Low fat desserts for 4th of July cookouts

July 2, 1:09 AMPhiladelphia Weight Loss ExaminerCheryl M Brown

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photo: Fiona Haynes         Cheesecake

4th of July barbecues and cookouts are filled with good people, good fun and good food. If you're watching your weight, choices such as grilled skinless chicken breast, fish, vegetables and a tossed salad fit right in with today's health conscious barbecue menus.

The biggest weight loss struggle is dessert. Two options are usually exercised. Look at the dessert all day, play the martyr, and don't eat any, or try one of everything in sight and start all over on Monday.

Well, now there is another option. Great tasting low fat desserts created by Fiona Haynes, low fat cooking expert at about.com. Now you can make or take scrumptious desserts to a 4th of July cookout.

Cheesecake topped with berries

Cheesecake is a very rich dessert, but this low fat version uses light and fat-free cream cheese, along with low-fat cottage cheese to significantly reduce the calorie content. Prep time is 4 1/2 hours and cook time is 1 hour.

The recipe serves 12 and the per serving information is a follows: Calories 211, Calories from Fat 61, Total Fat 6.8g (sat 3.2g), Cholesterol 35mg, Sodium 300mg, Carbohydrate 28.1g, Fiber 1.2g, Protein 9.3g

Click here to see the cheesecake recipe and don't forget the berries!

Low fat Strawberry Pavlova

Pavlova is a meringue cake with a whipped topping, usually topped with fruit. Made primarily of sugar and egg whites, it makes a real light, fluffy and low-calorie delicious dessert.

Prep time for this dessert is 5 hours and 1-hour cook time. Serves 6

The ingredients are very simple. egg whites, cream of tartar, superfine or baker's sugar, fat-free whipped topping and strawberries.

Per Serving: Calories 153, Calories from Fat 1, Total Fat 0.1g (sat 0.1g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 0mg, Carbohydrate 36g, Fiber 0.9g, Protein 2g

Click here to see theStrawberry pavlova recipe

Tropical fruit salad

No barbecue is complete unless there is a fruit salad. A tropical fruit salad is a great low-fat sweet treat that makes the most available of summer fruit. This salad is perfect by itself, but a fat-free whipped topping or small amount of fat-free vanilla yogurt gives it a little more substance and it taste delicious.

The summer fruits needed for this salad are pineapple, cantaloupe, mangoes, and kiwifruit. It also uses navel oranges, a teaspoon of sugar, and lemon and lime juice.

The recipe makes 6-8 servings. Per Serving: Calories 123, Calories from Fat 5, Total Fat 0.6g (sat 0g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 9mg, Carbohydrate 28.1g, Fiber 3.5g, Protein 1.5g

Click here to see the Tropical fruit salad recipe.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!