Hello there! How is everyone’s weekend so far? Today I’m spending the day downtown with my roommates for some last-minute shopping and fun. Knowing I’ll be going all afternoon, I began my morning with an amazing stack of Monique’s Oatmeal Banana Cottage Cheese Pancakes. UM YEAH. I’m set until lunch!
Welcome to another Link-Love Saturday! 🙂
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Today’s post features a blog that I absolutely LOVE. Her talents and recipes are incredibly impressive and guess what? She’s college student just like me!
Dessert lovers, UNITE!! If you’re looking for a place where “decadence and health become one”, please welcome Jessica, of Desserts With Benefits!!! (Formerly Chockohlawtay).
First of all, who doesn’t love the name of her blog?! When I first saw it, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Could desserts actually have benefits and be healthy? YUP. THEY CAN. Jessica’s blog proves it!! In a short blurb about herself she says, “DWB is a healthy dessert recipe blog where we use good for-you ingredients to make dishes that you can feel good about eating”. Sign me up please! 😉 If that isn’t reason enough, her food photography will make you want to dive headfirst into the computer to devour whatever the recipe is.
As I mentioned before, Jessica is a college student. I commend her for putting so much time and effort into her recipes and still have time for life and schoolwork. (Haha what’s that?) She usually tests out her recipes multiple times, so don’t worry about them not being good. 😉
As a dancer who is passionate about the health side of dance, I was immediately drawn to her blog when I found out that she is a Nutritional Sciences major. Using her knowledge from this, she makes it her mission to create healthy desserts that do NOT, (I repeat NOT), taste healthy at all! I can totally vouch for this; if you don’t believe me, go make these cupcakes then we’ll talk. Jessica creates food that not only tastes amazing, but also has an amazing nutritional profile! 🙂 If you’re worried about food allergies/sensitivities, no worries. You can filter her recipe page by key: gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free, eggless, fat-free, and much more! Unsure about an ingredient to use? Her Pantry Staples page lists all of the ingredients she keeps in her pantry/fridge for use in her recipes. I personally have found this page to be very helpful when I am unsure about what ingredient to use. When you click on an ingredient, it takes you directly to her Amazon store if you would like to purchase it. Talk about service!! And peaking of ingredients, don’t be freaked out by some of the products she uses: Brown Rice Flour, Erythritol, Sunwarrior Protein Powder, Coconut Sugar? As I mentioned before, you can click on each ingredient to read more about it or purchase it if you like. I promise that each ingredient contributes to the success of the recipe, so don’t be afraid! Plus, buying ingredients online is cheaper and saves a TON of time, I highly recommend it!
If you’re just looking for more information about proper nutrition, healthier food swaps, and popular food myths, Jessica’s got you covered too! When you read her Nutrition and Food Swaps page, you’ll find everything you need to know, from hunger vs. appetite, to why you should drink more green tea, and even swaps for food coloring/dyes! Also, Jessica’s humorous personality keeps her posts refreshing and fun! I love when bloggers write like they speak, it’s so much more entertaining! 🙂
Since she doesn’t allow her recipes to be reposted, I’m going to send you over to her blog for one of my favorite DWB recipes: chocolate cake, anyone? 😉
I am so grateful for Jessica’s knowledge and appreciate everything she does to show everyone that yes, dessert CAN be healthy! YOU GO JESSICA.
For more about Jessica, show her some link-love!
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I’m off now for an exciting day with the roomies! I hope everyone has a “sweet” Saturday!
(See what I did there?) 😉
XOXO Marina 🙂