Healthy Treats Archives - Sweden With Love

March 5, 2016

Delicious Vegan, Gluten-Free Granola

Around 7 p.m. on a Friday evening, a sweet-faced four-year-old boy looks up at me and says, “Can I please have granola with no milk?” Since our jar of granola is empty — I suspect my husband sneaked off with the last bowl after dinner — I quickly pull out the ingredients from our cabinets and, within ten minutes, the batch is in the oven.

The rich, crunchy texture and sweet taste of Our Yummiest & Healthiest Granola turn this breakfast staple into a wonderful treat. It’s also a good choice for other reasons: it’s gluten-free, doesn’t contain any refined sugars, is vegan-option and organic if you choose organic ingredients. And it’s easy to make!

February 16, 2016

Vegan, Glutenfree Ding Dongs!

Healthy Treats

My children love when I bake, and I love to bake for them because it makes me feel kind. That look on their face when they bite into something delicious and respond with a huge smile? It’s pretty priceless. That’s why I always try to bake treats that are as healthy as possible. Eliminating white sugar and white flour is a good start, and the treats featured in our Healthy Treats section are also gluten free and vegan (or vegan option). As a whole, it makes our act of kindness so much sweeter.

This month, photographer Jennifer Little is introducing us to a delicious recipe for Ding Dongs! Together with her two children, Jennifer baked up a storm a few weeks ago at her kitchen in Colorado and the Ding Dongs were a huge hit. Simply looking at her beautiful pictures makes me want one! Happy baking — I hope you enjoy this month’s Healthy Treat. • Ulrica Wihlborg

December 1, 2014

Red Curry Almond Pumpkin Soup — You’ll Love It!

Healthy Treats

By Jennifer Little

Even though we’ve had a warm fall here in Colorado, winter is finally in the air. This Thanksgiving week, all I want are warm, nurturing soups and stews to fill my belly for lunch and dinner. As I peek out my window and watch the light snow fall to the ground, all I want is to throw another log on the fire, curl up with a good book and warm my hands — and belly — with a bowl of pumpkin deliciousness.

September 18, 2014

The Perfect Lime Sour Recipe!

Healthy Treats

As a child growing up in Atlanta, my dad would get his haircut at the barber shop and then stop by the soda fountain on the corner for a cool drink. The soda fountains back then were all independently owned, and had five to ten stools for their customers. Of course they all served Coca-Cola, but my dad’s drink of choice was the Lime Sour. The soda jerk would squeeze a whole lime into a metal lime juicer, pour it over shaved ice, top it with soda water and pass the salt shaker to the customer. At the time, the soda fountain was the only place to get soda water so it was a unique experience.

Years later, when the soda fountain was long gone and you could buy club soda at the store, my dad started making his own lime sours at home. To him, they were the perfect way to hydrate after a long run or to cool off on a hot day. When I finally tried one, I was hooked! Every friend I’ve shared the drink with since has been in love, so I thought I would share it with you along with a couple of variations. I hope you have a gorgeous — and hot! — September! • Jennifer Little

September 8, 2014

Chocolate Covered Cherries – Yum!

Healthy Treats

Growing up, my great grandmother Ollie Copeland loved to indulge in a box of cherry cordials. I remember that I loved them, too, perhaps because she did. It has been years since I’ve bitten into the sugary, gooey center of a cherry cordial, but thinking about my great grandmother this summer I started to miss them. That’s why I wanted to recreate a healthy version of her favorite treat for this month’s Healthy Treats section: sweet chocolate covered cherries that are vegan, gluten-free and sugar free.

Cherry season in the United States range from April to August, so this month is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of this delicious fruit. Cherries are not only sweet, but they’re packed with antioxidants and act as an anti-inflammatory. It’s also a natural source of melatonin known for calming nerves and helping us sleep. Scroll down for the recipe and instructions below. I hope you have a beautiful — and sweet — August! • Jennifer Little

June 12, 2014

Banana Chocolate Chia Pudding

Healthy Treats

For this month’s Healthy Treat, contributor Jennifer Little of Sugar Photography helps us kick off summer with a banana chocolate chia pudding. Not only is it easy to make — no baking is required — but it’s also a nutritional powerhouse: Chia seeds contain three times the antioxidants of blueberries, double the calcium of a banana, triple the iron of spinach, double the quantity of protein than most seeds and more omega-3s than salmon. And as usual, this treat is vegan, gluten-free and contains no refined sugars. Now that’s a perfect dessert!

A native of Central America, chia seeds are part of the mint family and have been used for generations. Recently, they’ve turned into a favorite among the health conscious. And thanks to the hit book Born To Run, which claims the Tarahumara Indians consume the seeds on their epic desert runs, many marathon runners swear by them.

March 13, 2014

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free & No Refined Sugars)

Healthy Treats

Last weekend, I woke up to chirping birds and yellow spring flowers outside my window. Even though I found a thin layer of morning frost on my car window, I could finally feel spring in the air. To celebrate, I decided to kick off this weekend with a yummy lemon poppy seed muffin. A perfect addition to Sunday brunch, or enjoyed as an afternoon snack, this muffin is also vegan, gluten free and without refined sugars. Have a delicious weekend! • Ulrica Wihlborg

November 21, 2013

HEAVENLY (VEGAN) PUMPKIN PECAN SCONES

Healthy Treats

I’ve been on a pumpkin kick ever since I could smell the first pumpkin latte of the season, and even though Christmas decorating is already in full swing, it’s not about to stop. Luckily, my favorite holiday of the year is coming up this week — Thanksgiving — and I’ve found the perfect treat to kick off the long weekend with: pumpkin pecan scones with maple glaze from Cookie and Kate. Because this recipe calls for coconut oil instead of butter, they’re also vegan. Imagine surprising your loved ones with the smell of these delicious scones baking in the oven. I couldn’t think of a sweeter way to wake up on Thanksgiving morning. • Ulrica Wihlborg

October 14, 2013

COOKIE + KATE’S PUMPKIN BREAD

Healthy Treats

Every year around this time, I get fall fever. When I’m in California, that means Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks every morning — even when it’s 80 degrees outside — and a loaf of pumpkin bread in the oven once a week.

But this fall I’m in Sweden, and that means no Starbucks and no 80-degree weather. Instead, I’m experiencing one of the most beautiful autumns I can remember. Foggy mornings turn into crisp, sunny days. The trees outside my kitchen window display foliage in every shade of orange. Thick beds of colorful leaves make my morning walks fun and playful. And the cool evenings are perfect for nurturing a small fire in the fireplace. It actually feels like fall.

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Delicious Vegan, Gluten-Free Granola

Vegan, Glutenfree Ding Dongs!

Red Curry Almond Pumpkin Soup — You’ll Love It!

The Perfect Lime Sour Recipe!

Chocolate Covered Cherries – Yum!

Banana Chocolate Chia Pudding

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free & No Refined Sugars)

HEAVENLY (VEGAN) PUMPKIN PECAN SCONES

COOKIE + KATE’S PUMPKIN BREAD

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Healthy Treats

Delicious Vegan, Gluten-Free Granola