Try serving this with Cinnamon Tortilla Crisps. This has such a flavor explosion already then you add the kick from the jalapeno and this is a dessert or snack that is near perfection ! Be sure to chop everything very small and very uniform – that is part of what makes this as special as it is.

Fruit Salsa

Makes 3 cups
1 T = 44 calories

1 c finely chopped strawberries
1 orange, peeled and finely chopped
3 small kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
¼ c finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1 T lime juice
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Fruit Salsa

Combine all ingredients and cover and chill at least 6 hours.

Sweet fruit with a spicy ginger and cardamom sauce. Serve with Cool Whip for a great dessert or serve with yogurt for a perfect breakfast treat.

Fruit Parfait

8 servings
91 calories per serving

8 oz. pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
15 oz. can peach slices in juice, drained
2 kiwis, peeled and chopped
1 c strawberries, chopped
2 T brown sugar
¼ t cinnamon
¼ t ground cardamom
¼ t ground ginger
1 ½ c cool whip, thawed

Drain pineapple and keep the juice. Chop pineapple and peaches and mix with kiwi, strawberries, brown sugar, spices and juice. In parfait glasses, place half the fruit in the cup. Add a layer of Cool Whip. Add the next layer of fruit and top with a dollop of Cool Whip.

This is a great side to ham and other pork dishes. It’s sweet, but not too sweet and the grilling brings out all the great pineapple flavor – it’s pineapple to the 10th degree !

Grilled Pineapple

4 servings (2 slices per serving)
123 calories per serving

1 small fresh pineapple, peeled and cored – about 8 slices
(most supermarkets have fresh pineapple already peeled and sliced available in the produce section near the fruit salads)
Cinnamon

Heat grill or a grill pan on medium. Spray with Pam. Heat pineapple in the grill until light brown, about 10-15 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon so it ‘melts’ in.

This makes a really different dessert – instead of just pudding or just fruit – you have a creamy pudding-ish base with tons of yummy fruit thrown in. Very refreshing and very different !

Fruit and Cream

16 servings
96 calories per serving

20 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), drained
15.25 oz. can sliced peaches in juice, drained
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
4 apples, peeled and diced
1 ½ c skim milk
1/3 c orange juice concentrate
1 oz. package sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix
¾ c fat free sour cream

Mix fruit in a bowl. Whisk milk with pudding and orange juice for 2 minutes them mix in sour cream. Fold into fruit then cover and refrigerate.

Healthy, sweet, frozen, different – these make a great snack ! Try serving with a little cookie pressed into the top.

Fruit and Creamsicles

12 servings
94 calories per serving

¼ c walnuts
2 ripe bananas
2 c non fat sour cream
8 oz. can unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained well
1/3 c mini marshmallows
¼ c sugar
1 t vanilla

Pulse walnuts in a blender to chop finely. Add bananas and pulse to blend then add cream, pineapple, marshmallows, sugar and vanilla and pulse to mix. Spoon ¼ c in each of 12 muffin cups and freeze 2 hours them remove and serve (I use silicone muffin cups).

Looking for something a little different for lunch? Instead of regular old pasta salad, how about some Hawaiian pasta salad? Plentiful Pantry makes it so easy and it is such a refreshing change of pace.

Hawaiian Pasta Salad

8 servings
180 calories per serving

Their mix basically handles the noodles and the dressing spices – you just add some cooked chicken (I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was great !), pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, onion and avocado. The mixture of noodles (colors and shapes) makes for such a fun salad! And their poppy seed dressing is so special – sweet without being too sweet and just a little tart with the mustard in the dressing and the vinegar bite. Just whisk up the dressing and pout over the fruits, meat and cooked pasta. Chill a bit and presto…LUNCH IS SERVED !

Hawaiian Pasta Salad

Plentiful Pantry does such a great job of getting you out of the kitchen fast providing mixes that are tasty and easy to put together. I have tried several of their products and I find them all to turn out very good food.

Check out our reviews of other Plentiful Pantry products:

Blondies and Maple Sauce
Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
Roasted Tomato Parmesan Bisque

Pumpkin Cobbler

Sangria is a great festive drink – adding the fruit to the wine makes it so much more special. You can set up pitchers well ahead of time so that the fruit really soaks up the wine. This one does away with the usual apples and oranges and adds some really flavorful tropical fruits. Don’t forget to serve some fruit in each glass !

Tropical Sangria

8 servings
172 calories per serving

6 c cubed fruit (mangoes, pineapple, apricot, cantaloupe, honeydew, apples, etc.)
¼ c thinly sliced and peeled ginger
1 c fresh mint or basil leaves
½ c orange liquer or orange juice
1 bottle Pinot Grigio for white or 1 bottle Beaujolais for red
2 T lemon juice

Bruise basil or mint leaves and combine all in a pitcher and refrigerate at least one hour.

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This is a filling for a pie that I have made for years. But it does great double duty as a healthy, fresh alternative to store bought ice pops.

Yogurt Pops

10 servings
106 calories per serving

20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained well
8 oz. tub Cool Whip lite, thawed
6 oz. non fat lemon yogurt (don’t substitute – you need the lemon flavor to bring some tang to the pie)
6 oz. non fat yogurt – any flavor

Mix all ingredients and place in ice pop molds and freeze at least 4 hours. These keep great for several weeks in the freezer. Just rinse the outside of the mold with a little hot water to release the pops.

I’ve been making this recipe for years, and my Mom for years before that. It is always a great summer time treat that even yogurt non-likes find tempting and delicious. Sometimes I take the filling and make ice pops out of it rather than placing in a pie crust. No matter how you slice it, you will love this pie !

Yogurt Pie

8 servings
200 calories per serving

1 prepared low fat graham crust
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained well
8 oz. tub Cool Whip lite, thawed
6 oz. non fat lemon yogurt (don’t substitute – you need the lemon flavor to bring some tang to the pie)
6 oz. non fat yogurt – any flavor
Some fruit for garnish

Mix all ingredients and place in the pie crust. Cover and freeze at least 5 hours. Defrost 10-15 minutes before serving. If the pie has been frozen longer than over night, you may need to defrost 20 -25 minutes before serving.

Light and refreshing is the best way to describe this elegant and tempting cake. This is an easy to make dessert that tastes like you spent hours preparing, but it only take a bit of time to put it together

Pineapple and Orange Dream Cake

16 servings
212 calories per serving

CAKE:
1 box yellow cake mix
¼ c applesauce
4 eggs
1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges (including the juice)

FROSTING:
8 oz. cool whip lite
1 3.4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding
1 15.5 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice (not syrup), mostly drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and mix all the cake ingredients until moist then beat by hand 2 minutes. The oranges will all break up – that is fine. Spray a 13×9 pan with Pam and pour in the batter and cook 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Mix together all frosting ingredients and spread on the cake. Store cake in the frig.