One of our readers has already become a big fan of these treats. Check out the comment myiatrou wrote on the recipe:

I was so skeptical… I mean, for someone who never touched a date before … WOW! What a neat and easy treat to make! This is perfect for those “I need something sweet NOW” moments and you won’t regret later. I added a little extra zest and used walnuts…

You can check out our complete recipe, as well as leave comments and ratings, on our Lemon Treats recipe page. Did we mention that these treats happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan?

Here’s how we chose the ingredients for our Lemon Treats:

• Dates provide several nutrients including protein, iron, calcium, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, potassium, and vitamin A, just to name a few. They are thought to aid in digestion and are rich in potassium but naturally low in sodium to support a healthy nervous system and blood pressure levels. This energy-boosting dried fruit is packed with fiber, natural sugar, and other carbohydrates that provide long-lasting energy. They are extremely sweet, so a small amount goes a long way.
• Did you know that sesame seeds are a good source of calcium and other minerals such as magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc? And don’t forget the fiber and monounsaturated fats they contribute.
• Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and lemon peel contains essential oils that add bright citrus flavor.
• Walnuts are one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Coconut adds not only a rich flavor and creamy texture, but also medium chain fatty acids which are more easily digested and absorbed.

We really can’t do a side-by-side comparison of these treats to traditional lemon bars, but trust us that they’re very lemony and delicious. Each treat has 3 grams of fiber, only 7 grams of sugar, and 140 calories. Bring a batch to your next summer bash.

Did you miss the recipe link above? Here is the complete Lemon Treats recipe.

This meatless patty is packed with vegetables and fiber-containing brown rice and walnuts. Ounce for ounce, it has fewer calories, saturated fat and cholesterol than a traditional burger. So the next time you’re craving a burger, think about trying a lentil burger! You can check out our complete recipe, as well as leave comments and ratings, on our Lentil Walnut Burgers recipe page.

Here’s how we chose the ingredients for our makeover:

• Lentils are a nutrition powerhouse! They have the ability to absorb flavors from other foods, and they are an excellent source of folate, a very good source of dietary fiber and manganese, and a good source of iron, protein, phosphorus, copper, thiamin and potassium. In addition to providing slow burning complex carbohydrates, lentils are a concentrated source of iron – an attribute this legume shares with red meat but without the added fat and extra calories.
• Carrots are full of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber and potassium. They also add sweet flavor and bright color.
• Mushrooms give a boost of potassium, phosphorus, zinc,  B vitamins and protein. They also contribute robust flavor and add moisture.
• Brown rice naturally contains fiber, B vitamins, manganese, phosphorus and iron.  We use this whole grain as a binder in place of breadcrumbs to make these burgers gluten-free.
• Walnuts are packed with omega-3 essential fatty acids, important for supporting cardiovascular health. They also provide dietary fiber, manganese and copper, not to mention texture and rich flavor.

Compared to a standard 7-ounce 85% lean ground beef patty, this lentil burger contains ½ the calories, 1/3 of the fat, 1/8 of the saturated fat, ¼ of the cholesterol and 6 times the fiber. Make the switch more often than not! Did you miss the recipe link above? Here is the complete Lentil Walnut Burgers recipe.

Give them a try and don’t forget to come back and rate the recipe. Thanks!

Carrot cake is a big hit any time of the year, but especially in the springtime. Yet a slice of traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting could pack more than 450 calories and almost 30 grams of fat — definitely something to consider before taking a bite! Susan, a Whole Story reader, requested a healthy carrot cake recipe, and we hopped (like an Easter bunny) to the challenge.

First off, we decided to simplify things and make a straightforward square cake — a single layer, without frosting. Our version isn’t meant to replace that typical triple-layer, frosted-to-the max carrot cake. Instead, ours is more of a delicious snack that you can feel good about! Old-fashioned rolled oats and whole wheat pastry flour team up for a hearty texture while currants, coconut and maple syrup complement the natural sweetness of the carrot.

You can check out our complete recipe, as well as leave comments and ratings, on our Carrot-Oat Cake recipe page.

Here’s how we chose the ingredients for our makeover:

• Whole wheat pastry flour (instead of refined and processed white flour) made from whole grain wheat is a very good source of dietary fiber and manganese, along with some magnesium too. Make this substitution in all of your baked goods!
• Old-fashioned rolled oats contribute hearty flavor as well as texture. And this whole grain ingredient is a good choice for added protein, soluble fiber, vitamin B1, manganese, selenium, magnesium and phosphorus.
• Walnuts are naturally packed with omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, important for supporting healthy brain, immune and nervous system function. They also provide dietary fiber and manganese, not to mention texture and rich flavor.
• Currants, unsweetened coconut and pure, real maple syrup enhance the carrot’s natural sweetness. Remember, even real maple syrup still contains sucrose (sugar) just like most sweeteners, so it should be used in moderation.  However, unlike processed, refined sweeteners, it does have some good things going for it, such as calcium, potassium and even small amounts of other minerals.

• A standard carrot cake is made with plenty of oil and/or butter, and the frosting includes cream cheese, butter and plenty of sugar.  Our version doesn’t have any of that! Its moistness comes from the carrots themselves, and the addition of coconut and walnuts lends a slightly rich, delicious flavor.

All this adds up to a simple, easy-to-prepare little cake with 3 grams of fiber, just 6 grams of fat (from the nuts and coconut) and only 190 calories per serving. Did you miss the recipe link above? Here is the complete Carrot-Oat Cake recipe.

Got a recipe that needs a natural makeover? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

The cold weather hasn’t subsided yet, and neither has our craving for hot chocolate. Gina wrote in with a request to make a natural version of hot chocolate mix that her son can enjoy on Cub Scout outings, and we thought this would be the perfect time of year for such a recipe.
We made a new version of this seasonal favorite by making it from scratch. There are no artificial ingredients or flavors in our homemade hot chocolate recipe. And, this homemade treat makes a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift! Check out the recipe we developed for Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix.

Conventional hot chocolate mixes may be highly processed. For some of the brands we checked out, the lists of ingredients included things like corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil (a trans fat) and artificial flavors. Our simple mix contains only five ingredients, and you’ll immediately recognize all of them. And of course our version doesn’t include any artificial ingredients.  For flavor and aroma, we blended a vanilla bean with natural cane sugar to make aromatic vanilla sugar, and we used this to complement the cocoa in our mix.

Got a recipe that needs a natural makeover? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

Ashley, one of our blog readers, sent us a request to make over her grandmother’s famous bread pudding recipe, complete with a decadent bourbon sauce. We accepted the challenge to lighten up this comforting favorite.

Check out the recipe we developed for Whole Grain Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding.

Here are the changes we made to our lightened up version of traditional bread pudding:

• The original recipe called for both heavy whipping cream and whole milk, so we substituted 1% low fat milk for these, resulting in a significant reduction in calories, fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. When you consider that 1 cup of heavy whipping cream contains 821 calories and 88 grams of fat, and 1 cup of whole milk contains 146 calories and 8 grams of fat, and you compare that to 1 cup of 1% low fat milk containing 102 calories and just 2 grams of fat, you can see that’s a heck of a healthy savings! It’s true that with a rich recipe like this, making the switch to the lower fat, lower calorie option yields a less decadent product, but no less delicious!
• The original recipe calls for cinnamon raisin bread, which is traditionally made with bleached white flour. Our delicious, healthy version bakes whole grain cinnamon raisin bread into a delicious pudding. This increases the fiber, vitamin and mineral content of the recipe.
• We opted to omit the rich bourbon sauce topping which contains bourbon, sugar and butter. Doing so allowed us to create a lighter, version of this traditional treat that can be enjoyed every day! How about serving a fresh colorful fruit salad alongside instead?

Did you miss the recipe link above? Here is the full recipe for our Whole Grain Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding.

Got a recipe that needs a natural makeover? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

What better way to kick off the New Year than with a playful and healthy update of Spaghetti and Meatballs! Maggie, one of our blog readers, sent in this fun idea that inspired us. She suggested that traditional spaghetti and meatballs could use a healthy makeover and recommended using spaghetti squash instead of pasta, tempeh instead of meat, and additional veggies in the tomato sauce.

All these ideas sounded great to us! Check out the recipe we developed for Italian-Style Spaghetti Squash with Tempeh.

Our recipe removes the refined carbohydrates and cholesterol and cuts down on saturated fat in the original by replacing regular pasta with spaghetti squash and meatballs with tempeh. The addition of extra vegetables makes this recipe a great choice; it provides essential vitamins and minerals found in green and yellow vegetables and a great fiber boost from tempeh.

Here are the changes we made from traditional spaghetti and meatballs:

• Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and has a nutty taste and hearty texture. A good source of manganese, protein, copper, phosphorus, vitamin B2 and magnesium, tempeh packs about as much protein as beef without the cholesterol. 4 ounces of tempeh provides 240 calories, 20 g protein, 11 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, and 0 mg cholesterol compared to 4 ounces of 85% lean ground beef which provides 280 calories, 29 g protein, 17 g fat, 6.5 g saturated fat, and 101 mg cholesterol. Also tempeh offers 9 g fiber per 4 ounce serving whereas ground beef contains no fiber.
• Spaghetti squash is an excellent source of vitamin A, a very good source of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and manganese, and a good source of folate, thiamin, copper, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, and niacin.
• The addition of green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach provides fiber as well as vitamins K, C, A, B6, B2, and E, folate, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, calcium, copper, zinc, niacin, and selenium.

Did you miss the recipe link above? Here is the full recipe for our Italian-Style Spaghetti Squash with Tempeh.

Got a recipe that needs a natural makeover? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

The ultimate winner? Flourless Brownies! These incredibly moist brownies taste great and include a super secret ingredient that won over the skeptics. Read all about it and give them a try.

Want to be part of the ratings for next year? You can post comments and rate recipes simply by setting up an account on our website. You’ll also be able to create online shopping lists and save recipes to your personal recipe box.

Here are this year’s winner and runner-ups:

Flourless Brownies
4 stars by 42 people and 69 comments!

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake
4 stars by 19 people and 36 comments

Crispy Rice Treats
4 stars by 3 people and 15 comments

Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
3.7 stars by 11 people and 15 comments

Gluten-Free Pie Crust
5 stars by 2 people and 13 comments

Frosted Spiced Cupcakes
5 stars by 1 person and 12 comments

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
4.7 stars by 19 people and 11 comments

Interested in more ideas? Check out our full list of Make It Natural recipes.

So, what favorite recipes of yours need a natural makeover? We’re gearing up to develop some new favorites, so let us know what you want to see in Make It Natural next year. Just post your request in the comments section below. If we select your recipe for a healthy makeover and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card!

Don’t know about you, but the cooler weather makes us want to indulge in comfort foods. Around here, we find it a fun challenge to take a closer look at comfort favorites and see if we can make some simple changes to improve the nutrition without compromising on flavor. We know you are doing the same thing because one reader, James, sent in a great idea for a rice pudding update-he suggested making this classic, homey dessert with brown rice, non-dairy milk and dried fruits. What a perfect example of how easy it is to update a recipe with a simple swap of a whole grain for a non-whole grain.

We took James’ suggestions and created this delightful Baked Brown Rice Pudding.

Here are the changes from the standard version of rice pudding:

• We used whole grain brown rice instead of white rice. You can cook your own (leftover plain brown rice is perfect) or use the super-convenient frozen, already cooked brown rice. Brown rice boosts dietary fiber, manganese, magnesium and selenium. Find out more about the benefits of eating whole grains and get ideas on incorporating them into your diet.
• We used organic light coconut milk instead of dairy milk for creaminess and a subtle sweetness. Light coconut milk has about 71% less fat and 67% fewer calories than regular coconut milk.
• Dried cherries, dried apricots and raisins add great texture and a perfect amount of sweetness. They also contribute some vitamin A, potassium and fiber.
• ” Almonds contribute toasty flavor along with fiber and a boost of important nutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium, heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and vitamin E. Did you know almonds contain more calcium than other nuts? A great choice!

What efforts are you making to add some healthy angles to holiday recipes? We want to hear all about them!

Did you miss the recipe link above? Here is the full recipe for our Baked Brown Rice Pudding. Got a recipe that needs a natural makeover? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

For some folks, Thanksgiving is really all about the sides and not the turkey. Sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, homemade rolls, mashed potatoes and more, every family has their own traditions.

We’ve put a healthy spin on three classic side dishes, those favorites that for many are required eating at a Thanksgiving feast.

Corn Pudding

We took this traditional holiday treat and made it a little healthier by substituting nonfat milk for whole milk and using unbleached flour and corn meal rather than a conventional cornbread mix (which might contain artificial ingredients). We also reduced the amount of sugar – our version highlights the natural sweetness of the corn and is not as overly sweet as some traditional versions.

Green Bean Casserole

For some, this is the essential T-day side dish. In our updated version, we use fresh green beans (not canned) sauced with creamy mushroom soup (not condensed) and top them with homemade baked onion rings (not fried). The resulting casserole has less sodium than the original version. Now you don’t have to feel guilty about serving this classic!

Scalloped Potatoes

This dish is typically very rich, made with full-fat dairy products such as butter, cream and whole milk. In this lightened up version, we reduced the fat and calories by simply swapping in low-fat milk for the heavy cream. Fresh thyme and some parmesan add subtle flavor.

What are your favorite sides for the Thanksgiving table? And do you have tips for making them a little healthier? We’d love to know!

Got a recipe that needs a natural makeover? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe for a makeover and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.

With Thanksgiving upon us in just a couple of weeks, we’re starting to dream of all the pies that will be part of the feast. There’s no need for dietary restrictions to keep you from enjoying your favorite Thanksgiving dessert! We revisited our gluten-free pie crust recipe in preparation for the holidays, and we think it’s better than ever.

This recipe is similar to a classic pie crust, but instead of wheat flour, we used a combination of potato starch, tapioca flour, millet flour and almond meal. This crust is perfect for everything from pumpkin pie to quiche. If you’re using it for a savory recipe, be sure to leave out the sugar.

We also have recipes for simple pie crust and dairy-free pie crust.

And, of course, our stores offer a selection of frozen prepared pie crusts, including some gluten-free options. These are great to keep in the freezer for holiday pie making.

Now is a great time to start planning your holiday menus and trying out some recipes. Check out our selection of holiday recipes, including sections of gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. Or, browse our full recipe selection by category.

We’ve got a great guide to entertaining guests with special dietary needs, and we’ve got more handy tips and a video packed with delicious ideas for special diets.

Happy holiday baking!

Got a recipe that needs a natural makeover? Post it in the comments section below! If we select your recipe for a healthy makeover and publish the improved version on our website, we’ll send you a $25 Whole Foods Market gift card.