Recipes to Try:
• Apple Brown Betty
• Baked Apple with Crisp Topping (shown above)
• Apple Compote
• Old-Fashioned Apple-Nut Crisp
• Candied Apples

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Here are some combos I like:

For the fruit lover: Combine orange juice, grapefruit juice or lemonade with chunks of your favorite berry or fruit. If it’s a small berry (say, blueberries) use the whole berry; for strawberries, bananas or watermelon, you can do a rough chop or purée them if you want.

For more creaminess: Mix low-fat vanilla yogurt with your favorite fruit to give your popsicle a smoothie-like twist. Dairy-free folks can try soy yogurt, too.

Note: You will need special molds (usually they make about 6 to 8 freezer pops), which are available at most cookware stores. You can also use small paper cups and freeze wooden sticks in them (just be sure to anchor the sticks with a whole berry or stick them in after the mixture has partially frozen).

Some More Tips
• Freshly squeezed juices work the best — orange, blood orange (a cool color!) and grapefruit juice are some of my favorites.
• Leave 1/2 inch at the top of the mold because the liquid will expand.
• If you have trouble removing your frozen popsicle, run the mold under warm water.

More recipes to try:
• Tangerine Popsicles
• Fruity Strawberry Popsicle
• Mango Orange Chili Popsicle
• Pineapple Cucumber Popsicle
• Spiked Watermelon Pops

Recipes to try:
• Blueberry Compote
• Grilled Peach Sundaes
• Grilled Strawberries
• Peaches with Balsamic Cherries
• Italian Ice Pops
• Lemon Icebox Bars (shown above)
• Raspberry Fool
• Plum Tart with Almond Pastry Crust
• Pear Ginger Crumble
• Made-Over Deep Dish Brownies

Banana Basics
Originally from Southeast Asia and India, bananas are cultivated in more than 170 countries these days — especially warm, humid areas. Unlike most other fruit, bananas ripen better off the bush (yes, they come from a bush, not a tree), so they’re picked and shipped while still green. You’ve probably seen banana bunches at the grocery store — that’s exactly how they grow. Although there are hundreds of banana types, the most popular U.S. variety is the bright yellow Cavendish. Some other varieties include red, dwarf (or finger), manzano (apple-flavored) and orinoco (with a hint of strawberry). You’ll have to look a lot harder to find those.

Nutrition Info
One medium yellow banana has 109 calories and is an excellent source of vitamin B6 and a good source of potassium, fiber and vitamin C — all nutrients associated with a healthy heart. Research has linked the soluble fiber in bananas (4 grams each) to lowering your “bad” cholesterol (LDL). Other studies show that vitamin B6 is good for your heart because it helps reduce homocysteine, an amino acid that, at high levels, can lead to blocked arteries.

Cooking with Bananas
Bananas add great flavor to desserts — one classic, beloved dish is banana bread. Unfortunately, even with a fruit in the name, it’s not always the lightest treat. It took a while, but I did find a healthy banana bread that uses applesauce in place of the butter or oil. Instead of about 1 cup of oil or butter, use 3/4 cups of applesauce (1 cup of butter is equal to about 2 sticks).

One of my other favorite — and simple — desserts is baked bananas with cinnamon and honey. I also found this scrumptious recipe, where you roll sliced fresh bananas in cocoa powder and shaved coconut — delicious! Ellie Krieger has some really great frozen, chocolate-covered banana pops. The kids will love you if you serve those on a hot day.

If you’ve overstocked on bananas, freeze them! Some people pop the whole fruit in the freezer, but it’s best to peel and slice them first and place in an airtight container or plastic bag. Frozen banana pieces go great in smoothies. I like to mix 6 ounces of non-fat Greek yogurt, a bit of skim milk, a frozen banana and whatever berries I have lying around.

Bananas are perfect for fruit salads, too — I like to combine bananas and kiwi. I also just found this banana-orange relish recipe that works well on fish like halibut or mahi-mahi.

Keep Them from Turning Black
When ripe, you can keep your bananas in the refrigerator (I prefer mine cold), but the peel turns black pretty quickly. The trick? Brush your bananas with lemon juice before placing them in the fridge. But don’t douse them in lemon juice; they may over ripen before you have time to eat them. You can store your bananas at room temperature, too — it just depends on your preference.

Shopping Tip: Choose bananas that are evenly colored with tiny brown specks (indicating ripeness). Bananas that are green at the tips still need time to ripen and should be kept uncovered at room temperature (around 70ºF). To speed up ripening, put a banana in a brown paper bag.

Banana recipes to try:
• Healthy Banana Bread
• Cocoa Nut Bananas
• Bananas in Brown Sugar-Rum Sauce
• Banana Kiwi Salad
• Banana Cream Pie
• Chocolate-Covered Banana Pops
• Roasted Halibut with Banana-Orange Relish

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Velvety smooth, sweet and creamy, but with than 600 calories and 45 grams of fat per slice, can it be part of a healthy diet? Here’s how you can have your (cheese)cake and eat it too!

High-Calorie Ingredients
Traditional cheesecakes are full of ingredients that are high in calories and fat — cream cheese, butter, eggs and sour cream. Add to that sugar, cookie crusts and gooey toppings and you’ve got calorie overload. Replace some of that dense cream cheese with lighter ricotta or cottage cheese. You may be tempted to switch over to all fat-free dairy but that may leave you with a watery and unappetizing dessert. Instead, think “middle of the road” — choose recipes that use low fat dairy or a combination of full-fat and fat-free cheeses. Lightening up these ingredients leaves room for flavors such as chocolate and coffee without overdoing the calories.

Want to forgo the milk products all together? Creamy silken tofu makes a light-and-refreshing cheesecake.

Petite Portions
If there is a cheesecake recipe you absolutely refuse to change, consider downsizing. Use small ramekins or mini muffin pans to make decadent, individual cheesecakes. Or try bite-sized portions of cheesecake paired with some fresh fruit — makes for a fabulous presentation.

Substitute Fruit for Fat
Save calories and fat by going for more fruit and less cheesecake. Dress up a small cake slice with a simple berry sauce. In a small saucepan, cook down fresh or frozen berries with a sprinkle of sugar and few drops of water. When the berries have become juicy and bubbly, turn off the heat and stir in some freshly squeezed lemon juice. Puree the mixture in a blender, strain to remove any seeds, cool and transfer to a squeeze bottle for drizzling.

Your options don’t end at fresh and frozen fruit either; try adding dried fruit to the cake batter like in this recipe for Pear and Ginger Cheesecake (shown in the photo above).

Lighter cheesecake recipes to try:
• Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
• Lemon Tofu Cheesecake
• Individual Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes
• Pear and Ginger Cheesecake (pictured above)

Today may be called “Fat Tuesday,” but you don’t have to take that literally. Don’t worry about your waistline with this spiced-up, Mardi Gras-inspired menu.

Cheers!
Start your celebration and feel like you’re strolling down New Orleans’ French Quarter with a Hurricane cocktail. The unique flavor of passion fruit makes this drink extra special — leftovers make great breakfast smoothies. If you can’t find passion fruit juice, pineapple juice works well too. Replace the rum with ginger ale or sparkling water for a light and fizzy “virgin” treat.

One-Pot Wonder
Creole flavors are bold and all about spice — look no further than jambalaya! Fresh ingredients and spices are a great way to keep calories low. Some recipes can be weighed down with fatty meats, but leaner ham and shrimp keeps this jambalaya recipe light and satisfying. Feeling especially authentic? Try using crawfish instead of shrimp. Or go for a vegetarian version with whole grain farro and yummy okra (a southern favorite). Serve up your jambalaya with a lightly dressed salad.

Sweet Treat
Bananas Foster is a classic New Orleans recipe, but the calories add up thanks to tons of butter and sugar — and then it’s poured over ice cream! Have all the flavor for a fraction of the fat and calories by opting for a Banana Cream Pie instead.

Mardi Gras recipes to try:
• Hurricane Cocktail
• Jambalaya with Shrimp and Ham
• Farro Vegetarian Jambalaya
• Basic Green Salad with Vinaigrette
• Banana Cream Pie

Recruit the kids to help make this Valentine’s Day treat. These frozen fruit pops feature firm ripe bananas, dipped in dark chocolate and drizzled with peanuts. Peanuts, chocolate and bananas? I don’t know about you, but that would win my heart any day!

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