Things I Am Loving This Week

Fall is on my brain lately. Even though here in Hawaii we don't have the turning of the leaves and the crisp cold weather, I still try to get into the spirit of my favorite season through food and drink. So here are the "Things I Am Loving This Week", the autumn edition. ;-)

Fall makes me think of apples and some of my favorite desserts and baked goods include this delicious fruit--like apple pies, apple cakes, apple muffins and especially apple crisps and crumbles. I saw this recipe for Apple Crumble with Oats in a magazine (Heart Healthy Living) in a waiting room and sneakily ripped it out (yes I am THAT annoying person). From Fitness Guru, Denise Austin, it is low fat, low cholesterol and heart healthy which I love. Plus it makes the kitchen smell like a little bit of heaven when it is baking. I love that it isn't as sweet as other crumbles so the apple flavor really comes through. With a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt, it is the perfect fall dessert. 

Apple Crumble with Oats

By Denise Austin, Heart Healthy Living Magazine

(Makes 6 servings)

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour

3 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

3 Golden Delicious apples, cut into thin wedges

1 Tbsp fresh lemon

Frozen yogurt or low-fat vanilla yogurt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix with a fork until combined. Add butter, cutting in with a fork until the mixture forms clumps. 

In a large bowl, toss the apples with 2 Tbsp water, lemon juice, and remaining 1 Tbsp brown sugar. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over the apples. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until topping is golden. Serve warm with frozen yogurt, if desired.

Per Serving (2/3 cup): 137 cal., 3g total fat (1g sat. fat), 5 mg chol., 17mg sodium, 27g carbs., 3g fiber, 3g protein.

Sometimes I want a little something salty and crunchy and right now I am munching on and loving these Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips from Food Should Taste Good, and they put me in a fall mood. Perfectly crunchy, nutty and just slightly sweet they are great with dip but also perfectly delicious on their own. 

I like that they have a short, natural ingredient list (stone ground corn, high oleic sunflower and/or safflower oil, sweet potato, corn bran, evaporated cane juice & sea salt), the fact that they are gluten and dairy free, low in sodium and are a good source of fiber. They are baked first and then lightly fried in a small amount of high oleic oil, (monounsaturated and trans fat free), giving them a great crunch. What more do you need in a snack chip? 

Of course I can, (and do), drink it pretty-much year-round, but it is still nice to get into the autumn season with one of my favorite hot teas, the Sweet Cranberry Black Tea blend by Tevana. 

Made with Ceylon black tea, blackberry and pieces of dried cranberry, it has a naturally sweet and fruity flavor that is perfect any time of day. I especially love it hot for breakfast with a muffin or English muffin and jam. This tea is sweet and "juicy" enough that it works great as an iced tea as well, no sugar needed.

So these are the "Things I Am Loving" this week. How about you? Anything you are loving for fall?