Cinnamon Baked Apples

One of my favorite cooked fruits during the holidays (or anytime). The warming spice of cinnamon helps balance blood sugar and fights inflammation making this a win win! I’ll even have this for breakfast with some plain yogurt or on my oats!

Ingredients:

6 large apples ( mix it up with some honey crisp and tart granny Smith)

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2/3 cup of coconut sugar

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons of fresh apple juice (or water)

1 pinch salt

Coconut whipped creme or vanilla bean ice creme (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put to the side a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Peel, core and cut apple into quarters. Slice lengthwise into thin even slices.

Add slices to baking dish and add on top lemon juice, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cornstarch, apple juice or water, and salt. Mix to combine and cover loosely with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes covered. Remove foil and sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the center is soft and the apples have caramelized a bit.

Top with coconut whipped creme or vanilla ice creme or enjoy au natural!

Overnight Oats

For a quick AM breakfast or “on the go” breakfast, add ingredients the night before in a 8 oz glass jar w/ lid or container and refrigerate. In the AM you will have breakfast or a snack ready to go.

Here is my personal favorite.

Ingredients

• 1/ 2 cup raw oats (quick, regular, or mixed)

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

• 1/8 tsp hemps hearts ( optional)

• 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

• 1 tsp maple syrup

Add in’s

1/2 diced apple ( 1 tablespoon applesauce), 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tablespoon chopped pecans

1 tablespoon nut butter, 1 tablespoon of my Chia Seed Jam (pb&j) and fresh berries to top

1 tablespoon protein powder, 1 teaspoon of peanut butter, 1/2 sliced banana, goji berries, top w/ cacao nibs.

The Best Berry Crispy Crumble (GF)

This gluten free berry crisp is one of those recipes that feels like comfort but still stays light and wholesome. I even love it cold the next day with a spoonful of plain yogurt!

Ingredients for topping:

1 1/2 cups of oat flour

1/2 cup rolled or quick oats

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup organic can sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2-1 teaspoon of lemon zest

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter ( or plant based) melted and cooled

Ingredients for filling:

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

4 tablespoons of brown sugar or cane sugar.

1 tablespoon of lemon zest

8 cups of fresh berries or fruits ( blueberries, raspberries, cubed peaches, plums, pitted cherries, apricots, or a combo)

Vanilla ice creme or whipped creme for topping if desired.

Instructions:

Heat you oven to 350 degrees

Make your topping: Whisk together in a bowl, oat flour,oats,salt, spices, sugar. Stir in cooled butter and with your hands mix until you have coarse crumbles about 1/2 inch or some smaller.

Take a rimmed baking sheet ( ungreased) and spread topping evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes. Topping will not change too much in color but will be solid to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool ( you may make your topping a day ahead and store in an airtight container)

Time for the filling: In a large bowl, whisk togther sugar and cornstarch. Add fruit and toss carefully to coat. Pour your filling into a 2 quart dish or a 10’ cake pan.

Spoon crumble over your filling and place on a baking sheet. Bake until it starts to bubble around the edges, about 50-60 minutes.

Let cool. Serve warm or room temp with ice creme or fresh whipped creme!

Great the next day re-heated on oatmeal or from the fridge on plain yogurt.