Who doesn’t crave dessert? However, those of us watching the scale may try to steer clear of tempting cookies, cakes and ice cream. Luckily, there are plenty of options out there for healthy desserts so you skimp on the guilt but not the taste. Fruit, like canned Bartlett pears from the Pacific Northwest, offer delicious and healthy desserts for the upcoming summer.

• Use canned pureed pears in your favorite cake and cookie recipes instead of granulated sugar to make a moist and healthier dessert than the sugar-laden alternative. In baked items, halve the butter or margarine in a recipe and add pureed canned pears instead. When a recipe calls for vegetable oil, halve it and add 3/4 as much pureed pears. • Add pureed pears to your next batch of brownies for a moister brownie that is lower in sugar and fat. • Naturally low in calories and fat, fruit is a sweet fix for dessert cravings. Dress up fruit, such as canned pears with low-fat whipped topping and heart healthy crushed nuts, like almonds or walnuts. • Vanilla, cinnamon and honey are naturally sweet spices that add flavor–not fat–to recipes. Add a small amount to sweet dough to enhance the flavor when you reduce sugar. Try Northwest Honeyed Pears to taste the difference honey and cinnamon can make.

• Fat is a tenderizer, so reducing fat in baked goods may make them tough. To compensate, switch from all-purpose to cake flour. • To satisfy an ice cream craving, try delicious fruit sorbets or ices like the Pear Sorbet recipe below. • Bake your own cookies so you can control the portion size by making smaller cookies. • Bake fruit, such as canned Bartlett pears, in small dishes with a touch of lemon and a crumble topping of oats, brown sugar and butter. • Spruce up canned pears by poaching them in their own syrup and fruit juice or wine for a refreshing, light treat. • Make ice cream a healthier choice by topping light ice cream with canned pears in syrup as a healthy, nutritional rich alternative to chocolate sauce.

Springtime means it’s time your house had a good cleaning. This year, expand your springtime duty to the kitchen: Remember to clean out the items in your cupboard and refrigerator. Depending on the food, the storage time can vary greatly, so follow this easy guide to start spring off with clean, healthy cupboards and refrigerators. • Baking powder or soda lasts 18 months if kept in an airtight container • Canned foods are good for a year • Baking chocolate is good for a year if stored in a cool place • All-purpose flour is good for 15 months • Peanut butter should be stored for no more than 6 months • Throw salad dressings out after 6 months • Be sure to use all your shortening in 8 months • Brown sugar lasts 4 months compared to 2 years for granulated sugar • Dry herbs have a shelf-life of 1 year

The low-carb diet made famous by Dr. Atkins is sweeping the nation as low-carb pastas, cookies and cereals vie for space on supermarket shelves. Even restaurant chains have gotten into the craze, offering bunless burgers, low-carb wraps and special low-carb menus to accommodate the 36% of Americans who have tried or are on a low-carb diet.* However, not all carbs are bad! The key is in the glycemic load of a food. The glycemic load refers to how quickly glucose is released into the bloodstream. Processed carbohydrates tend to have a higher glycemic load than unprocessed ones. They deliver a quick jolt of sugar to the body that leaves you feeling hungrier when it fades. Unprocessed carbs, however, break down slowly, releasing glucose into the bloodstream gradually, leaving you feeling satisfied longer. Unprocessed carbs have low glycemic index values (less than 55). While some low carbers may think they can only eat cheese and bacon, there are a host of healthy, low glycemic index foods will leave you feeling satisfied longer. Canned Bartlett pears are one such great snack option containing a glycemic load of only 5 for a satisfying 1/2 cup pears in natural juice. Compare that to an afternoon snack of a plain frozen bagel, which carries a glycemic load of 25. So don’t deprive yourself of healthy, complex carbohydrate foods such as canned pears. For more ideas and friendly carb recipes, www.eatcannedpears.com. *Brandweek. March 15, 2004.

Surprisingly, how food is presented on a plate can affect how much you eat. If trying to control portion sizes, using smaller plates can trick the eye into thinking more food is present. Another trick: Picture your plate as one of the picnic plates with divided sections. Filling the largest section with vegetables and the smaller sections with meat and carbs, such as rice or pasta causes a more accurate representation of suggested portion sizes.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup cranberry sauce, jellied or whole berry 1 can (15 ounces) Bartlett pear slices in juice, drained and juice reserved 1 box (14 ounces) gingerbread mix METHOD Preheat oven to 350°F. When oven is hot, add butter to 9-inch square baking pan and place pan in oven to melt butter. Remove pan from oven and stir in cranberry sauce; return pan to oven until mixture is bubbly, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven; arrange pear slices evenly over sauce; set aside. Prepare gingerbread mix as directed, substituting reserved pear juice for water. (If necessary, add water to reserved juice in order to equal the amount of liquid called for.) Pour gingerbread batter evenly into pan, being careful not to disturb the layer of pears. Bake for 35 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of gingerbread comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes on wire rack; turn out onto serving plate to cool completely. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (PER SERVING) Calories 345, Protein 3g, Carbohydrate 52g, Fiber 4g, Fat 15g, Sodium 391mg, Cholesterol 44mg

MAKES 6 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup cranberry sauce, jellied or whole berry 1 can (15 ounces) Bartlett pear slices in juice, drained and juice reserved 1 box (14 ounces) gingerbread mix METHOD Preheat oven to 350°F. When oven is hot, add butter to 9-inch square baking pan and place pan in oven to melt butter. Remove pan from oven and stir in cranberry sauce; return pan to oven until mixture is bubbly, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven; arrange pear slices evenly over sauce; set aside. Prepare gingerbread mix as directed, substituting reserved pear juice for water. (If necessary, add water to reserved juice in order to equal the amount of liquid called for.) Pour gingerbread batter evenly into pan, being careful not to disturb the layer of pears. Bake for 35 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of gingerbread comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes on wire rack; turn out onto serving plate to cool completely. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (PER SERVING) Calories 345, Protein 3g, Carbohydrate 52g, Fiber 4g, Fat 15g, Sodium 391mg, Cholesterol 44mg

Answer: A full fridge uses less energy than an empty one because items in the fridge act as cooling agents to each other letting the fridge itself expend less energy to cool everything off.

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