Last week I sent out an email to everyone who is subscribed to my newsletter.  It was a pretty simple rant.  The bottom line is that too many parents are unaware of the dangers of feeding their kids too much crap.  And make no mistake – most food that comes in a package these days is crap.  Most of it is laced with way too much sugar, processed wheat, or other cheap ingredients that wreak havoc on our body’s immune system.  They spike up insulin levels and promote obesity.

On the flip side, too many parents seem to be unaware of the need to eat healthy fats.  Fat does not make you fat.  Excess sugar and processed carbs make you fat.  Focus more on quality protein and fat, and get your carbs from healthy sources.

In the email I asked for your replies.  TONS of you wrote back to me thanking me for the healthy desserts book recommendation.  I bought this book a couple of weeks ago and love it.  But you also asked for me to publish some of my own ideas.  So here goes:

Ice cream is a health disaster.  Yes it tastes amazing, but commercial  ice cream is made from sugar and unhealthy fats (mostly).  It also comes in gigantic containers, prompting us to serve ourselves (and our kids) way too much!

Making your own Healthy and Thick Chocolate Fruit Smoothie Dessert

The picture at the top of this post is one I actually took using my phone, last night.  My kids devoured this dessert and have come to expect such creations.  They never complain about dessert, and they never feel they are missing out.  Hint:  They aren’t.

Ingredients

One frozen banana (peel before freezing, it’s easier!)

A handful of frozen mango and blueberry (combined total fruit is about 1.5 cups)

1/4 cup coconut milk.  Buy a brand that is sulphite free.  

One heaping teaspoon of cocoa

Enough water to allow it to blend into a thick smoothie.  

A bit of chocolate chips (the only junk part) to decorate the top

Directions

1. Break the frozen banana into chunks, and combine with mango, blueberry into a container. The exact amount of fruit is not important. 

2. Add the coconut milk, cocoa and eyeball the amount of water you’ll need to allow it to blend.

3. Blend.  I use an immersion blender, but a proper kitchen blender will be faster.  You’re dealing with frozen fruit, so if you use an immersion blender, expect it to take a minute or so.  Go slowly as you pulverize the fruit!  Add extra water if needed.

4. Scoop it into small bowls and decorate with some chocolate chips

Some of the important things to understand:

What’s really in this?  Whole fruit, some cocoa (which is a healthy ingredient on its own), and coconut milk.  The chocolate chips are there for misdirection.  They make it look more like a junk food.  There aren’t enough of them to make this dessert unhealthy.

Coconut milk is an incredibly healthy food.  The fats in coconut oil are what “medium chain triglycerides” (MCT).  They are processed as energy by the body very easily, without spiking blood sugar and generating a huge insulin release by the pancreas.  I use coconut oil and coconut milk in many recipes.

The size of the bowl matters.  You can’t really tell from the picture, but these bowls fit in the palm of my hand.  They are about 3 inches across.  They don’t hold much.  This allows me to fill up the bowl all the way, and it appears to be a much larger dessert than it really is.

If all you do is cut down on the serving size of store-bought junk by using smaller bowls, your family will be healthier.  But of course I’d like to see you take it a step further by making healthier treats.

Next time I make this recipe I will probably add in a scoop of high quality Whey protein powder.  This will give the dessert some added protein with almost no change to the texture or flavour.  Try it and tell me what you think.  Drop a comment.

This was my own recipe.  But if you want a whole book full of healthy recipes I highly recommend Guilt Free Desserts.  Brownies, chocolate cakes, cupcakes, and even a copycat of peanut butter cups made from healthy ingredients. We made them and they are awesome!

To your health, and enjoy your children.

Chris Thompson

SEE ALSO: This audio lesson will forever change the way you interact with your kids.