Healthy Alternatives for a Festive Fourth

Food, fireworks and fun: no Fourth of July celebration would be complete without these essential heralds of America's birthday. Cooking for an Independence Day crowd can sometimes be a challenge, though, especially with youngsters around. "While we want the kids to be happy and enjoy the celebration, we want them to be healthy too," says Patty Sachs, author of "Pick-a-Party Cookbook" (Meadowbrook Press).

Sachs offers tasty and fun-to-eat recipes for "festive party treats that are healthier than the traditional high-sugar, high-junk-food goodies."

As you prepare for your Fourth of July celebration this year, keep in mind these easy and patriotic family recipes.

Patriotic Punch
You can be creative with the ice cubes in this fancy punch by using your imagination and your favorite fruits!

Ingredients
12 cherries or small strawberries
12 blueberries
2 12-ounce cans frozen lemonade, reconstituted, thawed
1 32-ounce bottle sugar-free lemon-lime soda

Materials
Ice cube tray
Large punch bowl
Ladle
12 tall clear glasses

What to do:
Put a cherry or strawberry and a blueberry into each ice cube compartment.
Pour 1 can lemonade into the ice cube tray over the fruit. Freeze until firm.
Combine second can of lemonade with soda in punch bowl.
Serve a lemonade ice cube with each drink in glasses.

Variation: Instead of putting fruit into ice cubes, tint ice cubes red and blue using food coloring.

Practical Tip: If strawberries are large, slice them.

These pops are easy to make, but they do take a little planning and time, so be sure to whip them up the day before your picnic!
Ingredients
2 cups apple juice
4 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen
4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Materials
Blender
2 Popsicle molds
12 paper cups
12 Popsicle sticks

What to do:
Whirl together 1 cup apple juice with strawberries in blender.
Pour liquid into molds or cups, filling half full. Insert sticks and freezes for 2 hours.
Whirl together remaining apple juice with blueberries in blender.
Add liquid to molds or cups that contain the strawberry mixture, filling to the top. Freeze for 2 more hours.
When firm, remove from molds or peel off cups, and serve.

Variations: Alternate the red and blue layers 4 times instead of 2 times. Add a white layer using lemonade or coconut juice.

Practical Tip: To keep the sticks upright before the liquid freezes, cover each paper cup with foil and insert stick through the hole cut in the top.

Make this impressive patriotic cake to please the hungry picnic crowd.
Ingredients
1 package white cake mix
Vegetable spray
Food coloring, red and blue
1 large container nondairy whipped topping or low-fat whipped cream
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup blueberries

Materials
Large bowl
9-by-12-inch cake pan
Toothpick
12 dessert plates

What to do:
Prepare cake mix according to package directions and pour into can sprayed with vegetable spray.
Squeeze a few drops of red and blue food coloring into cake mix and swirl with a toothpick.
Bake cake until done; cool completely.
Cover cake with whipped topping.
Top with strawberries and blueberries in any design you like.
Cut and serve the cake, revealing the red and blue design in each piece!

Variation: Decorate the cake to look like a flag, by lining up the blueberries in the upper left-hand corner to make stars and creating 1-inch stripes with the strawberry slices.

Practical Tip: Don't frost the cake with the whipped cream until you are ready to serve it, so the whipped cream doesn't melt.

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