Trading Up Downtown

Remember my mom’s recipe for Apple Crisp? It’s seriously delicious and one of my favorite desserts ever, but, sadly, it’s not at all healthy. I mean, there’s a cup of sugar and a full stick of butter in it. So, when my husband suggested it for dessert last week, I happily made him a batch and made myself a lighter version, which turned out amazingly and it’s a lot more nutritious!

Mom’s Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

• 3-4 medium apples (NuVal score: 96)
• 1 cup King Arthur All Purpose Flour (NuVal score: 67)
• 1 cup sugar (NuVal score: 1)
• 1 stick Land O Lakes Sweet Cream Salted Butter (NuVal score: 2), softened
• Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350* F. Haphazardly slice apples into small pieces. (I used Macoun, Macs, and Fuji.) You don’t need to worry about how the apple pieces look. The different size pieces “fit together” nicely once all of the ingredients bake together. This recipe is great for less-than-perfect apples– you can just cut off the rotten part and use the rest of the apple. You can also peel the apples, if you’d like, but I prefer to leave the skins on for this recipe.

2. Next, sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg all over the apples. Feel free to add as much or as little as you’d like. I try to cover the entire top layer of apple slices with both spices.

3. Combine flour and sugar (and a little more cinnamon and nutmeg, if you want) in a small bowl. Next, using a fork, combine butter with flour and sugar. (Make sure the butter is really soft.) The mixture will begin to look lumpy. Make sure that the majority of the dry ingredients have combined with the butter.

4. Cover apple slices with flour-sugar-butter mixture. Spread evenly over top layer and fill in all around the apple slices.

5. Bake for 30-40 minutes until top becomes slightly “crisp” and apples are soft. Your house will smell AMAZING at this point!

6. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve alone or with French vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp Light

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 3 medium apples (NuVal score: 96), coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp sugar (NuVal score: 1)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

• 3/4 cup Quaker rolled oats (NuVal score: 57)
• 1 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour (NuVal score: 91)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Land O Lakes Sweet Cream Salted Butter (NuVal score: 2), softened

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl; coat apples in cinnamon and sugar, and then transfer to a baking dish. (I used a 1-1/2-Quart Covered Round Dish.)
3. In the same large bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients and mix well, and then pour on top of the apples in the baking dish and spread evenly.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes until apples are soft and topping is lightly browned.
5. Allow to cool before serving and enjoy!

Serves 4

Last week, I made a new breakfast, which I call “Oatmeal” Minus the Oats. Basically, it’s an oatmeal-like meal with lots of protein and the flexibility to add whatever healthy and nutritious ingredients you like, but without the oats. I know, it probably sounds strange, but I promise it’s delicious!

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my usual bowl of oatmeal (I like Quaker Rolled Oats – NuVal score: 57), but I wanted to switch things up and try something new. I used All Whites Liquid Egg Whites, which score a 26 on the NuVal scale. (You could easily trade-up to three whole eggs (NuVal score: 33) for some added nutrients.) I also added a bunch of mix-in ingredients to further trade-up the nutrition of my breakfast.

“Oatmeal” Minus the Oats

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped Diamond Shelled Walnuts (NuVal score: 82)
• 2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill ground flaxseed (NuVal score: 100)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ripe banana (NuVal score:91), mashed
• 3/4 cup All Whites Liquid Egg Whites (NuVal score: 26) (or 3 egg whites)
• 1/4 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Organic Non-Dairy Beverage (NuVal score: 90)(add more if desired)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whisk together egg whites and almond milk and then stir in walnuts, ground flax, banana, vanilla extract, and cinnamon; blend well.
2. In a medium saucepan, warm the mixture on the stove, stirring frequently, until the “oatmeal” reaches the desired consistency; this should only take a few minutes.
3. Top with berries, nut butter, seeds, or whatever else your little heart desires.

Good morning! Happy 2012! I hope your new year is off to a nutritious start! Here’s a healthy breakfast recipe that I know you’ll love!

I made this Flax Crusted French Toast for breakfast yesterday, and it was, oh, so delicious. I added a scoop of SunButter Natural Crunch (NuVal score: 40) on the side as well as a couple of clementines (NuVal score: 94) from some added nutrition.

Flax Crusted French Toast

Ingredients:

• 2 slices Arnold Health-full Hearty Wheat bread (NuVal score: 37)
• 1/2 cup Silk Unsweetened Soymilk (NuVal score: 91)
• 1/4 cup All Whites Liquid Egg Whites (NuVal score: 26)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Whole Ground Golden Flaxseed Meal (NuVal score: 100)

Directions:

1. Whisk together milk, egg whites, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
2. Add ground flaxseed meal to another bowl.
3. Heat pan (or griddle) over medium heat; coat with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, cover completely, and then dip into the flaxseed meal. Place in the pan/griddle.
5. Cook each piece of bread for 3-4 minutes and then flip. Cook on the other side for about 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Remove from pan and serve with your favorite toppings.

Serves 1

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 11!

Congrats, Melissa! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize!