|
|
|
|
|
Fresh Fruit: The Sweet, Healthy Dessert
Americans love dessert so much that some of us eat it before the meal instead of after. Fudgy brownies, gooey layer cake, cookies the size of saucers - we savor them all. But these desserts are high in sugar, fat, and calories. Is there such a thing as a healthy dessert? Yes, and it's fresh fruit. "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook" recommends fresh fruit as a regular dessert and for good reasons. Fresh fruit contains fiber, something we need to eat every day. Our bodies also need vitamin C and fresh fruits are loaded with it. Some fresh fruits, such as red grapes, may protect your body from heart disease and cancer, according to Mayo Clinic. There are other reasons for eating fresh fruit. An article on www.MyPyramid.gov says fresh fruit may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes, protect the body against colon and rectal cancer, and reduce the risk of kidney disease. When the government and Mayo Clinic recommend fresh fruit, they're talking about plain fruit, not something under a mountain of whipped cream. You must store fruit properly in order to reap its health benefits. The University of California, Davis, says some fruits should be stored at room temperature. Bananas are an example. If you put bananas in the refrigerator they get black spots on them and the flavor diminishes. Honeydew melon, cantalope, and other fruits that can be refrigerated should be chilled after they're ripe. Store fruit in a separate bin, away from vegetables and meat. Fresh fruit should be washed just before you eat it. Choosing fresh fruit for dessert satisfies your craving for sweets and helps you get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. These desserts are the perfect ending for a casual or fancy meal. They're healthy, too, so if you want to eat dessert before dinner, do it! RED AND GREEN GRAPES WITH FRENCH CREAM. Wash grapes, pat dry with a towel, and put them in a large bowl. For French cream, combine 1 cup of fat free sour cream, 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, 1/2 cup Splenda, 1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spoon mixed grapes into serving dishes and top with a dollop of French cream. ORANGE FLOWERS WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE. Carefully remove the peel from four oranges. With a serrated knife, cut tic-tac-toe slices in the top of each whole orange, being careful not to cut all the way through. Place the oranges on serving plates. Spread the orange "petals" apart, leaving the center "stamen" in tact. Combine 1/2 cup low sugar raspberry jam with 2 tablespoons hot water and 1 tablespoon of honey. Drizzle sauce over the orange flowers and garnish with mint. STRAWBERRY DELIGHT PARFAITS. Wash and slice 1 pint of strawberries. Sprinkle with Splenda and set aside. Break apart mini vanilla wafers until you have 1 cup of crumbs. To make parfaits layer strawberries, fat free, sugar free strawberry yogurt, sugar free topping, and crumbled wafers in parfait glasses. Stick a whole wafer on top of each parfait before serving. BAKED APPLES WITH CINNAMON CRUMBLE. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel 4-5 Granny Smith apples. Cut the apples into slices and arrange in concentric circles on a 9" pie plate coated with baking spray. Combine 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 3 tablespoons extra-light olive oil, and 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Sprinkle crumble mixture over apples and bake until the top is golden brown, or about 30 minutes. Serve warm with a spoonful of fat free, sugar free vanilla yogurt. Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. She was a food writer for the former "Rochester Magazine" in her home town of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief, written with Lois Krahn, MD is available on http://www.amazon.com. For more information on her work go to http://www.harriethodgson.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Recipes - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Make Your Own Low Fat Vanilla Ice Cream Sometimes, when you have set yourself in the weight loss journey, you may miss your old friends: snacks.But life does not have to be miserable for you to lose weight. Straight Talk from a Comfort Foodie - Moms Remedy for the Blues As puberty crept up and I became a passive passenger on the roller coaster of hormones, there'd come days that I just couldn't shake the blues. It was a Jekyll and Hyde scenario that would haunt me for most of my fertile years. Apples of Love If the Spanish conquistadors had known what they were onto when they brought tomatoes to the old world in the sixteenth century, they wouldn't have spent the rest of their careers searching for gold, because they had already found it. If any of them had any prescience at all, they would have simply opened a canning facility somewhere in the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius, and begun mining the gold that became known as pomodri 'golden apples'. Spanish Recipes - Tempting Tapas Dishes Spain is famous for its tapas and, whichever Spanish bar youfrequent, in whichever area of the country, you are sure tofind them.So, what exactly are "tapas" and where did the name come from?Tapas are, essentially, snacks and the word literally means"cover". Blue Cheese Omnivorous IngredientsRomaine Lettuce (head $1.29)1 pound of steak ($10 per pound)1 box of colorful pasta ($1. Finding Delicious Cookie Recipes Many of us have an inner baker inside us that loves to find new cookie recipes to try. But, where do you find new, tried and true, cookie recipes that your family will love? People are always looking for the newest versions of their favorite recipes to broaden their dinner choices. Fire Cracker Italian Sausage Pasta You will find that this recipe is very easy to make. And you can prep all of your ingredients in advance. Campfire Cooking (Some Yummy Recipes) It's almost picnic and camping time across most of North America. For that next trip into the woods or at the park, consider these treats-especially for the kids. Weight Loss Recipe: Spicy Chicken Cacciatore Just because you are watching your weight, doesn't mean the whole family can't enjoy your health enhancing meals! The kids will love "Spicy Chicken Cacciatore" and you will love it because it is so low in calories and fat!Long term weight loss isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It's a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys. Low Fat Flaming Bananas Treat Nutritional Information: Serves 3, Fat: 8 g, Cal: 299, KJ: 1256, WW: 5 PointsThis is yet another one of my favourite low fat banana recipes. You can impress your guests with your culinary skills when cooking this one! (It's just amazing how a little bit of fire on your food can mesmerise your audience. Banana Pudding and Vanilla Wafers... the Perfect Crowd Pleaser! Next time someone signs you up for "dessert duty" at the family barbecue, cookout, picnic or whatever other type of party you may attend this summer, consider the old pudding-and-cookies recipe. It's a gooey dessert that really wows the crowd. How I Made Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies In Simple, Super Easy Steps I was sitting there watching one of my favorite tv shows when a cookie craving hit me. As I watched one of the main characters take her chocolate chip cookies off the baking sheet, I drooled at the prospect of some freshly baked cookies. Rib-Eye Steak with Mushrooms and Bleu Cheese This is a mouth watering steak. Every time I serve this in the restaurant the customers rave. Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake Bottom Layer:1/2 cup butter or margarine1 cup sugar2 cups flour1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 cup milk2 eggs1 teaspoon vanillaCream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and stir in milk. Nutritious Chocolate Recipes Are you eating enough fruit lately? How about chocolate? Well, here are three cool ways to make sure you're getting enough of both of these important foodstuffs this summer and both are very quick and easy.Godiva Chocolate Covered Banana DrinkIngredients:2 oz Godiva Liqueur1/2 oz Myers's Rum1/2 Banana, Sliced1/2 c Vanilla Ice CreamMethod:Pour Godiva into blender. Do You Ever Search For Quick recipes? In the quest for more time, searching for quick recipes online can be a big help. Cutting time out of cooking will free up time for other things. Crockpot Cooking - Advantages and Disadvantages In my 'un-biased' opinion, the crockpot / slow cookeris one of the most convenient and easy to use appliancesin my kitchen. The time savings features of theslow cooker and the delicious dinners that haveresulted more than offset any minor drawbacks. Wild Watercress Soupt (Nasturtium officinale) Wild Watercress soup is a delicious and nutritious recipe with the leaves available in spring and early summer. Watercress is rich in Vitamins A and C, iron, iodine and phosphorus. Weight Loss Recipe: Veal Mango Just because you are watching your weight does not mean you can't prepare fantastic meals for company. "Veal Mango" is one of range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes that will assist you manage your weight. Weight Loss Recipe: Turkey Tomato Wrap Are you struggling to lose or maintain your weight? Then this recipe can help you along the journey. Long term weight loss isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
