20 Things to Do with an Apple - Solving my post-apple picking dilemma

My family went apple picking with Tarala's new school this past weekend. It was a gorgeous fall day and we took home a boat load of apples. One dad jokingly said he would rather pay $20 and drop his family off at Wegman's for apples, but I gladly shelled over the money to watch my daughter devour two apples. Now that they're home, she wants less to do with them so I'm forced to use some creativity before these bad boys go bad. While apples are my favorite fruit (probably because they are a perfect carrier for peanut butter), even at two a day my stash will last a while. Therefore, I hunkered down today and came up with a game plan. In case you are in the same pick-your-own dilemma, I thought I'd share my 20 Things to Do with an Apple.

1. Eat it fresh off the tree
2. Slice and add to a sandwich – turkey or peanut butter. Being the weirdo dietitian eater that I am, I LOVE me some apples on my grilled cheese.
3. Crock pot applesauce – good for baby food too! I pealed and chopped about 6 apples, added a splash of lemon juice and a cinnamon stick and cooked on low for most of the day. We enjoyed it warm with dinner and I blended it for little man. I received lots of smiles from both kiddos on this one. I might use leftovers for baking, freeze to mix with other baby foods for little man, or add to oatmeal for Tar-buddy.  
   
4. Bake or microwave topped with brown sugar and a touch of butter
5. Shred into pancakes and muffins. While my shredded carrot and zucchini sneaking has been noticed lately, apples are still my stealthy secret to get more fruit in my three-nager (and husband, for that matter). They also keep the baked goods super moist. Make sure to store extra muffins in the fridge or freezer so they don’t mold with the extra moisture.
6. Cut with apple cutter and keep it together with a rubber band to prevent browning. I’ve seen another rendition of this
   
   where you stick a string cheese in the middle where the apple core used to be. Cute!
7. Chop into oatmeal
8. Add to smoothie (tastes great with plain Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice). I was obsessed with these apple smoothies last year when I was pregnant. Add some spinach or other greens if you’re feeling really adventurous.
9. Dip into peanut butter or make apple peanut butter sandwiches. Slice the apples long ways and use as “bread” with peanut butter and raisins in between.
10. Sauté with onions to top pork chops or turkey burgers
11. Roast with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts
12. Add to broccoli slaw with some raisins and cashews. For the broccoli slaw dressing, use Greek yogurt, light olive oil mayo, and apple cider vinegar. We had this the other day on ground chicken burgers. It was fantastic and I even got Tarala to try some. 
13. Top a pizza – brings me back to my U of I days. Za’s had a Big Apple Pizza with chunks of apples and sausage. 
14. Dehydrate into apple chips. Full disclosure: I have not made these yet. All the rest of the apple ideas I have tried, but this is on my to do list for the week. Based on reviews of the recipe, it’s worth a try.
15. Add to a pumpkin or butternut squash soup
16. Bake into a crisp
17. Add to a fruit salad. My grandmother’s recipe for fruit salad is my favorite combining frozen strawberries, canned peaches, and fresh fruit. The juice from the strawberries and peaches helps keep the other fruit from browning as quickly.
18. Mix with yogurt or cottage cheese and top with sunflower seeds or a low sugar granola for a fall inspired parfait
19. Swirl into noodles
20. Use with a dip as an appetizer at a get-together. I’ve made a pumpkin dip with peanut butter and served it with apples and pretzels – yummo!  

    

    We were definitely more focused on having fun than
    being photogenic!