I found myself earlier this month in a large, nationwide box store, wandering down a 50-foot-long aisle surrounded by red and pink boxes filled with sugary treats, piled over six feet high. The usual chocolates in heart-shaped boxes and candy hearts with printed messages (be mine!) were omnipresent. On the end caps of the check-out lines, Cadbury Crème Eggs were making an early show. It got me thinking: who eats all of this sugar? Then I had another thought: when did all of our holidays become so candy-centered? Instead of making a link between "I love you" and "Here's some pure sugar," we should take the sugar content down a notch. I'm not advocating sugar abolition. Let's focus our energies on consuming a different kind of sugar: those found in fruit.

Believe it or not, it's easy to get your recommended daily intake of five fruit servings during the winter, even though most fruits (other than citrus) are out of season.

Canned, dried, freeze-dried and frozen fruits offer a great option during these cold months. The shelf life of "preserved" fruits is much longer than fresh fruits, and while some of the nutrients (particularly vitamins C and A) can be lost in the drying process, it is not enough to warrant avoiding them completely. Some fruit is better than no fruit! Be careful of added sugars and preservatives in canned and dried fruits. Purchase canned or jarred fruits in fruit juice, not syrup, and look for dried fruits, such as cranberries, that are sweetened with apple juice instead of syrup.

Dried fruits are lightweight, take up little space, and no refrigeration is necessary, making them a great snack option for outdoor activities or lunch bags.

This Valentine's Day, try reducing frozen cranberries with orange zest and juice for an elegant sauce to pair with ham, duck or chicken. Treat your loved one to breakfast in bed by adding frozen blueberries to pancakes or dried fruits to a high-fiber cereal. Or make a smoothie with banana, canned pineapple, orange juice, fat-free Greek yogurt and some ice (be creative with this one!). And if you must go for a sweet treat, make my reduced-sugar version of sugar cookies, which feel more like a biscuit, to give to family members, neighbors or teachers. There's no better way to show you care than feeding your loved ones a rainbow of nutrient-rich fruits!

Sugar "Biskies"

Created by Alyson Browett

If you use dried fruit, try adding a few tablespoons of juice or water to them in a small bowl and microwaving for a minute to rehydrate. Drain the juice before adding the fruit to the dough.

2 ¾ cup unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, softened (best if set out at room temp for at least three hours)
¾ cup organic sugar
1 egg
¾ cup freeze dried or dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries, raisins, or other fruit
½ cup walnut pieces (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Using a fork or hand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and egg in a large bowl. With a fork or your hands, mix the dry ingredients into the butter. Add in the fruit and nuts and combine with your hands. Form doughnut hole-sized balls of dough and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about two inches between each cookie. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until just starting to gain a gold hue on top. Cool. Makes about two dozen.