Apple Crisp: Dessert? Or the Root of All Evil?
October 7th, 2010 § 2 Comments
I know, we all have our food triggers. At certain times I crave salty and cheesy food, and these little buggers get me every time:
Goldfish
I buy a huge box of them (the “whole grain” kind, as if that makes any difference) under the pretense that they’re a snack for Peter. Well, he hardly eats them. My husband doesn’t eat them either. Which means that I eat just about the whole box. All by myself over the span of two weeks. Luckily, there’s nothing too disturbing in the ingredients list, but still, they’re not giving me any nutritional boost and I try to only eat foods that support my health.
For other people–maybe the majority of people?–sugar is their trigger. For me, it’s no big deal to have an apple crisp in the house. If we’re out at dinner, I usually pass on dessert. [The two desserts I won't pass up are molten chocolate lava cake and chocolate souffle, but I see those desserts on a menu once in a blue moon].
But some people can’t stop eating a sugary treat, much like I often can’t eat just one dang cheesysalty little devil of a Goldfish cracker 
The other day I posted on Facebook that I had an apple crisp baking in the oven. A friend of mine commented that–I’m paraphrasing here–one can’t be healthy AND eat apple crisp. (He actually wrote “pure wellness and apple crisp sounds like jumbo shrimp.” He’s funny.) Anyway, I told him, a bit defensively, that that is untrue. One CAN be healthy and eat apple crisp (as long as they’re not diabetic or have celiac disease).
I said that because there is nothing inherently “unhealthy” in the apple crisp I made. It contains apples, flour, oats, sugar, butter and spices. Those are, for the most part, whole, natural ingredients.
But I guess if sugar is your trigger, your weakness, then apple crisp will be the antithesis of healthy for you.
My friend’s comment pushed my buttons a little bit because I’m so tired of the good food/bad food/food guilt game. I played it for way too long and I’ve been out of it for only a few years. Admittedly, I still pause when I see a recipe that calls for a whole stick of butter, but then I remind myself that I’m not going to be eating the whole stick in one serving. I absolutely would rather eat a dessert in which I can identify all the ingredients than eat something lower in fat and calories that has a paragraph-long ingredients list that includes the words “high fructose corn syrup” and “artificial flavors.”
In my ideal world, people will stop looking at food in terms of calories and fat grams and rather choose to eat foods based on nutrition and nourishment, and quality, not quantity. That’s what ”eat consciously” means in my tagline up there.
In my eyes, I can be healthy and eat a sweet treat now and then provided it’s made with whole, natural ingredients. I refuse to use fake food like low-fat butter substitute or an artificial sweetener. Frankly, I consider those things to be poison and I try my best to keep fake food out of my life.
In fact, I think those fake foods are a major cause of people’s cravings. Our 21st century bodies are malnourished. The majority of Americans are overweight and undernourished. It makes no sense. We have aisles and aisles of food to choose from and most of that food is nutritionally vacant. It’s not nourishing us and in some cases [GMOs, trans fats] may actually be harming us. Our bodies are craving nourishment, but instead of asking for an apple, a body will crave apple pie for all that “energizing” sugar it contains. Our bodies are tired and looking for energy because they are depleted.
I’m a true believer that once you start eating a balanced diet based on whole, natural foods many of your cravings will disappear. I believe that because it has worked for me. I struggled with food issues for about 20 years. I know about cravings and out-of-control eating. I know more than I want to know.
To this day, I keep a food journal, although I no longer keep track of calories and fat grams. Now I use the journal to remind me when I need to eat more greens. Or if my jeans are feeling a little snug, I can look back and see what I’ve been eating that might have caused me to gain weight or become bloated. It really just keeps me accountable and reminds me to nourish myself. I also keep track of my exercise schedule and vitamin intake.
With all that said, here is a recipe for the apple crisp I made the other afternoon with the apples Peter and I picked from a local orchard.
I hope you consider it dessert and not an evil entity. Come join me in my ideal world where we eat only whole, nourishing food (and the occasional school of Goldfish crackers. It’s all good). It’s a fun place, I promise.
Apple Crisp
Adapted from Carrots ‘n’ Cake
Ingredients
5 medium-sized apples (almost any kind will work. ‘Tis the season for apple picking, so get thee to an orchard!)
1 cup spelt flour*
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup sugar
1 stick organic butter, softened**
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to taste
1 Tbs. apple cider, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Chop apples into small pieces and place in a pie dish. (You can peel the apples, but I didn’t).
2. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg all over the apples. I used about a tablespoon of each and then sprinkled a very little bit of ginger powder on top. It wasn’t even 1/8 of a teaspoon. Just like dark chocolate, a little goes a long way.
3. Combine flour, oats, sugar, and a little more cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a bowl. Using a fork, combine the softened butter with the flour, oats, sugar, and spice mixture. The mix should begin to look crumbly throughout. My mix needed some help to clump up, but rather than adding more butter, I drizzled in some apple cider to help it get more crumbly.
4. Cover apple pieces with the crumbly mixture.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes until top becomes crisp and begins to brown and apples are soft (stick a fork in one to test it).
6. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy in moderation!
*I used spelt flour only because I had it in the fridge and thought, “why not?”
**I always use organic dairy products.
It was really terrific and I think the ginger gives it a nice kick. I may try Tina’s version sometime just to compare. Although I liked the topping–it’s thick and almost cookie-like–next time I may change the ratios to : 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup oats, 1/2 cup sugar.
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