Peanut Butter and Chocolate Apple Bites

Swimsuit season is right around the corner people! I've definitely procrastinated so its time to hit the gym hard (like the PTFTriathalon) and eat extra healthy. But is it just me or does everything I look at turn into one giant chocolate fountain or candy bar? It's a problem I'm working on.  So to fix that I try to incorporate a little sweets into my diet even when I'm trying to eat healthy so that I don't binge eat later...learned that the hard way :)

In browsing for some sweet treats to make I came across these peanut butter chocolate apple bites. They had me at peanut, so I just had to make them. They are so delicious and hit the spot. Take my advice and make sure you have all these ingredients in your pantry at all times so you will always have a healthy alternative for your sugar cravings.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Apple Bites
makes 16 wedges 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 30 seconds            READY IN: 6 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 2 apples, cored and cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup low fat peanut butter
• 1/8 cup rolled oats or granola of your choice
• 2 tablespoons semi sweet or dark chocolate, melted (optional)

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Core and cut apples in to 8 wedges each. 
2. Cover each apple with a small amount of peanut butter.
3. Top with oats or granola then drizzle with small amount of chocolate. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 wedge  43 calories  3g fat   5g carbs    1g protein    2g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from www.thecomfortofcooking.com

Sugar-Free Apple Crisp

As you all know, I've been on something of a sugar detox for the past two months. It has been awesome, and I've really noticed that my sugar cravings have significantly decreased and become super-manageable. (If you want to hear more about it, check out my other posts here, here, and here.) That being said, however, I won't deny that I still have moments where I just want to enjoy a special treat. This recipe is perfect, because it is 100% free of added sugar, but it still totally feels like a treat! The apples and cinnamon are plenty sweet, and the almond meal crumb topping has a perfect crunchy texture. I personally don't miss the sugar at all when I eat this! (Okay, full confession I will admit that the first time I made this I was going to be sharing it with friends, so I cheated and added a tablespoon of honey to both the apples and the topping. I've become a little paranoid that my tastes have adjusted so well that others will find the lack of sugar too noticeable. Honestly, though, they seemed to enjoy it just fine, and when I made it again without any added sweetener I (and my husband too as my impartial judge) didn't notice a difference.)

Sugar-Free Apple Crisp
4-6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 45 minutes            READY IN: 1 hour

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

 For the filling:

• 4 tart apples (I used Granny Smith)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon  

 For the topping:

• 1 cup almond meal/flour (or 1 1/2 cups and omit the oats if you want it grain-free)
• 1/2 cup oats 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter (softened) or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon water
• 2 tablespoons pecan pieces (optional)

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Cut the apples into thin slices. Combine with lemon juice and cinnamon.
3. Combine the almond meal, oats, cinnamon, butter, water, and pecan pieces in a mixing bowl. Mix until they form a slightly crumbly dough. It should be wet enough that it will just hold together if you form balls (you can add a few more drops of water as needed).
4. In a round or square baking tin (e.g. 8x8 pan or pie tin), spread the apple mixture. Sprinkle the crumb topping as evenly as possible over the apples (you can form small balls and place them "strategically" to cover the top the way you want).
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes, until the apples are bubbly and top is golden.
6. Serve plain or topped with coconut milk whipped cream (if you want to be 100% sugar-free - and dairy-free too) or some other ice cream or whipped topping.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/6th of recipe    267 calories   17.6 g fat   26.1 g carbs    4.6 g protein    13.5 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The 21-Day Sugar Detox.

Indulgence: Apple Strudel Ebelskivers

 We rarely do anything fancy for Valentines Day. I'm more of a show me you love me everyday kinda girl :) Lucky for my husband, it keeps my expectations low for the holiday. The first few years we were married we had a tradition of just making a nice dinner at home. With our Healthy Habits Challenge this month I'm thinking we'll revert back to that. It gives more control over not ordering the fat-filled yummy food at the restaurants. However, you have to have at least one treat for Valentine's day, right? Breakfast is the perfect meal to do so. Plus you have all day to burn it off ;) These are so simple and delicious, yet they look fancy enough to be from a restaurant! Try these for your sweetheart this Valentine's day! He'll love them so much, maybe he'll buy you something fancy as a thank you? Here's to hoping!!

Apple Strudle Ebelskivers

makes 21 ebelskivers 

PREP: 20 minutes           COOK: 10 minutes            READY IN: 30 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

Batter

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups buttermilk (or substitute with 2 cups milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice added)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 4 tablespoons butter (I never said these were healthy ;)) 
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Prepare your filling. Peel and core your apples. Finely dice. 
2. In a skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, salt and apples. Cook on low heat until apples are soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside when done. 
3. While apples are cooking, prepare your batter. 
4. With your separated eggs, beat the yolks with sugar and salt in a large bowl. 
5. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. 
6. Add dry ingredients to your egg yolk mixture. Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk (or substitute mixture) until everything is well incorporated. 
7. Take your egg whites and beat with a hand mixture until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a spatula. 
8. Heat your ebelskiver pan over low to medium heat. 
9. Brush pan with a little melted butter. To each well add 1 tablespoon batter, followed by 1 teaspoon of apple filling in the center with 1 teaspoon batter on top to seal it off. 
10. Let it cook for about 3 minutes. Turn ebelsikver using a wooden chopstick or skewer and cook for another 2-3 minutes until both sides are browned. 
11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until all the batter and filling is used. 
12. Serve warm with syrup, cool whip or apples. 

NUTRITION FACTS

---

   1 ebelskiver   122 calories  5.4g fat  15.7g carbs   2.9g protein   5.9g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Great Breakfast Book

Mock Apple Strudel

During normal, day-to-day life, I tend to have the same thing for breakfast, over and over again. One thing about the days surrounding the holidays is that we are typically visiting family and so our routine gets disrupted. While in some ways this routine disruption results in cranky, sleep-deprived children, one of the more fun parts is that breakfast becomes much more diverse and exciting. On my husband's side Grandpa takes orders the night before and is always eager to whip up eggs, bacon, pancakes, cornbread, oatmeal - he caters to ours (and the grandkids) every wish. My husband's family also always fits in a German pancake morning with their traditional recipe and toppings. Then we move to the other side of the family where Papa likes to make muffins, and Grandma makes sure the cupboards are stocked with all sorts of sweet cereals that I wouldn't dream of giving my children access to at home. It's nice to have the time to try out new breakfast recipes, and make the leisurely mornings that much more special. And even though an amazing breakfast is practically served to us everyday, I also like the chance to throw my hat in the ring every so often.

This recipe is one that is perfect for a quiet holiday morning. The whole wheat dough is packed with apples, making it a great breakfast or brunch table addition. It's just sweet enough, without feeling like you've eaten dessert for breakfast (though it also serves well as a healthier dessert). And one other bonus I discovered when I recently remade it is that after you've rolled the loaf together, and before cooking, you can freeze it. Then, put it in the fridge to thaw the night before you want to eat it, pull it out the morning of to throw in a heated oven, and you have a no-prep breakfast ready to serve!

Mock Apple Strudel
12 SERVINGS 
PREP: 20 minutes           COOK: 25-30 minutes            READY IN: 45-50 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups chopped apples
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• For the frosting: 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk
• chopped nuts, optional

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Place butter (cut into small pieces) and oil together in the dry mixture. With a knife or pastry knife, cut the butter and oil in with the flour mixture, until they combine to form small crumbs. Stir in the milk until the mixture is moist and smooth. 
2. Pour out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few more times until you have a smooth dough (it will be slightly sticky, but should still be workable).
3. Roll the dough out into a rectangle, roughly 10 inches by 14 inches. Brush the melted butter on top, then place the apples in a single layer over the dough. Sprinkle the apples with the cinnamon and brown sugar. 
4. Now, roll the loaf up starting with a long side, forming a spiral of dough and apples. Pinch the sides and final seam to seal  the dough shut. (This is when you can freeze it in an airtight container or ziploc bag until you're ready to thaw and bake.)
5. Place the loaf on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes, until the tops looks golden. 
6. Remove from pan to cool. Combine the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl, and drizzle over the warm strudel. Sprinkle with nuts if desired while the glaze is still warm.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/12 of strudel    172 calories   5.7g fat   28.5 g carbs    2.4 g protein    12.9 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine.

Recipe Refresh: Apple Streusel

Is it just me, or are apples far more addicting this year than in years past? I feel like I can't go a single day without craving one - which I guess is good because they keep the doctor away, right?? And now that we've tried this apple streusel - I think it may just become a new staple recipe at our house. We had it for our Halloween night treat and it was a hit! So simple to make and a great healthy alternative to so many other apple desserts out there.

Apple Streusel
6 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 30 minutes            READY IN: 35 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 6 apples, cut in half with seeds and core scooped out (a melon baller does a great job)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix together melted butter, oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. 
3. Scoop mixture onto halved apples, packing securely.
4. Spread evenly onto baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until apples begin to swell.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 apple    178 calories   8.2 g fat   24.7 g carbs    2.1 g protein    11.8 g sugar   

Original Recipe: Betty Crocker Apple Crisp	Refresh Recipe: Apple Streusel
4 medium tart cooking apples  3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 1/3 cup butter or margarine 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Cream or Ice cream	6 medium apples 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch of salt
320 calories per serving	178 calories per serving
11 g fat, 52 g carbs, 2 g protein, 36 g sugar	8.2 g fat, 24.7 g carbs, 2.1 g protein, 11.8 g sugar

Enjoy!
Recipe from Cooking Outside the Box.

Mini Apple Pie Bites

November is here! Hard to believe, but it's really here! That means Thanksgiving and I tend to associate that with a growing waist band. I don't know about you, but I tend to indulge a lot more over the winter months, and get out of my exercise habits too. It's my mission to keep my pants buttoned up and looking good this season. Anyone with me?!

I have an incredible recipe, in my humble opinion, I'm sharing with you today. I think it's delicious, sweet, and cute. What more could you ask for in a dessert? It's bite-sized - so you can eat as much, or as little as you want. At under 50 calories a piece, I think you can have more than one with your Thanksgiving feast.

Apple Pie Bites
16 SERVINGS 
PREP: 25 minutes           COOK: 15 minutes            READY IN: 40 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

FOR THE CRUST:

• 1/2 cup almond meal (or almond flour works too)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup ice cold water

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 cup diced skin-on apple (I used a granny smith apple, but any firm, sweet and tart apple would do) 
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

---

FOR THE CRUST:

1. Preheat the oven to 375º.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together almond meal, flour, and cinnamon. Add the maple syrup, apple sauce and water. Stir until it forms a soft dough. Divide the dough into 16 even squares. Press the dough into the minimuffin pan (I used a large muffin pan, but only went about halfway up the sides). Use your fingers to press in the dough so that it lines the bottoms and sides of each well.

FOR THE FILLING:

1. In a another medium bowl, mix together the apples, applesauce, vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon. Spoon this apple mixture evenly on top of the dough mixture already placed in the muffin pan. 
2. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edge of the tarts are lightly brown. Serve warm. Keep these in your refrigerator up to 3 days.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 apple pie bite    43 calories   1.5g fat   6.7g carbs    1.1g protein    3g sugar   

To dress these up a bit for Thanksgiving, feel free to add a dollop of cool whip and sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top. Enjoy!

Recipe from Eating by Elaine.

How to Host a Gourmet Caramel Apple Party

Those who love Halloween are passionate about one of two things: the Scary or the Sweet. I happen to fall in the latter category, and my sweet tooth goes wild this time of year. One of our traditions at our house in the fall is to make "gourmet caramel apples"- fashioned after the decadently coated creations that we discovered at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory while living in Colorado. We discovered that we could fairly easily re-create the exquisite treats with some of our own favorite candies, cookies, and chocolate toppings. Some friends got wind of our tradition a few years back, as well as the fact that they and my husband had a shared obsession with Mel Brooks films, and we decided it would be a perfect Halloween get-together to dip caramel apples and watch Young Frankenstein. Thus, our Halloween Caramel Apple Party was born. 

Here's how it works: We invite two or three couples over, instructing each that we will provide caramels and apples for dipping if they will bring a favorite topping or two. We then spend the evening chatting as we crush, melt, and dip, after which we sit down and watch a "light" Halloween film while munching on the fruits (no pun intended) of our labors. We're not big into the super-spooky Halloween flicks, and our film selections have ranged from Young Frankenstein, to Little Shop of Horrors, to Arsenic and Old Lace. Our original crew of apple dippers and Mel Brooks fans have moved on to other life endeavors, but we've tried to keep up the tradition by choosing a few new couples to invite each year. It's a fun and simple excuse to spend an evening with friends, and a Halloween tradition that we've come to look forward to.

A very important note: The best part of discovering caramel apples at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was learning to imitate the way they cut the apples for you. This will revolutionize the way you think about caramel apples! No more sticky mess in your teeth as you try to take ineffective bites out of your apple. To truly enjoy a caramel apple - especially one that's coated in all sorts of chocolate candy goodness, you simply must cut it up. Simply take a large knife, and make four cuts around the core of the apple. You're basically cutting a tic-tac-toe into the apple, with the apple core in the center square (see the picture below). This leaves you with 8 scrumptious slices of apple that are easy to bite, and which each give you the perfect blend of all the wonderful layers of gourmet caramel apple deliciousness!

Gourmet Caramel Apples

4-5 SERVINGS (We typically double the batch and make about 2 apples per couple, so there's a few to share and at least one to take home)

PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 3-5 minutes in the microwave 

READY IN: 20-90 minutes (depending on how distracted you get with chatting as you make them!)

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 4-5 medium to large apples (crispy and tart varieties, such as Fuji, Granny Smith, or Gala are best)
• 1 (14 oz.) bag of caramel candies
• 2 tablespoons water
• Wooden sticks (these often come with the caramels in the fall, or you can get them in the craft store)
• An assortment of candies, cookies, chocolate, and nuts for dipping and drizzling. Some of our favorites are:
• Crushed oreo cookies
• Crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers
• Crushed pretzel pieces
• Other crushed candy bar pieces, such as m&ms, Reese's, Crunch, Butterfinger, Heath, etc.
• Nuts - crushed almond pieces, crushed peanut pieces, pecan or walnut pieces
• Cinnamon and sugar 
• White chocolate and dark or milk chocolate chips (for melting and drizzling)

DIRECTIONS

---

1. Prep all your ingredients: Wash and dry your apples, and put crushed toppings into individual bowls. You will also want to prepare some pieces of wax paper (one for each apple) on a plate or tray to set the dipped apples on.
2. Place unwrapped caramel candies and 2 tablespoons water in a medium-sized glass (or other microwave safe) bowl.
3. Heat caramels for 2-3 minutes in microwave, stopping every 30-60 seconds to stir the caramel.
4. Once the caramels are completely melted, take an apple with a wooden stick inserted and place it in the caramel. Using a spoon, scoop the caramel onto the apple until it is covered completely. (If your caramel is still very hot, the caramel will tend to be thinner on the apple. If you want a thicker caramel layer, let the caramel cool just a bit.)
5. Remove the apple from the caramel using the stick and let the caramel set just a bit. Roll in the topping(s) of your choice - it will mostly stick to the warm caramel, but you may need to help it a bit by gently pressing with your hands or the back of a spoon.
6. Now place the apples in the fridge to let the caramel set even more. Meanwhile, prep your chocolate toppings by microwaving chocolate chips for 2-3 minutes (again, stirring every 30-60 seconds). Once the chocolate is melted, an easy way to drizzle it onto your apples is to spoon it into one corner of a quart-sized freezer bag, cut a very small triangle off the corner of the bag, and squeeze the chocolate out onto your apples. This way you can control where and how much chocolate goes onto the apple. 
7. Once again, place the apples into the fridge to help the chocolate set. Then, when you can't stand the wait any longer, cut (make sure you read the very important cutting notes!), serve, and enjoy!

You can let yourself go wild and create any combination of toppings that you want - they will pretty much all be amazing! But some of our favorites are: 

• Oreo pieces with dark and white chocolate
• Chocolate-covered pretzels: Pretzel pieces with dark or milk chocolate
• Nuts (any kind, really) with chocolate
• Apple pie: graham cracker or nilla wafer crumbs with white chocolate and cinnamon/sugar sprinkles

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    (I'm not going to even bother with nutrition facts here. Let's just say they're really good ... and that I won't judge if you tell yourself that they're somewhat good for you so that you can justify having another piece! "An apple a day..." right?)

Happy Halloween!
Linking up here.

Indulgence Moment: Apple Snicker Salad

This salad is a conversation starter and is great for taking to parties. The last party I took this to, everyone was so inquisitive about it, wondering what exactly was in it. I was having to jot down emails left and right so I could send out the recipe to everyone, which is a pretty good sign that it's a a winner!

It is a perfect fall salad and a great way to use all those yummy apples and Halloween candy. (That is, if you have any candy left after you've pilfered through all of your children's candy. But we've nev-er done that...) I usually make this with granny smith apples, but tart red apples like pink lady will work too. The salt, sour mix is a welcomed surprise to almost everyone that eats this salad. I have yet to meet someone that doesn't like it.

Apple Snicker Salad
15 SERVINGS 
PREP: 15 minutes           CHILL: 1 hour           READY IN: 75 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 4 large granny smith apples
• 16 ounce light cool whip
• 5.1 ounce vanilla pudding
• 1 cup skim milk
• 3 large snicker bars, chopped/cubed

DIRECTIONS

---

1. In a large bowl, mix together for 2 minutes the cool whip, vanilla pudding (package only, not prepared), and milk.
2. Core and cube apples, and place in the large bowl with the cool whip mixture. Add snickers and mix together.
3. Chill for about an hour prior to serving.

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1/2 cup serving    93 calories   1.1g fat   21g carbs    .7g protein    17g sugar   

If serving for a party, I would prepare the day of. The apples tend to get soggy and won't be as crisp or good if prepared the day before.

Enjoy!

Fluffy Pumpkin Apple Dip

Have you noticed the lovely chill in the air? I'm super excited for the cooler weather. It seems like as soon as fall approaches so do apples, scarves, soup, pumpkins, hot chocolate, and the heater... which I cannot wait to turn on!

This apple dip is a great, quick treat to whip up for those cooler days spent indoors. The peanut butter and pumpkin pie spice gives it a mouthful of flavor that I'm sure no one can resist!

Fluffy Pumpkin Apple Dip
8 SERVINGS 
PREP: 5 minutes           COOK: 0 minutes            READY IN: 5 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

---

• 1 package (8 ounces) fat free cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme
• 4 - 5 apples, sliced

DIRECTIONS

---

1. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and pumpkin pie spice until blended. Fold in marshmallow creme. Serve with apple wedges.

NUTRITION FACTS

---

    1/4 cup serving    119 calories   1.5 g fat   21.7 g carbs    4.8 g protein    11.9 g sugar   

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home