Home » Food & Drink » Country Cooking » Nutritious Desserts

Nutritious Desserts

© Shawn Price

Your family wants dessert, you want nutrition. There's no need for a struggle - nutritious, thrifty desserts are a reality. Before mass production of sweets became common, almost all family desserts and treats were good for you. Oatmeal, raisins, bread, rice, and eggs were mainstays for sweet nibbles.

Throw away those boxes of noxious instant puddings. Stop buying super-sweet cookies full of empty calories. These recipes are simple, easy to make, and full of fiber and nutrition.

Creamy Rice Pudding

Ingrediants:

2/3 c. uncooked rice 1 1/3 c. water 2 eggs .5 c. sugar .5 c. raisins 2 c. milk

Seasoning: (one or more of the following): dash of nutmeg, .5 t. vanilla, 1 T. grated orange peel, .5 t. allspice

Pour water and rice into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer. Cover and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 325 deg.

Beat eggs, sugar, raisins, milk and seasoning together in a bowl. Add the hot rice. Pour everything into an ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake uncovered 50-60 minutes. Good either warm or cold.

Apple-Nut Pudding

Ingrediants: 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 c. brown sugar 1/3 c. flour 1 1/2 t. baking powder 1 t. vanilla 1 egg 1 apple, chopped 1/2 c. nuts, chopped Seasoning: .5 t. cinnamon, dash nutmeg, dash salt

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Beat everything except apple and nuts until smooth. Stir in the apple and nuts. Pour into a greased pie plate. Bake for 30 minutes.

Zucchini Cookies

When you're tired of steam, baked, and broiled zucchini, try these delicious cookies

Ingrediants: 1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. shortening 2 eggs 2 1/2 c. flour 1 1/2 c. shredded zucchini 1/2 c. chopped nuts 1 t. lemon peel 1 T. lemon juice 2 t. baking powder 1 t. nutmeg dash salt

Preheat oven to 375 deg. Beat together sugars, shortening, and eggs. Stir in the other ingrediants. Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Hint: you can substitute grated carrots for the zucchini. Raisins are another good addition.

Breakfast Bars

Stop buying those sticky, over-priced breakfast bars. These are delicious and much cheaper.

Ingrediants: 2 c. brown sugar 1 c. shortening 2 eggs 2 1/2 c. flour 1 t. baking soda 3 c. oats 1 c. chopped nuts 1 apple, chopped .5 c. raisins 1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Mix sugar, shortening, vanilla and eggs together. Stir in the rest of the ingrediants. Press the mixture into an ungreased 13x9x2 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm.

The copyright of the article Nutritious Desserts in Country Cooking is owned by . Permission to republish Nutritious Desserts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.