Deliciously Simple Pear Crumble

Dessert. That's the first word to leave the vocabulary when you decide to "watch what you eat". Dessert doesn't have to be laden with sugars, fats and complete unhealthiness to make it taste good. We don't keep sugars or "dessert-type" ingredients on hand. In a pinch I whipped this together, not sure how the family would respond. Everyone loved it ... and even the kiddos were asking for seconds!

Deliciously Simple Pear Crumble

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder 
• dash of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 very large pears, diced (approximately 3-4 cups)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Add the oats, cinnamon, stevia and salt to a small bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix again. Add the coconut oil, mixing as you go, until the mixture is crumb-like. Spread the pears evenly in an 8x8 baking dish. Gently stir the oats into the pear mixture. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Try this recipe with some different fruits -- apples, peaches, berries, etc.!

Simple Crockpot Applesause

Tis the season... for crockpots and apples! 

We picked about 25 pounds of apples today from some of our local growers. They're very inexpensive and taste so much better than the store-bought ones! Last batch of apples we picked, I made batches and batches of Crockpot Apple Butter and froze it in freezer containers so it's ready when we are. This time we decided to make applesauce (in addition to eating some of the apples, of course). School has started and applesauce is always a great "side dish" for the lunch box.

We just randomly picked a variety of apples. You can use whatever your favorite apples are to create a flavor for your own liking.  Enjoy!

Simple Crockpot Applesauce

Ingredients

• 5 pounds apples (cored, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice *

Preparation

Add all ingredients to the crockpot. Cook on high for approximately 4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours). Stir apples half-way through. Cook until apples are very soft and mash when stirring. Mash the applesauce to your desired texture. I used a wooden spoon for this batch. You can use a potato masher or a blender as well.

* You may need to adjust this measurement depending on the type(s) of apples you use... flavor, sweetness, tartness, etc.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

Looking for a stick-to-your ribs breakfast? These pancakes are great! The peanut butter and the banana in them makes them more filling - with the desire to eat less at one sitting!

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy, your choice)

Preparation

Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix well to combine. Add wet ingredients in order listed, whisking/blending as you go until all ingredients are combined and batter is no longer lumpy.

In a pre-heated skillet (or a griddle), pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter. Cook until very bubbly, then carefully flip over to the other side. Cook until the pancake is cooked through.

Makes roughly 22 pancakes.

Finish off with your choice of topping - More peanut butter, fruit preserves / jam, apple butter, butter, syrup, honey, etc!

Note: I use my Kitchen-Aid mixer for this recipe. I add all of the ingredients (un-prepped) and mix using the whisk attachment until the batter is no longer lumpy.

Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

Ingredients:

• 12 "good sized" apples (approx. 5-6 pounds) - variety(s) of your choice
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• dash of salt, to taste

Preparation

Wash, peel, core and cut all of the apples into 1 inch x 1 inch chunks. Place the apples in the crock-pot. Add the honey and pumpkin pie spice to the crockpot. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until reduced to almost half. You can stir every few hours, as the apples cook down, to mix the honey and spices in.

Stir the apple mixture well to combine. Use a potato masher to mash the mixture until desired consistency. You can also use an immersion blender or blender as well. 

Be careful if using a blender!! Putting the steaming hot apple mix in there may cause it to blow the lid off the blender! Wait until the mixture cools a bit, then blend in small batches until desired consistency.

Enjoy on toast, pancakes, waffles, sandwiches, scones, biscuits.... possibilities are endless! 


Try this recipe with a variety of apples. Each apple has it's own texture, sweetness or tartness, and flavor. Use all one kind, or mix and match! 

Vegan Peach Cobbler

Vegan Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

• Filling
• 8 peaches, sliced and pit removed
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored liquid stevia
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon water
• Topping
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon stevia powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with non-stick spray. Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Evenly spread in the bottom of the baking pan.In a separate bowl, combine all crust ingredients except the maple syrup. Mix well until it  reaches a crumbly consistency. Crumble the topping mix onto the filling mix in the baking pan. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. Uncover and drizzle the maple syrup over the top. Continue baking for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.

Makes 8 servings.