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!

FIBER and all its wonderful benefits

As athletes, I’ve encouraged you to choose more whole grains. I’ve helped you add protein for recovery and satiety. I’ve pushed fluids before, during and after workouts for hydration. But have I spent enough time touting everyday wellness? May is a crazy month for us with traveling 3 out of 4 weekends, listing our house, writing proposals, finishing school work, picking up odd jobs, and in our spare time being parents. Normally that would leave us short-changing dinners and too tired to pack a wholesome lunch, but after a recent overnight trip to the ER for my husband left us with 1 hour of sleep, I have remained strong in my commitment to include more fiber in both of our diets. While everyone may not be as passionate about fiber as I am (it’s admittedly one of my interests on Facebook), it should be something we all strive to include in our diet.

Why do we need fiber?1

Fiber is a type of food the body cannot digest. Unlike most carbohydrates, it isn’t broken down into sugar. Therefore, it doesn’t provide us with energy but what it does provide us with is so much more:

• Lower risk of heart disease (even as athletes, we can develop heart disease)
• Manages cholesterol (soluble fiber helps lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol)
• Regulation of blood sugars (energy maintenance and balance)
• Regularity (gotta keep the BMs moving, but not too much - fiber helps both ends of the spectrum)
• Prevents diverticular disease (risks rise as we age)

Even more, foods high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and flax provide us with multiple other benefits:

• Antioxidants (repairing damage done from intense or long workouts)
• Phytonutrients (preventing cancer and disease)
• Vitamins (helping meet the high demands of an athlete)
• Healthy fats (providing anti-inflammatory properties)

Therefore, your next challenge is….wait for it, wait for it…..to increase the fiber in your diet!! And here’s how you can accomplish it:

• Add beans to a salad, pasta, or rice dish or blend into your own veggie burger (LOVE these burgers, plus they freeze well)
• Add nuts or flax seed to oatmeal, yogurt, or cottage cheese
• Scoop nut butters onto fresh fruit as snack
• Add lentils or beans to a soup (check out my fiber-filled soup ideas here). Smashing some with a potato masher or immersion blender makes the soup thick and creamy without adding extra fat.
• Blend beans into your own hummus or bean dip (Tarala knows how to work the food processor we make this hummus so often)
• Add spinach or kale to smoothies, sandwiches, and salads
• Use ground oats or whole grain cereal in place of bread crumbs
• Add an extra vegetable or salad to lunch and dinner. Lean on steam in a bag veggies if nothing else.
• Grab single serve carrot sticks or munch on mini sweet peppers or cherry tomatoes
  
• Make homemade sweet potato fries in less than 20 minutes for a side dish with a lean burger or sandwich instead of chips
• Buy pre-chopped squash and roast at the beginning of the week to add to salads and pastas or for a quick side dish
• Have baked or refried beans as side dish at dinner (We smash our own with cumin, onion, and garlic or rely on Harris Teeter’s Fat Free Lime Black Beans).
• Add sauted veggies (mushrooms, carrots, onion, pepper, shredded zucchini) to tacos or chopped veggies to a meatloaf

What are your sneaky ways to fit in more fiber?

1. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/