You made a vow Sunday night that starting the next morning, you’d eat healthy all week. You started off strong: egg whites for breakfast, kale salad for lunch, some vegan vegetable mush for dinner. But now it’s 10:00 on Monday night, your stomach is growling, and you’re staring intently at that package of double-stuffed Oreos. Before you know it, you’ve devoured an entire sleeve, and you find yourself in the same spot you were Sunday night: bloated, uncomfortable, and making new vows for a fresh start Tuesday morning. Why does eating healthy have to be so hard?

Actually, it doesn’t have to be hard! With the right recipes, you can make delicious treats that will satisfy your sweet tooth while doing something good for your body. By allowing yourself some healthy treats here and there, you’ll be a lot less likely to go reaching for the Oreos in a frenzy. Here are some mouth-watering, healthier alternatives to the sweets we all love:

1. Cookie Dough Protein Bars

Everybody loves chocolate chip cookie dough, and now you can get some protein with it, too. Sweetened naturally with honey and enhanced with whey protein powder, this recipe offers a cookie dough solution that is low in sugar and high in protein.

2. Apple Cinnamon Oat Squares

These bars may look like a typical sugary brunch offering, but they pack in the nutrients with nuts, seeds, and fresh fruit. The oats provide a nice crunch to contrast the soft, sweet taste of the apples.

3. Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies

These flourless cookies feature the rich, creamy flavor you crave without all the refined, processed flour you're trying to avoid. All-natural peanut butter and cocoa add flavor to the crunchy oatmeal texture, giving you a cookie that tastes good and makes you feel great afterward.

4. Flax Banana Bread

When you add flax to a recipe, two things happen: you get a deliciously crunchy texture, and you add a good dose of fiber and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. After a bite of this flax seed banana bread, you'll never want to go back to plain old banana bread.

5. Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies

The next three recipes are from my favorite cookbook, "Run Fast, Eat Slow" by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. This cookbook offers dozens of tasty, whole-food recipes from appetizers to dinners to desserts. My favorite recipe from the book is the sweet potato breakfast cookie: a vegan, gluten-free cookie that is nutritious enough to eat for breakfast and yummy enough to eat for dessert. What makes this cookie stand out is the unique blend of spices (cinnamon, fresh ginger, vanilla) and the subtle flavor of sweet potato.

6. Super Hero Muffins

Also from "Run Fast, Eat Slow," these muffins are fit for a superhero with the bits of fruits and vegetables hidden inside what appears to be a typical muffin. All the nutrients of fruits and veggies with the taste of a muffin? I'll take one, please!

7. Pecan Butter Chocolate Truffles With Sea Salt

Okay, so you probably expected there to be healthy alternatives to making bars and cookies and muffins. But chocolate truffles? You probably didn't see that one coming. With five simple ingredients, these little balls of chocolate will have you coming back for seconds. The inside is a mixture of salty crushed pecans and sweet dates. Coated with a blend of coconut oil and cocoa powder and topped with a sprinkle of sea salt, these truffles are sure to satisfy your craving for a sweet treat.

Who said you can't have it both ways? With these delicious, health-conscious recipes, you can have all the sweet flavor you crave without falling back to ground zero on your diet goals. Bon appétit!