An Apple A Day!!

How often have we heard that phrase?  It seems to be encrypted into our brains!!

Whatever "diet" people follow, getting enough fruits and vegetables seems to be a common denominator in all of them.  Personally I dislike the word "diet".  As soon as I hear it I automatically think of eating a bunch of boring food which leaves me feeling hungry….which in turn makes me an unhappy person.

I prefer to look at eating in terms of "food choices".  Do I choose to eat that chocolate bar … or do I choose to munch on an apple?    Whatever people decide to eat, it all boils down to "choice".

Now, back to the "apple a day".  I love biting into a nice, crisp, juicy Cortland apple  in the fall during apple season.  That is my absolute favourite time of year to get my fill on fresh apples.  During the rest of the year however, I have to get creative and find tasty ways of incorporating apples into my cooking.  My husband would be more than happy to live on homemade apple crisp….but that is not an option!!

There are endless way to fit apples into any meal of the day including snacks.  If you experiment, you might be surprised with all the ways apples can be eaten on a daily basis … making the "apple a day" challenge a breeze.

For breakfast I love making baked oatmeal with apples.  Warm oats, cinnamon and nutmeg in the morning is almost like eating apple crisp for breakfast.  Not to mention the house smells wonderful as it bakes.

Snacking on apple slices with peanut butter is a great way to work on that apple eating challenge.

Lunch has lots of possibilities, especially if you are taking it to work (or school).  Try chopping up an apple, adding some cottage cheese, dried cranberries and shredded raw coconut.   Another option is an apple salad.  Choose your greens base, (I love spinach) but any greens of your choice will work.  Slice up an apple, crumble  up some goat cheese and sprinkle with sliced almonds and dried cranberries.  Make a dressing of greek yogurt mixed with a bit of pomegranate juice and honey and you will have yourself an awesome and pretty salad!!

For dinner try adding some chopped apples to your next turkey meatloaf or turkey burgers.  Apples help the burgers and meatloaf stay nice and juicy.  Today I am sautéing some onions and apples to top our pulled pork sandwiches … can't wait!!

Get creative and experiment.  An "apple a day" is not as hard as it seems!!

My Passion of Cooking

Everyone has a passion or two….or more.  Cooking has always been a passion for me.  Coming from a Ukrainian background, food and cooking was something I was accustomed to.  The smells of the many kitchens of my mom, grandmother and aunts still to this day manage to find their way back into my senses.  Huge family gatherings and LOTS and LOTS of food was the norm.  It sometimes took many kitchens to prepare the feast of the families.

Now that I am all grown up and have my own family, cooking is still a passion I enjoy.  We have our own "family favourites"…. and even though my kids are grown up and have families of their own….I still get the "Mom can you make…." and very soon I expect the grandchildren to ask for certain things, just like I did to my grandmother.

The family holidays are usually celebrated here.  Seems that people enjoy the food and keep coming back for more.  I have often been asked why I don't run a Bed & Breakfast, or get involved with cooking in a business manner?  I guess perhaps the timing has not been right, we get busy with our lives and the daily ins and outs that keep just occupied on a daily basis.

With my posts I hope to inspire people to look at food as exciting.  Lots of people don't like cooking, or say they can't find the time.  In today's world  of over processed, high fat, high sugar foods, we have to take the challenge of nourishment in our hands to provide healthy and tasty choices for feed ourselves and our families.

If I can do it….you can too.  It can be as complicated….or as simple as you like, that's what Cooking with CHOICE is all about.

Cooking with  CHOICE….what does that mean??

In the world of CHOICE….cooking fits right in.

What is the RIGHT way to cook?   Atkins, Paleo,  Clean Eating, Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free…the lists are endless.

I am an firm believer that no DIET is the correct approach (unless you have a specific medical condition).  I am not an authority on either nutrition or cooking …. but speak with my heart on the subject of COOKING and WHY I choose my ingredients and methods.

I am new to blogging…and with that I will end this first post….many. many more to come on my thoughts and experiences on Cooking with CHOICE!!

DIET….what does that mean?  I will discuss my opinion in my next post.