See RED on Valentine's Day

See "Red" on Valentine's Day and throughout the year. People who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.

Red fruits and vegetables include tomatoes, red peppers, red onions, beets, red cabbage, kidney beans, red apples, pink and red grapefruit, red grapes, strawberries, cherries, watermelon, raspberries, cranberries and pomegranates.

Some "red" ideas for Valentine's Day (or any day!) include:

• Heart-shaped pizza: Shape pizza dough into a heart. Or use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make individual hearts from pizza dough. Spread with your favorite tomato pizza sauce. Add your choice of toppings.
• Pasta with tomato sauce: For added fun, serve heart-shaped pasta — check with stores offering specialty pasta shapes or order some online.
• Add a few tiny red hot cinnamon heart candies to a popcorn snack.
• Tossed salad with such red additions as red bell peppers, cherry or grape tomatoes
• Make a polka-dotted open-faced peanut butter sandwich. Cut bread into a heart shape, spread with peanut butter and dot with dried cranberries. Or, make a smiley face with the dried cranberries. Another idea would be to purchase some heart-shaped crackers, if available at your local store, to substitute for the bread.
• Coleslaw made with red cabbage instead or green cabbage or add some red foods as red peppers, red onions or red apples to green coleslaw
• Oatmeal topped with a heart shape, made with dried cranberries or dried cherries
• Raspberry smoothie: Put ¾ to 1 cup plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt in a blender. Add a few tablespoons of frozen raspberries at a time; blend until desired consistency.
• Pink/red grapefruit half topped with a sprinkle of brown sugar
• Red grapes as a side dish to your sandwich for noontime nibbling