Celebrate the Season with Fruits and Veggies – Healthy Holiday Recipes

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is an important part of good health. Fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals and powerful antioxidants that can help reduce blood pressure, decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer, and boost immunity. The fiber they provide helps to make you feel full for better appetite control and provides bulk to your digestive system to maintain stool regularity. With all the wonderful holiday foods and treats around this time of year, getting plenty of fruits and vegetables each day may be challenging.

This holiday season, eat more fruits and vegetables by trying these tips:

1. Start your holiday meal with a vegetable-based appetizer or soup. Try a butternut squash or pumpkin soup or a festive vegetable and fruit platter with hummus or low-fat dressing for dipping.
2. Mix it up with new fruit and vegetable side dishes. Try a holiday-inspired spiced applesauce, a beet and goat cheese salad, sauteed green beans, or roasted carrots.
3. Make your dessert fruit based. Try a chilled fruit cup, an apple crumble, or a poached pear with low-fat frozen yogurt or ice cream.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, here are some wonderful, easy fruit-based desserts from the website, www.fruitsandveggies.org

1. Sliced navel oranges drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped with toasted sliced almonds.
2. Angel food cake topped with a fruit purée made from fresh or unsweetened frozen berries or mixed fruit.
3. Apple wedges drizzled with caramel sauce.
4. Fruit kebabs served with a dip made from low-fat vanilla yogurt.
5. A fruit parfait made with a layer of fresh pineapple or canned pineapple (in its own juice), a layer of prepared low-fat vanilla or lemon pudding, a layer of thawed frozen blueberries and another layer of pudding.
6. Cherry-Chocolate-Almond Pudding – Prepare a 4-serving size of chocolate fudge pudding and mix in ½ teaspoon of almond extract and 2 cups of fresh or frozen pitted cherries.
7. Pears poached in white grape juice and topped with chocolate syrup and a dollop of reduced-fat whipped dessert topping.