Homemade Apple Crumble
You will need the following items to make your apple crumble:
- 5 Granny Smith apples
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup salted pecans
Follow these steps to make the apple crumble:
Step 1:
Peel the skin off of the Granny Smith apples and then core them. Dice the rest of the apples up into small bite-sized pieces. Most people leave them in full slices, but I prefer they are diced up.
Step 2:
In a large bowl combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
Step 3:
Add your softened butter to the mixing bowl and toss together.
Step 4:
Add the rolled oats and combine one final time.
Step 5:
Lay the apple pieces in a greased baking dish and cover with the apple crumble mixture.
Step 6:
Crush the salted pecans by placing them in a plastic zipper bag and hitting them with a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle over the top of the apple crumble mixture.
Step 7:
Bake for 30 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 375 degrees F.
Tips:
- If you don’t want to use rolled oats, you can crush up a corn flake cereal and use that instead.
- Almonds can be used instead of pecans if that is what you have on hand.
Easy Homemade Waffles
Waffles are a great way to begin the day. The best waffles are the homemade ones. They are quite simple to make, and all you need are a few common ingredients and of course a waffle iron. The toppings can be simple like maple syrup to fancy such as fruit and nuts.
A simple homemade waffle recipe
Two eggs separated, first beat the egg whites stiff and set them aside
Turn on your waffle iron so it is getting warm.
In a mixing bowl, pour the following ingredients
2 cups Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
½-teaspoon salt
Mix your dry ingredients well.
Add in the egg yolks
2 cups milk
1/3 cup oil
Once batter is mixed, fold in the egg whites gently.
Now go ahead, pour a ladle full of batter into your waffle iron, and allow them to cook. This recipe will make about a dozen waffles. If there are leftovers simply, pop them in the freezer until they are needed.
As far as the flour goes, you can use white or wheat. Some people prefer using the white all-purpose flour only. You can also add a cup each of white and wheat flour, this will give you more fiber. This is a great way to sneak extra fiber into our diets.
If you wish to add fruit such as blueberries or raspberries feel free to add them in the mixing step. You can also toss in chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or crushed nuts into the mixing step as well.
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Tea and Memories
The tea ritual of childhood, to the extent there was one, was very different from the one I observe now. Back then, all my mother or grandmother made tea. All I had to do was add sugar, stir, and drink it. Even on days when I had strep throat or a bad cold, tea made everything better. To sip tea while wearing my jammies and reading a book was the ultimate in way to spend a day off from school.
Now, I must make my own tea. Usually I just fill the kettle and make one cup. On occasion, I make a whole pot for myself and go through the steps of warming the pot with hot water and using loose-leaf tea. I have no tea cozy, but I can improvise one from a large dish towel. The wrapped pot will stay hot for a good 45 minutes or more. I drink a variety of teas now, mostly decaffeinated or herbal teas, but the orange spiced tea of childhood sick days was for many years the only tea I would drink. I still keep some on hand. Now, no matter what tea I drink or how I prepare it, I go back to those relaxed and free times of decades past, if only for a few minutes.
Raw Vegan Chocolate
As a practicing vegan/vegetarian, I subscribe to this email alert called Vegan Cuts, to subscribe click here. This is similar to the Groupon coupons promotion, but features weekly vegan deals.
Recently, while checking my email, one of these deals popped up in my inbox. Vegan cuts had sent me a coupon for a case of discounted raw vegan chocolate. That is, chocolate that has been uncooked and therefore left in its highest enzymatic rich state.
This raw vegan chocolate bargain included 12 bars for less than 30 bucks. This may seem a bit pricey, but when consider that all bars are organic, vegan ingredients (which are sometimes hard to source from given lack of supply in demand). Organic food is a niche market. Therefore prices are more expensive than conventionally produced food.
Considering the extra expense, one should bear in mind that your body is a temple. So what you put in it should always be on one’s mind. That is: be a mindful eater. Why?
As the famous saying goes “you are what you eat”; this is in fact true. If you fill your body with more processed food and a less plant based diet, your skin, hair, nails, etc. will suffer. You’ll probably constantly feel like you’re being dragged down from all that weighty nutrient deficient food.
The makers of this chocolate stand by Hippocrates famous quote: “Let food be thy medicine”. Instead of feeling weighed down by eating chocolate filled with corn syrup and milk solids, indulge in something that’s been handcrafted with LOVE (it says it on the label), made with 100% natural, raw ingredients. To read more about LuLu’s Chocolate, go here.
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Pretty In Pink
We all know that beer has a bit of a kick. We know that adding soda to hard liquor has some kick. Reality is, drinking in excess has some kick. I am personally a beer fan…yet can only do so much Michelob Ultra. So, I often strive to find something new, exciting and delicious to tap into on a random night on the town…or a random night at home.
Fortunately, there are cocktails out there…low fat/fat free with reasonable calories. One that I have come across, have tried and thoroughly enjoyed – Sangria. There are many Sangria recipes out there, and I assume all are similar in their own right. However, the one that I found was a pink sangria – meshing juices with alcohol and strawberries. The benefit is, outside of flavor, it has almost no fat and only 134 calories.
If you are also seeking something new, something healthy, and something different…try this recipe. You will not be disappointed.
Valentine’s Day Pancakes
Valentine’s Day is not just for romance. You can celebrate it with the entire family. What better way to start off the morning than with some homemade Valentine’s Day pancakes. You can surprise your kids, or have them help you in the kitchen.
You will need the following items to make your Valentine’s Day pancakes:
- Heart-shaped cookie cutter
- Medium-sized bowl
- 2 cups flour
- 3 ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 3 Tbsp. melted butter
- 15 drops red food coloring
- Whipped cream
- 10 sliced strawberries
Follow these steps to make your Valentine’s Day pancakes:
Step 1:
Beat your eggs in the mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine.
Step 2:
Pour the milk, vanilla extract, melted butter, and ground cinnamon into the mixing bowl. Stir until combined once again.
Step 3:
Drip your red food coloring into the pancake batter. Fold in until the pancake batter is an even pink color.
Step 4:
Cook the pancakes on a heated skillet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 5:
Cut out heart-shapes with a cookie cutter of the same shape. Save the extra pancakes for eating the next morning by cutting them into bite-sized pieces and storing them in a plastic zipper bag.
Step 6:
Arrange the Valentine’s Day pancakes on the plates you plan to serve them on. Outline the heart-shaped pancakes with whipped cream, and then place strawberry pieces on top of the whipped cream.
Step 7:
Serve immediately.