I don’t know about you, but when it’s hot outside, I start craving ice cream. Every afternoon around 3:00, I feel the need for a big scoop of mint chocolate chip. But, knowing that I can’t indulge in ice cream every day without adding a few summertime pounds, I began searching for alternatives to satisfy my summertime sweet tooth.

As I began this intensive research project, I asked a few people how they dealt with their cravings. The serious athletes (you know them…the Ironman types) chose fruit. HOW BORING IS THAT? An orange is not going to satisfy my sweet tooth and I’m not even going to give it a try. The slender people said they chew gum. Hmmm. Rocky Road or Trident? You can’t put ice cream and chewing gum in the same category!

After a few weeks of trying out various sweet treats, I created a list of my favorite summertime goodies. They had to satisfy my sweet tooth, but not contain have too much fat or too many calories.

  1. Fage 2 % Greek Yogurt with strawberry preserves. This delicious, creamy treat is high in protein and low in fat. It’s one of my favorites.
  2. Peanuts with semi-sweet chocolate chips. A handful of peanuts sprinkled with chocolate chips satisfies your cravings for something salty AND sweet. Stick to one handful and enjoy this protein packed snack with an ice cold seltzer.
  3. Kashi Go Lean Fiber and Protein Bar. These nice little “hold-me-over” snack bars are pretty good. And they keep me going strong until dinner.
  4. Chocolate Milk. I know it doesn’t sound like it would be satisfying, but it is. I hadn’t had a glass of chocolate milk in over 15 years until the other day. It was delicious! And because it’s so hot outside, it helped quench my thirst too. I like Farmland Dairies Lactose Free Skim Plus Milk and good old Hershey’s Syrup.
  5. Gelato. I know. It’s almost ice cream but it’s not. It’s so much better! It has less fat, less sugar and they serve smaller scoops. Treat yourself to this amazing Italian delicacy every now and then—it’s simply to die for.

Like any other food, eating a little sweet treat is fine in moderation. When choosing any of the above, remember to simply go with a smaller portion…and ENJOY!!!

Please share your favorite summertime with us. I’m always looking for new options!

Stay sweet,

Molly