Five guilt-free desserts to add to your diet

With the Chinese New Year celebrations out of the way, it’s time to shed the weight of the Lunar New Year festivities. Unfortunately for many, that would mean skipping out on sugary treats, but who says that you can’t make your cake and eat it too? The trick to shredding the numbers on the weight scale is choosing healthier alternatives to the typical fat and refined-sugar laden desserts. Here are some guilt-free picks to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings as you continue on your way towards your fitness goals. 

Five guilt-free desserts to add to your diet gafencu magazine myeurekalife x baking maniac wtf brownies

Flourless WTF (walnut, tahini, fudge) brownies

After sinking your teeth in these sugar-free fudgy chocolate brownies by MyEurekaLife and Baking Maniac, you might never turn back. With ingredients specially catered to health-conscious customers, the recipe composes a nutritionally dense gluten-, dairy-, and sugar-free ingredients that makes up a healthy treat that is both rich in flavour and healthy. In place of refined sugar, flour and vegetable oils,  dates, ghee, tahini and nuts are used. 

Price: $270/ 6pc
Location: Wong Chuk Hang
Contact: (852) 6699 8093

Five guilt-free desserts to add to your diet gafencu magazine sweetpea cafe earl grey tea chiffon cake

Gluten-free double earl grey chiffon cake

Those hankering for a healthy alternative to calorie-heavy chiffon cakes can find their saving grace at Sheung Wan based SweetPea Cafe. Their menu comprises gluten-, vegan- and sugar-free cakes, muffins, cookies and pastries and even offer a selection of Keto baked goodies. Specifically, their signature double earl grey chiffon cakes that are quick to be cleared off the shelves are baked fresh daily using coconut cream and coconut butter to substitute milk, and organic and edible essential oils for flavouring. 
Price: From $95/ slice
Location: Sheung Wan
Contact: (852) 3689 7269

Five guilt-free desserts to add to your diet gafencu magazine bake to basics cookies

Vegan marshmallow chunky chocolate chip cookie

Dessert lovers are spoiled for choice with the range of plant-based desserts available on Bake to Basics’ online bakery. Focusing on American-style comfort desserts including cookies, doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, all adjusted to be healthy, vegan and sugar-free. One of their latest creations is the vegan marshmallow chunky chocolate chip cookie with a cracker base and 70 percent chocolate filling- a deliciously sinless treat for a cheat day.
Price: From $105/3 pc
Contact: Online order only on their website (baketobasics.com)

Five guilt-free desserts to add to your diet gafencu magazine bien caramelise chocolate strawberry tart

Plant-based chocolate strawberry tart 

Plant-based French patisserie, Bien Caramélisé, treats the city with a slew of sophisticatedly crafted French pastries with a vegan twist. Their recipes substitute traditional baking ingredients such as eggs, dairy, white flour and refined sugar with a variety of flours and nutritionally better ingredients such as buckwheat, sorghum, chickpea flours,  Japanese starch kudzu and cacao butter and olive oil. A highlight at the bakery is the chocolate strawberry tart made with 70 percent single-origin chocolate from São Tomé, cashews and oats. The bakery also sources its fruits locally from neighbouring wet markets and organic farms in the city.   
Price: From $69 up/ piece
Location: Mong Kok
Contact: (852) 52395198

Five guilt-free desserts to add to your diet gafencu magazine moono macarons


100% vegan macaron 

Instagramers who are seeking a health-conscious option to beautifully baked desserts will be thrilled to visit the Japanese organic and 100 percent vegan pastry shop Moono. Beautifully presented and mouth-wateringly delectable, their chewy macarons are a treat for the mouth as well as the eyes as its aesthetically pleasing offerings vary in a range of flavours from sea-salted dark chocolate, pistachio and Early Grey, to more contemporary Japanese-influenced flavours such as black sesame and yuzu sea salt. 
Price: $175/ box of six pieces
Location: Sham Shui Po
Contact: (852) 6848 8375

6 healthy and easy recipes to fit your dietary needs

There is no doubt that healthy eating is essential to our mental and physical health. Depending on your diet, the food you eat can make or break your fitness progress or be the key to a productive week. Despite the recent limitations of dining options in the city, there is no reason your commitment to your health should be reduced to what is available in a takeaway box. You can still cook a healthy home cooked meal that is both nutritional and wholesome in the same amount of time it takes for your food delivery person to ring the doorbell. Following some of the most popular diet trends, like the Keto Diet and gluten-free food, we have found six healthy and easy recipes to fit your dietary needs.

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Paleo Lemony Grilled Salmon
If you’re following a Paleo diet, you can keep it fresh and natural with this citrusy and summer-vibe recipe that consists of only five ingredients. Taking only 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook over the grill, this recipe will easily serve your palate as well as your routine any day of the week.

 

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High-protein Shakshuka
Spice up your morning with a high-protein Middle Eastern breakfast with this one-pan recipe that will leave little to wash-up after. The protein content in this dish will help balance your blood sugar and improve your focus and productivity. 

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Vegan Chili Con Carne
Keep your vegan dinners simple but hearty with a bowl of Chilli Con Carne with a vegan twist. This meatless-chilli recipe is a pot filled with flavors of ingredients mostly found in your pantry. 

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Gluten-free quiche with sweet potato crust
You won’t miss out on cheesy pastries with this gluten-free quiche. Replacing dough with a sweet potato crust, all you need to do is press, whisk and pour then let your oven do the rest —it just cannot get easier than this.

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Keto Chocolate Mousse
Nothing is more tempting than a quick, easy and delicious dessert. Whether you are satisfying a chocolate craving or ending your meal on a sweet note, you can whip up a quick fix with this Keto-friendly-recipe.

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Healthy rosemary chicken with oven-roasted ratatouille
Prepare a wholesome family dish that will bring colour to your dining table. A quicker alternative to a traditional roast chicken is this healthy herb seasoned chicken-and-vegetable recipe that bursts with flavours and colours. The recipe serves four people and takes under an hour to cook.

The alternative:
Even on busy days when you are too tired to lift a knife, you can still have gourmet meals delivered to your doorstep. Eatology creates tailor-made meal plans that delivers to your home. You can currently enjoy a discount on your first meal plan or on your first consultation with nutrition and fitness coach, Beth Wright. Choose a meal that suits you best —whatever it takes to stay healthy.