Honeycrisp Apple Sauce

The Recipe's Story

Fall starts next week and I can't put into words how much I enjoy this time of year. I live in Washington and the apples are starting to come in my produce box so applesauce is on the menu. My 7 month old baby can enjoy it and my husband will eat applesauce as a dessert or snack. Making your own is easy and you can control what goes into it from what type of sweetener, if any, and what spices.

Applesauce is a great snack or dessert when looking at its health benefits. Cinnamon is a natural blood sugar stabilizer and a half teaspoon can lower LDL cholesterol. A full  teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and  vitamins C, K, and manganese.Apples are a good source of fiber as well as vitamin A,C, and potassium. Adding a bit of honey sweetens up the applesauce in a natural way and adds a bit of antioxidants.

 Honeycrisp Apple Sauce

6 honey crisp apples, peeled,cored and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a medium saucepan add apples and water and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients and mash apples to desired consistency. Serve warm, room temp, or cold.

*Try this as a topping to my baked oatmeal recipe. You can omit the pumpkin spices and simply add cinnamon in equal value. Top with applesauce for a twist on the dish.

Servings: 6
Calories: 124 per serving

Spiced Baked Oatmeal

The Recipe's Story

Fall is just around the corner. It is my favorite time of year. I get to watch the leaves change, the weather in Seattle is crisp and cool, apples are ripe, and I get to look forward to the holiday season. I won't decorate for fall until September 1st but that does not mean I can't start cooking like fall. Though it was a Monday morning I decided to make a special breakfast. We use a Baked Oatmeal recipe from the lodge where we were married. It has a lots of special memories and it taste like a hearty northwest breakfast should. Normally I make this with cinnamon and put homemade applesauce over the top but this morning I opted for pumpkin pie spice. My little jar has cloves, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. The house smelled like the season I anticipate and this was a huge hit with my husband.

The base of this breakfast is oatmeal which  has a wide array of health benefits. It is a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates and iron. It is high in fiber and contains magnesium, manganese and iron. It is also a very good source of copper, selenium and zinc as well as B vitamins. Milk and eggs give you protein and the milk calcium. Just one teaspoon of cinnamon, which is found in the pumpkin pie spice, gives you 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and quite a lot of vitamins C, K, and manganese. It has also been shown to help stabilize blood sugar.

Spiced Baked Oatmeal

2 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup 2% milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix ingredients together. Pour into prepared baking pan.

3. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cooled for soft baked snack.

Servings: 9
Calories: 163 per serving

Fancy Eggs and Toast

The Recipe's Story

Sunday morning brunch is a special meal in my home. I strive to replace the everyday cereal or instant oatmeal and give my family a good old fashion sit down brunch. There is something about  coffee, OJ and a hot meal filling the home with delicious smells that makes it feel like the weekend. I cherish this family time where we gather and a enjoy each others company and the weekly breakfast special.

This past weekend I made simple toast and eggs. It is a fast way to get some protein and I added plain Greek yogurt as a spread to give a tangy kick to this traditional plate. Greek yogurt is a great source of calcium, potassium, protein, zinc, and vitamins B6 and B12. It contains probiotic cultures and is lower in lactose and has twice the protein content of regular yogurts. The olive oil adds omega 3 and is a healthier choice over butter. Sprinkling the dish with fresh basil makes the meal look fresh and colorful while giving you 30% of your daily vitamin K in just one teaspoon. This meal takes one pan, 6-7 min and will keep you full all morning.

Fancy Eggs and Toast

4 eggs

4 T plain Greek yogurt

4 oz. of sliced baguette (about 4 slices per person)

2 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. fresh basil, finely chopped

salt and pepper for seasoning

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat. Toast the sliced baguette on both sides until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the bread from the pan and arrange on plates.

2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Crack the eggs over the skillet and gently break the yolks. Fry the eggs on both sides until the yolk is firm, about two minutes on each side. Arrange the eggs on plates.

3. Spoon 2 T on Greek yogurt on each plate. Sprinkle the freshly chopped basil over the dish and season with salt and pepper.


Servings: 2
Calories: 379 per serving

Heart-y Cranberry Bars

The Recipe's Story

My  good friend Katelyn passed along a heart healthy breakfast cookie recipe to me which I had to try. As a new mom I like having a quick one handed breakfast to start my day right. These bars are portioned out, crumble free and best of all these bars are very flavorful.

I liked the original healthy recipe but found some of the ingredients hard to find or expensive. I adapted the recipe to make these bars moister and a bit more cost friendly. One or two of these make a good alternative to a granola bar snack and three make a well balanced breakfast.

This breakfast is filled with heart healthy, weight friendly ingredients. Using honey as opposed to sugar does not significantly cut down on calories if you substitute tsp. to tsp. but honey is sweeter so you use less and therefore save calories. Flax meal, pecans and cranberries are great sources of antioxidants. Canola oil, pecans and flax meal offer Omega 3. Bananas have a whole host of nutrient rich components among them potassium. Lastly, these are high in fiber with oats and fruit. These bars a a staple in our home.

Heart-y Cranberry Bars

3/4 cup quick oats

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (can be stored in the freezer up to one year)

1/2 tsp. flax meal

1/4 tsp. salt

3/8 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 mashes ripe bananas

1/8 cup canola oil

1 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine oats, coconut, flax meal, salt, pecans and cranberries. Stir in bananas, oil, honey and vanilla until combined.

3. Press a heaping tablespoon of mixture into a two inch cookie cutter of choice onto the cookie sheet. Continue with the remaining mixture.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the pan.

Servings: 8

Calories: 165 per bar