It's OK to cheat for your own birhtday

On Saturday I became a year older. To celebrate, our oldest daughter, Renee and her husband Jeff took us out to an early breakfast and a visit to City Market. We have been to the museum and shops but never on a Saturday visit to the fruit and veggie market. It was truly a great day.

After we enjoyed a “biscuit and gravy” breakfast  and then pigged out on ice cream sundaes coming home we knew we needed to have a fairly light supper. I searched through a newly acquired cookbook and made tortilla roll ups. They are low in all “bad things” and a great light meal.

 In a small mixing bowl combine

 8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened,

1 cup nonfat sour cream,

3 finely chopped green onions,

1 tablespoon dill week, 1 tablespoon dark mustard.

Spread this mix on each of 12  flour tortillas and add thinly sliced ham on six and deli sliced turkey on the other six. Roll tightly and cut each into 5 rolls and place upright on a serving platter. Serve these with corn chips and salsa. Calories 136, 5 gm fat, 13 gm carb, 16 mg cholesterol.

 We had purchased strawberries at City Market so  we tried another “healthy” recipe for one of the “Bears” favorite desserts, strawberry shortcake.

 Strawberry shortcake

2 1⁄2 cups reduced-fat baking mix (Bisquick)

3 tablespoons soft margarine, (Smart Balance) melted

1⁄2 cup fat-free sugar-free vanilla yogurt

4 cups fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced

1⁄4 cup Splenda (less if desired)

Garnish: dollop of fat-free shipped topping

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix baking mix, margarine and yogurt in a mixing bowl until a soft dough forms. Gently smooth the dough into a ball on a floured surface. Knead the dough about eight times and then roll out to about 1⁄2 inch thick. Cut out 12 cakes with a floured 3-inch round cookie cutter. Place shortcakes on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. In a separate bowl combine sliced berries with the sugar substitute and chill. Cut shortcakes in half, place both halves on a small plate and spoon berries on top. Garnish with topping. Calories 170, 4 gm fat, 30 gm carbohydrate, 0 cholesterol.

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 Using some of the fruits purchased we had a favorite warm weather treat to go with our meal.

Mix the juice of three oranges and two fresh lemons

Add two cups grape juice, eight large ice cubes,

Thinly slice one fresh lemon and one orange.

 Combine juices in a large pitcher. Add ice cubes and fruit slices and stir. Slowly pour in one 25-ounce bottle sparkling mineral water (chilled) just before serving. Calories per 6-ounce glass 50. 0 fat, 12 gm carbohydrate, 0 cholesterol.

One suggestion regarding citrus fruits. Regardless of the type of use, wash the outsides well. Drop fruit into a bowl of vinegar and water and then wash again under running water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Enjoy the new goodies. See you next week.