Cinnamon baked apple chips. Sounds good, right? They're a great snack any time of year. Not to mention they're good for you too. Kids and adults both love them. They're super easy to make, anyone can do it. I first came across them from this pin here, but the link to the source doesn't work, so I had to find different recipes on Google. What you will need is:
- Apples
- Cinnamon
- Mandoline Food Slicer
- Sugar (optional)
- Parchment Paper
The first thing you need to do is wash your apples, if you haven't already. Next you want to thinly slice the apples. The thinner they are, the easier it will be to get the liquid out of them. Of course you don't want to slice them too thin. I stuck to the 2 or 3 setting on my slicer, as I found 1 was too thin. Place the slices across a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Next, you want to get all the seeds out. You could either pop all the seeds out, or just cut the entire middle out. I found just cutting the whole middle out was easiest. Now, it's time to add the cinnamon and sugar, if you want. I just sprinkled some over the apple slices. How much you add is your personal preference.
To bake them, preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Bake for 1 hour. Then take them out of the oven and bake for another hour. When you first take them out, they may not feel crispy or crunchy, but when you let them cool for about 15 to 20 minutes, they will begin to harden and crisp.
That's it for this #pinterestsunday. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the next #pinterestsunday, please leave a comment below.
Need a healthy way to beat the heat? I have a delicious solution. Frozen yogurt bites. They are a delicious snack, perfect for when it's hot out, and they're healthy, which is always great. I got the inspiration from this pin, but since the link doesn't work, I had to create my own directions. What you are going to need is:
- Yogurt
- Spoon
- Ziplock Bag
- Cookie Sheet or Pan
- Wax or Parchment Paper
To start off, cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper. This is optional but I find it make removing the yogurt bites easier.
Next, scoop the yogurt into the ziplock bag. Seal the bag and cut off one of the corners. Squeeze the yogurt into dots onto the pan. Stick into the freezer for 30 minutes. That's how you make frozen yogurt bites! All that's left to do, is to sit down and enjoy your frozen treat.
Eating healthy is just as important as working out. We all know that. But some times it's hard to eat healthy. We all struggle to eat healthier. I know I do. Here are some of my tips for eating healthier:
- Swap the candy for trail mix. We all love to have M & M's and that's fine every once and a while. But what about those everyday cravings? Instead of picking up a pack of M & M's, try some trail mix. A lot of them are made with nuts, fruit, and some of them even come with a little chocolate. Of course, instead of buying a trail mix from the store you can make your own. Take your favorite nuts and dried fruit and mix them together.
- Try whole wheat. It's easy to switch from white bread to wheat. I hardly noticed a difference. But breads not the only thing you can switch. A lot of other foods come in wheat too, like pasta. Switching to wheat is a really simple way to eat healthier.
- Eat fresh. This is one of the hardest things for people to do. It's actually not that hard. Buy a few fruits and vegetables a week. Try to eat one at least every morning for breakfast, especially since most people skip breakfast. Also try to include one fresh fruit or vegetable with every meal. It may sound hard, but it's really not.
- Make your own meals. It seems like all people ever do these days is go out to eat, especially at fast food restaurants. Not only are you spending a ton of money on meals you could make yourself, most of the food is unhealthy and we eat more, like that side of fries that you were picking at. Try to make meals at home instead of always going out or eating frozen dinners. Start by trying to make 3 dinners a week, then work your way up to making more meals at home. This way you can control what you are eating and you know what you are eating.
For my fitness update: So far I've been trying to keep to my scheduled workout routine, but with all the plans I make at the last minute, it's been hard to keep up. For the most part, I've stuck to my workout. And if I have missed a day, I try to make it up as soon as I can. I have begun to eat healthier using these tips. They really do make a difference.
Today I will be talking about one of the most delicious cookie or brownie recipe EVER. Want to know what makes them so good? It's because it's both! I brought these to a party we had a school and they were a huge hit. Everybody wanted one. The pin I was inspired by is here.
Depending on what mixes you buy your ingredients will vary but I used Ghirardelli Cookie and Brownie mixes. I needed vegetable oil, eggs, water and butter.
To make this delicious treat, you want to prepare the mixes separately. Simply prepare the mixes according to the box directions. You should have 1 bowl of brownie batter and 1 bowl of cookie dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray your pan lightly with a nonstick cooking spray. Pour in your brownie batter. Take "clumps" of cookie dough and disperse them throughout the pan. (See image below for more.)
Bake for 25 minutes. Then cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes. This will keep the cookies from burning since they cook faster. Of course things always cook differently, so feel free to adjust the time as necessary.
This part is optional, I cut the brownies into little squares for my party, but you don't have to. I hope you enjoy them!
I know a lot of people want to eat better, especially now that summer is coming up. Today, I thought I would share with you my favorite websites for healthy recipes. I'm always willing to try these new recipes, but I'm kind of a picky child. I know a lot of people out there are picky like me, or some people just find it hard to eat healthy, but these recipes are amazing! Here are some great sites for healthy eating, along with my favorite recipes. If you guys have any websites that you like to get recipes from let me know in the comments :)
- http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/: These are clean eating recipes. I know that sounds a little bit scary but the recipes are really good. One of my favorites is: clean eating baked italian ziti. I love pasta (or anything other Italian food) and the fact that this one is healthy, just makes it that much better!
- http://theskinnyconfidential.com/recipes: So many good recipes, so little time! (They're also a fitness blog, so you can check that out as well) I couldn't decide my favorite recipe from them so I picked 2: pumpkin roll skinny style & spicy homemade hot chocolate. Both are especially good in the fall and winter, but still taste just as good now that it's summer.
- http://www.blogilates.com/: This is a great place to get healthy recipes and watch workout videos. The girl who runs it makes great YouTube videos of her workouts. I'm definitely going to have to try them. Anyway, my favorite recipe from her is: cinnamon protein pancake. They are so delicious.
- http://www.skinnytaste.com/: This site is perfect for any of you doing Weight Watchers. They make recipes and post the number of points each recipe is. My favorite recipe is grilled hawaiian teriyaki burger. In the past, I would go to Carl's Jr. to get the exact same burger, but now I can make my own that is so much better for me. (And since today is Memorial Day, here's a special red, white, and blue recipe.)
- http://pumpsandiron.com/category/recipes/ This is great blog about everything, like fitness, fashion, recipes, etc. The recipes are delicious and everything else is amazing. I like the lemon chicken mushroom linguine in a pecan pesto without the mushrooms (as I said earlier, PICKY!)
Now for my fitness update. I thinks it's getting harder for me to work. Right now I'm only working out during the week, after school because it's the only time I'm free. However, I did downloaded some new workout apps, so hopefully that will help me. They say it only takes 21 days to form a habit, but it's hard getting to those 21 days.
This is the perfect summer salad dressing. It's sweet and delicious but still healthy. The original recipe is here. I edited the recipe slightly, just to give it more taste and to adjust it to what I had at my house.
- about 1/2 pint strawberries, cut up
- 3/4 cups olive oil
- 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
All you have to do is put all the ingredients in a blender. (I used my Ninja Kitchen System) Blend until smooth. Pour into a container and put in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Feel free to edit this recipe to your liking. It's mainly based on taste, so once you try it, you can adjust it to your liking.
