This year, consider what you should add into your daily diet rather than remove. Moving beyond restrictive diets is one of TLD’s top health goals for you in 2019.
Add more
- Each day include two whole pieces of local fresh, dried or frozen Michigan fruits. Apples are easily available and there is a wide array to choose from to pique any tastebud.
- Enjoy local veggies before noon. Try a glass of vegetable juice blends in the morning or include spinach, kale, carrots, peppers and onion in your
omelette or breakfast smoothie. Michigan rainbow carrots make for a perfect, crunchy mid-morning snack. Learn more cool ways to eat veggies before noon with these morning recipes. - Drink more water! Choose water between meals and before reaching for a snack. Support local clean and healthy water initiatives in our state. FLOW, MI Clean water action.
Kid-friendly “Baked” Michigan Apples:
Ingredients:
2 large Michigan apples ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons butter (or nut butter)
2 teaspoons raisins
1 ½ tablespoons water
4 teaspoons brown sugar
Instructions:
Core apples, but do not cut all the way through to the bottoms. Make a slit in skin around the middle of each apple to prevent skin from bursting. Adult help may be need for this step
Place apples in a small microwave-safe dish and add water to bottom of dish.
In another small microwave safe bowl melt butter on high for 10 seconds. Stir in sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Fill each apple with sugar & butter mixture. Microwave, apples covered with microwave-safe plastic wrap or lid, on high 4 to 5 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
Variations: You may cut the apple into quarters and remove the core and seeds. The sugar could be replaced with michigan maple syrup or honey, or left out entirely. Dried cherries and cranberries also work well in place of raisins
Makes 2 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving made w/ butter): Calories: 200, Total Fat: 2.5g, Total Carbohydrate: 45g, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 36g, Protein: 1g. Nutrition Facts (made w/ peanut butter): Calories: 210, Total Fat 2.5g, Total Carbohydrate: 47g, Fiber 6g, Sugar 36g, Protein: 2g
Paula Martin, RDN, is the Community Health Coordinator for TLD. Contact her at [email protected]