Dateline: 12/03/99

D ecember is a huge month for us. Our household is half British and half Canadian and that means that we have to serve both kinds of food and I have to admit that, desserts figure big on our holiday menus. And then there are the parties that we have to attend, more food! And our anniversary happens to fall a week before Christmas... dinner out again. The calories that this month could see...

A nd then somewhere along the line we picked up this tradition about putting goodies out every night for nibbling during the month of December. And I'm talking about every night. So, being the Mom here, I have had to lay some ground rules for what is served. During the months leading up to December, I start buying a wide assortment of crackers, cheese, beverages and yes, desserts too but along with these higher calorie foods, I pack in lots of fruit and vegetables on the list as well.

W hen I first began putting foods out in the evening, I expected that the fruit and vegetable sticks would be ignored for the cheeseball and the Christmas cookies but to my surprise, that wasn't the case. If there were carrot sticks on the table, they disappeared just as quickly as anything else. I came to realize that it was the tradition that everyone loved and not necessarily the foods served. Yes, I do put something sweet out each night but I cheat here too.

M y other passion is baking and I have learned through lots of practice that you can slowly lessen the amount of sugar in your recipes and your family will never know the difference. If you still have baking to do for the coming holiday, why don't you try cutting back a quarter of a cup of sugar and see if anyone notices. I doubt that they will. And after you master that, start working on the fat. I cut back there too. I strongly believe in having your cake and eating it too!

Autumn Fruit Tart
An unusual recipe containing apples and a surprise fruit that you don't normally see in a dessert dish.

Bite Sized Strawberry Tarts
Just 211 calories in this decadent little dessert. Did I mention the Lemon Lavender Cream that accompanies it?

Cappuchino Creme
Sounds pretty rich to me but its low in fat and calories.

Cherry Trifle With Amaretto
Here is a recipe that you can make a day ahead, chill, and set aside until you need it. Fat grams : 8.6 grams per serving.

Flora's Recipe Hideout
If the recipe that you are looking for isn't here, it simply doesn't exist. Lots of low fat recipes to choose from. Source: Flora's Recipe Hideout (New as of December 3)

Frozen Coffee-Fudge Pie
Perfect for that hot summer night and only has 7.6 grams of fat.

Heavenly Orange Cake
By taking a few shortcuts with the ingredients, the calorie count dropped from 567 calories to 186 calories. Remember the cliche about having your cake and eating it too? With this one, you can.

Instead of Apple Pie
This has some impressive possibilities. You might even prefer this over the original down-home style.

Key Lime Pie
"Cooking Light" brings you this healthy version of this decadent dessert. Fat: 5.9g per serving.

Lite Peanut Butter Cookies
Looks like a good alternative to those high fat, high sugar versions we enjoyed as a kid.

Low Fat Fudge Brownies
Imagine a 1 1/3-inch squares and only 60 calories. Enjoy this little piece of heaven.

Low Fat Lifestyle Forum
A wonderful site that offers changes that you can implement into your life for a healthier you.

Low Fat Pumpkin Pie
Now you will be all set for Thanksgiving.

Leslie's Low Fat Recipes
There's a recipe for blueberry muffins waiting for you at this site! And low fat too.

Low Fat Apple Muffins
Again, I would cut down on the sweetener. Other than that, these muffins look like a great treat.

Low Fat Desserts
How does "No Guilt Cheesecake" sound to you?? And that is just one of the recipes that we can indulge in without adding inches.

Mango Ginger Mint Sorbet
Preparation time for this creamy dessert... 15 minutes. Thats it.

Mix Easy Ribbon Cake
This is low calorie and low fat with a raisin filling and a lemon frosting. Sounds like a good combination to me.

Old Fashioned Strawberry Cake
With just a few simple changes, the calories in this recipe was cut in half. Directions available for variations as well.

Peach Upside Down Cake
Fresh peaches are called for in this recipe but peaches from a can will work if you can't find the fresh variety.

Pear Cranberry Shortcake
Here is the perfect replacement for strawberry shortcake. But, you could still adapt it so that you still use strawberries if you want to. It's all in the new biscuit recipe.

Pineapple Coconut Pie
Coconut pie with a new ingredient and the fat content is only 8.3 grams per serving.

Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
I like everything about this recipe but I would cut down on the sweetener even more. You will slowly get use to a less sweet taste and won't even notice it.

Rich Chocolate Cake With Raspberry Sauce
Forget the calorie laden frosting and choose a rich sauce instead. You may never go back to frosting again.

Sugarless Apple Pie
Frozen apple juice is used to sweeten this apple pie. Canola oil is also used to cut down on saturated fat.

Sugarless Muffins
All the ingredients look very healthy. Everything that was high sugar or fat has been replaced with a lighter version.

Tiramisu
Also referred to as "Heaven in Your Mouth". The recipe has been doctored so that all the fat has been greatly reduced.

Tiramisu
Another version of this great dessert with a killer photo offered as well. Just 236 calories!

Tiramisu With a Citrus Twist
You will need a food processor for this recipe, but a blender will do in a crunch. Low in calories for a decadent dessert.

Waldorf Salad
The fat has been reduced but none of the flavour of this old-fashioned salad.

Graphics courtesy of:
Glo Works,