Gluten Free Upside Down Apple Pie

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It's fall and I just can't stop. Can't stop, won't stop. Buying scarves. Drinking lattes. Wearing Frye boots with two layers of socks. [And simultaneously rocking a tank top in the 70+ degree weather (I'm looking at you, Chicago).]

What is it about Fall that makes me so excited? Maybe I fell in love in Fall. All I know is that it's here, and I want to bake things, carve things, go places, and eat things. In no particular order.

I had a major sweet tooth on Saturday, and indulged myself with chocolate, ice cream, and homemade apple pie. Sweet tooth or not, I was determined to be sensible about what exactly I was consuming. So, when I realized we had a helluvalot of apples, I decided to make said apple pie as natural and healthy as I could without sacrificing flavor. 

Gluten Free Upside Down Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 4 Apples (I used Fuji), Washed
• 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tablespoon Cinnamon 
• 2 tsp Liquid Stevia or 6-8 packets Sugar Substitute (Stevia products are better for you than Splenda! Just sayin...)
• 1/4 cup Coconut Flour or Almond Flour (or Regular Flour if not Gluten-Free)*
  *Note: You can omit the flour entirely if you want and just use granola and/or oats. You will have to add 2 more tbsp of oats and adjust as needed to make sure that the crust is crumbly before baking*
• 2 tbsp Granola (or 3 tbsp Oats) - I used Twofold Quinoa Granola
• 2 tbsp Maple/Agave

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Slice washed apples into thin pieces. Toss in a bowl with lemon juice, cinnamon, and stevia/sugar substitute until the apple pieces are fairly evenly coated. Place in a greased/sprayed cake pan or pie tin, laying the pieces flat in a few layers (it doesn't have to be perfect).
3. Put in the oven, covered in aluminum foil, for 30 minutes.
4. To make the crust mixture, combine coconut flour, granola, and maple/agave in a bowl and mix with a fork. Add flour and agave as needed until you get a crumbly texture.
5. Take apples out of the oven and remove aluminum foil cover. Sprinkle apples with the crust mixture, coating evenly.
6. Turn the oven temperature down to 325 and put the pie in, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until crust has browned.
7. Serve with a scoop or vanilla bean ice cream!

**Note: Twofold provided me with a few sample products to try. I was super excited to use this quinoa granola, and it was utterly crunchy and delicious, but the law says I gotta tell you that it was fuh-ree for me!**

16 Holiday Recipes You'll Die For & A Thanksgiving Menu

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It's not just about the turkey, folks. It's about giving thanks and loving each other... and the appetizers, side dishes, and desserts, of course. Here's a Thanksgiving Menu filled with delicious, creative dishes. Pick your favorites and find the recipe links at the bottom.

I know, you're drooling right now. And you're also thinking, "How on earth could I even eat all of those things in one sitting?" The answer is two-fold: Tiny bites, big pants.

Here are the recipes:

Appetizers:
Baked Honey and Basil Brie Pastry with Reduced Kahlua
Pretzel Rolls with Beer Cheese Dipping Sauce
Baked Apples with Savory Pork Stuffing
Spicy Curry Pumpkin Fries

Sides:
Skinny Vegetarian Stuffing
Roasted Cranberry Sauce (Here are 7 more Cranberry Sauce recipes)
Kahlua Brown Sugar and Walnut Whipped Sweet Potato 
Thai-Style Brussels Sprouts

Main:
Roasted Turkey

Dessert:
Dark Chocolate Cheesecake With Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Sea Salt
Cherry Pomegranate Mini Pies
Homemade Peppermint Patties

Cocktails:
Whiskey Sweet N Sour Cocktail
Vodka Cake Cocktail
Whiskey Apple Cider
Rumon Ale Cocktail

Enjoy!

10 Delicious and Healthy Fall Recipes

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Happy Fall! How many times have I said that already? You'd think I was an easily excitable person or something...

For those of you who followed me a year ago, I did a series of posts called The 12 Days of Pumpkin (you know, "On the first day of Pumpkin, my true love gave to me... 12 pumpkin fries, 11 pumpkin truffles, 10 cups of oatmeal, 9 golllldennnn cupppcakesssss!"). Anyway, while I work on some fall recipes for you, I decided to compile the best of fall...

Apples and Pumpkins, mostly. Because who doesn't love that?

Recipes are below, listed in order of the images here. Go buy a can of Pumpkin and a crate of apples. Go crazy. Go hog wild. Whatever they're saying these days.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Spicy Pumpkin Fries

Healthy Apple Pie in a Cup

Pumpkin and Walnut Oatmeal

Wasabi and BBQ Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles

Whiskey Apple Cider

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Healthy Upside Down Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pancakes

15 Min Dessert Recipe & Puppies Who Workout

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Number one, animals and fitness.

Don't they say dogs are a man's best friend? Well, I took puppy # 2 on a run last night. As soon as I got home from work, I had a short amount of time to blow before heading up to the burbs to do some Yoga with the Bonner (Mom) and bf. So, what did I do? Put on my runnin' shoes and took this girl on a quick 20 minute run. And you know what? She is #goddamncute. And my run was #freakingawesomesauce.

Look at that face! So full of love! Makes me smile :) You know what else is making me smile this morning? Animated gifs of dogs working out... (Gifs found here)

Number two, birthdays and last minute pudding pies

My little sister leaves for Boston today (she lives there for school, bleh), and it's also her BIRTHDAY! Last night, when I was up in the burbs, I actually decided to skip the aforementioned Yoga session in favor of throwing up some streamers and getting a birthday dinner together. I know, I'm the cutest sister ever. Don't tell me, tell her!

Anyway, turns out salad and chicken aren't appropriate for a birthday dinner if you don't have some kind of dessert to accompany the meal. So, I scoured my mother's pantry, but only had <30 minutes to get the darn thing made and clean it up and finish making a big salad. That meant cakes, cupcakes, and cookies were all out. I had to get a little fancy. 

I didn't have my camera, so these iPhone pics look a little like hamburger helper. Trust me, it was delish. I used the recipe for Skinnified Chunky Monkey (uses pudding instead of ice cream), and just put it all in a pre-made crust. So we'll call it Chunky Monkey Pie. You'd eat it, wouldn't you!? Here's the recipe, for then you're in a pinch.

15 Minute Chunky Monkey Pie Recipe

Ingredients: 1 package Jello Brand Banana Pudding, 3 cups Skim Milk, 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips, 1/3 cup broken Walnuts, 1 sliced up Banana, 1 pre-made crust

Directions: Mix pudding package and skim milk together with a whisk and let set in the fridge for 10 minutes. Stir in chocolate, nuts, and banana slices. Pour into crust and serve.

Number Three, Let's Get Efficient...

I had a hard time getting work done on Monday, so when I stumbled upon this Pomodoro timer, it was amazing. Basically, you work tirelessly for 25 minutes. Just 25. Since the end is near, it's not as hard to keep yourself going, and you find yourself trying to fit as much work as you can into your 25 minute block. Then, when the timer is up on 25 minutes, you get 5 minutes of break time. Get up, do a dance, go bother the hell out of your coworkers, do lunges, read a book, listen to music, whatever. Then, repeat. I got more work done in one hour (two cycles) of this timer than I sometimes do in an entire day. Boom!

Healthy Apple Pie In A Cup

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It's easy, breezy, and the perfect way to say hello to Fall without diving all the way in. Just dip a toe into the season. It's appley and cinnamony and yummy, oh my!

I believe in dessert. I say that in a totally philosophical way and I mean it. I don't care how calorie-conscious you are, we are humans and we deserve a little bit of pure sweetness in our lives! 

That said, I will admit to being one who often skips desserts at restaurants. Why? Because I have no idea what they put in there! How much butter? How much sugar? Is the crust purely graham crackers, butter, and fat? Sometimes, it just ain't worth it, my friends. Not for a whole piece, at least.

But, just as I believe in dessert, I believe we all deserve a whole piece. And we deserve to eat it without feeling guilty.

Did I mention it's breakfast and dessert!?

Healthy Apple Pie In A Cup

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 Apples
• 1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Oats (Bob's Rolled Oats)
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 tbsp Truvia/Stevia/Sugar/Splenda*
• Whipped Cream

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Chop Apples into small pieces, about half an inch thick. Place in a medium sized bowl and add White Wine Vinegar, Cinnamon, and Truvia (or sugar sub.), then toss.
3. Add oats and water, then mix well.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and transfer to mugs. Top with Whipped Cream.

*Nutritional values are accurate for Truvia, Stevia, and Splenda.

Mini Blackberry Pies

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[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet pastry paper
• 1 can blackberry filling (find a can that lists blackberries first; this means they have the highest percentage of actual backberries used in their filling)

Cooking Directions:

1. Thaw pastry paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Cut each sheet into 9 squares (or square about 3-inches x 3 inches).  Use a rolling pin to make each piece just a bit thinner/wider (but not so thin that it falls apart when you manipulate it into the cupcake tin).
4. Place into cupcake tins and fill with blackberry filling.
5. Bake for appx 25 minutes, or until pastry sheet begins to brown.

Cherry Pomegranate (Mini) Pies

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[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!] 

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

Pies. Oh my. Well, here's the thing about holiday pies... they're big. They're sugary. They're calorie monsters. And yet, sometimes, all you want is a piece of freaking pie (for a big slice, check out this recipe for healthy pumpkin pie).

Never fear, my friends. Now you can serve your guests (or yourself...) the perfect amount of pie. These individual pies have the perfect amount of crunchy crust while still being filled with sweet-yet-fresh cherries and pomegranate seeds. The perfect combination of tang and sweet. Word.

Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 40 minutes thaw time)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 18-22 Mini Cupcakes

Calories per serving: ~200 calories

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet Pastry Dough
• 1 can Whole Cherries Cherry Pie Filling (Find one that is organic or read the ingredients list and choose a can that has cherries and water as the first two ingredients -- not corn starch or sugar -- makes a big difference!)
• 1 whole Pomegranate

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Take sheet of pastry dough out of the box and let it thaw for 40 minutes.
3. Break pomegranate seeds out of prison.
   Tip on opening Pomegranates: Cut pomegranate into four parts. Fill a large bowl 1/2 way with water and break apart the pomegranate under water. The seeds will sink while the white "brainey" parts and rind will float. Collect the seeds, drain them, and set aside. Be careful! Pomegranates stain!
4. Use a roller to make the sheet of dough thinner by rolling it toward the edges.
5. Cut the sheet into squares about 3 inches by 3 inches.
6. Place each square into a greased cupcake tin, making sure to fold it down into the bottom without ripping it.
7. Spoon cherry filling into each mini pie (there should be about 3-4 whole cherries in each, filling about 2/3 of the pastry dough crust).
8. Add a layer of pomegranate seeds on top of cherry pie filling.
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how golden you prefer your crust!
10. Serve :)

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

Mousse-filled Edible Chocolate Cups

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They had edible chocolate bowls at my High School prom. I remember my mind being blown. It seemed so gourmet. So fancy. So... difficult to make

Go figure... it's not all that difficult. It takes about 15 minutes and a package of balloons! But don't tell your friends how easy it was ;-)

For this recipe, I filled the edible white chocolate cups with dark chocolate mousse. Don't let that box you in! Get creative with this one. Instead of mousse, here are some other fun options for filling: 

• berries (or cooled off balsamic honey berries, using this method)
• mint-flavored-whipped cream (use the whipped frosting recipe from this York Peppermint Patty Cupcake Recipe)
• banana ice cream
• pie filling
• whipped cream (and sliced strawberries, a la this post!)

Anyone else have some good ideas for filling consideration?!

Prep time: 15
Ingredients:

• 1 pack Almond Bark (white) or White Chocolate
• 1 pack Balloons
• 1 box Jello Chocolate Mousse Mix
• 1 cup Skim Milk

'Cooking' Directions:

1. Blow up small balloons and set aside.
2. Heat almond bark or white chocolate in the microwave for 90 seconds. Stir, then continue to heat in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate seems almost melted. Take it out and stir until it is smooth.
3. Carefully, dip balloons in chocolate and slowly move around to get a clean line of chocolate. Remove and set on a sheet of parchment paper. Continue until chocolate has been used up.
4. Set chocolate covered balloons aside.
5. Combine chocolate mousse mix with 1 cup of skim milk and mix, using an electric mixer, on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 4 minutes.
6. Set mousse in the fridge to cool for 2 hours.
7. Using a fork or toothpick, pop the balloons. This is the fun part, people! Stab those things! Most of the balloons will lift right out after being popped, but some need a bit more finesse. Be gentle with them!
8. Spoon or pipe chocolate mousse into edible chocolate cups.

Healthy Upside Down Pumpkin Pie

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[Recipe 12 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

[Recipe 12 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

I've got a bone to pick with your regular pie. Yes, they are quites tasty, but for me it takes a whole lot of  taste to balance out the whole-lotta-calories.

This upside down pie is half the calories of your normal piece of pumpkin pie. By substituting a thin, whole wheat crumble instead of a fat-and-calorie-heavy crust, we are saving hundreds of calories here. Additionally, by using skim milk instead of heavy cream or half and half, we're saving hundreds more and also seriously cutting the fat content.

In short, here's my advice: Print this recipe and save it for Thanksgiving...

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1/2 cup Skim Milk
• 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons Oats
• 2 cups Pumpkin Puree
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 cup granulated Sugar
• 2 pinches Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 5 tablespoons Room temperature butter

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Soften cream cheese, then mix with pumpkin puree.
3. Add egg and melted butter, stir.
4. Add vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix, then add skim milk and continue to beat/whisk.
5. Pour into greased/buttered casserole dish. Put in the oven for 25 minutes.
6. In a new bowl, combine oats, flour, and brown sugar.
7. Add room temperature butter and work/knead into mixture using your hands.
8. Take casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle "crust" mixture on top. Put back in the oven for 30 minutes or until the center is hard.
9. Serve with whipped cream

[Recipe 12 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]

**Got a recipe? Come back tomorrow, "Friday, The 13th Day of Pumpkins," with YOUR OWN pumpkin recipes for a link-up and a chance to have your own page in a pumpkin cookbook!**

[Recipe 12 of The 12 Days of Pumpkin - Click Here To Catch The Whole Shabang]