An apple a day may not really keep the doctor away but it sure is a healthy food choice!
Let’s break it down
A medium size apple is only about a hundred calories and contains lots of fiber. The apple skin is high in insoluble fiber, a type of fiber that is helpful for digestion and regularity. The pectin in apples is a soluble fiber, dissolving in water to form a thick substance that can adhere to fatty acids like cholesterol. Apples are also loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants that help keep us healthy, which is helpful during flu season. Try out new varieties when you can! Did you know there are 2,500 varieties of apples are grown here in the United States?
The Finicky Eater
How sweet is this very worn, tarnished children’s cup?
You could be newly married with kids in your future, an empty nester, or a mom with grade school age kids, regardless there is something inside you that wants to create a calm and healthy home for your family. Like most women I wear several hats throughout the day and often feel overwhelmed and struggle to get my to-do lists completed. So where do we begin to make life easier? When it comes to health and wellness, I try to prepare more meals at home and shop for seasonal produce when possible. Eating a variety of food will help ensure that our families are getting the vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal health. When my kids were toddlers and in grade school it seemed to be a constant battle to get them to eat what I knew they needed to thrive. No matter how I disguised a particular food item my kids would detect it and not eat what I made them. Macaroni and cheese is okay every now and then but probably not good to have every day, yes? It got so bad at one point that dinner consisted of a potpourri of foods, something for everyone. Okay, that’s definitely too far and I hope you don’t do that! Eventually I toughened up and things changed. I told the kids that they needed to take one bite, or try what I prepared for them. Bite by bite, my kids developed a taste for healthier foods, yay! Because most kids can be picky eaters it’s important to consider the benefits of snack foods. While at school kids can get distracted and don’t always eat their lunches so having healthy snack options available after school and prior to going to a sports event is always a good idea.
Add Something Sweet
When you google snack ideas for kids, you may see things like fried chick peas and hummus on peppers. These are great snacks and if you are a mom with kids that will eat chick peas and peppers .. consider yourself not in the norm and very fortunate!
Apples are easy to throw in a lunch box or slice up for a snack. Last weekend I prepared an Apple Biscuit that could seriously pass as a cookie. These are slightly sweet and contain enough healthy ingredients that in a pinch, you could pass them out for breakfast to the kiddos and munch on one after your workout. You can replace the apples with berries if you’d like!
Add Chocolate!
Chocolate with almond butter and apples is one of my favorite snacks. Chop up a square or two and sprinkle over almond or peanut butter for a very satisfying snack. When choosing chocolate, buy low sugar or dark chocolate. You can also bring out carrots and celery and use the PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter as dip.
Apple Breakfast Biscuit
These are seriously so good they can double as a cookie. Hand one to your toddler or munch on one for a snack!
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour (I used oat flour)
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
- 1/4 cup butter ((melted))
- 1/2 cup nut butter (I used almond butter)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup honey (Your can also use maple syrup)
- 1 cup diced apple
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
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Preheat your oven the 350 degrees.
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In a large bowl, combine cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, flour, and oats.
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In a separate bowl, use a whisk to combine egg, butter, and nut butter.
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Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir. Add diced apples and scoop 1/4 cup of the mixture on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
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Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Store in the refrigerator or in a zip lock bag in the freezer.
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2 Responses
Hi Leslie,
The apple breakfast biscuits sound so good! I also like peanut or almond butter on apples but never thought of adding chocolate. :) I had gotten in a rut with breakfast lately during the week and am trying different things. My favorite so far is Avocado toast with tomato, a fried egg and Sriracha! I made overnight oats this weekend that were good too. I used to make separate things for my daughter sometimes when she was younger and a picky eater. I would also make her try something, but if she didn’t like it I wouldn’t push it. (I was a super picky eater myself and my mom never made me eat something I didn’t like) I will never forget the time I came home late after work to find my new husband (of a couple months) and my daughter (who was 8 at the time) had gotten into it because she wouldn’t eat zucchini. So I had to tell him to back off lol. My granddaughter is 18 months and if she doesn’t like something or had enough she says “no” and pushes the food away. Or sometimes drops some food to the dog…their dog always hangs around the high chair hoping for tidbits. Too funny.
So funny Linda! Thanks for sharing this story! Yes, “forcing” isn’t a good idea. I think all parents deal with the same issues and despite our worries, (almost always) kids grow up to be healthy, happy adults that eat a variety of foods. Your avocado toast sounds delicious! We were just talking about Sriracha last night;) I’ve never used it in cooking so I need to try it!