20(ish)--- Christmas Cider and Applesauce: 2 for 1

The sales around Christmas are some of the best all year! This recipe is like one of those sales: 2 for the price of 1! Make the cider, and get the bonus applesauce (or vice versa).

Apple cider is a classic winter beverage, but the powdered mixes and jarred varieties contain lots of extra "stuff". Making it yourself is quite easy-- and it's a great gift idea.

Christmas Cider and Applesauce

Makes ~6 cups cider & 6 cups applesauce

7 large apples of your choice, peeled, cored, and quartered

1/2 cup sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

5 whole cloves

1 tsp maple syrup

Place apples in a large pot and cover with 9 cups of water. Add sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and syrup. Boil on high heat for one hour uncovered. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for additional two hours covered, stir occasionally.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Remove cinnamon sticks (set aside to dry) and cloves. Use a potato masher to mash apples. Using a ladle, scoop mixture into a strainer over a large bowl. Gently press apples with a spoon to squeeze out any additional juice. Place mashed apples into a separate bowl. Continue process until all juice and apples are separated.

Place cider into glass bottles with a cinnamon stick! Do the same with the applesauce.

I like to gift the cider packaged with a small bottle of adult beverage to complement!

80(ish)--- Just Peachy Tartlets

Remember how I hate to waste food? Well- a few posts back I made Pecan Pie Tartlets and I had leftover phyllo dough. I'm also not a fan of re-freezing food. So.... I took some frozen peaches from my freezer and voila!

You can use any fruit that you have in your freezer for these- or a combination!

Phyllo dough is a great substitute for a pie or pastry crust. One sheet of dough contains only 57 calories and 1 g of fat! You CAN make it from scratch, and one day I will and I promise I will post it.

Just Peachy Tartlets
Serves 12

6 sheets phyllo dough
Cooking Spray
2 cups frozen peach slices (or fruit of your choice)
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a cutting board and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Repeat with two additional layers. Using a knife, cut dough into six even 2 1/2 - 3" squares. Place one square into one cup of a muffin tin prepared with cooking spray. Repeat for each cup. Repeat process for additional three layers of phyllo dough and six additional muffin cups.

Blend peaches, sugars, and cinnamon in a food processor until it has an applesauce-like consistency.

Place ~2 Tbsp peach mixture into each cup. Bake for ~20-25 minutes or until phyllo edges brown slightly.

Serve with 1 Tbsp whipped cream if desired.

80--- Prosciutto Arugula & Fig Pizza

This is my lovely friend Arin's recipe. It has such great flavor combinations, and it feels perfect for fall!

The sauce of this pizza is fig spread. Fresh figs are sometimes difficult to find (especially in Montana), and fig spread may be as equally difficult to find. My advice: KEEP LOOKING. You may have to go to a specialty market, but it is so worth it!

Figs are a great source of potassium and calcium. If you can find fresh figs, you should definitely try them! They are a lovely treat (yes, even out of Newton form).

Prosciutto Arugula & Fig Pizza

Serves 3-4

1 -10 oz pre-made whole wheat Italian style pizza crust OR whole wheat pizza dough, rolled thin and baked until firm (you can even use flatbread if you want to cut out a few more calories!)

5 oz fig spread (I used an all-natural one made by St. Dalfour)

3 oz prosciutto OR Canadian bacon slices, crisped in skillet

1 cup baby arugula leaves

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup artichoke hearts (from a jar or can), blotted dry

4 oz mozzarella fresca ciliegine (small mozzarella balls- about 12, sliced in half)

3 oz cheve (goat cheese)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On prepared crust, spread fig spread and sprinkle with garlic powder. Next layer crisped prosciutto, arugula leaves, mozzarella ball halves, cheve, then artichoke hearts.

Cook for ~15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is done to your liking. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes. Slice into 6 slices and serve.

Nutrition Info per 1/6 pizza: 274 calories, 7 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 14 g protein, 39 g carbohydrates

80--- Purple Velvet Blueberry Sauce

Bring on the berries! I love this time of year when the berry selection is fruitful! I always stock up and freeze a bunch for the winter months.

We had this sauce over whole wheat French toast. It was so much tastier and HEALTHIER than a sugary syrup!

My next plan is to put it over some lean cut pork chops with a side of Harvest Spinach Salad (coming up this week). How versatile! You can also make this sauce ahead of time and freeze it in an airtight container.

Blueberries are chock full of antioxidants. Many recent studies have shown that blueberry consumption may slow, or even prevent, prostate cancer. For example: Blueberry flavonoids inhibit matrix metalloproteinase activity in DU145 human prostate cancer cells: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16234852

Yippee! What great news! Men, eat up!

Purple Velvet Blueberry Sauce

Serves 6

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (not thawed)

1 cup 2% Greek yogurt, or lowfat plain yogurt

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp lemon zest

In a medium saucepan mix berries, lemon juice, honey, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and maintain simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in yogurt and heat through. Serve warm.

Nutrition Info per 1/4 cup serving: 46 calories, 0.8g fat, 3.2g protein, 7.5g carbohydrates

80--- Jimmy Buffett Salad

Hopefully Jimmy Buffett eats breakfast-- he needs the energy for his concerts. We should ALL eat breakfast! If Jimmy does have breakfast, this is what I think he has.

If you like pina coladas & getting caught in the rain-- you will LOVE this recipe! This fruit salad is great for breakfast or a light lunch, but can be served as a side as well. You can use any fruit that you have in your house, so no need to make a special trip to the grocery store.


Fruit is obviously full of vitamins and fiber. If you struggle with getting your kids to eat fruit, this is a great way to temp their taste buds!

Jimmy Buffet Salad

Serves 8

3 cups fruit of your choice, cut into 1" cubes (I used peaches, strawberries, and blueberries)

1 cup bananas, sliced into 1/2" rounds

1/4 cup raisins or craisins (optional)

12 oz pina colada yogurt

1 Tbsp cinnamon (or to taste)

Granola or chopped walnuts (optional)

Place chopped fruit in a medium bowl. Add yogurt and cinnamon, stir gently until mixed. Serve and top with sprinkle of granola or walnuts.

Nutrition Info per 1/2 cup serving: 135 calories, 2g fat, 4.4g protein, 4g fiber

Also: vitamin C, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, folate

80--- Nectarine Blackberry Crumble

For those of us who like dessert more than just 20% of the time! This is a lovely transition from summer into fall.

I used nectarines that I needed to use up and blackberries that I had in the freezer. However, you can use peaches, blueberries, raspberries, etc. Berries are FULL of antioxidants!

Flax meal and crushed walnuts are a great way to add omega-3s to your diet!

Nectarine Blackberry Crumble
Serves 8

4-5 ripe nectarines (or peaches), sliced
1 1/2 cup blackberries (or blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 Tbsp nutmeg, 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp flax meal
1/4 cup chopped walnuts