We don't do any grilling in the winter but in summer, if someone's coming to dinner who I know is watching calories, I often make grilled fruit desserts: GRILLED STRAWBERRY SUNDAES 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup strawberry spreadable fruit 1 tsp. cornstarch 2 pint strawberries, hulled 2 cups low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt Preheat the grill to a medium heat. In a medium saucepan, combine the orange juice, spreadable fruit, and cornstarch. Set aside. Thread the strawberries onto 4 skewers. Grill the kebabs, turning once, for 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the medium saucepan directly on the grill or on the stovetop over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove the strawberries from the skewers and stir gently into the sauce mixture in the saucepan. Divide the yogurt among 4 bowls, spoon the strawberry sauce over, and serve. Notes: Can substitute ice cream for the frozen yogurt if desired. Sauce is best when serve hot. Can also be served over sliced angel food or pound cake. GRILLED PEARS WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE serves 4 4 large firm-ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears 3 Tbs. fresh lime juice 2 Tbs. sugar 1/3 cup evaporated milk (can be evaporated skim milk) 2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar 2 tsp. butter (not margarine or spreads) 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract Peel the pears, halve lengthwise, and core. With a sharp knife, cut a very thin slice from the rounded side of each pear half so they will lie flat. In a bowl, toss the pear halves with the lime juice and sugar. Grill the pears over medium heat for 4 minutes. Turn them over, drizzle with any remaining lime mixture, and grill for 5 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Cook directly on the grill or stovetop over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Divide the pears among 4 plates, drizzle with butterscotch sauce, and serve hot or warm. GRILLED STUFFED PEACHES (serves 4) 4 large peaches 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats 2 Tbs. firmly packed brown sugar (light brown, preferably) 1 Tbs. finely chopped almonds 1 Tbs. butter, melted 1/2 tsp. cinnamon In a large pot of boiling water, cook the peaches for 30 seconds to make them easier to peel. Immediately remove and rinse them under cold water and carefully remove their skins. Halve and pit the peaches and cut a very thin slice from the back of each peach half so it will lie flat on the grill. In a medium bowl, toss the peach halves with the lemon juice and set aside. Preheat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Dividing evenly, fill the centers of the peach halves with the topping. Place filled peach halves on grill and cook, covered, for 5 or 6 minutes or until the peaches are tender. Serve hot or warm. Great with vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream.

Have you tried the EnerG products? They are at health food stores and some grocery stores carry them. There is a product called EnerG Baking Soda (no salt), EnerG egg Replacer (no fat, cholesterol and 5 mg. sodium). I also use Fetherweight baking powder (no salt). My Dad is on a low salt diet (500 mg./day) because he has heart and kidney failure. His problems were started from diabetes. The Dr. told him to make his own bread. Some sandwich buns have almost 500 mg. of sodium. You cannot buy any prepackaged foods, everything must be homemade.

My father has had a heart attack, and has to have a a low chloresterol diet. What do you suggest. Would this book be suitable. My mother is 78, and my father is 75. They both need some recipe's that are easy to put together. They do not need the stress, and may find it difficult, shopping, for the right foods.

Very depressing middle of the week. First, I had to "purge" for a colonoscopy. So on Wed. I only was allowed to drink, and my calorie intake was under 300. Then the day of the procedure, I only ate 916 calories, so my two-day total was just over 1200. And yet when I stepped on the scale this morning, I had gained almost two pounds, erasing almost three weeks of dieting. I know it is just a temporary spike, but of all times, this would not seem to be the day I would spike like that. It is also depressing that weeks of dieting can be erased in two days. Imagine if I had eaten a lot those two days! It just drives home the point to me that it is going to be very difficult for me to lose a lot more weight and keep it off. I'm happy I stopped gaining and my clothes still fit, but I really wanted to lose about ten more lbs . . . and keep it off. It's clearly not my calorie consumption . . . I also got depressing news on the gut end. Well actually not just the end, the whole GI system. I have acid reflux, even though I had no symptoms, but it has affected my esophagus. I have gastric ulcers (probably payback from using so much NSAIDs for migraine) and diverticulosis. So my diet is going to have to be even more restricted. I am very hesitant to start taking acid reducing pills every single day. It seems so extreme. But I can't imagine limiting my diet much more. Well, for now, out totally with caffeine and alcohol, no spicy foods, but tomatoes onions and garlic? I don't eat huge amounts of them, but I love Italian and other Mediterranean food and they are pretty ubiquitous for that . . . The treatment for diverticulosis is to eat more fiber, which I can hardly imagine since I eat whole grains and beans and vegetables and fruit every single day . . . more greens, boo rah! I love greens thankfully. It's just one more frustrating thing in my life.