Chocolate is a wonderful food for those on a gluten-free diet
because it allows a little decadence in a diet of deprivation. The taste
is phenomenal, and a little goes a long, long way. Chocolate and cocoa
are both naturally gluten-free. If you are just starting a gluten-free
diet and love chocolate, these suggestions are for you! Here are a few
alternative ways you can include chocolate in your gluten-free diet for
under 200 calories:
Homemade Hot Cocoa - Create
your own hot cocoa to avoid all the additives in cocoa mixes. I just put
a small amount of water in a cup, warm it in the microwave, and add
cocoa. Mix the cocoa and water, add milk, and heat until warm. Add
desired sweetener. To make it richer, use fat-free half and half.
There's a handy little tool called a "frother" that will make a head of
rich cream for your cocoa just by whipping in air. It's a great little
trick. If you really want to cut the calories, use just 4-6 ounces of
water and two tablespoons of fat-free half and half. It's still
chocolaty good! For me, this is a good appetite suppressant.
Chocolate Meringues - These recipes are all over the internet, or you can buy them in the grocery store. They are very low in calorie, but very sweet with just the right punch of chocolate. For even more decadence, but few calories, put chocolate sauce in a squeeze bottle and lightly drizzle the tops of the meringues.
Chocolate Pudding Pops - Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding mix is now gluten-free, so you can easily create these pudding pops. Just beat 2 cups of gluten-free chocolate milk, 1-4oz. package Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding mix, and one teaspoon vanilla. Pour into molds and freeze until solid. About 120 calories!
Dove Chocolate Promises - Five pieces for 200 calories. Need I say more?
Light Chocolate Mousse - Most recipes are less than 200 calories. Light, creamy, cool, and naturally gluten-free!
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit - Very easy to make with lots of nutrition and not too many calories if you don't go overboard on the dipping. Try strawberries, pineapple, star fruit, bananas, kiwi, or more exotics like gooseberries and kumquat. One banana has about 100 calories, so I would mix banana and strawberry to keep the calorie count lower.
Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie - Mix three cups fat-free or skim chocolate milk with one 4-oz. package Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding mix in a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour into a pitcher. Pour in three more cups of chocolate milk and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Stir and Chill. Makes six servings. Garnish with peppermint sticks.
Chocolate Pickles - Seriously! These are low calorie with a combination of sweet, crunch, and chocolate. To make these, you need dipping chocolate and either sweet or dill pickles. (I go for the sweet). The pickles have to be completely dry. You just dip them in tempered chocolate using tongs and let them firm up in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Try serving these novelties at your next dinner party. There's nothing like a surprise reaction from your guests to spice up the conversation.
Wow, that was a shock, huh?
Ok, back to more gluten-free chocolate treats:
Chocolate Chips - 15 grams of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 32 chips) has 70 calories. That's a lot of taste for not a big calorie intake. Put chocolate chips in:
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Chocolate Meringues - These recipes are all over the internet, or you can buy them in the grocery store. They are very low in calorie, but very sweet with just the right punch of chocolate. For even more decadence, but few calories, put chocolate sauce in a squeeze bottle and lightly drizzle the tops of the meringues.
Chocolate Pudding Pops - Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding mix is now gluten-free, so you can easily create these pudding pops. Just beat 2 cups of gluten-free chocolate milk, 1-4oz. package Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding mix, and one teaspoon vanilla. Pour into molds and freeze until solid. About 120 calories!
Dove Chocolate Promises - Five pieces for 200 calories. Need I say more?
Light Chocolate Mousse - Most recipes are less than 200 calories. Light, creamy, cool, and naturally gluten-free!
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit - Very easy to make with lots of nutrition and not too many calories if you don't go overboard on the dipping. Try strawberries, pineapple, star fruit, bananas, kiwi, or more exotics like gooseberries and kumquat. One banana has about 100 calories, so I would mix banana and strawberry to keep the calorie count lower.
Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie - Mix three cups fat-free or skim chocolate milk with one 4-oz. package Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding mix in a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour into a pitcher. Pour in three more cups of chocolate milk and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Stir and Chill. Makes six servings. Garnish with peppermint sticks.
Chocolate Pickles - Seriously! These are low calorie with a combination of sweet, crunch, and chocolate. To make these, you need dipping chocolate and either sweet or dill pickles. (I go for the sweet). The pickles have to be completely dry. You just dip them in tempered chocolate using tongs and let them firm up in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Try serving these novelties at your next dinner party. There's nothing like a surprise reaction from your guests to spice up the conversation.
Wow, that was a shock, huh?
Ok, back to more gluten-free chocolate treats:
Chocolate Chips - 15 grams of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 32 chips) has 70 calories. That's a lot of taste for not a big calorie intake. Put chocolate chips in:
- Low-fat yogurt
- Oatmeal
- On top of pancakes
- On top of fruit dipped in peanut butter (for example, apples or bananas), or
- Try gluten-free marshmallows dipped in a tiny amount of peanut butter, then chips
Read More:
♦ 7 Homemade Detox Drinks for... ♦ 16 Simple Tweaks To Help You Lose Weight