t started your weight loss journey yet? Get started today! >

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