The Original Superfood: Apples

Before we go running off into the sunset with our new best friend the goji berry, let us not forget our edible pal from wayyyyy back.  The constant companion of many of my childhood school lunches. Sometimes, tossed in my lunch box on its own, or chopped in half with a glob of peanut butter.  One of the original SUPER foods, the fabulous apple!!!

Teasing aside, you might have forgotten (I will admit, I did, too) but apples, are truly amazing.  The old saying of an apple a day keeps the doctor away couldn’t be truer. Apples are high in dietary fiber, which lowers your cholesterol.  They’re loaded with antioxidants and vitamins.

Even their skin is special.  You actually NEED to eat the skin to get all the fiber.  A peeled apple doesn’t even qualify for the high fiber award.  Apple skin is accredited for packing all the vitamins as well as containing Ursolic acid (weight loss) and Quercetin (fights off tissue damage in the brain like Alzheimer’s).

This is definitely one of the fruits you want in your corner!! Don’t be afraid of going old school with your apple loving. Core it, then slice it in half to spread a dollop of peanut or almond butter on it. For an added layer of health, sprinkle some flax seeds on top of the nut butter goodness, boosting your snack to a SUPER duper food status. It’s perfect for breakfast when you are in a rush, or a snack anytime of day.

The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15

Sadly, apples are at the top of the EWG’s dirty dozen. What is the dirty dozen?? It is a list of conventionally grown fruits and veggies that are considered to be higher in pesticides. So you should really try to go organic on this particular dynamo Superfood if you can.

But it is NOT all doom and gloom over at EWG. They also listed the 15 cleanest fruit and veggie fellows that are safe to eat.  What I was even more impressed with was their Good Food on a Tight Budget Guide, because we all know how hard it is to feed your family, especially trying to feed your family healthy.

If organic is not an option, (or you just feel like having some of our magic in a bottle) then mix up a batch of this DIY veggie spray:

DIY Fruit & Veggie Spray:

• 1 cups water
• 1/2 cup vinegar (apple or white)
• ½ tbsp. baking soda
• juice of ½ lemon

Put all ingredients into a spray bottle.  Shake gently to mix.  Spray on your apple and let sit for 2 to 5 minutes. Use a veggie scrub brush like this or this and then rinse thoroughly with water.

Because we got the memo about the outsides of the apple being so good for you, Team Sims concocted the easiest recipe in the world for apple skins. The Sims test kitchen geeked out hard on this contraption.  Don’t worry, it’s budget friendly, too!

It’s so, so, so simple to use and it’s an impressive tool for any culinary collection! It can work some serious magic on potatoes as well.  See in the pics below how easy it is to use.  I am doing my very best Vanna White impersonation. Would anybody care to buy a vowel??!

Quick Tip:  Save the apple peelin’ for making pies!!  The skin is where a lot of the fiber and nutrition live.

For our apple peel treat, we tossed the skins in a bit of coconut simple syrup (get our recipe HERE) and sprinkling with ground clove. Place coated apple skin on a parchment lined cookie sheet and cook in oven at 275 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.

What makes this recipe more perfect is even that we are using coconut sugar, which is only HALF the glycemic index compared to regular cane sugar.  If you missed our post on natural sweeteners, you should definitely check it out HERE.

For the apple slices, we sprinkled with cinnamon and did the same business with the parchment lined cookie sheet and same oven temperature of 275 degrees, but kept them baking for about 50 minutes.  Your may require less/more time depending on your oven and how crunchy you like your apple chips.

Before you know it, fall will be here, making me think about the warm and cozy ways you can get your apple fix.  Baked apples are pretty foolproof and if you look around the Web, there are thousands of recipes.  As soon as sweater season arrives (or maybe sooner because these look so good), I will be making these Paleo Spiced Autumn Apples Backed in Brandy.

Totally off topic in foodie land, but still within the post theme is my new favorite game to play called Apples to Apples.  I’m sure many of you have already played, but if you haven’t, you need to get this game in your life!  It’s incredibly fun for playing with adults and also a great for playing with kids. This game is reason enough to start a weekly game night.  There are a few different versions; you can find the junior version here. I can’t wait for Brooks to be old enough to play.

What’s your favorite way to eat apples?  Please tell me EVERYTHING!!  If you have any great recipes please share!  School lunch season is rapidly approaching.  What are some great ways to feed your littles apples?