Running On Food: Treat Yourself to a Summer Dessert

This article is part of a new series on Nutrition for Runners.   Heather from the blog, Trials of Training, has offered her expertise in Nutrition to runners in the Lounge to pass along information on recipes, nutrition, and running/food related questions.  She has her BS in Nutrition from Penn State, she is currently working to be a Registered Dietician, and is a loves to help runners with their questions.  

Treat Yourself to a Summer Dessert

by Heather

One of my favorite things about summer is the variety of FRESH fruit. There are so many colorful things to choose from, that combine to make So many tasty dishes!

Using fruits in your dessert means you’re getting Natural sugars and healthy carbohydrates. Plus, the added benefits of various vitamins and minerals! Here are a few of my favorite fruits and some easy dessert recipes – 

*Strawberries: 
Low-Fat Strawberry Shortcut (Recipe from Kraft Foods.com) 
12 servings

1 ½ qt (6 cups ) fresh strawberries 
¼ c Sugar* (optional) 
1 pkg prepared Fat-free Pound cake 
1 tub COOL WHIP FREE topping (or try Strawberry COOL WHIP!), thawed

TOSS strawberries with sugar; let stand 10 min. or until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.* (optional) . CUT each slice of pound cake horizontally in half. Place 1 cake slice on each of 12 dessert plates. TOP each with about 1/4 cup of the strawberries and 2 Tbsp. of the whipped topping. Repeat layers. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Info per Serving: 
Calories: 170 
Total fat: 1.5 g (Saturated Fat 1 g) 
Carbohydrates: 36 g (Fiber 2g) 
Protein:  2 g 
*Vitamin C:  80% DV 

*Blueberries  
Blueberry & Banana Parfait (Recipe from KraftFoods.com) 
4 servings 
 
2 c Skim Milk, cold 
1 pkg Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding 
1 c blueberries, fresh or frozen 
2 tbsp Sliced Almonds

Pour milk into a medium bowl and add pudding mix. Beat with a whisk for ~2 minutes, or until well blended. Cover and Refrigerate 5 minutes. 
Chop bananas and toss with blueberries. Spoon ¼ of the pudding into each glass, cover with fruit, and then top off with remaining pudding. Top  with almonds!

Nutrition Info per Serving: 
Calories: 230 
Total Fat: 2.5 g (Saturated Fat 0.5g) 
Carbohydrates: 50g (Fiber 3g) 
Protein: 6 g 
Vitamin C:  20% DV 
Calcium: 15% DV

*Pineapple 
Cranberry-Pineapple Dessert (Recipe from KraftFoods.com) 
12 servings

2 c boiling water 
1 pkg (8-servings) Jell-O Cranberry Flavor (sugar-free) 
½ tsp ground cinnamon 
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks (or fresh pineapple chopped!), undrained 
(Look for pineapples in Juice if you buy canned, not “heavy syrup”) 
ice cubes 
1 can (11 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained 

Stir boiling water into combined Jell-o mix and cinnamon, in a large bowl, for at least 2 minutes (until gelatin is completely dissolved). Drain pineapple, saving the juice! Add enough ice to saved juice to measure 1-1/2 cups. Add this to the gelatin mix. Stir until the ice is melted.

Refrigerate for about 45 minutes, or until the gelatin is thickened. Reserve ¼ cup of pineapples and oranges. Add remaining pineapple and oranges to gelatin. Pour into 1 ½ qt serving bowl. Refrigerate 4 hours until firm. Garnish with any remaining pineapple and oranges. Store in the fridge!

Nutrition Info per Serving: 
Calories: 40 
Total Fat: 0g (Saturated Fat 0g) 
Carbohydrates: 10g (Fiber 1 g) 
Protein: 1 g 
Vitamin C: 15%

For more recipe ideas – just type in your favorite fruit and search Kraft’s Healthy Living Recipes for easy desserts! Another great site is CookingLight.com!  

Do you have any favorite summer dessert recipes with your favorite fresh fruit??