What lands a food on the “no-no list”? The answer to this question depends on who is asking and more importantly who is answering. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of diets that include a list of foods to avoid. Most diet plans rely on such lists to ensure success. If you are a person following the plan and can’t avoid chocolate- covered candies for example, the plan will likely fail. . Taking a hard line and excluding a variety of food groups amount to the main downfall of a multitude of diet plans and fads marketed today. Over the years, one truth still stands: balance is the key to healthy living. And that just not only applies to talking about food, but overall, as in when individuals are able to work and still take time off for vacation, to eat healthy meals but still enjoy chocolate in moderation – then they are able to maintain that lifestyle in the long run.
Let’s answer the question we first posed at the beginning of this post (if you haven’t noticed, at times it’s easy to get lost in thoughts and get off subject when writing about food and health!). Usually a food that is high in sugar or fried has too much salt or no nutritive value ends up on the “don’t eat” list. But we take that as a challenge! Instead of prohibiting these foods, let’s swap a few ingredients and revamp the recipes , so that it becomes something we can enjoy every once in a while without guilt. You will see many posts to follow with this in mind, and I would love some suggestions from you for foods or recipes you’d like to see revamped. First on the list is my husband’s favorite: donuts. The poor guy had to say goodbye to the sweet deep fried rings when he said “I do” to a nutritionist. Although we still indulge in the traditional donut a couple of times of year, that hasn’t been enough for him.
Thankfully, adding nutrients to donuts wasn’t extremely difficult. Donuts lack protein, but adding peanut butter to the dough significantly increased this recipe’s protein content. For a better ratio of macronutrients, a slight decrease in sugar does the trick. The main issue of concern with donuts is the deep frying: the saturated and trans fats that result from this process may be extremely harmful to heart health. But the good news is that baking a donut is pretty easy with a donut pan. They are available in either silicone or non-stick steel- like materials. Of course the texture of a fried donut will not be exactly the same as a baked donut, but when you crave a donut and are trying to stick to a better healthy-eating plan, these will do the trick! The sugar was reduced in this recipe to just ½ cup; for a sweeter version add another ½ cup of sugar and increase the milk to ½ cup. The dough will be very sticky, so using some non-stick spray really helps. ? Try: What should be the next recipe that we make over?
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup Once Again Creamy Peanut Butter
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons of milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine peanut butter (Make sure it is soft. If stored in the refrigerator, take it out for 20 minutes to soften), sour cream, milk and vanilla. Mix well, then add in the beaten egg.
- Next, add in the sugar and mix it well.
- Lastly mix in the flour and baking powder. The mixture will be thick and sticky.
- Spoon into donut molds and place a preheated oven at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes or until baked through.
- Melt dark chocolate chips and dip one side of the donuts into the melted chocolate. Decorate the donuts with a peanut butter drizzle and enjoy! This recipe makes 12 mini-donuts.
Post prepared and sponsored by Once Again Nut Butter.