Happy Holidays from Personal Web Nutrition! This Thanksgiving I made a fantastic gluten free apple crisp and I wanted to share my recipe. It is easy to make, delicious, agave nectar sweetened and of course gluten free. This recipe is a loose adaptation from the celiac chicks apple crisp with cranberries recipe.

Apple Crisp With Raisins or cranberries:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, core and slice the 5-7 organic apples. Grease the casserole dish with canola oil spray. Place the sliced apples in the casserole dish. Pour the lemon juice and vanilla extract over the sliced apples and mix it around for even distribution. Combine the agave nectar,  quinoa flakes, gluten free oatmeal and cinnamon in a bowl. Add in handful of raisins or cranberries, if desired.  Use a spoon or your hands to blend the mixture together to form a firm texture. Place the mixture over the sliced apples. Bake in the oven for 38 minutes or until the topping looks crisp. Enjoy the apple crisp alone or with soy delicious fruit sweetened vanilla frozen dessert.

For more wonderful holiday recipes please contact us at info@personalwebnutrition.com.

Most people are more aware of how much sugar they consume on a regular basis, either by choice or out of medical necessity. Sugar has many negative effects on our bodies including causing our blood glucose levels to spike and dip, which leaves us feeling lethargic, and it is an “empty” food because it lacks any nutrients. One of the first questions people ask is “What can I use for a sweetener when I bake?” Believe it or not, using alternatives to sugar can actually make your favorite recipes taste better.

We all love our sugar, but unfortunately we eat too much of it, sometimes up to 350 calories worth a day! The holidays are about indulgence and therefore I want to share some alternatives to sugar you can use to make your favorite desserts.

Maple syrup – has a rich flavor and has fewer calories and more nutrients than sugar. According to Thomas S. Lee, NMD, a naturopathic physician in Reno, Nevada, “One ounce of pure maple syrup (no sugar added) supplies 22 percent of the daily value for the trace mineral manganese”. It also contains zinc. There are different grades of syrup (based on the color) and most nutritionists recommend the darkest, grade C, because it is less processed.

Fruit juice concentrate – does go through some processing, but it is still made from fruit. Just make sure there is no added sugar as well. The label should read 100 percent fruit juice. Frozen apple juice works well for your favorite recipes.

Agave nectar – extracted from the agave plant. This syrup-like natural sweetener (similar to honey in consistency, although sweeter) is made from the same juice that’s fermented to make tequila. Agave nectar is my personal favorite sweetener because it ranks low on the glycemic index scale (which is extremely important for diabetics). It does not crystallize so it helps keep baked goods moist. You can even substitute it for simple syrup in cocktails such as mojitos. Agave nectar is extremely sweet so you need to convert it as 3/4 cup agave to 1 cup of sugar and also reduce the amount of liquid in your recipe by 1/4 cup.

Date sugar – is made from ground-up dates, making it rich in fiber and other nutrients. This alternative sweetener is quite coarse in consistency which means it does not completely dissolve the way cane sugar does when it is mixed with other ingredients. Date sugar is not a good alternative for coffee, tea, etc. but works well as a brown sugar alternative.

Although these all-natural alternative sweeteners are more nutritious than regular sugar, they still should be used in moderation! The November 2008 issue of Natural Solutions includes more detailed information on the above all-natural alternative sweeteners as well as some wonderful recipes.

Please contact us at info@personalwebnutrition.com for more information on healthy ways to prepare your favorite holiday recipes.

Many of my clients and friends are now paying more attention to how much money they spend eating out. Fast food restaurants are known as “inexpensive” ways to feed yourself and family. The problem is most fast food chains do not offer a lot of healthy options. A couple of months ago New York implemented a law mandating all chain restaurants to post the calorie count of each food in the same size and font as the price. Below are some healthy options available for you and your family at Burger King and McDonald’s.

Burger King:

Fresh apple fries without the caramel dipping sauce, veggie burger without mayo, tendergrill chicken (honey mustard sauce on the side), tendergrill chicken without mayo, chicken club tendergrill salad with dressing on the side and no croutons, garden salad with tendergrill chicken (dressing on the side and no croutons).

McDonald’s:

Hotcakes without syrup or margarine, egg mcmuffin without cheese, apple dippers with low-fat caramel sauce on the side, fruit n’ yogurt parfait with granola (or without), chicken noodle soup, asian salad with grilled chicken (dressing on the side), caesar salad with grilled chicken (dressing on the side and no croutons, if possible), fruit and walnut salad, southwest salad with grilled chicken (dressing on the side) or southwest salad without chicken or dressing, mcveggie burger (no mayo) on wheat bread (bun), grilled chicken breast fillet, chicken fajita, mcchicken sandwich without mayo, premium grilled chicken sandwich, grilled chicken snack wrap (as a meal, not snack), chipotle bbq grilled chicken snack wrap (as a meal, not snack) or ranch grilled chicken snack wrap (as a meal, not snack).

There are other chain restaurants out there, I focused on the two most popular ones. Please contact us at info@personalwebnutrition.com to find out healthy options available at your favorite restaurant(s).