Family feuds, the holiday baking wars

beabroyles
beabroyles Posts: 8 Member
in Motivation and Support
It’s only November and I already want Christmas to be over. So, I am trying to find a balance between my diabetic husband who should not be eating sweets - but is demanding them, and my sons who have actually said to me ‘we don’t want a lot of sweets around we are trying to eat healthy’. Hubby has already basically stamped his foot and said ‘might as well not even have a tree since nobody cares about Christmas anymore’. Over reacting to the extreme. I’m between a rock and a brick wall!

Replies

  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    That is certainly a tough place to be. Now is the time to look for some healthier sweet treat choices. There are a zillion recipes out there!

    When I really crave sweets, I make mock 'ice cream' with my Yonanas frozen dessert maker using frozen bananas and various frozen fruit. I've come to prefer it to real ice cream. Sometimes I make tasty, pretty parfaits with sugar free gelatin and/or puddings, the frozen fruit dessert, nuts and/or oats in countless combinations.

    Or - in a food processor, I chop nuts, chocolate nibs, and rolled oats. Then I add coconut, cocoa and/or nut butter, honey and a small amount of melted dark chocolate to make healthy no-bakes. If you switch out the sugar, macaroons are another good choice. There are also lots of good cookie and quick bread recipes out there that sub pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and other hearty vegetables for the sugar/butter content.

    As a bonus, I find that these healthy choices are often more filling than their high sugar/high fat counterparts. So where I once would gobble down ten chocolate chip cookies, I am now satisfied with two no-bake squares - and positively full with three.

    If you do get cornered into making a high calorie traditional fave, maybe try to create smaller portion sizes or freeze half to dole out slowly throughout the season. Good luck!
  • beabroyles
    beabroyles Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks, I have never tried the no bake ones, I have already decided I’m going to have to make some traditional ones, but freezing half batches for later is a good plan. I’ll just have to hang on to my own willpower and let the other adults make their own choices. I hate being stuck in the middle.
  • joyanna2016
    joyanna2016 Posts: 323 Member
    Yes, the problem with baking sweets is not the one planned cupcake you eat, it's the 3 others (if you're like me)! Try and half those recipes if you can, try and freeze some, and/or I know this is wasteful but if you cant do either of those things just throw some away! It's better than you eating it!
  • brittanystebbins95
    brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
    So, if you're looking for healthy sweets, what about them do you want to be healthy? I only ask because healthy is subjective, and what is healthy to one person is not considered healthy to the next. If your husband is diabetic, are you trying to look for low sugar alternatives? Or are you more after low calorie, or all natural, less processed ingredients?
    Pinterest is a great place to look. You can type in a few key words, like, "diabetic desserts" or "naturally sweetened" or "low calorie cookies" etc
  • beabroyles
    beabroyles Posts: 8 Member
    Honestly, my husband is going to eat everything whether it’s good for him or not. And if he doesn’t like what he sees he’ll go to the bakery. My sons are looking for low sugar, low calorie - lots of flavour.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    So it sounds like you've decided on business as usual.

    Are there any goodies that hubby likes that don't tempt you? For me, that would be anything made with anise, orange or lemon and any ice cream with nuts or solid bits in it. Those would all rot before I was tempted to take a bite.

    Maybe try and make one batch of healthier treats for your son (like the no-bakes) and just put a few goodies out at a time for your recalcitrant hubby.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    So I suppose it would be pointless to try appealing to your husband's parental side and pointing out that your boys are trying to make good choices and that it would be a lovely and supportive thing if he'd model good behavior for them
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    What about a nice fruit cobbler? This is a fabulous recipe and easy to make with any kind of fruit. I halve the topping part- and even then still cut back on the sugar for my likewise diabetic husband- and it still comes out delicious. I like using brown sugar. It seems to come out softer.

    https://www.latimes.com/recipe/crispy-mulberry-cobbler
  • beabroyles
    beabroyles Posts: 8 Member
    All great ideas....I’ve tried appealing to his Dad side. It works sometimes, depends on how he is feeling. Hubby loves really sweet gooey desserts, I am more of the fruit tarts, cobbler, ice cream type. I’m determined to not fall into the trap of just having one. I do much better if I just grab a piece of fruit or frozen yogurt. The trick will be to just have a couple of things out when the boys are over, and keep it frozen when they aren’t.
  • beabroyles
    beabroyles Posts: 8 Member
    My boys are 26 and 29.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    make or buy sugar free Cookies or cakes... and don't let him know. A girl made me a sugar free cheesecake one time.. it was great. Look on skinnytaste.com and see what desserts she has.
  • MeganD1704
    MeganD1704 Posts: 733 Member
    Maybe try looking up keto desserts? There are a lot of more diabetic options- not sure if your sons like pumpkin but a lot of great keto pumpkin cheesecake/cake recipes on Pinterest that are also low cal. Half my family does keto so I end up making both "traditional" and keto friendly options.
    Either way I end up freezing half of both haha.

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