Do I have to bake something to make a tasty dessert?

Definitely not. Baking can be healthy option and an alternative to frying which can be far unhealthier, but there are many desserts you can make without throwing it in the oven. Try grilling your fruit, toasting nuts to top a fruit dessert or warming up some fruit on the stove to top a yogurt ice cream. No matter what the recipe or considering the health benefits or negatives of a dessert, baking can be intimidating to contemplate. With the risk of forgetting about it, burning it, under baking, or over stirring, what ever mix you put together it can definitely be a challenge if you are just starting to make most of your own foods at home. There are a few other health factors you might want to consider when scanning dessert recipes. Baking your foods at a certain temperature can kill some of the most important nutrients and enzymes your body needs to digest the food and put the nutrients to work. A baked dessert usually results in a dish that is heavier and contains a high amount of carbohydrates. If you are making chia cookies or energy bars with healthy nuts and grains, baking cannot only be convenient but produce better alternatives to many of the "healthy snacks" you will purchase at the grocery store. When you are thinking of baking a dessert for your dinner guest or simply to satisfy a sweet tooth, consider fruit smoothies, fresh fruit and yogurt, grilled fruit with Greek yogurt or kefir, a fruit and nut parfait, sorbet, or ice cream, and a variety of other similar combinations.

Here are some examples of healthy desserts that are not baked:

1. Banana cooler-2 frozen bananas, 2 tsp. sugar, 4 tbsp. 1% or skim milk. Pour in blender and puree until smooth.

2. Cut up all kinds of fruit and put on kabob sticks. Make a dip with flavored yogurt.

3. Cannoli dip: Take 1 pint of part-skim ricotta cheese and add 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Take cannoli shells or sugar cones and break apart. Place the mixture in the center of the platter with the shells around it. (You could also serve with fruit).

4. Ambrosia-use canned pineapple, cherries, mandarin oranges, coconut and either light sour cream or plain low-fat yogurt. Mix, chill and serve.

5. Mix 1 cup strawberries with 1 cup water in a sauce pan. Boil for 5 minutes and add 3 tbsp. of cornstarch that has been dissolved in water plus 1 cup sugar. Boil until clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add some non-cooked sliced berries, cool and serve over low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt.

6. Chocolate covered strawberries or fondue.

How about a yogurt parfait? Layer low fat or lite yogurt and any kind of fruit. Sprinkle with nuts, gingersnap crumbs or low fat granola.