Apple Crisp - Eating With Liz 2014

Liz’s Apple Crisp

8 apples - peeled, cored, sliced – Good choices: Cortlands, Jonathan, Jonagold, Pippin, Gravenstein, Braeburn, Fuji and Pink Lady Apples (Use one kind or mix them.)

2 TBSP Butter for greasing pan

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup water

Topping:

1 cup sugar (white or brown, or a combination thereof)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

½ cup Oatmeal

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter cut in small pieces

·         Preheat oven 350 F

·         Make Topping First - Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Add butter. With a pastry blender or your fingers, rub butter into other ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

·         Butter a 1½ quart baking dish, and spread the apples in it. Set aside.

·         Melt ½ cup butter in a sauce pan. Once butter is melted stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.

·         Gently pour the caramel liquid over the apples.

·         Spread mixture evenly over apples

·         Bake 30 minutes or until the crust is browned.

*  I also like to make large quantities of the topping, minus the butter, and store it in a jar for later use. That way I can make a small batch when I feel like it. Just add butter.

Where has Liz been hiding?

I've been eating 1200 calories a day since November 2013. I have lost 33 lbs.

Some days I find it difficult to eat 1200 calories a day and hardly ever go over.

I eat a lot of veggies and lean meats. I avoid breads and starches. I feel like I eat all day and I'm still far short of 1200 calories.

You need to reassess WHAT you're eating instead of how many calories you are eating.

Brown Rice has less calories than white rice and makes you feel fuller longer.

Quinoa is full of fiber and protein so you can avoid more meats and eat a quinoa stir fry instead.

Coconut oil is a healthy fat that is better for you than vegetable oil. So is Olive Oil.

Eat more raw veggies and less cooked.

Have a Green veggie with each meal. i.e. A green smoothie for breakfast. Snack on Celery. have a nice salad for lunch. 3oz of chicken for dinner with a side salad.

Check the calories in your sauces and dressings. Cut out what is unnecessary. I no longer use mayo, catsup, bbq sauce. it's no necessary if you know how to use spices correctly in your foods.

Avoid pre-made mixes. They usually have hidden sugars that you don't need and added calories. Make your own spice mixes from natural spices. You can find recipes for them on line just google search. Homemade spice mixes taste better anyway.

There are so many ways to cut out calories and stay below 1200 a day. You just have to really want it and really think about what is going in your mouth before you eat it.

Colgate® Optic White™ Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen

I got a VoxBox from Influenster and they provided me with a fancy Colgate® Optic White™ Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen.
What's funny about this is that I had actually thought about buying one before I got the box. Bonus for me I guess.
This product was sent to me free of charge by Influenster for testing purposes... The following is my own opinion.
What do I think of the Colgate® Optic White™ Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen?
Meh.
The toothbrush feels rather flimsy. Not really the highest quality. I feel like if I'm too rough with it that it week just snap in half. Even adding the pen to the base doesn't add a while lot of extra stability.
The whitening gel pen is less than impressive. It says 2 clicks and you have the appropriate amount of goo for your teeth. I highly doubt this. I use 3 clicks.
The gel doesn't spread well. It glops and schemers across your teeth in a unpleasant manor. It also makes me drool like crazy. You're supposed to leave the gel on your teeth with no rinsing. I'm skeptical about this because of all the drool. But I guess some must have stayed on my teeth because they did get a little whiter. Would I by this product again? Probably not. I do like the Colgate® Optic White™ Toothpaste that was included in my VoxBox... Minus the mint flavor. I hate mint flavored toothpaste. I do have a bunch of coupons for the Colgate® Optic White™ Toothbrush + Built-In Whitening Pen if anyone would like to give it a try. Just let me know.