Healthified Apple Crisp

Two dessert recipes in a week, wow aren't you lucky! My grandma has an apple tree in her front yard. It is some variety of a golden delicious apple and is honestly the most amazing apple I have ever eaten in my life. I look forward to that first cold evening in September that turns the starches in the apple into sugar and makes them incredible tasting! It is such a funny tree though, they have never sprayed it for worms, the apples are never thinned, so the tree is completely loaded with huge apples and hardly a worm hole in any of them. For as long as I can remember grandma would give us empty buckets and we would go and pick up all of the apples that had fallen on the ground. She would cut off any worm holes or bad spots and make us apple crisp and it hot out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is so good. Sadly apple crisp is usually loaded with butter and sugar and isn't the most healthy thing to be eating. But luckily there are some good alternatives! Try this out and I think you won't even miss that extra butter and sugar!

Healthified Apple Crisp
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 8

6 cups sliced unpeeled cooking apples (6 medium)

1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter or no-trans-fat 68% vegetable oil spread stick, softened

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Reduced-fat vanilla ice cream, if desired 

 

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix apples, apple juice concentrate and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until well mixed. Spread in baking dish.
• In same medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.
• Bake uncovered 25 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve with ice cream.

For variety, stir 2 to 4 tablespoons ground flaxseed into the topping mixture before sprinkling over apples.

Good apples for apple crisp are the same as those that are good in apple pie, such as Braeburn, Jonathan, McIntosh or Northern Spy.

Source: Live Better America
 
 

 

Foods To Help Control Your Appetite

When you are trying to lose weight it is a given that you need to cut back on the amount that you are eating. But if you are cutting back and hungry all of the time then you are more likely to grab foods that are not good for you!  The trick is to make sure that the food you are eating for meals and snacks is both healthy and filling.  Here are some foods to add to your diet that will keep you feeling full longer!

Apples: You should try eating an apple 30 minutes before a meal. The fiber and water in the apple will help to fill you up so you will eat less.

Avocado: Eating just a half of an avocado with your lunch may help you feel full for the rest of the afternoon, according to a study published in Nutrition Journal. Women who did that felt more satisfied and had a lower desire to snack three hours later than on days they ate a calorically equivalent lunch without the avocado.

Beans, Chickpeas & Lentils: These are protein rich super-foods that are full of antioxidants, fiber, B vitamins and iron. Eating more gives you all of those benefits but also helps control your appetite.

Soup: In a Penn State study, people who slurped a bowl of low-calorie, broth-based soup before their lunch entrées reduced their total calorie intake at the meal by 20%. "Soups can take the edge of your appetite since they take up a lot of volume in your stomach, but with very few calories," says Beth Saltz, RD, owner of nutritionskitchen.com.

Pickles: Pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, and other fermented foods have short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Recent research in the Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences found that they help strengthen the bond between the gut and the brain. SCFAs stimulate production of hormones that cross the blood-brain barrier and improve appetite signaling. Fermented foods also boast probiotics, the healthy bacteria that help digestion.

Chili Powder: You may already know that capsaicin, the compound found in chilies that gives them their kick, fires up your metabolism. Recent research from Maastricht University in the Netherlands shows that adding heat to your meal may also control your appetite.

Dark Chocolate: Research suggests dark chocolate can help reduce blood pressure and protect the heart and brain. It's also more filling than milk chocolate and may help curb cravings for both sweet and salty foods, according to a study in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes. In fact, participants consumed 17% fewer calories at a meal following a dose of dark chocolate.

Eggs: Starting your day with eggs will leave you feeling satisfied until lunch. The power's in the protein: research from the University of Missouri at Columbia suggests that eating a 300-calorie breakfast made up of 30 to 39 grams of protein (think: eggs and sausage) reduces hunger pangs and increases fullness during the time between breakfast and lunch. What's more, the research revealed that high-protein breakfast eaters consume fewer calories throughout the day.

Nuts: In a British Journal of Nutrition study, obese women who paired either 1.5 ounces of peanuts or 3 tablespoons of peanut butter with Cream of Wheat cereal and orange juice felt fuller for up to 12 hours after finishing breakfast than those who didn't eat the peanut products. "Nuts are essentially designed by nature to control appetite because they're rich in healthy unsaturated fat, along with bonus protein and fiber," says Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, Health contributing nutrition editor. Together, the three nutrients slow digestion and regulate blood sugar when combined with carbs like fruit, oatmeal, or brown rice.

Oatmeal: Oatmeal is higher in fiber and protein and also has higher amounts of beta-glucan–the sugars that give oatmeal its heart-healthy properties, hydration, and molecular weight compared to ready-to-eat cereals.

Water: Being low on water can trick your body into thinking it is hungry. The symptoms of being dehydrated are similar to those of being hungry. Next time you are wanting a snack, first drink a tall glass of water and then wait 10 minutes.  There is a good chance your hunger pangs will pass and you will save yourself a lot of calories.

Source: Health.com

My New Favorite Healthy Snack!

I have an obsession with apples right now.  I have always enjoyed a good apple but right now for some reason, I just can't seem to get enough of them!  The other day I was suddenly starving, and dinner wasn't for another couple of hours. I wanted an apple but knew that just an apple wasn't going to be enough for me that day, so I improvised and came up with a really tasty snack!  I cut my apple into round slices, topped each slice with a little bit of peanut butter and a couple of mini chocolate chips.  It was SO good!  It was a pretty healthy snack, had some protein to make it substantial and that little bit of chocolate curbed my sweet tooth.  So quick and so tasty, give them a try.

1 Apple (Pink Lady's are my fave right now!)
1 T peanut butter
1 T mini chocolate chips


Wash and core the apple and slice into round slices about 1/4" inch thick. If you don't have an apple corer you could also just cut your apple into 8 chunks, it will work just as well.  Spread a light layer of peanut butter on each slice and sprinkle with a couple of chocolate chips.  That's it!

You could also mix things up to whatever you are in the mood for or have in your pantry.  Instead of peanut butter, try almond butter or nutella.  For toppings you could use chopped almonds, pecans, peanuts or walnuts.  Sprinkle on some oats or coconut and maybe even some craisins or raisins.  The possibilities are endless.

Sesame Shrimp and Apple Salad

Here is another quick and easy recipe to use those delicious apples that are in season right now!

Sesame Shrimp and Apple Salad
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
2 servings

8 uncooked shrimp
wooden skewers
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 cups lettuce leaves
1 Granny Smith apple cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup red bell pepper cut into matchsticks

Heat oven to 400.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Thread shrimp onto skewers, 2-4 per skewer.  Spray shrimp evenly with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake 5-8 minutes until shrimp are pink.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat vinegar, olive oil, honey, sesame oil and soy sauce with whisk until well blended.

In large bowl toss apple and bell pepper with dressing.  Divide evenly between 2 plates.  Top each with shrimp.

Each serving: 150 calories, 5 g fat

Source: Live Better America

Healthified Apple Crisp

I love this time of year, the weather starts to cool down and apples are in season.  And when apples are in season I start craving apple crisp!  This is a dessert that can be loaded with butter and sugar, and while it tastes delicious it really doesn't help when you are trying to eat healthier.  Give this healthified version a try, it has 50% less fat, 33% more fiber and 29% fewer calories than your normal crisp.  If you want a little splurge top it with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping or low-fat vanilla ice cream.  Give this a try, you will love it and you will love the way your house will smell as it bakes!

Healthified Apple Crisp
8 Servings

6 cups sliced unpeeled apples (6 medium)
1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger

Heat oven to 375.  Spray an 8-inch square glass baking dish.  In a medium bowl mix apples, apple juice concentrate, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon until well mixed.  Spread into baking dish.  In same medium bowl mix remaining ingredients until crumbly.  Spread over apples.  Bake uncovered 25-35 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is browned.

1 serving: 190 Calories and 6g fat.