Healthy Desserts for the Thanksgiving Table

Desserts and holidays can be troublesome for many. We love the pecan pie, pumpkin and cream pies but they don't always love us. We drool over peanut butter pie and cookies but are committed to staying on our healthy goal so even "just a small piece" or "just a bite" isn't enough. Dessert recipes can be healthy and need not be expensive or time consuming.

For example, berries over shortcake with just a touch of whipped cream offers not only taste but the berries have more good-for-you nutrition than that pie does. Gelatin desserts have moved to the salad/appetizer bar in restaurants but had long been used as desserts that are low calorie and versatile. Add fruit for a different taste such as this mimosa fruit salad. These are commonly available items and easy to make but we don't often think of them for *dessert*!

Healthy need not be boring either. A touch of indulgence may be just the ticket to a healthy dessert alternative. This need not be difficult. Maple apples are an ideal fall dessert with nuts complimenting an apple dessert drizzled with reduced calorie maple syrup. Sweet potato pie is an alternative to pumpkin and easy to make. Spiced oranges and pears, minted grapefruit ice, and a carrot cake or spice cake all offer alternatives. This vanilla-raspberry pavlova has just 120 calories per serving.

A recipe for baked spiced pears is suitable for diabetics and peach floats offer a treat without large amounts of sugar.

Thinking outside the box just a little bit results in many ideas to stretch the budget and offer healthy desserts this Thanksgiving. You can also make regular desserts just a little better, adding honey oatmeal cookies or molasses bars or sherbet to the taste table instead of more traditional desserts.

Sometimes the answers have been there all along. Dig out old cookbooks and there are many desserts within that are healthy or can easily be made so. Experiment with honey instead of sugar, or look for some with molasses as a flavoring ingredient.

There are many alternative desserts to choose from and surely something for everyone! Don't think that healthy means leaving out taste! It's just a different kind of taste and much lighter after a big meal.