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Jazz Apples and Walking at Home

I think I have a new favorite apple: Jazz apples.

The other day I had mentioned that I like Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Gala apples. Jazz is a hybrid of Fuji and Braeburn. They were on sale at Whole Foods for $1.99/pound and I picked up a few for tasting.

They are crispy and have just the right amount of sweetness. I think they are the perfect apples. I would not use these to make homemade applesauce – I use lower quality apples for that (like a plain Braeburn, or apples that have gotten mealy).

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Another new thing I tried was a new (free) workout video from ExerciseTV: Start Walking 2 Mile by Leslie Sansone (it’s on Amazon, too). It’s a 32 minute workout that is supposedly equivalent to a 2-mile walk. I think I believe it – I got my heart rate up and was sweating/panting a bit in the middle.

Leslie is a great instructor – she is fun and funny. She takes you through a basic walk, some kicks, sidesteps, kickbacks (hamstring curls), knee lifts, and probably a few more that I’m forgetting.

Walking posts:

Walking is my absolute favorite exercise (even more than yoga for me) and this video delivered. I can’t really walk outside at the moment because New York is freezing. It could rival Ithaca in terms of temperature and misery for the last couple of weeks.

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What’s your favorite spring thing to do?

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Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce Recipe

I made unsweetened applesauce the other day. This recipe turned out to be simple and quick – and very healthy. It’s low calorie, and has just 3 ingredients. Applesauce is great as a snack, a baby/toddler food, or even dessert.

A few days ago I bought a bunch of apples, because I love apples. Unfortunately they turned out to be a little bit mealy. I like apples crisp, don’t you? Fuji and Honeycrisp are probably my favorites. Galas are good too. These were supposed to be Fuji but I think they were past their prime. In any case, I needed a way to use them up.

So I made homemade unsweetened applesauce. It turned out to be super-sweet even though it has no added sweetener – just the way I like it!

Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce Recipe

Ingredients

  • 5-6 apples, chopped in fourths
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

  1. Add chopped apples and water to a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil and let the apples boil for about 10 minutes.
  2. Some apples may start to lose their skin. You can remove it if you like, and eat it for added fiber.

    Mmmm…. Fiber.

  3. Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix it around.
  4. Turn the heat down to low, leave the top off the pan, and simmer/low-boil for another 30 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat. Let the apples cool. If you don’t want the skin, you can peel it off once the apples are cool enough. I suggest leaving it on because I didn’t notice any odd flavor or texture from it.
  6. Puree the apple pieces + leftover water (there shouldn’t be that much) + skins (optional) in a food processor. They should blend easily and turn right into the perfect applesauce consistency.
  7. Eat the homemade unsweetened applesauce!

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I use applesauce for cooking all the time. Here are some of my favorite recipes that use applesauce.

Do you like unsweetened applesauce? Have you ever made an unsweetened applesauce recipe from scratch?

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Weekend Link Love – 01.08.2011

Workout Love

  • I just did Crunch: Fat Burning Dance Party. Jennifer Galardi is one of my favorites! She has a great body – lean and toned – which is motivating, and she’s really energetic. Her routines are fun and the time flies. This video was 40 minutes long and it’s free if you have Netflix streaming.
  • I am about to do Yoga for Buns #1. This is podcast #9 from the Yogadownload podcast. Only… 40 more to go. I have done a lot of them in the last few years but I thought it would be fun to go from the beginning and do them all in order. I don’t remember if I have done this one before. It sounds painful. (20 minutes)
  • More of my Netflix favorites can be found here. And yoga faves are here.

Food Love

Other stuff I love.

Happy Weekend 🙂 What are your plans?

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Yoga Inspiration #1

“Yoga is serenity.”

–Bhagavad Gita (400 – 300 B.C.E.)

The Bhagavad Gita (or just Gita) is a sacred Hindu scripture – essentially a summary of Hinduism and a guide for (Hindu) life. I have never read it, but I like its definition of yoga. This phrase reminds me that simplicity is usually the best answer. The serenity and peace I feel on my mat should be present in the rest of my life as well.

Today’s yoga (I try to do a short session almost every day) was a 20 minute podcast from YogaDownload called Hip Opening Flow #2. I started working my way through every 20 minute podcast they have online (they start way back in April 2007) last week and I am on the fifth one now. This should take me a while as I don’t plan on doing more than one new one each day. The Hip Opening Flow #2 was quite peaceful and calm (serene) but decimated my hips. I hold tension in my hips. Do you? Apparently it is a common place to hold anxiety and negative emotions.

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What is your definition of yoga? Where do you hold your stress?

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Hot Cold Salad Recipe

Hot-Cold Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 2 cups of chopped parsnips, turnips, rutabega (Trader Joe’s)
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 cup chopped broccoli (frozen, TJ’s)
  • 1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey (2-3 teaspoons each)
  • romaine lettuce and spinach base
  • your favorite dressing (optional)

Method

  1. Heat ghee in a wok over high heat. Add the chopped root veggies and the grated ginger. Saute until they start to brown, then add the water.
  2. Let the water cook down and evaporate. Add the broccoli, sesame seeds, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey.
  3. Cook until the broccoli is done.
  4. Let cool slightly and serve atop fresh salad greens. I added bragg’s liquid aminos and Trader Joe’s raspberry dressing.

The concept of this salad is pretty simple and you can swap out the veggies for ones you like or have on hand.

This is a great way to get salads in during the winter when it’s chilly and you’re craving something warm.