With the harried life that so many people are living nowadays, homemade cooking often falls by the wayside. All you have to do is glance at the grocery store shelves to see that you can buy everything from lasagna to a roasted chicken already prepared for you. And while it may save you time to buy these items, you also potentially expose yourself to a whole lot of ingredients that aren’t necessary and might not be good for you.
The one that always surprises me is finding high fructose corn syrup in pre-packaged applesauce. Applesauce is one of the simplest foods to make, and even though you can find pre-packaged organic versions of it that don’t have all the junk in them, there’s really no reason not to make it yourself as it requires only two ingredients, not much effort, and it tastes so much better than its store-bought counterparts. Here’s a simple homemade applesauce recipe you can make without the junk.
Ingredients
12 organic apples (Gala, Paula Reds, McIntosh, Fuji, and Golden Delicious are all good varieties for applesauce)
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon organic ground cinnamon (optional)
Read more about the health benefits of organic apples
Directions
Peel and core all of the apples and cut them into pieces (about one-inch square). Place the apples in a two-quart pot and add the water. Place the pot over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The apples will begin to get mushy and break down, and they will almost start a slow boil. Don’t be alarmed if it gets foamy at this point. Once the apples reach the desired consistency, remove from heat and stir. Add cinnamon if desired (I recommend this as it’s an easy way to get the many health benefits of cinnamon) and stir until well blended. Let applesauce cool and serve (or store in refrigerator).
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Image at top of page via Migle
