Recipe:
I love cooking and baking with my girls…. in fact, I can’t think of a better way to enjoy learning about food, nutrition, our senses, and math – all at the same time. I also love a visit to the farm, where the girls get to learn where food comes from. We recently headed to Seven Ponds Orchard in Water Mill, New York, and picked a whole bushel of apples. If you are interested, that’s about 168 small apples!
Apples are a slimming snack: a large apple has only 125 calories. Plus, it has close to 6 grams of fiber, which is about 25% of a woman’s daily needs. And most of that fiber is soluble fiber, which is the kind that may help lower cholesterol levels. Apples also offer some vitamin C and potassium.
Apple skin contains important plant compounds called flavonols (like quercetin) and anthocyanins, which can help rid the body of harmful free radicals that can contribute to aging and disease. For a fun treat, spread peanut butter on apple slices or try dipping apple slices in dark chocolate. Below is a recipe for dark chocolate-dipped apples from my book, The Beauty Diet:
Ingredients:
4 ounces dark chocolate (60 percent cacao)
4 apples, cut into 6 wedges each
1⁄4 cup chopped pistachios
Instructions:
Heat the chocolate in a microwave-safe dish for 30-second intervals until soft; stir until smooth. Dip the apple slices into the melted choco- late. Place on wax paper and sprinkle with pistachios. Chill until the chocolate solidifies.
Yield: 4 servings (6 apple slices each)
Per serving: 300 calories; 4.5 g protein; 46 g carbohydrates; 9 g fiber; 33 g sugars; 13 g fat; 6 g saturated fat; 0 trans fat; 1.5 mg cholesterol; 4 mg sodium; 23 mg calcium; 0.04 g omega-3 fats; 159 IU vitamin A; 10 mg vitamin C; 0.6 mg vitamin E; 1.7 mg iron; 0.3 mg zinc
Lisa Drayer, M.A., R.D.,
is the author of THE BEAUTY DIET and STRONG, SLIM, and 30! For more of Lisa’s Beauty Bites, visit www.lisadrayer.com.