Homemade Canned No Sugar Added Gluten Free Cinnamon Applesauce and Apple Pie Filling

It's that time of year again when our apple trees are full of apples and it's time to do something about it! So my husband and I picked 2 full 5 gallon buckets worth of apples and decided to make some applesauce and pie filling.

The preparation instructions for making the applesauce and pie filling are pretty much the same. First you must cut, peel and core the apples. For the applesauce we used the Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer. It makes things soooo easy! For the pie filling, I did it all by hand because I like larger apple slices in my pies.

Apple pieces after using the Pampered Chef Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer and cutting apples in half.

No Sugar Added Gluten Free Cinnamon Applesauce

12 lbs Apples, peeled cored and sliced

Water
3 cups Sugar Substitute
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Jars, lids and bands for canning

Prepare jars and lids for canning.

Put apples in a large pot filled with water and boil on medium-high heat for aprox 5-20 minutes, depending on how large your apple pieces are, until apples are tender. Our small thin slices only needed 5 minutes (per batch). 

Once apple pieces are soft and tender, transfer to another bowl and start mashing. You can use a food mill or processor if you like, ours were soft enough a potato masher was all it took. We had so many apples, we did this in batches. If you were able to fit all your apples into one pot for boiling - just strain the water out and way you go!

Once all apples are smashed, transfer back into a large pot. Stir in the sugar substitute, cinnamon and lemon juice. Heat on medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Cook until hot. I've seen recipes that say boil - but I think ours was way to thick because it never happened lol.

Once hot, transfer to your canning jars, leaving a 1/2 inch head space. Clean the rim, pop on the lid and band. Process in a waterbath for 30 minutes.

No Sugar Added Gluten Free Apple Pie Filling

8 lbs Apples, cored peeled and sliced
6 Cups Sugar Substitute
1 1/3 cup Small Tapioca Pearls
2 3/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
13 1/3 cup Water
1 1/2 tsp Salt
5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Jars, lids and bands for canning

Prepare jars and lids for canning.

Combine sugar substitute, tapioca pearls, cinnamon, nutmeg, water and salt in a large pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep tapioca from sticking to the bottom. Bring to a boil.

While waiting for sauce to boil, take jars and pack them with apples.

Once sauce is boiling, fill apple jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Clean the rim, pop on the lid and band. Process in a waterbath for 30 minutes.


I cannot wait to make pies, crisps and yummy baked goods - I use the applesauce in place of oil ;-) I hope you think these recipes are as delicious as I do!

Cinnamon Sugar Toasted Spaghetti Squash Seeds

While cleaning a Spaghetti Squash to make "Pasta" for the first time - I saw the seeds and immediately thought of toasted Pumpkin seeds. So I saved them and tried it out.

I'll admit, I only came out with 1/3 cup and even though I halved the baking time - they burnt just a bit. Not enough to throw them away lol but enough to say they didn't come out as yummy as I'd hoped.

I'm not sure exactly what went wrong where - but I intend to continue trying until I get it right. If you have any suggestions for me - I'd really appreciate it.

Here's the recipe I used and what I did:

Cinnasweet Pumpkin Seeds 
Original recipe is for 12 servings which is 4 cups of seeds. I only had 1/3 so I reduced recipe to 1 serving.

1/3 cup Seeds, rinsed and dried (of course I was using my spaghetti squash seeds)
2 tsp Butter, melted
1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp White Sugar, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine seeds, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir to coat seeds completely. Spread seeds in a single layer onto a baking pan.

Bake for 7 mins (original recipe says 15 minute increments but I halved it); stir and bake another 7 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle 1/2 tsp white sugar over seeds; stir to coat. Return to oven; bake an addition 7 mins.

**Now here is when I noticed they smelt a little burt. The rest of the instructions say to remove from oven, sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp white sugar and bake an additional 7 mins. Because I noticed they were burning - I didn't bake any longer. I took them out, removed from baking pan and sprinkled sugar over top. Let them cool.

This is what they looked like.

Again, they weren't horrible, but they did have a bit of burnt taste and weren't as yummy as I'd hoped. I'll be trying this again, maybe with a different recipe as I didn't really even taste the cinnamon like I wanted. I'll also may save up more seeds and bake in a larger batch - maybe that's where I went wrong?

Anyway, I'll keep you posted and if you have ANY suggestions, please let me know :-)

Spaghetti Squash

I've always wanted to try Spaghetti Squash but never had the nerve. I was really craving spaghetti, but I'm staying away from pasta - stupid carbs. So I decided to give this squash thing a try. I thought, if nothing else - it'll be a learning experience - and I'm always up for learning :-)

Too many times, I've heard people substituting veggies for starches and saying - it tastes just like the real thing - only to try it and be very disappointed because it doesn't taste like the real thing at all. Well I am happy to report, this wasn't one of those times, thank goodness! It was really really good - and I didn't miss the carby pasta at all - well once the squash was hot that is - I'll admit - just warm, the sauce and squash didn't mesh well in my mouth and I thought - here we go again. But I put it in the microwave and nuked it for a minute - and when it came out hot - seriously, I didn't miss the pasta at all! I was surprised with every bite and still am lol.

I went online to research how to cook the squash and there were so many different suggestions - boil/bake, oven temps ranging from 350-400 degrees, bake times ranging from 20 minutes to an hour, bake in water/not in water, upside down/right side up, cut in half/keep whole - (whew!) I once again, found myself a bit overwhelmed. Then I saw there was a cooking label on the squash itself, which got me really excited until I read it - it was how to microwave it :-(  I don't know about you but I only reheat things in the microwave, I don't use it to cook things start to finish. So I decided to combine cooking methods and take the middle ground with regards to oven temp. And away we went! 

This is our whole Spaghetti Squash. They say if you keep the squash in a cool dark place - it can last up to a month!

The instructions on the squash said to heat it in the microwave for 1 minute - supposedly this helps with cutting it in half. It was still a bit difficult so I had my hubby do it cause I kinda really hate knives and have a serious fear I'll chop a finger off or something lol

Scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. I saved the seeds to toast like pumpkin seeds. Why not give it a try right? ;-)

Place squash halves cut side down onto a baking sheet. I went middle of the road with oven temp and cooked squash 40 minutes at (preheated) 375 degrees. I didn't coat them with oil or seasonings of any kind. I knew they were done when the rind was fork tender.After letting them cool slightly - this is what they looked like once turned over.

When squash is cooled enough to handle, take a fork and scrape out the "pasta" strands, top to bottom length wise until you've got it all out. It's remarkable how it completely comes away from the rind!

Empty rind - pretty cool right?! I'm sure someone more crafty than I could turn this into some crazy cool squash bowl or something! Or is that too weird? 

Here's the finished "pasta" next to our homemade spaghetti meat sauce. So delicious! 

My husband took some squash and added butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for a healthy sweet dessert too! So many options for this stuff I can't wait to try more!

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

So I've been craving spicy things lately and my friend told me she was making Habanero Jelly - which is WAY to spicy for me - but sounded good none the less. I had some left over Jalapenos from the Cocktail Sausage Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers I made for a football party, so I decided to go for it and make some Jalapeno Pepper Jelly - and it turned out delicious! I am currently using it on/in soooo many things, kind of like a seasoning (I'll post some recipes soon), and loving every one of them!

Note: I use the Ball® FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker 

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly

1 Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped

5 Jalapenos seeds in, finely chopped (if you want a milder jelly, remove seeds)

3/4 cup White Vinegar

1/2 tsp Salt

3 cups White Sugar

3 Tbsp Ball® RealFruit® Classic Pectin

1/2 tsp Butter

Sprinkle pectin evenly over bottom of Jelly Maker Pot fitted with Stirrer. Add peppers evenly over Pectin. Pour vinegar over peppers and add the butter to help reduce foaming.

Press "Jelly" button, then hit the "-" minus button until time reads 21 minutes. Press Enter.

Wait for the 4 minute signal to add the sugar. Pour evenly while the Stirrer continues to spin. Place the glass lid on top and wait for the timer to sound letting you know the jelly is done.

Once done skim any foam off the top and put jelly into desired containers (we water bath canned ours to keep longer).

This recipe makes aprox 4 - 8oz jars or 2 - 16oz.

This jelly is spicy but not over powering. It's got some heat but it doesn't knock you on the floor. Try it with some cream cheese on a cracker for a nice snack or a quick and easy appetizer, use it as a dipping sauce for steak, chicken or shrimp! I've even mixed it with some cottage cheese for a spicy protein treat ;-) No matter how you use it - you're gonna love this stuff!

Lunch Meat Protein "Lasagna"

OK, so this only resembles Lasagna because of how you layer the meat and cheese. But it makes the dish seem fancier when you say it's Lasagna lol. Anyway, this little gem was created by my husband last night and is now going into regular meal rotation :-)  

It's basically a fall/winter (colder weather) version of my meat roll up (slices of lunch meat wrapped around a string cheese). It's carb free and protein packed - which is a win, as far as I'm concerned!

You can use any meat or cheese you want, doesn't even have to be lunch meat. I use lunch meat to control my portion size and it's easier to layer. You can make this with few layers and eat as a snack, or make many layers and eat as a meal.

Lunch Meat Protein "Lasagna"

Thinly sliced Ham
Thinly sliced Turkey
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

On a microwave safe plate, layer ham, turkey and 1 pinch mozzarella cheese. Repeat till you've created as many layers as you want ending with a slice of ham on top. Heat in microwave depending on how many layers you've made. Enjoy!

Cheesey Bean Dip with a Kick!

I don't know about you, but I love a good bean dip. Add in some cheese and homemade Jalapeño Jelly to spice it up - and you've got yourself a winner! 

I was sitting around the house this weekend feeling hungry but lazy at the same time, so cooking something just didn't appeal to me. While looking in my pantry I saw a can of refried beans and thought - add some cheese and that'll do. Well, it didn't. It tasted bland and was very dry and uninspiring. So back to the kitchen I went to see what I could find to spruce it up and behold - the cream cheese was sitting right next to my  jalapeño Pepper Jelly! A small scoop of cream cheese and an even smaller scoop of Jelly into the beans and - perfection!

I've only made this in single portion sizes for myself but next get together, I'm making a big batch. I eat this by itself with a spoon as I'm trying to stay away from bad carbs (breads, chips, etc.) but I'm sure it's devine with some chips or maybe as the base "sauce" if you're making a Mexican pizza?! Yummy!

Cheesey Bean Dip with a Kick (single serving)

1/2 cup Fat Free Refied Beans

1/2 low fat String or mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 Tbsp  cream Cheese

1 tsp Jalapeño Jelly (more if you want a bigger kick)

Put everything in a microwave safe dish. Heat on high for aprox 1 minute. Stir and enjoy!

Feel free to mix it up. Add more of this, less of that. It's all based on your taste preference.

This is also a great make ahead dish when you're on the go. Most convienient stores have microwaves you can use or you can heat and stir ahead of time, it'll just be cooler when you finally get to it and slightly less creamy as the cheese will have hardened a bit. I love this stuff, no matter the temp!

Cocktail Sausage Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

I was on Pinterest one day - I'm on there almost every day, I love that site! - when I came across this:

Pinterest

My mouth was watering immediately, then I showed my husband, to which he said, "we're making those for the football party". 

These were so easy to make and so tasty, my mouth is watering just thinking about them! I was never a Jalapeno Popper kind of gal, they just tasted ok to me - until I had these. Now, I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat a plain old popper again lol. 

We made aprox 40 poppers total and they did not last long at all. In fact, I had to stagger cooking them or there'd have been none left for the late comers! Everyone who ate them raved about how good they were. To which my husband took full credit for of course, the little stinker. He later explained to me that - "we're a team, so whatever I make, he makes" lol!

Now - on to the important stuff - the recipe!

One quick note - depending on how big your jalapenos are, you may only fit one cocktail sausage per pepper. Some of ours were pretty large so I did one and a half lengthwise. I also based how much bacon to wrap with on the size of pepper - smaller ones got a half slice, larger got a whole.

Oh and I didn't dare try taking any pics while making them because my hands were covered with pepper juice and I've heard way to many stories of accidental pepper burn lol sorry

Cocktail Sausage Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper

12 to 24 slices of Bacon
12 Jalapeno Peppers, cut in half with ribs and seeds removed
1 8oz package of Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

24 Cocktail Sausage Links (maybe more if your peppers were large like mine)
Garlic Powder to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place an oven safe rack or broiler plate on top - anything with slots/holes to let the bacon grease seep away from the peppers.

Combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese and garlic powder in a bowl. Fill each jalapeno half with the cheese mixture. Press 1 cocktail sausage (or 1 1/2 depending on pepper size) into the cheese. Wrap each pepper with a half or full slice of bacon, depending on how large your peppers are. If the bacon won't stay wrapped, secure with a toothpick. You want to make sure to wrap them tightly to keep all the cheesy goodness inside! Place on baking rack or broiler plate.

Bake at 450 degrees for aprox 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and bacon is cooked. You can place under the broiler for a few minutes if you wish to crisp up the bacon even more.

Let cool slightly and serve! Remember - if you used a toothpick to secure the bacon, either remove it before serving or notify those you're serving it to, so they don't mistakenly bite into it :-)

Sorry my picture is a little blurry - I was having to elbow the guys away just to take it - and they only gave me one shot lol

These were the first ones out (my test poppers) - I didn't wrap them tightly and didn't use toothpicks. Once we wrapped them tightly and secured with toothpicks, they were beautiful, however, they were eaten so quickly I didn't get any pictures! They were all delicious no matter what though.

Make these at your next gathering - I guarantee they'll be a hit!

Cream Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates

My husband and I went to a friends baby shower a while back, where one of the appetizers were bacon wrapped dates. Neither of us had ever had them but were hooked from the very first bite. So when my hubby decided to throw a football party - making these were at the top of my list.

I scoured the Internet looking for recipes because I've never ever used dates in anything and needed guidance. There are sooo many recipes I felt overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. So - I decided to make them as simple as possible and just wrap a pitted date with a small piece of bacon. But it just wasn't as good - something was missing. Then I spoke to a friend who said she makes them with cream cheese and an almond. Well, my honey doesn't like nuts in things, so that part was out but the cream cheese sounded yummy. So I gave it a go - and they turned out great!

There's really no recipe for this one. I simply bought some dates from the grocery store - no particular brand. Found them in the produce section. Made sure the pits were taken out. Sliced them down the center of one side just enough to get a sliver of cream cheese in the middle - you can stuff it too but that seemed way more difficult and I'm not a patient person lol. Then I took about a third of a slice of bacon, wrapped the date tightly and secured with a toothpick. Baked on a broiler pan set atop an aluminum foil lined baking sheet (to allow the bacon grease to drain) for 20 mins at 400 degrees.

I cannot tell you just how yummy these little bite size goodies are. Everyone who tried them couldn't get enough. I think they were the first food item to go! Try 'em - you'll agree ;-)

Egg Drop Soup

I recently went on a liquid diet to rid myself of the nasty carb cravings that had taken over my eating life, not to mention resetting my brain/stomach back to proper portion size. My husband and I had gone out after work and I didn't have a protein shake with me so I was at the mercy of the menu at the Chinese restaurant. Knowing I needed soup - but not wanting to have to fish out all the yummy solid pieces only to discard them, I selected the Egg Drop Soup. I'd never had it and thought the added protein from the eggs would be more beneficial than if I asked for simple broth. I really really liked it. Fast forward to today -  my husband isn't feeling well and we had some left over homemade chicken broth (from my liquid diet days), lunch meat and celery - so I had the bright idea to make my own Egg Drop Soup! Man, was it delicious!! It was so good - my husband ate it all before I could take a picture for this blog lol!

This will be the very first recipe I made from just grabbing stuff and putting it together! Pretty proud of myself as I'm a stickler for recipes. I will give you the amounts that I used, but please feel free to recreate your own version. I threw in some ham to give it even more protein and the thought of cooked ham with the other ingredients just sounded really yummy to me ;-)

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups Chicken Broth
8oz frozen Corn
3 slices thinly sliced Ham minced
1 Celery stock minced
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 eggs

Combine chicken broth, corn, minced ham, minced celery and soy sauce in a 2 quart pot on medium high. Cook to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes then turn heat to low and let simmer for 1 minute.

In a small bowl beat eggs. When soup is done simmering, turn off heat. Stir broth in one direction with a spoon while slowly pouring in egg. Ribbons will form and soup is done!

Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

This was so easy and really hit the spot with my sick hubby. The addition of corn, ham and celery made this into a thick hearty soup. Oh and you can add any seasonings you'd like too! Our homemade chicken broth was so good (I promise to create a post), we didn't need any but some suggestions are: garlic powder, salt, pepper or maybe even some hot sauce to spice it up a bit.

Have fun with this and make it your own :-)

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

It's getting to be that time of year when all I want to do is bake goodies in the kitchen. Unfortunately most of those goodies aren't healthy for you. So I'm on a mission to create recipes that are healthy, but don't taste "healthy".

These Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies taste just as delicious as the full sugar version but are full of protein without processed flour or sugar! You can use different chocolate chips - regular, dark, mini, etc. You can change the texture by using regular rolled oats instead of oat flour and/or smooth it out by using creamy peanut butter instead of chunky. You can also use all natural no sugar added peanut butter and sugar free chocolate chips to make a sugar free cookie!  It's all based on your personal preference.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter (I like Extra Chunky)
1 Large Egg
1 Egg White
2 Tbsp Applesauce (I used our homemade canned applesauce)
1 heaping scoop Syntrax Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte Protein Powder
1 cup Oat Flour (I grind my own. I prefer a little texture so I don't totally grind to flour consistency, see pic)
1 cup Sugar Substitute of your choice
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips (I prefer dark chocolate)

My oat flour consistency

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (you could line with aluminum foil and non-stick spray but I don't want the added oil).

Microwave peanut butter for 30 seconds so it's easier to mix. In a medium bowl, mix together your peanut butter, egg, egg white, and applesauce until incorporated. In a separate bowl combine the protein powder, oat flour (or regular oats), sugar substitute, salt baking soda and chocolate chips. Combine wet and dry ingredients.

Moisten hands to prevent from sticking and roll cookie dough into balls and place on lined cookie sheet. Use a fork to press a criss-cross pattern into each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Let cookies cool and enjoy!

I had my husband try these before I told him they were healthy and he had no idea! He thinks they're perfect with a nice glass of cold milk. YUM!!

Quick and Easy Homemade White Bread

This bread is so good we no longer buy bread from the store. It's the easiest and quickest bread recipe I've come across. You can have three loaves of delicious white bread in half a day! And that's even after letting it rise three times! We keep one out and freeze the rest till we're ready to use them.

Homemade White Bread

3 cups Warm Water (preferable 105-110 degrees)
3 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
3 tsp salt
4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup white sugar
8 cups Bread Flour

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, salt, oil, sugar, and 4 cups flour. Mix thoroughly and let sponge rise until doubled in size.

Sponge

Sponge after risen

Gradually add about 4 cups flour, kneading until flour is totally incorporated. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn several times to coat. Cover with damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled.

Dough in greased bowl ready to rise a second time.

Punch the dough down, let it rest a few minutes (this is a good time to grease 3 loaf pans).

Dough after being punched down.

Divide dough into three equal parts (mine are never exactly equal as you can see). Shape into loaves, and place in three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch greased loaf pans. Let rise until almost doubled (they double very quickly so check on them often or they'll over flow the loaf pans).

Divided into three greased loaf pans

Dough has doubled (more than doubled as I lost track of time lol). It's ready to bake!

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 45 minutes. The loaves may need to be covered for the last few minutes with foil to prevent excess browning. 

Take bread out of the oven and let cool for aprox 10 minutes. Then take completely out of the pan and put on a baking rack to cool completely.

If you plan on freezing the bread, wait until it's completely cooled before putting into the freezer (I usually wait until the next day to make sure) otherwise you may find the bread gets soggy after you take it out later.

I like to cut a slice while it's still warm and smother it with butter. The butter melts immediately and it's so so so yummy. It reminds me of the bread my mom used to make when I was a kid.

There's nothing like a warm slice of homemade bread. Give it a try - you won't be disappointed :-)

Crunchy Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal No Bake Protein Bars

Whew, now that’s a long name! But these yummy protein bars command a larger, or longer rather lol, than life name to convey their deliciousness. These are by far THE BEST protein bars I've EVER tasted – homemade or store bought. Everything in them is good for you and my husband can attest – unless you know the ingredients and know they’re healthy for you – you’d think it’s more along the lines of a candy bar than a protein bar. No joke folks – these are the best! 

Now in saying that – I feel I must warn you – you've heard of the saying, “everything in moderation” right? Well that goes for these too. Yes they are protein bars, but because they are so scrumdidlyumpcious (sp? Lol) it’s easy to eat them like candy, then before you know it, a good thing turns bad. Booooo! I know right?! It’s sad but true. Too much of a good thing is, well – too much. But hey, I won’t tell if you indulge, as long as you don’t tattle on me either.

Crunchy Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal No Bake Protein Bars

½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1 cup Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter

½ cup Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

½ cup Agave Nectar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 cups Regular Rolled Oats

1 cup Shredded Coconut

4 Heaping Scoops Nectar Sweets Chocolate Truffle Protein Powder

1 ¼ cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper (you can use butter/shortening/cooking spray instead but I prefer not to). If you want thicker bars you can use a smaller pan.

Melt together the peanut butter, coconut oil and agave nectar over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove stirring frequently.

Once melted remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients, stirring until protein powder is fully incorporated and chocolate is completely melted.

Pour into your lined pan. Spread evenly and put into the fridge to harden. After a few hours, or overnight, cut into squares and enjoy! I recommend storing uneaten bars in the fridge or freezer as they become a little mushy at room temp – still absolutely divine though no matter the temperature.

My inspiration for these decadent bars came from Money Saving Mom. I took her recipe, tweaked it a bit and viola – protein bars!

Enjoy!