When it comes to cooking healthy meals for our families, there is always some degree of dissension among the ranks. The good news is that there are recipes that are very healthy but the healthy nature of these recipes is somewhat disguised. Living in a houseful of picky people I am forever grateful for all of the resources available than ever before in order to assist you in those endeavors.
You can seek the services of a professional nutritionist, your doctor can offer advice, you can find all kinds of books on healthy eating, cooking, and living at your local library, and the Internet is an outstanding source of all kinds of information when it comes to leading a healthier lifestyle all around. Speaking of recipes, here’s a recipe that I discovered that is low in sugar and big in taste. Plus what better way to convince the family that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring than by a great dessert like this one:
From the Healing Gourmet Guilt Free Desserts Cookbook:
Ingredients:
- 4 apples, cored and cut into thin slices or bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 3 Tbsp. cloudy apple juice
- 1/4 cup whole wheat or brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup organic erythritol (zero glycemic index sweetner)
- 1/3-1/2 tsp. SweetLeaf® Stevia Powder Extract (to taste)
- 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 3/4 Tbsp. organic cold butter, cut into small pieces
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Coat 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.Combine apples, raisins and apple juice in bowl, toss well and set aside. In another bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, erythritol, stevia, cinnamon and nutmeg. With pastry blender or knife and fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer apple mixture to baking dish. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over surface. Lightly coat top with cooking spray. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more or until apples are tender. Remove from oven and let stand on wire rack at least 20 minutes.Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
Servings: 12
It’s small steps like this that will help you move towards your goal of cooking healthy foods for your family that will matter far more than any giant leap. Before you know it you will find that you all have more energy and a better sense of overall health than you would have imagined before changing your cooking habits. If that isn’t enough to encourage you however, you can always check out the excuse to go shopping for new clothes after you drop a size or two.
photo credit: stu_spivack
