Any good ideas for an alternative to a cake for my birthday?!
Any good ideas for an alternative to a cake for my birthday?
In the last year, I have really changed the way I eat - I have given up chocolate, regular sodas, and am well on my way to giving up potato chips, too!
I do love my sweets, but am trying to not deal with cake for my birthday (July 6th) this year, so I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for something different that we could do for dessert that day? My sister in law is getting married on June 24th, so we are going to be "caked" to death anyway, really! A healthier/better idea would do us well... :)
I LOVE fresh fruit, so we were thinking maybe a fruit tray with fresh pineapple (my absolute favorite... I could LIVE off of the stuff! LOL), grapes, and strawberries. Or maybe a shortcake with strawberries and coolwhip? I don't know!
Any alternative ideas would be greatly appreciated... thanks! :)
Answers:
Fruit Kabobs are so much fun and kids really go for them too - you pick the best ripe fruit of course for a special occasion - I find that Whole Foods has the best fresh fruit. Anyway you can use canned pineapple, kiwi, canteloupe, strawberries and put a fat juicy grape on the top. The best fruits are ones that don't have dark and staining kinds of juices that ruin the presentation. It's also good to use fruits that won't fall apart when sticked. Watermelon for instance would probably not work so well. You brush them with lemon juice and store in the fridge to prepare them the day before. If you want to travel with them - you can get supersize ziplock bags. You can whip up a smooth dip using lemon yogurt and honey - but do put in food processor so it will be smooth and honey to taste. You could even serve granola to sprinkle over the yogurt after dipping. Kids totally love it because it's fun and you can make a beautiful presentation by either laying them on a tray or cutting a styrofoam ball in half and sticking the sticks in it - decorate however you wish. I once cut chocolate out of my diet for a year and it was so awesome - but challenging!
gin and juice
cute little muffens in cake form with butterflys on top looks heaps good trust me!!!!!!:)
Birthday Pavlova or Birthday Steak.
if you want smaller portions try making those mini cup cakes so you can still have something to blow the candles out with.
My favorite is fruit w/ cream cheese dip which I use fat free cream cheese (you can probably add splenda if you want, but I use sugar ), the fruit tray sounds good too.
A shortcake would be good....just use low fat cool whip and portions are the size of your hand...Congrats...
Food tray would be great also...Costco sales them and pineapple ready to eat and cut for like 6 dollars..sooooo yummy
Somewhere on the internet is a recipe for a jello, whipcream and fruit cake. It would probably be under Fourth of July Cake. It has layers of jello and fresh fruit and angel food cake then topped with whipcream. DELICIOUS for all ages. I included the recipe!!! You can use all kinds of flavors to vary colors and fruit to match!
OO OO OO, your bday is the day after mine! Happy Birthday to us!! I would go with maybe a low cal cake, if they make them, or an ice cream cake. The fruit thing is a good idea too, maybe you can somehow form it to LOOK like a cake, don't ask me how!! Good Luck!!
Have a vodka luge ice sculpture made in the shape of a cake, or even with your age on it. You can always put the fruit around it too. Much more memorable than a cake for your guests.
There are so many things you can do! Especially because you love fruit. A big fruit tart would be great. There are a lot of healthy ways to make strawberry shortcake as well.
Above all though...I'd recommend the "Fresh Fruit Desset Pizza" I made it for one of my cookouts and it was amazing! Also really fun. Here's the recipe, unfortunatly there's no picture with it but trust me...it's very fun looking.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3...
Happy Birthday coming up!
"Add" some exotic pudding, but remember to follow a recipe that "subtracts" as many calories as possible, from the preparation.
Good for you !!!!!!!! I hope you like these ideas and happy early birthday!!!
PINEAPPLE SHORTCAKE
DOUGH:
2 1/3 c. biscuit baking mix
1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease baking sheet. Stir baking mix, milk, sugar, butter and nutmeg until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto baking sheet. Pat dough into rectangle, 12 x 9 inches, with floured hands. Dough will be sticky.
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple slices, drained
1/3 c. sugar OR
1 (3 oz.) pkg. lemon or lime flavored gelatin
9 large maraschino cherries
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 env. whipped topping mix, about 2 oz.
Cut 1 pineapple slice into 4 pieces. Dip pieces and remaining slices in sugar. Press pineapple and cherries into shortcake dough. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake until light brown, about 20 minutes.
Prepare whipped topping as directed on package. Cut shortcake into rectangles. Top each rectangle wtih whipped topping. 9 servings
PINEAPPLE SALAD (FOR A CROWD)
3 envelopes knox gelatine
1 cup cold water
3 (no. 2 size) cans crushed pineapple and juice
2 cups sugar
2 cups American cheese, grated
1 pint heavy cream, whipped
Soak gelatine in 1 cup cold water. Heat pineapple and sugar to boiling point and add to gelatine. Stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool and when almost set, fold in cheese and cream. Pour into a pan or plastic container.
Refrigerate until set. Scoop into individual serving size dishes. Can be served with cottage cheese.
Serves 24.
BANANA PINEAPPLE TROPICAL PIE WITH
EQUAL
29% calorie reduction from traditional recipe.
Pie Pastry for single crust 9-inch pie
2 packages (8 oz. each) reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Equal? Spoonful*
1 container (8 oz.) frozen light whipped topping, thawed
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, well drained
1/4 cup flaked coconut, divided
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
2 medium ripe bananas, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 tablespoon chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface into circle 1-inch larger than inverted 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into plate; trim and flute edges. Pierce sides and bottom of pastry with a fork. Bake in preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack.
Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and Equal? until blended. Gradually mix in whipped topping, pineapple, 3 tablespoons coconut and rum extract. Place half of cream cheese mixture in pie crust. Arrange banana slices in single layer; top with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle top of pie with remaining 1 tablespoon coconut and chopped pecans. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours before serving.
Makes 10 servings.
*May substitute 12 packets
BANANA SPLIT DESSERT
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large banana, sliced
20 ounces crushed pineapple, well drained
12 ounces Cool Whip
1/2 cup chopped nuts
4 ounces maraschino cherries, drained & halved
Combine the 1/2 cup sugar, graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake crust at 350 F. for 15 minutes. Let cool.
Cream together cream cheese, remaining sugar and butter. Spread cream cheese mixture over graham cracker crust. Layer sliced bananas, drained pineapple, and cool whip in order. Sprinkle with chopped nuts then maraschino cherries. Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Serving Size: 8
i agree. im a pineapple freak so do something fruity
Heres an Idea.. if you add orange juice and a little bit of sugar to sliced strawberries and let it hang out for couple of hours it will turn syrupy then buy some light fluffy not to unhealthy pound cake or angel cake and use the strawberries as a topping, maybe some cool whip too if youd like.
You could also serve fruit kebobs. Dice some pineapples (or any fruit for that matter but pineapple works best) and skewer them onto a stick. Put them on the grill for a couple of minutes maybe even glaze them with some honey. Wait till u get nice grill marks then take them off. serve them just like that
You could actually make a dessert smoothie instead if youd like. Dress it up nice with fruit decorations. All natural.
There is also the option of mousse.They make some great fruit mousses but that might be a little harder to get.
Happy Birthday!! and good luck :)
for more ideas i would recommend www.foodnetwork.com
pies.
your idea with the fruit seems good to go... i dont know if you have this in your area, but jamba juice is a place with all these huge juice drinks (non-alcoholic), and you can add iron and energy boosts... REALLY good and they fill you up as well.
click here for info (you might not have this in your area but it's getting more and more popular and it tastes really good for something healthy.):
http://www.jambajuice.com/
Lisaclara's idea sounds great! You can also do a fruit fondue with some sort of a sweet cream "cheese" dip. Or one of my favorites... FRUIT PIZZA! Bake a big sugar cookie (or oatmeal - whatever kindof cookie you want - you can make it low sugar, low fat, even vegan), spread sweetened cream "cheese" all over it once it's cool, and decorate it with different sliced fruits. It's really pretty and tastes good, too. There's recipes all over the web.