- Ah, sweets.

We love our sweets.

But as we all know, we can get carried away.

I've got some healthier ways to satisfy that sweet tooth, and get you some extra nutrition to boot.

With my crispy french toast fingers with blueberry maple sauce.

Banana bread with chocolate drizzle.

Mini date and nut snowballs.

And three ingredient cherry chocolate haystacks.

They're all coming up now, on Ellie's Real Good Food.

(upbeat music) - [Voiceover] Funding for this series has been provided by.

- [Voiceover] Hi, you've reached Emma.

I'm out of the office right now, but will get back to you just as soon as I possibly can.

For Discovery at Sea experiences, Princess Cruises, come back new.

- [Voiceover] Luvo.

Full servings of fruits and veggies, nutritious whole grains and lean proteins.

Seasoned with bold herbs and spices.

Chef created meals readymade for you.

In your grocer's freezer.

Luvo, the next generation in frozen food.

(upbeat music) - [Voiceover] Grapes from California.

Grown by families for families.

- [Voiceover] And by, the Natural Gourmet Institute.

For health and culinary arts.

Additional funding provided by the generous support of our Kickstarter donors.

A complete list is available at ElliesRealGoodFood.com.

- Hi, I'm Ellie Kreger and welcome to Ellie's Real Good Food.

Cake, candy, ice cream.

We really do love sweets.

For some of us though, that love can go overboard.

The Hovling family has a gigantic sweet tooth.

And it has taken over the household.

Actually, it's moved right in.

It's first in line at breakfast and for snacking and when it's time for a dessert.

And especially with five kids who love to bake.

Ragine wants to come up with some healthier options.

And I'm gonna help her.

(upbeat music) So it's great to have Ragine and Caitlin.

here in my kitchen.

We're gonna be making french toast, blueberry french toast.

So it's a sweet breakfast, but it's sweet in a healthier way.

So I think you're gonna love that.

We can start off, Caitlin, I hear you're an amazing cook.

Rumor has it.

(laughter) So you're gonna help out here if you would.

It starts off cause these french toast, fingers actually, they have a crispy coating.

And the crispy coating comes from corn flakes and almonds.

So if you wouldn't mind, maybe you can pour these in the bag.

And I have a really good - These?

- fun job for you.

Yeah.

Pour these in the bag and the almonds.

These are whole grain corn flakes.

- [Ragine] Okay.

Unsweetened corn flakes.

And almonds, slivered almonds.

So we're gonna make this, we're gonna just close this up, and then crush them up until they're like almost the size of oatmeal pieces.

Okay?

- Got it.

- And you can do this in a food processor too.

But it's fun to do it this way I think.

(laughs) Now Ragine you were saying that when you were making that video, 'Oh it's just really the kids and my husband "who eats the sweets."

But you discovered something - I realized yes.

I have a sweet tooth.

I do.

It wasn't just the kids I have a problem as well.

- You know, it's okay to have a sweet tooth and I think it's about curing that sweet tooth or satisfying it in a healthy way.

You know?

We're all born sort of with a sweet tooth in a way.

So yeah, give it a good, just watch your hand not to hammer your hand.

But literally, - Got it.

you can kinda get in there.

(hammering ingredients) Make some noise.

Go to town.

And I have a job for you too, Ragine.

So here we're just gonna make a nice egg mixture.

- Okay.

- To dip them in.

So that the coating sticks.

So we have two eggs in there, and if you'll just pour in the milk.

- [Ragine] Sure.

- [Ellie] That's fun right Caitlin?

- [Caitlin] Oh definitely Do you have a question, if you wanna know if it's the right size or whatever let me know.

- Yeah.

- And then a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

- [Ragine] Okay.

- Okay so if you would get that whisking, I'm also gonna put, some maple syrup in there.

So maple syrup is unrefined so even though it is an added sweetener, it's sugar, you know let's face it, but it has some minerals in it, it has anti-oxidants and so does honey.

So when you can use the unrefined sweetener you're at least getting that extra bonus.

Plus it has so much more flavor.

And here's another fact, the darker the color of the maple syrup the more flavor and the more anti-oxidants it has.

- Never knew that.

- Alright, I think you guys are great.

I'm just gonna give it one.

Perfect.

Perfection.

So you cook a lot together at home?

- We do yeah.

- Yeah.

Like what?

- Oatmeal cookies.

- Oatmeal.

- Definitely oatmeal cookies.

- Chocolate chip cookies.

- Cookies cookies.

- Brownies.

- We'll be like, we'll add sugar in it.

- Well you know, it's okay to add a little bit of sugar to your oatmeal.

But next time try a little maple syrup or maybe a little honey.

And then at least you get a little bit of those nutrients, but plus it's better to buy plain oatmeal and then add a little bit of your own sugar rather than buying it presweetened.

Because you'll probably not add as much as the manufacturer.

- Okay.

- It just keeps you in control of it.

Which is a good thing.

So let's see.

So here we're gonna season these a little bit.

With a half teaspoon of cinnamon, and here's some nutmeg, and then if you would put in just a little salt.

I would say, I think just one of those would be great.

And then I'm gonna give that a little stir.

You can mix that up.

Actually we could probably, here.

Do that like this.

Okay.

So we have, I'm gonna put the egg mixture in here too.

So remember we have a little bit of maple syrup iin there and some vanilla.

And first it's gonna be egg, and then it's gonna be crumbs.

And then we put it in the pan.

I also wanna cut the bread and show you since I said it's french toast fingers.

Now, you don't have to do it this way, you could just use regular whole grain sandwich bread.

I always use whole grain.

And dip it like that, but I think it's fun to make it in to fingers.

So I'm gonna cut this in to, each piece in to five kinda finger like pieces.

Cause then you could dip it in the syrup.

And it's really fun that way.

Okay.

Alright, so we have everything ready to go for our french toast fingers, and now let's make the syrup.

You wanna come help me?

- Of course.

- And I think, it's blueberry syrup and so I'm so glad you wore your blueberry colors because you're gonna match.

And so here let's put in these blueberries if you could do that.

Just put them in the pan.

I'll get some heat going on here.

So blueberries are naturally sweet so let's take advantage of that.

This way adding, a little bit of maple syrup here.

Let me grab this and we can, literally one tablespoon.

Literally one tablespoon.

Two cups of blueberries.

And here's the thing when you're the cook you get to sneak and taste the blueberries.

(Ragina laughs) So go ahead in there.

- Thanks.

- And a little bit of orange juice.

A tablespoon of orange juice and that's just gonna give a little more liquid and also another layer of sweetness.

So these are just gonna cook down a bit.

It's gonna come to a simmer.

And it'll all soften like, so the fruit collapses.

Then we'll puree it.

It'll be amazing, thick, glorious, perfectly sweet blueberry syrup.

So if you would just dip lightly in this egg cause this is soft bread.

- Okay - You don't wanna drench it cause it'll fall apart.

Lightly in there.

- [Ragine] Pass it down to you?

- You can throw it in and then like this, if you do it like this and kinda press it on., then it will really adhere.

Alright?

- Okay.

- And I'm gonna brush some oil in this pan and make sure it's nice and hot.

So a non stick pan is also helpful.

You don't have to use a ton of butter.

- What type of oil is that you use?

- So this is just regular canola oil and I just use a little bit to coat the pain.

Then I'll just put these, oh these are gonna be crispy and good.

(sizzling) - They look good.

- Well done.

What are some of your other favorite breakfasts?

You like pancakes I bet.

- Oh definitely.

- She made them herself the other day.

- Really?

- Yes.

She made her own pancakes.

- I'm impressed.

- And she cooks for her siblings.

- A lot of times people, when they cook with kids, they just make cookies and baked goods, but kids like to cook other things besides that.

- Yes they do.

- Definitely.

- Let's see if we've got anything browning here.

Oh.

Yes we do.

Try this side.

- [Caitlin] Looks good.

- [Ellie] Yeah it's good.

- [Ragine] It does.

- And these blueberries are gorgeous.

Pretty much collapsed.

I'm going to shut that off.

Alright, so I think we're in a good place.

We'll get these going.

get these pureed.

And plate up, and eat some french toast.

- Yummy.

- Can't wait.

- [Ellie] Alright so we'll just blend this up.

- [Caitlin] Got it.

(blender running) - So let's eat.

Help yourself.

Pour some sauce in a little puddle.

Or you can pour it on top.

I kinda like to dip.

What do we think?

Oh that sauce is good.

- This is really really good.

- This is delicious.

- I could eat this every day.

- Alright you got that?

Everyday.

- She's gonna make them everyday too.

- Probably.

- Well thanks so much for being here with me.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- It was great cooking with you.

- You too.

- Thank you.

- You both are really naturally sweet.

I mean it.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

(upbeat music) - I am making, the most delicious perfectly sweet banana bread with chocolate drizzle.

And it tastes absolutely decadent.

But it really has a reasonable amount of sugar, and most banana breads actually do.

Or they often do.

And that's thanks to the banana.

And so the whole idea is using fruit for it's natural inherent sweetness.

And then you don't need to add as much sugar.

And I think that's often a confusion for people.

They don't understand, that actually it's added sugar that really matters, that you really need to watch out for.

Don't worry about the sugars that are inherent in foods like fruits and dairy products.

So I'm just mashing some extra ripe bananas, and this is one of the greatest ways to get sweetness into your life.

I want about one and a half cups of banana here.

I think a lot of banana bread recipes can go wrong because bananas of course come in different sizes.

Here I'm using three medium bananas, and it makes about one and a half cups.

So really, you know use your judgement.

If you're in question just measure it.

Should be about one and a half cups.

Okay.

So I'm just gonna get my liquid ingredients ready here.

Couple of eggs.

(upbeat music) I'll get that kind of started whisking here.

Makes it easier to integrate the rest of the ingredients.

And one thing about a lot of banana bread recipes is they often have like gobs and gobs of butter as well.

You don't need it.

You can have an incredibly moist cake essentially.

It's banana bread but like let's face it, it's cake.

It's a kind of cake.

I always wondered why it's called bread.

I guess because it's in a bread pan.

But you don't need a lot of butter.

Because I got the tricks for ya.

Some yogurt.

And some canola oil.

I like to use canola for this because it has a really neutral flavor.

And so you're getting the fat in there but it's in a healthier way.

And the yogurt really helps give it that creamy texture so you don't miss the butter at all.

We get that lovely moist cake, with a healthier fat.

Love the lemony color of this.

(upbeat music) Alright, let's stir the banana right in there.

The liquid will be ready.

(upbeat music) Really a very simple recipe.

And then a little vanilla.

A teaspoon, and the thing about vanilla is of course, it has that amazing homey aroma.

Definite aroma therapy right here.

It also brings out the sweetness in the recipe.

(upbeat music) That's ready.

Get my dry ingredients together.

(upbeat music) Now for my dry ingredients, whenever I'm baking I love to use whole grain pastry flour.

Cause it helps you get that really nice tender texture that you want but also it's a complete whole grain.

So you get the fiber and anti-oxidants without that kind of healthy taste.

Which I love that healthy taste but you don't necessarily want your cake or banana bread to have a healthy taste.

Want just to taste like banana bread.

So I split the difference, so there's one cup of whole grain pastry flour and it's made from a special tender variety of wheat which is why it has those qualities.

And then a little bit of all purpose flour.

So three quarters of a cup of all purpose.

(upbeat music) Quarter teaspoon of salt.

So I'm putting two kinds of sugar in this recipe.

Not a lot of sugar, much less than typical banana bread recipe.

But there is some sugar in it.

And I think people often take it as an all or nothing proposition.

Sugar in your life is not all or nothing.

There's room in a healthy diet for as a rule of thumb, 10 teaspoons per person per day of sugar.

And then you can have a balanced diet around that.

Certainly the less the better okay?

But there's room for some.

So we can all take a deep breath and relax about it.

In this recipe, I'm having a little bit of white sugar.

Just a quarter cup.

And a quart cup of brown sugar cause it has that nice caramel flavor.

This entire recipe, which makes 10 slices, each person would just get three teaspoons of sugar.

Well well worth it you'll see.

So baking powder and baking soda.

(upbeat music) And then I'll just combine them.

Ready to go in the baking pan.

(upbeat music) Like to add in stages so you don't over mix.

I do have to warn you though because once you make this banana bread, no store bought banana bread is ever going to be good enough for you.

(upbeat music) just stirring enough to get all the dry spots out.

Have it all integrated.

Looks good.

And I like walnuts so I'm putting walnuts in but it's totally optional.

And you can put another kind of nut if you want.

I love banana walnut bread.

Just toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes and they are so fragrant.

They kind of tell you when they're done.

By the smell.

And then I also sprayed this with some oil.

And it just goes right in.

(upbeat music) This is just gonna bake at 350.

Until it's golden brown.

And then it's gonna get the chocolate drizzle treatment.

(upbeat music) So this bread has come out of the oven and it's resting here.

And it's warm.

Glory.

Cooling just enough to get a beautiful chocolate drizzle.

Now it is delicious just like this, trust me.

But why not put a little chocolate on it, that's what I always say.

Here's two tablespoons of confectioners sugar.

Just gonna melt that in this pan.

A little bit of milk.

Two teaspoons of milk.

Just so it's dissolved.

And this is basically how you make a chocolate glaze.

Then some dark chocolate and I always use dark chocolate.

That's 60 to 70% cocoa solids.

Which means it doesn't have a lot of sugar in it.

It has more of those great anti-oxidants.

So the darker the chocolate, the higher the percentage of cocoa solids.

The more of the anti-oxidants it has.

But also the more bitter it is so you wouldn't wanna use 100% dark chocolate here.

Just gonna drizzle that chocolate sauce all over it.

just a light drizzle.

It makes all the difference.

In lusciousness.

One more in the front here.

(upbeat music) Now.

normally you'd wait until that set.

I'm going in now.

I can't wait.

(upbeat music) Mmm mm.

Lovely.

That bit of chocolate on top just makes all the difference.

(upbeat music) It's perfectly sweet.

You can really taste the banana.

It's delicious.

Perfectly sweet.

(upbeat music) Here's a great sweet tooth satisfier.

They're mini date nut snowballs.

And they have no added sugars whatsoever they get all their sweetness from these guys, dates.

Seven ounces in there and they're pitted already.

And they have so much natural sugar inherent in them but also fiber, antioxidants, all kinds of goodness.

I'm gonna put some almonds in there.

A little bit of seasoning.

Some cinnamon which brings out that warm kind of middle eastern essence.

And you could use cardamom here too.

Ground cardamom.

And about an eighth of a teaspoon of salt.

It's that kind of sweet salty balance.

That makes everything so delicious.

Just whir this in the food processor.

(food processor grinding) Till it's finely ground, but still has some texture to it cause you're gonna see it holds together beautifully when you make little balls out of them because the dates are so kind of naturally sticky.

So I'm just gonna take little maybe teaspoon sized amounts and you can really make any size you want just make little balls.

Like so.

Really fun project to do with kids.

Make a few of those just to show you.

So again I've got a heaping teaspoon it doesn't have to be exact.

Press and roll.

It's like making candy.

It is candy, just healthy for you.

So when you decide to eat something sweet, whether it's candy that's healthy for you or just any candy.

Or cake or whatever it may be.

Even if it's a full out chocolate cake.

My big rule, is there's no room for guilt.

The most important thing to do is really savor it.

So pick something that you truly love.

That's great quality and savor every bite and then move on.

Cause otherwise it can kind of become like a forbidden fruit kind of thing.

If you have any then you feel guilty then you wind up eating the whole chocolate cake.

Or the whole box of candy.

Just roll this in the coconut to cover it.

So you get the idea.

Then you just do the rest just like that.

And you got beautiful date nut snowballs.

Sweet tooth satisfier, healthfully.

(upbeat music) How about this?

Three ingredient cherry chocolate haystacks.

Got some chocolate here that's ingredient number one.

Dark chocolate.

Just melting over some water.

Barely simmering water.

Just make sure the water's not touching the pan.

While that's finishing up, I'm gonna crush up these shredded wheat biscuits.

Just crush them with my hands.

So that's ingredient number two.

Shredded wheat cereal.

Unsweetened.

I love when I make these and then people are like, oh my goodness these are so great.

They taste like kind of a cross between cookie and candy.

And when I tell them the ingredients I almost laugh a little to myself.

People are so surprised it's just shredded wheat and chocolate.

And my third ingredient, is some dried cherries.

For a nice sweet chew.

Take this off the heat.

Perfectly melted.

Just give these cherries a quick chop.

I love dried cherries.

They have a perfect kind of sweet tart flavor.

Just make sure you get them unsweetened.

Lot of times they put a little extra sugar on them.

Doesn't need it.

And if you want you can use raisins here, you could use dried cranberries.

Or you could just leave out the dried fruit altogether.

It's good even without it.

Then this just goes into the chocolate.

That's about a third of a cup of dried cherries.

Just get it all coated.

(upbeat music) Okay, once it's all coated like this.

Just use your hands to make little haystacks.

About tablespoon sized.

(upbeat music) Just pressing them slightly together.

They just need to go in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

For the chocolate to set.

And you'll have a beautiful chocolate haystack candy.

A three ingredient one at that.

(upbeat music) I made these and I thought you guys would love them.

- [Ragine] Thank you.

- And they're just set.

Let's grab one.

May I take on for you?

Thanks for being here.

- Thank you.

- Thank you so much.

- Here's a napkin.

- Thank you.

- Since you're chocolate lovers and sweet lovers I thought you might enjoy it.

- This is so good.

- It's delicious.

- [Ragine] Oh my gosh.

- You like it?

- It's just so good.

- So chocolatey I love it.

This is heaven.

- Heaven.

- Did you put nuts in this?

- You could.

- I would love that.

- That's a great idea.

- Some almonds maybe.

- The sky's the limit.

- Yeah.

- Whatever you choose, there's a sweet way to hit the sweet spot where delicious and healthy meet.

(upbeat music) Sweet tooth satisfier, healthfully.

(upbeat music) - [Man] Nice touch.

That was great.

- How did I do that?

- [Man] Alright one more time.

(laughter) (upbeat music) (breaths into hands) ♪Luck be a lady tonight♪ (upbeat music) - [Voiceover] For these recipes and much more, go to ElliesRealGoodFood.com.

Also, connect with Ellie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Funding for this series has been provided by.

Luvo, full servings of fruit and veggies, nutritious whole grains and lean proteins.

Seasoned with bold herbs and spices.

Chef created meals readymade for you.

In your grocer's freezer.

Luvo, the next generation of frozen food.

- [Voiceover] Hi, you've reached Emma.

I'm out of the office right now, but will get back to you, just as soon as I possibly can.

For Discovery at Sea experiences, Princess Cruises.

Come back new.

(gentle music) - [Voiceover] Grapes from California.

Grown by families, for families.

(gentle music) - [Voiceover] And by, the Natural Gourmet Institute.

For health and culinary arts.

Additional funding provided by, the generous support of our Kickstarter donors.

A complete list is available at, ElliesRealGoodFood.com.

Ellie's kitchen is provided by Clarke.

New England's Sub Zero and Wolf showroom in Tecogen.

(clicking) (burner igniting) (flute music) (upbeat music)