Healthy Snacks

Ciabatta, the Italian flat bread popular in toasted sandwiches, makes a handy pizza base. You can reduce the carbs and calories slightly by pulling out some of the soft interior.

Applesauce adds moistness without fat. A nonnutritive sweetener also cuts the calories.

Toss wheat cereal and cashews with raisins, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, or chopped dried apricots.

Cook chopped apples and cranberries in the microwave for 4 minutes. Then stir in sugar or sweetener and mash with a fork to desired consistency.

Put the flat bread spread with the toppings on a toaster oven tray and use the top brown" setting. It's ready when the cheese bubbles

Keep this on hand for a quick meal, or prepare in batches to give as gifts.

Bananas that are getting past ripe work perfectly in smoothies. Peel them, wrap them in plastic, and freeze them.

Just 3 ingredients: pineapple chunks, vanilla yogurt, and ice. Quick and yummy!

Turn your lemonade pink with fresh, ripe strawberries.

You can use regular, decaffeinated, or herbal tea. Let it steep for 5 to 7 minutes.

You can buy ready-made raspberry mustard, but you won't find the depth of flavor you get when you mix your own.

For a cool, summer drink, mash kiwi and strawberries and mix with plain seltzer and ice.

A healthy topper for toast, waffle or pancakes.

These ingredients are in the right proportions for one batch of dip mix. For a gift jar, keep adding a round of all five ingredients until you have enough to fill the jar.

You can make a healthier party mix by using whole-grain cereals, olive oil instead of butter or margarine, and soy nuts or wasabi peas.

Fresh peaches and blueberries are nestled under a topping flavored with ginger and lemon.

Put peaches, yogurt, ice and all but 6 raspberries into blender and puree. Serve in tall glasses. Garnish with reserved berries. The smoothie will be thick enough to float them on top. Add fresh mint leaves if you have them.

Each serving contains about 134 calories, 1 g protein, 3 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, and 44 mg of sodium.

A quick English dessert of cooked berries layered with whipped cream.