#2 - Make Your Holiday Burst with More Color

No holiday meal is complete without dessert. If you don't already include a dessert that calls for fruit, then this year, try adding one. It creates the most colorful display on the table and an irresistible dessert.

Fruits are the perfect ingredient because not only do they provide color, but they also contain; fiber, natural sugars, antioxidants, and lots of vitamins and minerals.

In many cases, it would not be enough to count as a fruit serving. Hey, that's okay! Remember, it is the holiday, and the key is planning to include multiple servings of fruit throughout the rest of the day to meet your needs.

There are so many ways to incorporate fruit.

Canned - can be an option for recipes like pies. Keeping mind many times, it contains added sugars, which means it has more calories than fresh or frozen. A tip to save on calories; is instead of adding a double crust, try using mini cookie cutters to create festive shapes to decorate the top of the pie.

Dried - depending on the fruit, these also may have added sugars. So, portion control is the key or select unsweetened varieties. They are great in many recipes, like oatmeal cookies, scones, or granola bars.

Frozen - many frozen fruits have no added sugar, just naturally occurring ones, but they can provide extra juice leading to their colors running in your batter. A tip to prevent this is rinsing them and patting them dry before tossing them into your batter.

Seasonal - if you find a recipe that uses seasonal fruit, farmers pick the fruit at its peak. It ensures it is fresher and more flavorful. Remembering, fresh fruit also has more juice, so if you're trying to swap for another fruit, your product may turn out soggy.

In some cases, adding a fruit-filled dessert can be one way to balance calorically dense choices with nutrient-dense ones while reducing added sugars and allowing yourself to enjoy what the season offers.

Here are 10 desserts that use fruit for this holiday season.

1. Make this Lighter Cheesecake with Berry Compote or top with fresh fruit

2. Serve chocolate covered strawberries

3. Mini fruit and yogurt parfaits

4. Fruit galette

5. Baked apples

6. Pineapple upside down cake

7. Shortcake with fresh strawberries

8. Healthier granola bars made with unsweetened dried fruit (raisins, apricots)

9. Scones with currants, pears, or apples

10. Muffins made with blueberries, fresh cranberries, or apples

Photo credit: Media by Unsplash/Yulia Khlebnikova