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Tuckahoe, NY – If you wear braces, chances are good you are familiar with the list of foods you should avoid. Hard, sticky and chewy foods can damage your braces, so it’s important to avoid things like caramels, toffee, bagels and anything else that might pull on the brackets and wires. But that doesn’t mean you have to stick to a bland and boring diet.

“Wearing braces is almost like a rite of passage, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up all your favorite foods,” says Tuckahoe orthodontist Dr. Sam Polan. “I want my patients to enjoy their time in orthodontic treatment, so rather than focusing on what you can’t have, I like to highlight all the delicious things you still can enjoy while in braces.”

Here are some great summer treats you can make that will keep both you and your orthodontist happy!

Raspberry Stuffed French Toast Roll Ups

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ C powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute
1 teaspoon cinnamon
20 slices of bread
2 eggs
¼ cup of milk

1. Mix together room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
3. Mix together the egg and milk, set aside.
4. Cut the crust off of the bread, then roll each piece until flat.
5. Spread the cream cheese mixture on each slice of bread.
6. Place raspberries on top of the cream cheese mixture in a row and roll the bread up.
7. Heat a pan over medium heat, spray with non-stick cooking spray.
8. Place each bread roll-up in the egg in the egg mixture.
9. Cook until golden brown, then immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
10. Enjoy!

Eat these for breakfast or dessert – either way, they’re yummy!

Pineapple Blueberry Popsicles

Ingedients:
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of pineapple, sliced
1 cup of water
*honey to sweeten, if needed
Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth and liquefied. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze at least 6 hours, or overnight. Then, enjoy!

Peach Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen peaches or 4 cups of fresh peaches, frozen solid
3 tablespoons of honey or agave nectar
½ cup plain, non-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Mix the frozen peaches, honey, yogurt and lemon juice in a food processor or blender until creamy, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to one month.

Braces-Friendly Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:
¾ cup of warn water
½ envelope of yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of salt
1 egg beaten
Salt or cinnamon sugar for dusting, if desired

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a small bowl mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast, and set aside for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mix together salt and flour.
4. Stir the yeast mixture into the flour mixture until a dough forms.
5. With floured hands, shape dough into pretzel form, or pinch off small pieces to make pretzel bites.
6. Place on a nonstick baking sheet, and brush with the beaten egg. If desired, sprinkle with salt or cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Ina Garten’s Summer Gazpacho

Ingredients:
1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1. Roughly chop all vegetables into small cubes. You can also coarsely chop vegetables in a food processor if you’d like smaller pieces in the soup.
2. Combine the vegetables in a large bowl with the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Mix well.
4. Chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors will develop.