Enough apples to fill your crock-pot or slow-cooker . Use any variety you like. I’ve used a combination of all different kinds…it doesn’t seem to matter and it always tastes amazing.
To make:
Start by washing your apples in a sink full of cold water. You’ll be leaving the peels on, so make sure each apple is nice and clean.
Dry the apples on some kitchen towels and core them, cutting them in halves or quarters. If your apples are quite large, cut in quarters. Because my apples were hand-picked a few had bruises, but in a recipe like this that doesn’t matter too much. Don’t bother peeling them: this adds to the nutrition factor of this recipe (leaving the peels on adds great fiber) and saves you a ton of time.
Place the apples in the pot of your crock-pot, add 2-3 tsp Ground Cinnamon and stir. Turn the heat to high. Put the lid on and let the apples cook for about 4 hours, giving it a good stir approximately every hour.
After 4 hours, it should look like this:
Transfer the apple mixture to your blender (you may have to do this in two batches to avoid spraying piping hot apples all over your kitchen…not that I would know anything about that…) and blend on high speed until the mixture is creamy and perfectly smooth. Make sure you add every last bit to the blender. You’ll need the crock-pot again in a minute and it needs to be nice and clean.
Add the pureed mixture back into the clean crock-pot and stir in the cinnamon.
Let it cook on high for another hour or so to let it thicken, stirring once or twice during that time.
If you notice that you apple butter is too thin, cook it on low for about 45 minutes or with the lid off, stirring every 10 minutes or so to allow the water to evaporate out of the pot. Cook until desired thickness is achieved, may be less or more than the suggested 45 minutes.
Let the mixture cool slightly at room temperature before adding it to jars or containers, and then store it in the fridge for up to 4 weeks, or in the freezer for even longer!
The yield for this recipe will be slightly different with every batch (simply because of the different varieties of apples you use or the exact cooking temperature of your crock-pot) but a typical yield for my 5-quart crock-pot is about 4-5 cups. And because all it contains is apples and cinnamon, it’s a super healthy
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favorite thing to make with apples in the fall?
Eating healthy isn’t always easy, this is so true, I struggle on a daily basis not to reach my hand out for the kids sweet snacks… but committing to a healthy diet can be one of the smartest decisions you ever make.
Even if you intend to “eat healthy,” knowing exactly what that means can be challenging. Following a healthy diet includes choosing plenty of lean meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, whole grain and dairy products.
Eating well also means leaving out or only rarely consuming foods that are high in added sugar, saturated fat and sodium. That includes most fast food, full-calorie sodas, processed snacks like chips and crackers, and anything with more milligrams of sodium than there are calories in a serving.
If you need some help getting motivated, here are the top reasons to sneak a few more nutrient-packed foods into your diet.
1. Increase productivity
Like a car, your brain needs quality fuel to run efficiently. When it comes to your job, working more efficiently can help you earn more, since high achievers are usually first in line for promotions and raises!!! It has been shown that people have an increase in focus shortly after improving their diets.
How much can eating healthy help? One 2012 study published by Population Health Management found that eating an unhealthy diet puts you at a 66% increased risk of productivity loss. Another study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that an unhealthy diet represented the highest risk for low productivity out of 19 possible risk factors, including lack of exercise, chronic pain and financial instability.
2. Enhance mood
What you eat has a major impact on your brain, including the parts that regulate mood. Although there’s no single food that acts as a proven antidepressant, maintaining stable blood sugar through regular, proper nutrition will help you feel better overall on most days. Foods rich in vitamins and minerals, such as fruits, whole grains and vegetables, have been associated with an overall lower risk of depression, as have foods rich in omega-3 fats, such as nuts, salmon and other fatty fish.
Eating healthy can reduce stress too.
3. Regulate weight
Most people know this one, but it still deserves to be mentioned… Simple healthy choices such as replacing soda with water, choosing veggies instead of chips, and ordering a side salad in place of fries not only will help you lose weight, it also can help you save money. Save money??? How can not ordering fries help you save money? Health care. When you change your food intake to healthier options, you are more than likely to start saving on your overall health costs. This will not happen overnight, however if you continue to make the healthier decisions, you will notice your health improving.
4. Be healthier
Not everybody who is thin is healthy, and not everyone who is overweight is unhealthy, but eating right can improve health for even thin people who are junk food junkies. You can think of junk food as anything that’s high in calories and low in vitamins and minerals. This includes potato chips, greasy foods like french fries, and soda.
You will also need to watch what you put on your salad, most dressings are high in fat and oils so if dressings are a must, vinegar and oil is your healthiest choice.
5. Live longer
The same diseases that make you feel bad and cost a lot of money may also lower your life expectancy. A diet of fruit and vegetables, in combination with exercise, was associated with extended life expectancy for women in their 70s, according to a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Other studies have shown similar associations between a long life and calorie restriction or consumption of a Mediterranean diet, which includes lots of fruits, vegetables, and omega-3 fats from fish and olive oil. No matter how you cut it, a healthy diet can play an important role in how long you’ll live.
Tips for eating healthy
If switching to a healthy diet were easy, everyone would do it. So what should you do if you’re having a hard time choosing the right foods and sticking to a healthful eating pattern?
Small changes over time result in big payoffs.. That means setting small, attainable goals each day that will translate into long-term results. Here are some of tips:
Stay hydrated. This will help you reduce cravings and feel fuller.
Don’t skip meals. Eat at about the same time each day, if you can.
Get active. Just increasing activity a little bit may create a mindset to eat better too.
Plan around cravings. If you always get hungry for salt at 3 p.m. or sugar after dinner, have a healthier alternative ready to go.
Forgive yourself when you slip up. Beating yourself up after a slip-up tends to unravel all of your goals; picking back up as though you didn’t make a misstep is a better option.
Keep in mind that good choices, like eating a healthy diet, happen one at a time. A few small changes in the right direction can help improve your life now.
If you have any questions or need help on setting goals to make changing your lifestyle successful, please feel free to shoot me a message or comment and I will reach out to you.
Ingredients:
Wines of the World 