Easy Apple Bake
With my favorite season, fall, comes lots of warm comfort food.
Comfort food is notorious for being unhealthy but I don’t think it has to be that way. You can make versions that uses natural sweeteners that taste just as good and don’t leave you feeling tired and nauseous after. Even if they utilize food groups that you wouldn’t normally eat while trying to lose weight, you can reduce portions and just be conscious about what you’re eating the rest of the day. This mindset is what has helped me to consistently lose weight over the last 10 months without fear of it all piling back on. I’m working slow and steady and establishing habits that are turning into an overall lifestyle. If you constantly are restricting yourself you’re not going to find much success in that because once you’ve reached your goal and you start to incorporate those foods back in, you’ll start to find it piles back on. But if you reframe your mindset about portions and making intentional choices you’ll find it becomes second nature and it isn’t as hard and it doesn’t feel restrictive.
One of my favorite comfort foods to make in the fall is apple bake. I love warm apples and the natural sweetness they have. Mixed with spices and an oat crumble it is heavenly. The classic apple bake with brown sugar and butter and oat topping, while delicious, is packed with sugar. It tastes amazing but it spikes my blood sugar, giving me a headache and it’s not advantageous to fat loss. As it’s something I want often, it’s something I wanted to adapt to make it work for where I’m at in this current season of life, something that I can enjoy.
I will admit that in this case apples are very sweet so it’s not hard to enjoy this dish without the added sugar. That being said, if you’re used to highly processed sugary foods it may not be sweet enough for you so you can always add a drizzle of honey on top to make it sweeter. This is a really basic recipe that I make for breakfast on a regular basis since it’s so quick and easy. I hope you enjoy it!
Easy Apple Bake
Bake Time: 15 Minutes @ 350°
1 Apple
Butter
Pecans or Walnuts
Uncooked Oats
Raisins
Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
Chia Seeds
Flax Seeds
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Allspice
Kosher Salt (Optional)
H0ney (Optional)
Butter your baking dish, I typically use a small loaf pan. For this recipe you can either combine all of your ingredients in one bowl and then pour into the baking dish or you can layer the ingredients. I prefer to layer. Chop up your apple and put your first layer of apple down in the pan. Add a thin pat of butter, a sprinkle of oats, nuts, raisins, coconut, seeds and a tap of spices. Add another layer of apples and butter until you’ve filled your pan. Top with one last pat of butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and if you fancy it, kosher salt and a drizzle of honey.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350° and I prefer to eat it right out of the oven while the apple is juicy and warm, but you can also let it cool.