Jun 17, 2019

Recipe Roundup: 12 Healthy & Festive Must-Try Canada Day Desserts

The Canada Day and Fourth of July holidays are just a few week away! Long weekends mean making plans for socializing, parties, fireworks, beaches … and of course barbecues and lots of food.

In my case, I tend to avoid large crowds on any long weekend holiday in Canada, and prefer a quiet and intimate setting where the vibe is relaxed and easygoing. You can usually find me with my significant other (Syd) in the backyard, barbecuing foods like homemade chicken skewers, lamb skewers, salmon, vegetables, and roasted potatoes.

To keep your long weekend parties healthy and your tummy happy, we recommend using simple seasonings, combining dried spices and fresh herbs, with inspiration from different cultures. For example, roasted baby potatoes are so easy to make, taking inspiration from Italian cuisine by combining sea salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, dried parsley, dried garlic, fresh garlic cloves, and virgin olive oil!

On the opposite side of that, here are the fatty, highly processed, and high sugar foods (and drinks) that we recommend avoiding at barbecues: store-bought burgers, hot dogs, BBQ sauce, white bread buns, cakes and pastries, juice, soda, pre-made alcohol cocktails and mixers.

I always suggest bringing your own dish to a party or BBQ, so you’re prepared with a healthier option for you and others to try!

The best part of a meal … is dessert, of course! Instead of buying store-bought slab cakes, which contain zero ingredients that benefit your health (made from white flour, vegetable oils, white sugar, and artificial colours), why not try making a nutrient-dense and healthy dessert on your own or with your kids?!

Now, to the good stuff! We had to give you a recipe roundup of healthy and festive red-and-white themed desserts from some of the best healthy food bloggers on the Internet for Canada Day! These recipes contain whole-food ingredients, and are gluten-free, dairy-free, with paleo options. Delicious and ideal for everyone, they’re especially great for people with special dietary needs, including those that suffer from foods that cause allergies, inflammation, and chronic health conditions!

Here are the healthy and festive MUST-TRY Canada Day recipes to try this year from some of the best food bloggers on the Internet. The theme is red and white but of course to our American friends, you can incorporate some blueberries or blackberries to make it suitable for Fourth of July.

All photos and credit go to the respective owner/blogger. Click on the image to be directed to their recipe page.

Once you buy the ingredients for these feel-good recipes (which tend to avoid refined flour, sugar, conventional dairy products) you’ll have your pantry stocked with awesome ingredients (like almond flour, coconut oil, raw honey, and coconut sugar to name a few) to use all the time for new healthy recipes.

SHORTCAKES

Paleo Strawberry Shortcake

Erin Lives Whole