Your ‘Apple a Day’ Made Fun

By: Kelli George

We have all heard that ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, right? Apples are delicious, but sometimes we get tired of eating the same foods all the time. I am always looking for new ways to switch up the way I fix my healthy fruits and vegetables to make them even more appealing. 

One of my favorite healthy snacks is a play on the typical apple and peanut butter combination. Instead of just an apple with peanut butter spread on it, you also top the apple slices with some granola and dark chocolate chips! Eating the whole apple with the peanut butter, granola, and chocolate chips provides nearly ½ of the recommended daily protein intake for most adults (0.8-1 gram per kilogram of body weight). That’s almost half of your protein needs in one snack! I personally use dry oatmeal as my granola choice, but you can always have fun with it and add some flavored granola, mixed nuts, or any other topping that appeals to you.

Not only is this snack packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats, but as an added bonus it is so much more filling than simply eating a plain apple.  

I think the most common theme here is finding snacks that are healthy yet tasty! Here are some other great ways to switch up your apple snacking:

• Pair an apple with your favorite cheese 
• Sprinkle some cinnamon on thin slices of apple, and bake at 225° for 45-60 minutes to make crunchy apple chips 
• Dice your apple and mix with your other favorite fruits to make a refreshing fruit salad

Remember to experiment with different apple varieties! Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples are delightful, but have you every tried a Gala, Pink Lady, or Fuji apples? Many grocery stores stock many other varieties that change year round, so take a step outside of your apple comfort zone and try variety that is new to you!