Posts tagged ‘Applesauce’

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December 11, 2011

Baking > Studying

Sometimes you have to pick your priorities…I promised my copy editing class that I’d bring baked goods to celebrate our last day of class so Wednesday evening I dropped everything I was doing to get my bake on. Final exams studying can wait! Oops? After spending an hour or two pinning cookie ideas, I decided to put a healthy spin on my favorite oatmeal treat with pumpkin. What a winning combination! Best thing…no butter, no sugar. What? Is that real? Yep. Believe it.

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins

Easy, quick and guilt-free. Simply combine all the dry ingredients (except the oats and raisins) in one bowl and in a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites, applesauce, vanilla, agave, canola oil and canned pumpkin. Slowly fold in the dry ingredients, stir in the raisins and oats, then roll into small balls. Place the dough onto a lightly greased baking sheet and lightly press down with a fork. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375°F and enjoy! 

What is your favorite Christmas cookie? 

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Fitness, Random, Reviews | 1 Comment »

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November 18, 2010

Easy Banana Muffins

I love banana bread. I always have, always will. You would think that since “banana” is in the name, these tasty treats would be healthy…wrong! Most of the time, recipes jack up sugars, all-purpose flour, etc., that isn’t technically “bad” for you, but also not the low-cal, low-sugar snack to satisfy my need for an afternoon pick-me-up. I found a healthy recipe on Allrecipes.com (Granny’s Banana Bread) and put my own twist on them. To be honest, they weren’t nearly as incredible as my Morning Glory Muffins, but everyone who tried them enjoyed them, not to mention the recipe used up my very ripe bananas!

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1/3 cup applesauce
4-5 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Honey (to drizzle on top of the muffins)
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mash up the bananas.

Add in the eggs and applesauce!

Stir it all together. (Add in the optional ingredients here. I didn’t have them in my cupboard unfortunately!)

Pour batter into baking pan or muffin tin! Drizzle with honey and sprinkle Pumpkin Pie Spice on top. Place in the oven at 375 degress F for 15-20 minutes.

Easy right?! The honey keeps them moist and curves any sweet tooth in a healthy manner. These are the perfect mid-afternoon snack to hold you over until dinner! If these aren’t sweet enough for you, the original recipe had 1 cup white sugar…cut it in half if you’re watching your waistline. Today is my last day of class before Thanksgiving break (I get a glorious 10 days off) so get ready for lots of posts in the upcoming week!

Sprinkled with Love,
Lauren

Posted in Snack | 2 Comments »

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October 20, 2010

Who Is Granny Smith?

Delta Zeta took over the Horse Listeners Orchard in Ashford this past weekend for a Sister’s Activity and I consequently have had lots of Granny Smith apples lying around. Although I was tempted to make an apple crisp, I took a healthier route: a delightful Turkey, Brie and Apple Sandwich and homemade applesauce.

Turkey, Brie and Apple Sandwich
Ingredients
2 tbsp Dijon mustard (I used yellow, not a Dijon fan…)
1 tbsp honey
Bread of your choice (I used Arnold’s 100-cal Sandwich Thins)
4 oz. Brie, sliced
8 oz. thinly sliced turkey
1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
Spinach (optional)

In a small bowl, mix together the mustard and honey. Spread it on the slices of bread. (HouseandHome.com recommended raisin-walnut bread, which sounds so delicious yet Big Y didn’t have anything of the sort, fail, so I resorted to the whole wheat sandwich thins I already had in the cupboard. Probably a healthier choice anyway.)

Thinly slice the apple and brie.

Layer the ingredients to your liking.

In order to melt the cheese and toast the bread, I put the sandwich in my George Foreman Grill. This appliance was the best Christmas present EVER. I use it for everything. A panini press would work, too!

Taylor, mouth still full with her first bite, mumbled, “This is the best f***ing thing I’ve ever had.” Success. It was pretty good, if I do say so myself!

Homemade Apple Sauce
 Ingredients
 4 apples
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Honey (instead of sugar)
Splash of apple cider or apple juice (optional)

Peel the apples.

Chop!

In a medium saucepan, combine water, apple cider/juice, apples and cinnamon.

Most recipes call for sugar, but I tried drizzling a little bit of honey instead. I’ll let you in on another little secret of mine, I sprinkled Pumpkin Pie Spice in there to enhance the overall seasonal flair.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

Let cool, then mash with a potato masher.

Serve hot or cold!

Apple picking season ends fairly soon, if not already, so get out there and pick your own while you still can. It’s festive! My sisters and I had a fabulous time enjoying each others company, the beautiful scenery and eating our way through the orchard. I’m partial to the Granny Smiths, yet you can of course use other apples for the recipes I tried out. Looking for another way to incorporate your “apple a day?” Slice apples and top your salad! Or try this fitsugar.com recipe. Anyway, I had a blast creating these apple dishes (and eating them…) while listening to Pandora’s Classic Broadway Showtunes Station. Oops, did I just admit to that? Bon appetit!

Sprinkled with Love,

Lauren


Posted in Lunch, Snack | 4 Comments »

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