It's a steadily drippy, rainy kind of day today. My very favorite. With the rush of the holidays now past, I feel I am finally able to settle into the cold, gray blanket of winter. I daresay I've enjoyed this winter more than any other, which I attribute to the intentional steps I've taken to nurture and care for myself and my home. Knowing the darker side of winter, and how easy it is to fall into gloom or depression, I've steadily focused on listening to my body and giving it the rest and nourishment and kindness that it needs. It's a new approach for me, and it seems to be working.
One of my favorite snacks of late is baked cinnamon apples. It fills the home with a delicious aroma and fills my tummy with warm, naturally sweet good
ness. It hardly takes any more time than eating an apple itself, but is infinitely more nourishing because of it's warm inviting presence in the home and in my body!
The recipe is simple, and there are endless variations (sometimes I like to add pecans), but my current favorite is as follows (serves 1):
- 1 apple, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- raisins, to taste
- Smidge of water
- Lemon juice, optional
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Spread the raisins in the bottom of a loaf pan, with a little bit of water (so that they plump when you cook them and they don't scorch or burn).
- Spread apples evenly over the top.
- Sprinkle cinnamon and dollops of coconut oil over the top, no need to mix.
- You can add a dash of lemon juice if you have it to brighten up the dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes. (Test apple-doneness with a fork and do more or less time depending on how soft or crunchy you like your baked apples).
- Give it a quick toss after you pull it out, to coat everything evenly with the coconut oil/cinnamon 'glaze.'
It's healthy, it's warm, it's delicious, it's what rainy days were made for!