Cheat your cheat meals with these healthier, just as tasty alternatives

Whether your cheat meal is simply an impulsive indulgence or a strategic reward for sticking to your diet and training plan, it doesn’t need to break the calorie or sugar bank.

With the right recipe and ingredients, you can still enjoy a tasty treat that won’t set you back on your journey to weight-loss success. Try these better-for-you scrumptious sweet treat options to put a healthy spin on your well-deserved cheat.

SUPER HEALTHY SMOOTHIE POPS

Prep time 20 mins. Cooking time 20 mins. Serves 12

Robertsons Spices

Ingredients

  • 2 large bananas, sliced and frozen
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) oats
  • 2 cups (500 ml) plain or Greek yoghurt
  • 30ml Robertsons Pure Berry Boost
  • 2 cups (500 ml) granola
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) melted nut butter of choice
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) honey
  • 2 handfuls mixed berries, to garnish

Instructions

  1. Place the banana slices, oats, yoghurt and Robertsons Pure Berry Boost powder in a blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the granola with the melted nut butter and honey.
  3. Line a muffin tray with paper cupcake cases. Place a tablespoon of the granola mixture into each cupcake case, pressing down to flatten the base.
  4. Top with the creamy smoothie mixture (about 2 large tablespoons per cupcake case).
  5. Sprinkle mixed berries on top of each cup, pressing them gently into the mixture.
  6. Pop a wooden ice-cream stick into each cup.
  7. Freeze for 3-4 hours.
  8. Peel away the cupcake liners and serve immediately.

PROTEIN PACKED CHOC BITES

Prep time 20 mins. Cooking time 20 mins. Serves 16

Robertsons Spices

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (250ml) mixed nuts (such as pecans, walnuts, cashews or almonds)
  • 1 cup (250ml) rolled oats
  • 10ml Robertsons Pure Moringa Powder
  • ½ cup (125ml) raisins (or dried cranberries)
  • a pinch of Robertsons Nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp (30ml) chia seeds
  • ½ cup (125ml) peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
  • ¼ cup (60ml) honey
  • 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence
  • 1 cup (250ml) dark baking chocolate, plus extra for topping

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a large food processor, pulse the nuts until finely ground, but stop before they start turning to nut butter.
  2. Add the rolled oats, Robertsons Pure Moringa Powder, raisins, nutmeg and chia seeds to the nuts and quickly pulse (five 1-second pulses) to combine.
  3. Add the peanut butter, honey and vanilla to the mixture, then pulse until all the ingredients are well blended, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  4. Melt the baking chocolate and drizzle it into an ice cube tray, swirling to ensure the sides of each hole are well coated with chocolate. (Baking chocolate will make the bites easier to unmould.)
  5. Freeze for 10 minutes.
  6. Fill each hole with the oat mixture and press down to remove any air bubbles.
  7. Top with a little extra melted chocolate and freeze for 1 hour.
  8. Pop the bites out of the ice cube tray.
  9. Store the left-over bites in a resealable bag in the fridge.