Stier - Naughty Or Nice Cookbook: The Ultimate Healthy Dessert Cookbook

Copyright 2015 Jessica Stier All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without consent from the author. This book is intended as a reference only, not as a medical manual. It is not intended as a substitute for any professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment that you may have been prescribed by your doctor. Every human being is incredibly unique, so what may work for one person may not necessarily work for you (and vice versa). Always seek the advice of a physician and registered dietician where appropriate .

Nutrition labels provided in this book were accurate at the time it went to press. All trademarks remain property of their respective holders, and are used only to directly describe the products referenced in this book. Any mention of specific companies in this book does not imply endorsement by the author. SOCIAL MEDIA: Blog - www.DessertsWithBenefits.com Facebook - www.facebook.com/DessertsWithBenefits Twitter - www.twitter.com/DWBenefits Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/WithBenefits Tumblr - www.DessertsWithBenefits.tumblr.com Instagram - www.instagram.com/DessertsWithBenefits Tweet me @DWBenefits and #DessertsWithBenefits! Instagram me @DessertsWithBenefits and #DessertsWithBenefits! Library of Congress Control Number: 2015916253 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, North Charleston, SC ISBN-13: 978-1511416580 ISBN-10: 1511416580 First Edition
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jessica Stier is the author, photographer and recipe developer behind the Naughty or Nice cookbook, which was inspired by her healthy dessert recipe blog, Desserts with Benefits ( www.DessertsWithBenefits.com ). Jessica is a healthy dessert expert with an interest and a strong scholarly background in the fields of Nutrition and Dietetics (thanks, university!), but before college she was the complete opposite I guess we should start from the beginning, shall we? I was born and raised in a quiet, homey neighborhood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Like most kids, I ate whatever (and whenever) I pleased.

I plowed my way through boxes of candy bars, jumbo-sized bags of chocolatey goodies, and enough candy to fill dozens of those Halloween trick-or-treat pumpkin baskets (aka, enough sugar to make even the most seasoned sugar fiend sick with a stomachache and candy hangover). When my family and I moved to the United States, so did my sugar addiction. Up to the age of eighteen, I ate poorly (ehem, understatement of the year, ehem) and didnt exercise. At all. I ate chocolate bars for breakfast (yes, Im serious), a bag of chips, fruit snacks, and a carton of sugary chocolate milk for lunch (are you getting a sugar rush just by reading this?), and something totally useless for dinner, like nachos or instant noodles. I brought so much candy to school that I was known as Hershey Girl, Sourpatch Girl, and even just the plain old, girl with candy (I went through a few candy phases).

I needed $20 per week to support my daily vending machine visits and another $20 on top of that to pay for my hefty lunches. After every meal, I felt gross and nauseous with a foggy brain, but I kept on eating the unhealthy foods I had always eaten. I mean, a diet like that was normal to me. My family ate like that, the kids at school ate like that, it all tasted good so, whats the problem? Why change? When I turned sixteen and got my first job at a pretzel joint in the local shopping mall, I gained a little bit of weight. And by a little I mean a lot. Like, twelve pounds in three months.

This was a huge shock to me. I never gained weight like that before despite my inadequate diet and sedentary lifestyle. I may have been on the thin side my entire life, but I was always skinny-fat. A lot of jiggle on bones with no muscle whatsoever. My solution? Oh, just buy those 100-calorie snack packs and (attempt to) stop eating a bajillion pretzels dunked in butter every time they began to look dry. Yeah, that didnt fly.

The excess salt, the dangerous trans fats, the highly refined sugar, the artificial sweeteners they just made me want more. A lot more. And I paid the price for it I was an emotional roller coaster with crazy cravings, either trapped in a steady state of lethargy or stuck in an unstoppable yo-yoing between sugar rush and sugar crash. I just wanted to be better healthier . With perfect timing, I graduated high school and was about to enter university a brand new stage in life where I decided to start over. Completely.

I chose to major in Nutritional Sciences, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I learned everything under the sun about food, nutrition, and the human body. I finally came to terms with my own body, the reasons why I ate the way I did, and how I should be eating. Now, just a few years later, I have finally found the solution to achieving consistent energy levels, and I am satiated for a long period of time (no more of those I-must-eat-that-entire-tray-of-brownies-ASAP feelings). I have boosted my metabolism, I have put on lean muscle, and my body fat percentage has dropped. I lived for chocolate.

I live for chocolate. Dont get me wrong, I still indulge. I have (and will always have) a serious passion for sweets! I have just learned how to make those sweets (secretly) healthy. Enter, Desserts with Benefits My blog was born late at night on April 20 th , 2011 as a serious procrastination technique to avoid studying for finals. I didnt post a recipe, but rather, a list of desserts that were on my Recipe Wishlist, along with dishes that Ive made but had turned out unsuccessful. Healthy baking is a difficult thing to do! I dont use refined sugar (white granulated sugar, brown sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, etc.), artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, etc.), white flour (all purpose flour, cake flour, pastry flour, bread flour, bleached flours, etc.), or unhealthy fats (hydrogenated oil, shortening, margarine, etc.).

I mean, anything can be made to taste good using all the wrong ingredients, but is it what your body wants? I dont want my desserts to give off the same repercussions that typical unhealthy desserts do (aka, bloating, headache, stomachache, nausea). When I started blogging, I hoped to show people that healthy ingredients can indeed make a delicious cake, muffin, pastry, cookie, and so on. I am happy to say that, with the hundreds of testimonials Ive received, with the loyal Desserts with Benefits fans who comment regularly, and with the thousands upon thousands of people around the world who have tried (and loved!) my recipes I have met that goal .
ABOUT THE COOKBOOK
Naughty or Nice is a collection of 70 homemade treats that taste like sinfully decadent, naughty desserts it just so happens that theyre secretly healthy, and thus, nice! Naughty or Nice makes it possible to eat healthy and stay sane. Its a sinless love affair between decadent desserts and healthy eats. So indulge no strings attached! One bite of the and one from the grocery store Im preeeetty darn sure youll be stumped on which one is the healthy version.

This cookbook has options for everyone: gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, eggless, vegan even sugar-free, refined sugar-free, cholesterol-free, low-calorie, low-sodium, high-fiber and high-protein. These recipes might be free of some stuff, but they sure arent free of flavor! Every recipe in this cookbook is all natural no artificial sweeteners, no synthetic food dyes, no artificial food flavorings, no hydrogenated oils, and no preservatives whatsoever. That list right there is unheard of when it comes to store-bought desserts. These recipes are a total godsend for the health conscious dessert lovers out there (aka, YOU). If you occasionally crave (and when I say occasionally, I really mean constantly) a big hunk of for lack of a better word sugar in a wrapper, make a batch of instead and youll be happy as can be no guilt involved. are in each serving. are in each serving.