run dream cook

This morning I'm off to run with my mom, but I wanted to drop by with my weekly Bloggers for Health post. This week's prompt is about food and I'm super excited about it!! Before I get to my favorite recipe, I want to say how much I'm enjoying these posts. I think they have helped keep me focused on my overall goals. I had pizza for dinner last night with my mom and sister, but I balanced it out through the rest of the day focusing on lots of vegetables and natural foods. I think the thing I've done that has helped me the most has been to incorporate fruits and vegetables with every meal/snack I eat. It sounds a lot easier than it is! Eating a lot of vegetables is what everyone recommends as a way to lose weight. Duh! Vegetables have very few calories, generally high fiber and can be quite filling on their own, of course you'll lose weight if you eat only veggies. I love pretty much any vegetable you can throw at me, but I was eating way fewer of them than I should have been. It has taken conscious effort to include them in every single time I eat. I can definitely feel a difference though, the fuel and nutrients have definitely made me FEEL better.
So, this week's prompt was a favorite healthy recipe. I'm going to share one of my favorite ways of sneaking some fruits in. Apple butter. It just sounds indulgent, but really it is really great for you. Apples are great for you. They're a fabulous source of fiber, some great vitamins and they really taste amazing. The best part about this recipe is that it is unsweetened, it lets the natural sweetness of the apples shine through and it could not be easier to make!

Apple butter:

• 10 medium - large apples, cored but with skins on - I used a variety of apples to have more flavor. Avoid grannysmith - they're quite tart and we're going for sweet. Empire, Macintosh, Cortland, Gala, Pink Lady etc all work great.
• 1 Heaping tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ginger

Core and roughly chop the apples, leaving the skins on. Put them in an ovenproof pot with about 1" of water in the bottom of the pan. Boil/steam apples until tender. Puree with immersion blender (can be done in a normal blender too I assume) until smooth. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. While oven is preheating continue to boil the pureed apples and stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. When oven is preheated, move the pot (covered) to the oven and bake for 2-3 hours. Stir every half hour or so. It will turn a deep brown color and get thick.

I love the apple butter smeared on toast, on pumpkin bread, with cheddar cheese, in my oatmeal, on ice cream...the possibilities are endless. Yum!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!