Light Up July Fourth With Sparkling Fruit Pizza

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

Whether this Fourth of July finds you under a starry sky watching fantastic fireworks or hanging out in the backyard with family and friends while the kids showcase a homespun sparkler show, it may seem the holiday and the fireworks are the main attraction. But surprise—it’s really the food. For no matter what your crew is doing, it’s a sure thing that everyone will be hungry before long and wondering what’s around to nosh on.

Get the kids involved this year by making a beautiful fruit pizza. It’s not only fun to make, but healthfully tasty too—and best of all, it doesn’t take too much time. Plus, if your kids’ diet tends to slip into a routine of same old, same old—a fruit pizza can take the ordinary and turn it into extraordinary. And with dietary guidelines encouraging all of us to munch on at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day, here’s a fun and tasty dessert that gets kids working in the kitchen with a healthier slant.

Can’t beat that, huh?

Here’s a rundown of some commonly found fruit and their nutritional highlights—some perfect choices to include on your fruit pizza:

• Apples: crunchy and low-calorie, apples are a good source of fiber and nutrients. With over 7,500 varieties from which to choose, apples offer unique flavors and easy digestibility.

• Pears: high in fiber, potassium and boron, pears offer numerous health benefits. High in pectin that is said to reduce serum cholesterol and cleanse the body of environmental toxins, pears offer meltingly juicy flavor that is good eaten out of hand or in combination with other fruits.

• Strawberries: plump, sweet berries boast vitamin A and as much vitamin C as oranges. Recent research points to the power of strawberries’ scent to give a tranquil or peaceful feeling. What could be better than eating tranquility into your life?

• Kiwi: Have your kids cut off the ends and practice peeling this little treat. The emerald jewel that emerges will have them surprised at what’s under the furry brown covering. Cooling in nature, kiwis are the most nutrient dense of our common fruits. Yes, think twice the vitamin C of oranges, a good source of magnesium and higher in potassium than bananas. At only 45 calories each, they pack a powerful punch.

• Pineapple: a tropical fruit, pineapples are cooling and have been noted to contain anti-inflammatory enzymes and a high level of the trace mineral manganese, a vital portion of protein and carbohydrate digestive enzymes.

• Blueberries: Here’s another cooling fruit perfect for summer’s heat. As the second most popular fruit after strawberries, blueberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A.

Choose your favorites, pick up some prepared sugar cookie dough, and grab the kids to help shape, slice and decorate. Go for the red, white and blue … or just use what’s on hand—from apples and strawberries to kiwis and canned pineapple. The sky’s the limit. And if you stick a sparkler in the middle, it’ll be the epitome of your July 4th picnic spread.

Serves/Makes: 8

• 1 package (16.5 ounce size) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 package (8 ounce size) low-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

***fresh fruit***

• 20 strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced