Heeeeey, it’s the festive season. I love this time of the year, everything looks extra pretty. Are you planning a party or dinner with your family and friends?

I’m going to share with you, 3 festive desserts, which will impress your loved ones, and here’s a secret, they are healthy and extremely easy and quick to put together. Hey, it’s my recipe, it has to be easy and wholesome!

I love the colour RED, it brings out the festive mood. I’ve created these recipes to make your celebration merry and bright. =)

Let’s start with these cute Coconut and Goji Cookies. This recipe does not require baking. What you’ll need are:

Coconut & Goji Cookies (makes 32)

Ingredients

1. 1.5 cups Oat Flour – 168Cals should be 504
2. ½ cup Coconut Oil, melted – 236cals
3. ¼ cup Coconut Milk – 103Cals
4. 1 cup Coconut Flakes, unsweetened – 280Cals
5. ½ cup Goji Berries – 177Cals
6. ¼ cup Maple Syrup – 210Cals
7. 2 tbsps. Tapioca Flour – 26Cals
8. 2 tsps. Vanilla Extract – 32Cals
9. 1 tsp. Salt

39Cals per cookie

Steps

1. In a large bowl mix in the dry ingredients - oat flour, coconut flakes, tapioca flour and salt.
2. In another bowl, mix in all the wet ingredients - coconut oil, coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir well.
3. Pour the flour mixture gradually into the wet ingredients. Mix until it’s well incorporated and you get a soft, crumbly dough consistency.
4. Finally stir in the goji berries.
5. Now let’s make the cookies. To keep it really simple, roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on a lined baking tray.
6. If you are feeling creative, you can cut them into heart shapes.
7. Flatten the dough in between two sheets of baking paper. Using a cookie cutter, cut them into any shapes you want. I made mine into hearts.
8. If you want to, you can drizzle a little bit of melted chocolate over the cookies.
9. Chill them in the fridge for 5 – 10 minutes until firm and enjoy.

This is a really fun and easy recipe to get your kids involved as well. These cookies have a soft, crumbly texture and they are absolutely delicious. Each cookie has about 40 calories. You can even have it for breakfast or snacks. Who says healthy, can’t be pretty and delicious?

My next recipe is Red Velvet Muffins. The secret ingredient here is beetroot. Don’t worry, you’ll barely taste it. What you’ll need are:

Red Velvet Muffins (makes 9)

Ingredients

1. ¾ cup Pureed Beetroot – 77Cals
2. 1.5 cups Oat Flour – 168Cals *or any other flour of your choice.
3. 1/3 cup Coconut Oil – 155Cals
4. ½ cup Coconut Milk (or any other milk of your choice) – 206Cals
5. ¼ cup Maple Syrup – 210Cals
6. 2 tbsps. Cocoa Powder – 24Cals
7. 1.5 tsps. Vanilla Extract – 24Cals
8. 1.5 tsps. Baking Powder – 4Cals
9. ¼ tsp. Salt

96Cals per muffin

Steps

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F
2. In a large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients - beetroot puree, coconut oil, coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Combine well.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients: oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
4. Gradually pour the flour mixture into the beetroot mixture.
5. Combine until you get a consistent batter.
6. Then scoop about ¼ cup of batter and fill up 9 muffin liners.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the muffins are cooked through.
8. Allow the muffins to cool down and serve.

I’ve sprinkled mine with a little bit of coconut flakes. These muffins are dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan-friendly. Each muffin has about 96 calories (96Cals per muffin)You got to try them out! Serve it to your friends or family, and trust me, they won’t think it’s healthy.

For the final recipe, we want to incorporate the red velvet muffins and create my Red Velvet Berry Trifle.

What you’ll need are:

Red Velvet Berry Trifle (serves 2)

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Fresh Mixed Berries (strawberry, blueberries) – 66Cals
2. ½ - 1 cup Greek Yoghurt – 100Cals
3. Red Velvet muffins, cut into small cubes – 96Cals

131Cals per glass

Steps

1. Grab a tall glass or a wine glass and let’s start layering the ingredients.
2. Scoop greek yoghurt and place a layer at the bottom of the glass.
3. Next, add a layer of the red velvet cubes, followed by mixed berries.
4. Repeat layering until the glass is full.
5. Finally, sprinkle coconut flakes on top and serve immediately or refrigerate it for later.

Each tall glass packs about 130 calories. Each bite is a mix of the crumbly muffins, sweet berries combined with the creaminess of yoghurt. It’s heavenly. I’d make this for breakfast and even have it as my pre or post workout snack.

All these recipes are so pretty, wholesome and the best part is, you can indulge in them without feeling bad. Make them for your party and don’t tell your family or friends that it’s healthy. They don’t need to know.