Fall Fruit Salad

As all of you probably know by this point, I am a fall fanatic! Aside from the weather, colors, and clothes, I love the seasonal fruit! Apples are definitely my favorite, but there is a whole plethora of all fall fruits that are delicious!

Several weeks ago I was at the grocery store with my husband shopping for apples in the organic produce section and I saw a bag of fresh cranberries. I had actually never seen fresh cranberries in person before and was very excited. I just had to get some and see what I could do with them. First off, if you've never eaten a cranberry by itself before, it is nothing like cranberry juice, or the cranberry sauce everyone loves at Thanksgiving. Real cranberries, though flavorful, are incredibly tart! I knew of all of the great benefits cranberries have, especially as a woman, so I really wanted to try to make something with the cranberries without adding much sugar to balance our the tartness. What I ended up with was a delicious fall salad made with apples, pears, grapes, cranberries, vanilla yogurt, walnuts, and cinnamon. 

My husband Kris loved it surprisingly. The natural sugar from the other fruit balances out the tartness in the cranberries and makes for a good mix. This salad recipe is also extremely versatile as you can play with different kinds of nuts, or no nuts at all, different kinds of fruits, yogurt, and spices. You can also do different proportions than what I did to get the flavor you want. It is also great because you can eat it almost any time of day for breakfast, a side to lunch, or dessert. Below is my recipe for my fall fruit salad that is also incredibly healthy for you. (I gave general proportions for the cranberries and grapes so that you can have it either more tart or more sweet depending on if you use more of one or the other):

Ingredients:
About 8 servings:

A couple handfuls fresh cranberries (quartered)
Several handfuls red seedless grapes (quartered)
1 Honey crisp apple (chopped)
1 Green pear (chopped)
6 Oz low fat vanilla yogurt
A handful chopped walnuts
Sprinkling of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Once you have chopped everything up, combine all of the ingredients (except the cinnamon) in a large bowl and gently mix them together until the yogurt lightly coats all of the fruit and nut pieces (If you want, you can toast the walnuts in the oven at 350 degrees for 2-5 minutes).
2. Sprinkle cinnamon on salad to taste and gently stir again. 
3. Chill in the refrigerator, or eat right away and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

•  Calories: 117
• Total Fat: 5.5 grams
• Potassium: 137.3 mg
• Fiber: 3 grams
• Sugar: 12.2 grams
• Protein: 2.4 grams
• Vitamin B-6: 7%
• Vitamin C: 16%
• Calcium: 5%
• Copper: 8%
• Iron: 3%
• Magnesium: 5%
• Manganese: 20%
• Phosphorus: 6%
• Riboflavin: 5%
• Thiamin: 4%

Why It's Good For You:

• Pretty much all of the fruit in this salad (except the grapes) are in season in the fall. This means that you can buy organic (they will have ripened naturally and without the use of pesticides or other chemicals) and they will taste amazing!
• Apples: As I have written about in previous posts (Marvelous Mini Apple Pies), apples are great for you. The skin on them provides a lot of fiber and they have a lot of antioxidants in them to prevent you from getting sick. Read my previous post to learn more about apples.
• Pears: Pears provide both fiber and potassium and are not very high in calories. They also contain a lot of other good minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. Some have said that pears are great because they are less likely than other fruits to provoke an allergic reaction. 
• Grapes: Grapes contain a compound called resveratol. In humans, high intakes of resveratol is associated with a reduced risk in cardiovascular disease and a reduced risk of cancer. Resveratol is also one of the best anti-aging substances around. The life spans of all life forms tested so far has been dramatically lengthened by even small amounts of resveratol. Grape skins are also a good source for favonoids called oligomeric proanthocyanidins. This is basically a "super-antioxidant." They also lower cholesterol and are terrific for allergies as they have a natural antihistamine effect. 
• Cranberries: Studies have shown that cranberries have some of the most potent antioxidants of any common fruit studied. They have anticancer properties as well as antibacterial properties that aid in preventing urinary tract infections. It's true, doctors will recommend eating raw cranberries if you think you might be contracting a UTI. Cranberries are nutrition-packed red bombs and though tart, are balanced out very well in this salad.

• Walnuts: Walnuts contain the highest amounts of omega-3 fats of any other nuts. Omega-3 is an incredibly healthy fat that can benefit you in many ways. One of these ways is to support brain function in several ways. Omega-3 fats can actually improve your mood. High consumption of omega-3's has been linked to low levels of depression. Walnuts are also great for kids and have been linked to less behavioral problems and less ADD-like behavior. Walnuts can also help you manage your weight. Eating a few walnuts before a meal decreases levels of hunger and may cause you to eat less at meals. 
• Yogurt and Cinnamon: are also really good for you as well, providing benefits such as having a healthy digestive system because of the "good" bacteria in yogurt and upping your immunity. Cinnamon is good because it can help with pain and stiffness in your muscles and joints as well as reducing blood sugar and lowing cholesterol. There's not a lot of yogurt or cinnamon in this recipe, however, if you are interested in getting more benefits from these other two ingredients you can add more of either. Just be aware that adding yogurt will up the fat and/or sugar content depending on what kind of yogurt you get. I would even recommend getting an organic Greek yogurt and adding either agave and vanilla to sweeten it up or just buy vanilla flavored Greek yogurt. 
• *Most nutritional information in this section was taken from The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden.    

I love this salad because it uses so many fruits that are in season. As I have said before, I think it is truly amazing that God allows fruits with lots of antioxidant power which helps you from getting sick, to be abundant in the seasons when we need protection from sickness the most. Feel free to experiment with this salad and make it your own. Hope you enjoy and as always, thanks for reading and eating along with me!

P.S. I will also be posting some delicious chilly weather soup recipes very soon!

Marvelous Mini Apple Pies!

Okay, let me just say it, I love Fall! I love the weather, the pretty leaves, snuggling up under a blanket with a cup of tea and watching a movie, and most of all . . .the food! Some of the best food memories I have are from this season: pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin bread, pumpkin anything, chili, chicken tortilla soup, apple cider, and especially apple pie. 


Autumn is the season for apples! And there's so many different kinds of them too: granny smith, gala, golden delicious, honey crisp, fuji, etc. Apples are a great ingredient to use in cooking for many different reasons. 1) They are extremely versatile. You can use them in all different kinds of dishes-savory or sweet, appetizer, dessert or entree. Apples can bring a lot of flavor to any meal, especially because they are naturally sweet. 2) Right now they are fairly inexpensive because they are in season so there is an abundance of them. During autumn you will see a wide variety of apples on sale at your local grocery store. 3) Apples are incredibly good for you.

Apples are high in fiber (5 grams per serving) which is a huge plus (see previous post on fiber) and they can also give you energy. Many people suggest eating an apple first thing in the morning because it will wake you up. Apples also contain a lot of antioxidant power which means they help you not to get sick as frequently! It's pretty cool that God allows apples to be in season in the fall when it seems like everyone gets sick. In addition, they contain compounds that help prevent the risk of heart attacks, cancer, and cardiovasular problems. Apples contain a mineral called boron which helps to build bones and prevent osteoporosis. Self magazine posted an article recently about the best fall foods that will help prevent gaining weight in the winter. Apples topped the list. They said that eating an apple three times a day may contribute to weight loss. Here is the article if you want to read more: 5 Fall Foods that Prevent Winter Weight Gain

So why apple pie? Well, I love apples, and I love pie. Simple! The only problem is that most of the pies you can buy frozen at the store are really, really bad for you. Usually high in calories and saturated fat, these pies use lots of sugar and other added chemical ingredients that just don't need to be ingested. Thus, on Tuesday, I was thinking I would make one from scratch using only the basic ingredients. Unfortunately, I still don't have my own pie pan so I was sorely disappointed. After a few minutes of moping around trying to decide on a dessert I could make for the week, I saw my muffin tin and realized I could probably make mini apple pie desserts. I did some research, adapted a few apple pie recipes, and voila! I give you my recipe for my marvelous mini apple pies!

Here is the simple, very easy recipe if you ever want to try them yourself:

Ingredients:
Makes 12 Mini Pies

Crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup chilled butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp water

Filling:

• 3 medium apples (peeled and chopped into small, bite-size pieces)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp chilled butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Get muffin pan out but don't grease it. 
2. Blend flour, salt and butter until it starts sticking together and clumping.
3. Add in water and blend until it looks like it's sticking.
4. If needed, take the dough out and combine by hand until well blended. 
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until it's about a 1/4 inch thick.
6. Cut 12, 4-inch circles with either a cup or bowl (dough will be rolled out 2x).
7. Set reserve dough aside for later.
8. Press each circle into the muffin tins so that they go up each side making a bowl. 
9. Mix all the filling ingredients, minus the butter, together by hand. 
10. Spoon filling into muffin bowls. 
11. Cut up the 2 Tbsp of butter into 12 little slivers and place on top of each pie. 
12. You can use the reserve dough to do a lattice on top or leave them open (see tips below).
13. If you've covered your pies with dough, sprinkle some turbinado (natural cane sugar) on top. 
14. Bake at 425 degrees for 16-18 minutes, or until the crust is light brown and apples are bubbling. 
15. Let cool, then wiggle them around to loosen, and use a spoon or spatula to get them out!
16. Enjoy your very delicious, and very cute mini apple pies!

Tips:

• Doing a lattice on top of the pies is actually very easy. This was the first time I have ever done one, and was wary at first, but I was blown away just by how easy it really was. On my pies I used 6 little strips on each pie-2 long pieces, which should be the length of the diameter of the top of your muffin tins, and 4 shorter pieces for the sides. You can play around with how wide you want your strips to be. I did ours pretty thin. To start, place the to long pieces across the top of the pie in the shape of a cross. Then with the shorter pieces, 2 on each side, weave them in and out across the already crossed pieces and each other. For a better description go here: How to Lattice

• Sprinkling the turbinado sugar on top of the pies is not necessary, but if you do a lattice or anything else on the top of the pies, it makes them look really pretty when they come out of the oven and gives it a little something extra. 

• To get the sugar to stick better, melt a couple table spoons of butter and lightly brush it onto the top of the dough before you sprinkle the sugar on. this will also help the dough brown up better. 
• It's probably best to refrigerate them after they are cooled so they won't go bad, but don't reheat them in the microwave. They will loose most of the nutrients from the apples if you do this. Instead, heat them up in the oven at 400 degrees on a cookie sheet for a few minutes until they feel warm again. 

Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size: 1 Pie

• Calories: 213
• Total Fat: 10 grams
• Potassium 65 mg
• Fiber: 1 gram
• Sugar: 11 grams
• Protein: 2.4 grams
• Vitamin A: 6.6%
• Vitamin C: 3.4%
• Folate: 7.7%
• Iron: 5.8%
• Niacin: 6%
• Riboflavin: 5%
• Thiamin: 8%

Clearly, these are not as good for you as my bran muffins were, but for a dessert, they are great comparably. Though I wouldn't suggest having one everyday, as long as you watch your fat and sugar intake throughout your day,  one of these little pies will be a great way to top off a delicious fall dinner! Using fresh, delicious apples sure makes dessert a lot better.

If you attempt to make them, comment and let me know how they turn out! Also, if you have any suggestions on how to make this recipe better or have any other great apple recipes please let me know!

Well that's all for today folks! As always, thanks for reading and eating along with me!

Fabulous Fiber!

What I'm attempting to write about in this post is not ground breaking information, but it is however, important. Simply put, fiber in a must have in your diet for the many health benefits it brings. Usually when people are trying to lose weight doctors will recommend high protein or high fiber diets.

Incorporating fiber into your meals is great because not only does fiber fill you up faster than protein, but it also digests slower and thus you don't get hungry again as fast! Now, onto the gross stuff. . . Fiber helps you have better and more frequent bowel movements (yes, I'm talking about pooping here).  Many people I know can go for days to a week without experiencing a bowel movement, this is not healthy, especially when we are supposed to have one after every meal. According to Dr. Don Colbert author of Eat This and Live, inadequate intake of fiber can lead to constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, diverticulitis, bowel irregularities, and colorectal cancer. It is also associated with high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome, toxin buildup, and poor blood sugar control in diabetics.

There are two kinds of fiber: insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fiber increases frequency in bowel movements helping to prevent constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, etc. Soluble fiber is what lowers cholesterol, stabilizes blood sugar, slows digestion, and helps your body eliminate toxins. Both are an important part of your diet.

While fiber can come in many different boring forms, there are plenty of great ways to incorporate it into your diet! Many whole grain cereals have lots of fiber in them as well as healthy nuts, seeds, beans, as well as fruits and vegetables.

Fiber Snacks!

Fiber is especially good at snack time because instead of snacking on empty calories just because you have a craving (french fries would be mine) you can satisfy your hunger and give your body something it will like at the same time! Dr. Colbert recommends getting at least 4 grams of fiber from your snacks.

Kashi is probably one of my favorite brands on the market right now. One, because many of their products are USDA certified organic, and don't contain high fructose corn syrup. Two, because Kashi makes cereals, breads, frozen dinners, and most importantly delicious snacks that are high in fiber. In our household, we have substituted things like potato chips, cheetos, etc., for Kashi Pita Chips. They are delicious and come in several flavors. The box may look small from the outside but they match up price wise with name brand potato chips. The difference is that instead of snacking from a bottomless bag of unhealthy, high in fat, empty calorie chips, you will have just one serving size of pita chips and will most likely satisfied. This means you will consistently eat less, which also means you won't be buying them as often saving you money. Kashi also makes some great granola bars that are full of fiber and that are delectable. My favorite right now is their Pumpkin Pecan one in honor of the great season of Fall! The other thing about Kashi bars is that they are relatively low in sugar, sodium, and fat. If you go online to their website and sign up, you can usually get coupons as well!

Though I've never been the biggest fan of almonds, I have started giving them a try because they have some good fiber in them as well as mono-saturated fat which is a good fat. Other healthy nuts are good as well.

Many kinds of fruits are also very high in fiber and make for a good snack. Apples have 5.7 grams of fiber in them, oranges 4.4 grams, 1/2 cup of raspberries 4.2 grams, 1/2 cup blackberries 3.8 grams, mangoes 3.8 grams, and bananas 2.8 grams.

Fiber Snacks:

Breakfast is a good time to get fiber in so you can have energy for your morning and won't be starving come lunch time. I will often have a bowl of Kashi whole grain cereal with a slice up banana in it. *When buying products that talk about having some amount of grain content in them (i.e. whole grain, multi-grain, 7 grain, whole wheat, wheat, etc.) be sure to look for the yellow USDA stamp on foods that will tell you whether something is 100% whole grain or not. The labels look like this*:

Also, I like to have a bowl of plain, steel cut oatmeal with a touch of agave nectar and blueberries and strawberries. My husband and I both think that this tastes somewhat like a doughnut so it works for everyone! Beware of instant oatmeal though because it does not have as good of a nutritional value as steel cut oatmeal (also made by Quaker) or old fashioned oatmeal. 

At lunch or breakfast double fiber bread is terrific. The key is to find bread that is not high in fat or sugar, but is high in fiber. This is why double fiber bread is such a good thing to have in your pantry. Kris and I use Nature's Pride Whole Wheat Double Fiber Bread, but there are also other brands that make it. Nature's Pride has 5 grams of fiber per slice! Which means that you can get 20% of your daily value in fiber from just one piece of bread! For quick lunches Kris and I usually have two pieces of turkey lunch meat, a slice of cheese, and any other veggies we want on a piece of double fiber bread. Accompany that with a piece of fruit, pita chips, and some dark chocolate and you got yourself a pretty healthy and tasty lunch!

Another way to get fiber in your meals, especially at dinner is to use brown rice. Kris and I just tried Yoga Organic Brown Rice last night and we loved it! One serving has 2 grams of fiber in it. You can pretty much use brown rice with anything. Add some spices to it or vegetables and you have a great side dish. Tonight I will be attempting to make red beans and rice using brown rice so I will let you guys know how that goes. Which reminds me! Beans! Beans are a fantastic source of fiber! 1/2 cup of cooked pinto beans has 7.4 grams of fiber! However, if you buy canned beans be sure to rinse them before using them to get all of the sodium off. 

On desserts, so far I haven't found a whole lot except for this recipe I just tried the other day. I got it from a blog called Chocolate Covered Katie who makes healthy desserts. It was a recipe for healthy chocolate chip blondies using . . . wait for it . . . chickpeas! Which, if you don't know what chickpeas are, they are a type of bean. Weird huh? But they actually turned out pretty good, and not surprisingly, are quite high in fiber. Here is the link to the recipe if you ever get courageous and want to try it yourself:

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/18/chocolate-chip-blondies-and-theyre-good-for-you/

A Few Cautions . . .

When switching to a high fiber diet, Dr. Colbert recommends doing it slowly in increments otherwise you might feel bloated and gassy. 

Also, eating more fiber means drinking more water. Fiber and water work together to stimulate the colon. If you start eating more fiber, you should also increase your water intake . . . which is also good!

Basically, I think that putting fiber in your diet is a really great thing to do for your body. It will make you feel healthier, and hopefully happier all around. I have included some ideas in this post about how to do it, but search the internet and read nutrition labels at the store to discover foods that are high in fiber and incorporate them into your meals. Also please feel free to comment with any ideas or recipes you may have.

Well that's all for today! Hope your day is filled with joy and fiber!