These delicious apples are a cross between a yummo apple pie and caramel apples.  Too delicious for words and a real hit with my friends. Use this recipe as a jumping off point for your own inspiration.

This recipe, as shown, is definitely higher in calories than I like to have on a daily basis (but it does make a yummo treat).  You can dramatically reduce the calories by changing one or more ingredients.  Not crazy about nuts, leave them out; you can reduce the sugars by replacing with agave nectar, Splenda, etc.; dried fruit adds a lot of sugar and calories, so you can reduce the amount or leave it out completely.  Why not include fresh cherries in place of the dried?  You get the idea.  This recipe is easily adapted to suit your tastes and your dietary needs.

Yield: 6 servings
Calories: 274 (13.1% of calories from fat)  ♥  Fat: 4 g  ♥   Weight Watchers: 5 pts

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup brown  sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 6 Gala apples, rinsed
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

PREPARATION

1. In a large bowl, mix together cherries, sugar, pecans, cinnamon and nutmeg. Put aside.
2. With a melon scooper, core apples to hollow out the middle. Do not go all the way through. Fill each apple core with dry cherry mixture.
3. Pour apple cider into casserole dish and place apples right side up. Drizzle maple syrup on top of all the apples. Bake for 50 minutes AT 350°.

DECADENT BAKED APPLES is a post from: A Healthy Kitchen
Healthy Weight Loss | Low Fat Recipes

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Dan was on the Biggest Loser, lost a lot of weight, and is now making his music dreams come true. I really enjoyed the message of this song and knowing his weight loss background makes this even more inspirational! Especially love the chorus! Life is about Goin’ All Out!

GOIN’ ALL OUT — Dan Evans is a post from: A Healthy Kitchen
Healthy Weight Loss | Low Fat Recipes

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This wonderful “marshmallow” frosting recipe dates back to my childhood.  I believe it originally came from a Fanny Farmers cookbook.  This is always so delicious and can be easily adapted to many different flavors (see the variations at the bottom of the post). 

Yield: sufficient to frost 1 2-layer cake (16 servings)
Calories: 75 (0% of calories from fat)  ♥  Fat: 0 g  ♥   Weight Watchers: 1 pts

INGREDIENTS

• 2 egg whites (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup; or 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter if you prefer
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

PREPARATION

1. Combine sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler.
2. With an electric mixer, beat on high speed 1 minute, then place over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy) and beat on high speed 7 minutes.
3. Remove top of double boiler from the heat; add vanilla. Then beat 2 minutes longer on high speed.

VARIATIONS

• Lemon: Substitute 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for the vanilla extract and add 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel during the last minute of beating.
• Fruits: Add crushed fruits to the frosting or substitute fruit flavorings for the vanilla extract.
• Rum: Substitute rum or sherry flavoring for the vanilla extract.
• Caramel: Substitute 1 cup white sugar for 1 cup brown sugar
• Mocha: Mix 2 teaspoons instant coffee in 1/3 cup HOT water til disolved. Replace the 1/3 cup water in the original recipe with the “coffee”.

7-MINUTE FROSTING is a post from: A Healthy Kitchen
Healthy Weight Loss | Low Fat Recipes

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Living healthy is a lifestyle change and I don’t think I would have ever done it if it meant I could never eat another sweet treat.  Yes, I still enjoy desserts, though I try my best to make them super low fat.  So where do I stand on the sugar debate?

My jury is still out.

Have you noticed that every few months another weight loss guru pops up with the ABSOLUTE, DEFINITIVE way to lose weight?  Some of their programs get legs and they become a part of our popular mainstream diet society.  But have you also noticed that we’re fatter as a nation than ever before?

I don’t think it’s because we don’t care.  I think we care too much!  We’re trying so hard to get it right that we’re left in a state of utter confusion.   Our bodies are confused.  Our brains are confused.  Our emotions are confused.  And at the end of the day, we’re frustrated and we take that frustration out on ourselves.

Guru’s … Guru’s … Guru’s … Who’s the Latest Guru?

One moment the guru’s (and yes, by that I include doctors and scientists too) are saying …

• “don’t eat fat — avoid it like the plague” (Dr. McDougall; Dr. Pritikin; Dr. Ornish)
• then the popular fad is “eat all the fat you want, but don’t eat carbs” (Dr. Atkins)
• how about a middle of the road version “super low carb for two weeks, while eating low fat meats and low glycemic veggies…” (South Beach Diet)

Oh yes, did I forget to mention that we learned all about glycemic levels somewhere along the road?  Glycemic?  When that word first popped up, I hadn’t a clue what it meant or how it affected me.  Now it’s a part of my thought processes.  Important?  Not important?  I think it’s worth consideration, but only time will truly tell the true importance it will have in living a healthy lifestyle.

But Low GI wasn’t the end … oh no … we’ve also got …

• The Fireman’s Diet
• The Mediterranean Diet
• The Zone Diet
• Vegetarian Diets
• Vegan Diets
• No White Foods
• Weight Watchers
• Only Raw Foods

And the list goes on and on!

STOP THE INSANITY!

Each popular diet is backed by experts — and they tell a convincing story!

No wonder we’re bouncing from side to side — all the while getting fatter and fatter!

So what’s all this got to do with sugar?

Well, let’s go back and visit that newer word in my vocabulary — glycemic — specifically glycemic index.

What is Glycemic Index

Essentially it says not all carbohydrate foods are created equal, in fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. The glycemic index or GI describes this difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels.

The “GI Guru’s” say choosing low GI carbs – the ones that produce only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels – is the secret to long-term health reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes and is the key to sustainable weight loss.

Is it True?

I don’t know.  Remember how the experts keep changing their mind about what’s important and not important in a healthy weight loss program?  Even our own US Government Food Pyramid has had a few MAJOR makeovers in my adult lifetime.  This one doesn’t even resemble the one I grew up with — and that’s okay.  Science is an evolution.  I expect to learn new things — I just don’t want to jump everytime the next guru says jump!

Here’s What I Know for Sure

I lost 150 pounds eating low fat (high sugar) desserts. I don’t even want to contemplate a forever lifestyle that doesn’t include decadent desserts!  That’s my perspective and if yours is different, I respect that!

Having said that, I think it’s possible the whole Glycemic Index thing might have some validity, so I am making more sweets with lower glycemic sweeteners than ever before (ie; brown rice syrup, agave nectar, etc).

There is even a new all natural low glycemic cane sugar called LoGiCane that’s currently only available in Australia.  I have my eye on it and I’m anxious to see it come to America.  I truly want to experiment with it!

However, many of my long term recipes — recipes that I lost a lot of weight with — include traditional sugars (and I still make them and love them) so I’m including them on this website.  You can make your own decisions about how high you want to jump through the sugar debate hoop.

My Final Conclusion

I’m not jumping through the sugar debate hoop — but I’m paying attention.  The low GI science looks valid — possibly even important.  But Guru’s come and go — fads come and go — and at the end of the day, the only thing I know for sure is what has already worked for me in the past.  I lost 150 pounds eating decadent, sugary desserts that were very low in fat.   And being able to eat those desserts — feeling satisfied and never deprived — was important to my success.

If something comes along that makes decadent desserts possible and it’s a healthier alternative (hello, LoGiCane, please come to America), then I’ll be back in the “test kitchen” and sharing my yummo new dessert recipes with all my friends — that means YOU

In conclusion, I’m not here to tell you the path you need to walk on this issue.  I think it’s a personal decision. I just simply wanted to let you know where I stand on the subject.

On A Healthy Kitchen, you’ll find many sweet endings!

THE SUGAR DEBATE is a post from: A Healthy Kitchen
Healthy Weight Loss | Low Fat Recipes

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