Recipe: Baked Apples with Apple-Cranberry Oatmeal

Or is it?  After all the butter, sugar and other tasty, but evil things that go inside a traditional baked apple, you’re left with yet another unhealthy dessert (or breakfast).  Sad, really, because all that time was just invested in using a healthy cooking method, only to have the ingredients negate the health benefits.  But all those evil ingredients taste so good!  There had to be a way to fix this problem.

Fortunately, there was.  After doing some food math, I decided to swap out the usual brown sugar, butter, raisin & nut filling for a heart-healthy oatmeal filling.  With some spiced apples and tart cranberries mixed in, it was a delicious alternative to the standard baked apple fillings.  Speaking of filling, did I mention one of these little guys will fill you up pretty quickly?  I know oatmeal can be pretty satisfying, but when combined with the whole apple and other fruit, this is the kind of breakfast that will keep you fueled well into lunchtime.

My last note on this one: this is not a difficult recipe filled with uber-expensive ingredients.  It’s just apples and oats, two very simple, humble, inexpensive ingredients.  But after being presented in a unique, aesthetically pleasing way, all of a sudden they’re not just apples and oats – they’ve turned into this lovely dish that just makes you feel good to have in front of you.

A little creativity goes a long way, even if you’re using very basic ingredients.  Which goes to show that eating well doesn’t always have to mean spending a lot on swanky, trendy specialty ingredients.  Making the most of the basics is a more affordable way to go; and sometimes, more enjoyable.