The best apple pie ever. Seriously

So I skipped prep and decided to just get the basics and make an apple pie, which I haven’t actually done in a pretty long time. Now this recipe utilizes the amazing and magical properties of CAST IRON! Cast iron is a beautiful way to cook and clean up is always a breeze, because all you do is rinse with hot water, dry, and wipe down with oil. It’s naturally non-stick, and adds a dash of iron into your food when you cook with it (ladies naturally need more iron in their diets), and it’s heavy enough to be used as a weapon during a breaking and entering. You can fry chicken, sear a steak, and make the best damn apple pie you will ever taste. Trust me. 

The best cast iron apple pie ever

3 large Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced 

3 large Braeburn apples peeled and sliced 

3/4C. White sugar

Pinch of salt 

1 tbsp. apple pie seasoning (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) 

3 tbsp flour 

1 stick unsalted butter

1C. Brown sugar

1 pkg of 2 refrigerated pie crusts 

1 egg white

2tsp water 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

2. Toss apples in white sugar and a pinch of salt, place in a colander over a bowl and allow to drain for 1 hour, save the liquid. 

2. After apples are drained place liquid in a small saucepan and reduce by half 5-10 minutes, allow to cool. 

3. Toss drained apples in flour and apple pie spice, drizzle cooled reduced apple pie liquid over apples and toss again.

4. Heat butter in cast iron skillet over medium heat, add brown sugar and cook for about 2 minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

5. Lay first layer of pie crust over top the brown sugar mixture, then arrange the apples slightly overlapping around the bottom of the crust. Make sure to pour any liquid left in the bowl over top. Add second pie crust over top, cutting 4 slits in the top to allow steam to escape. 

6. Whip egg white and water with a fork until foamy, brush over the entire crust to create a light glaze, then sprinkle with about 2 tsp. white sugar.  

7. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, checking periodically for browning (you can cover with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning as needed) I turn my pie at 35 minutes to ensure even browning.

8. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes (seriously, no touching! This is important! If you cut it hot, all that juice will run everywhere, if you let it cool that juice has a time to set and hold everything in nice slices) 

As the old saying goes, “to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe” -Carl Sagan

The real MPP 

Tired princess

No meal prep this week due to the Easter holiday, and the princess needs a break! After a lovely lunch with my absolutely amazing family (seriously love them!) I did manage a trip to the store for some staples to make it through the week prep free. I always pick up fresh fruit like apples and bananas, berries if they are fresh and good looking. Baby carrots for out of hand eating, whole grain bread and lunch meats for sandwhiches, packages of tuna, eggs, milk, cereal, yougert, and soup for the hubby (he’s sick 🙁) it is still possible to eat well even without prepping (though there might be a few more trips to the grocery store mid week). 

Tomorrow is all fun though! My dearest friend and fellow culinary badass are going hunting for morel mushrooms tomorrow!!! These babies are prized! They can not be grown on mushroom farms, and have a very limited window in spring when they appear. They are so so so delicious, woodsy, earthy, rich, and just so full of deep flavor. Simply fried in butter is like visiting heaven. Hopefully we can find some tomorrow, but if not we will keep searching until we hit the mother load! So I need to get some extra sleep for tomorrow I am going to be lacing up my hiking shoes and putting some extra miles on them! 

Happy (late) Easter! 

The meal prep princess 

(Pic unrelated, just being a goober) 

Slow simmered pasta sauce

It’s prep Sunday again!! So you know what that means, recipe time!!!! I love pasta, but what I love even more is a slow simmered sauce full of rich developed flavors. I have a sauce here that is built off of Marcella Hazan’s original recipe which calls for butter instead of the traditional olive oil, and trust me when I say don’t wuss out and use olive oil (it’s okay to have a little butter when you are eating clean and healthy).

But. I decided to add some different elements to my sauce instead of the simple butter, onion, salt, tomato recipe. 

Here’s mine, and trust me it’s soooo worth the wait!

Slow simmered tomato sauce 

4 big cans peeled plum tomatos 

1 whole head roasted garlic (directions below) 

1C white wine 

5tbsp butter

1 onion sliced in half, peel/paper removed

2tsp white sugar  

2tbsp. Fresh basil 

Salt and pepper to taste 

(1lb ground chuck browned if you want to make meat sauce, which is what I did) 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees 

2. Take your bulb of garlic and slice right across the top with the paper still on. Drizzle bulb with olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for 2 hours. Remove, allow to cool, squeeze the guts out of it and set aside. 

3. Melt butter in large pot over medium low heat, add roasted garlic and allow to become fragment for about 2 minutes.

4. Add the white wine and the onion and reduce for about 7 minutes. 

5. Add tomatos with their juices and simmer on low for 4 hours. 

6. Season to taste and add fresh basil right before tossing your favorite pasta in this magical sauce. 

*freezes well 

*keeps in the fridge for 1 week

Perfect for my prep meal strategy this week!

Enjoy! 

The meal prep princess 

Baked oatmeal cups

I finally had a day off today!!!! So instead of doing nothing all day I wanted to make a new recipe. Breakfast is the hardest meal for me, most days its just a cup of coffee and I’m out the door on to the next activity. I need something filling, tasty, and something I can eat one handed. I decided to browse some recipes and baked oatmeal seems to be pretty popular amongst the diet community lately. It’s a pretty straight forward concept, make oatmeal and bake…well sort of… after a lot of experimenting today I think I have created a recipe that I can make time and time again. One part breakfast, one part cookie, one part muffin, all parts delicious! 

I actually made 3 different kinds from my base recipe, raspberry chocolate, peanut butter chocolate chip, and cinnamon apple strudel. I will post the base recipe, then the steps on how to flavor it 🙂 good luck! 

Baked Oatmeal Cups

1 egg

1/2C unsweetened applesauce 

1/4C raw honey 

1/8C chia seeds (it’s like 2 bucks a bag, just buy it. It’s so good for you and you won’t even know it’s there) 

1 banana 

1 1/4C. Milk (I use 2%) 

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

Pinch salt 

2 teasooons vanilla extract 

2 1/2C old fashioned oats

For peanut butter chocolate chip

3-4 tablespoons peanut butter powder 

4 tablespoons Cacao nibs (6 bucks a bag, superfood, will last you for awhile, little goes a long way) 

3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips 

For apple cinnamon 

1 green apple, peeled and diced 

1 tablespoon cinnamon 

For raspberry chocolate 

1/2 cup chopped raspberries

3 tablespoons cacao nibs 

4tbsp mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease the cups of a muffin tin and set aside.

Smash banana as fine as possible, whisk in egg, milk, applesauce, honey, vanilla, and chia seeds. 

Add oats and baking powder

Add your choice of mix ins and sit for 5 minutes before scooping into greased tins and baking for 30-35 minutes or until browned and centers are set. 

Remove from pan and allow to cool before turning out. 

These freeze beautifully and can be eaten warmed in the microwave, room temperature, or cold. Perfect with your morning coffee 😉

Seriously, these are so good. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and experiment with mix ins. Nuts and seeds, dried fruit, anything you can really think of. 

Have a happy breakfast 

The meal prep princess 

What the hell is BMR?

Honestly, I hate the word “diet” when 9/10 times it is a full lifestyle change. Americans are so caught up in the “quick fix” diet culture that most people can’t see the root of the problem. 

Sorry guys but shitty diets are almost always the problem (apart from lack of exercise). Look at not only what we eat but how much of it we are eating. When was the last time you can honestly say you counted out a single serving of potato chips (about 12 chips)? Before I began my lifestyle change I would sit and eat half a bag of potato chips while watching Netflix and not even bat an eyelash. But then I really looked at how many calories I was actually consuming on something that I would consider a snack. 500 or more whopping calories in one go….. it is pretty widely known that 2,000-2,500 calories is recommended per day….. that is wrong over half the time. A woman who is a 5ft tall and sits at a desk job, doesn’t need as many calories as someone who is say is a 6ft waitress . That’s where BMR comes into play.

BMR stands for base metabolic rate, which is the amount of calories you need just to keep you alive if you were bedridden. This number changes based on age and height. Then you add on an activity factor (not active, mildly active, very active) here is mine as an example:

(For women) 655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years) 

(For men) 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years) 

So….

655 + (4.35 x 130) + (4.7 x 65) – (4.7 x 26) = 1404 calories (rounded up) 

But… 

if you go to bmi-calculator.net and choose BMR you can just punch in the numbers without all the extra work!  

Then you would consider your activity factor, which is how active you are (now be honest with yourself or this will get you nowhere) 

Sedentary: BMR x 1.2 

Lightly active: BMR x 1.375

Moderately active: BMR x 1.55 

Very active: BMR x 1.725 

With my active job and lifestyle my activity factor is considered moderately active which means to maintain my weight I need to consume about 2100 calories per day (not as many as you would think right?) 

To loose 1lb a week you would have to reduce your calories by 500 per day which is a healthy for weight loss. To lose 1lb you need to burn through 3,500 calories per week by reducing your calorie intake or burning the extra off at the gym or doing another activity. 

With that said, never eat under your BMR!!! I don’t care how tempting fast weight loss seems, your body will go into “starvation mode” which means it will hold onto every single calorie it can because your body doesn’t know when it is going to get fuel again. Plus, it is unhealthy and can lead to a potentially life threatening eating disorder. Love yourself first and foremost always! If you don’t need to lose weight then you should eat the same amount of calories in healthier options (you end up getting to eat more in quantity and quality) 

I know this is a lot of math, but a simple google search can lead you in the right direction. I love the myfitnesspal app for my iPhone, it does all of this math for you and it helps you not only keep track of things like calories (you can even add your own recipes to calculate calories per serving which I LOVE) it also tracks your steps, progress, and you can add friends and be a part of a very supportive fitness and healthy lifestyle community. Support for a lifestyle change is so very important! 

Eating healthy isn’t a punishment, being healthy shouldn’t be torture. Lifestyle changes like these should be a journey of self discovery, self love, as well as giving you the opportunity to experiment with new foods and expand your culinary horizon. You never know if you don’t like something if you don’t try it! Just because you didn’t like broccoli when you were 10 doesn’t mean you won’t like it as an adult, your tastebuds mature right along with you. Give new food a chance and give yourself a chance to be the healthiest version of yourself not only physically but mentally as well.  

Eat well, be well, and cook fearlessly! 

The meal prep princess 

Spinach feta turkey burgers with cucumber dill tetziki

Okay, for those who don’t know me I absolutely LOVE cheeseburgers, they are legit my favorite food! I have a recipe that will just knock your socks off, trust me you won’t even miss the beef. 

Spinach feta turkey burgers 

2lbs ground turkey 

2 eggs

10oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of all excess moisture 

4 oz crumbled feta cheese 

1 tsp salt 

1tsp pepper

1 tsp fresh lemon juice 

2 cloves minced garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Combine all ingredients, form into 6-8 patties and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes 

Heat skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom. Brown turkey burgers for 2-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Place into another parchment lined sheet tray and bake for 7-8 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (this is important! All poultry must be cooked to 165 to kill all pathogens, no medium rare burgers here please!) 

Allow to rest for 5 minutes for maximum juiciness. Serve with cucumber tetziki sauce! 

295 calories: 16g fat: 2g carb: 31g protein 

(No bun) 

Cucumber dill tetziki sauce 

2 cucumbers peeled, seeds removed, and medium diced 

1C plain Greek yogurt 

2tbsp fresh chopped dill 

Juice of 1/2 lemon 

1 clove garlic minced 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Toss cucumbers in about 2 tsp salt and pour into a colander, allow to drain for 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels.

Add the rest of the ingredients and season to taste. Serve cold with those yummy turkey burgers!   

37 calories: 2g fat: 3g carb: 4g protein 

*all calorie calculations were done using myfitnesspal app on a per serving basis* 

I hope you love these as much as I do! Happy grilling! 

The meal prep princess 

Meal prep Sunday!

Guess what day it is!? It’s prep day prep day prep day! I have some seriously lovely items on my menu today, so healthful and delicious, perfect to kick off spring weather (you know freeze in the morning, heatstroke by noon, snow by 8pm) 

1) spinach salad: fresh spinach, blanched asparagus, sliced strawberries, blueberries, sliced almonds, feta crumbles, and some grilled chicken. Gotta have a good salad for the week ahead ❤️! 

2) vegan chili: packed with veggies and beans! Trust me, I won’t be hungry after eating a bowl of this with some fresh cornbread (I freaking love cornbread)

3) spinach feta turkey burger with cucumber dill tatziki sauce: the most perfect alternative to a beef burger. This is so packed with flavor you won’t even notice the beef is missinf! I will be posting this recipe ASAP! 

4) tons of fresh fruit: watermelon, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, cantaloupe, and grapes. Perfect for snacking anytime! 

Hope your prep Sunday was full of delicious food, friends, and sunshine! 

The meal prep princess 

Why diets fail

Today I want to touch on an important topic that seems to be buzzing all through my social media pages. The dreaded “get your summer body diet!” Ugh *insert serious eye roll* I have seen articles boasting the successes of drinking apple cider vinegar every morning, ketosis, the military diet, beach body diet, it works! (No it doesn’t). I swear there is a pill, shake, wrap, quick fix solution for everything. Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but weight loss isn’t a “quick fix” it’s not a “3 day miricle detox diet” or my favorite “loose 10lbs your first week!”. No. No. No. No. NO!  

We will discuss BMI, BMR, and calories in another installment but healthy weight loss is 1-2lbs a week, 1lb = 3500 calories that have to be burned off to loose just 1lb. 

The biggest reason diets fail is because people set the bar wayyyyy to high and set unrealistic goals. A goal of “I’m going to run 5 miles a day” isn’t a great beginner goal, because after the first few days they get tired, give up and are back to square 1 all over again. Make a realistic obtainable short term goal this is a goal that can be achieved within 1 year, for example “I will only have fast food once a week” or “I will do 30 minutes of exercise 3 days a week” or “I will only get a fancy coffee drink on Sunday, and drink regular black coffee (or with half and half if you are me) the rest of the week” those are easily obtainable goals that even a beginner can accomplish and feel good about accomplishing. Weight loss and good health are all about baby steps and climbing the ladder to success. 

Once you have your short term goals figured out, set yourself a long term goal which is something that is accomplished in the long term, not next week or even this year. For example “I will loose 20lbs this year (short term) and I will maintain and keep it off by eating healthy and exercising regularly (long term goal)” 

Diets also tend to fail because people get into this mindset of “oh I can’t eat anything good anymore” eating healthy is not a punishment! We as Americans are addicted to food that is seriously not meant to be eaten! As I said in “how it all began” I used to eat a lot of fast food, then I started eating clean and the first few weeks I really really wanted to hit up the drive through because “I deserve it” but I maintained my willpower to achieve my short term goals and after 2 months I no longer wanted that kind of food. Trust me, after a few weeks of eating what humans were made to eat fast food won’t taste good, it won’t taste right anymore. Keep the faith and believe in yourself above all things, you deserve more than eating out of a paper bag. 

Slip ups are bound to happen, we are all human and we all make mistakes. Another reason diets fail is because one little dietary misstep or a skipped gym day leads to “I’m just a failure, I can’t do anything right, I might as well give up” don’t give up!!!! Tomorrow is a brand new day and a day to get back on track, never give up just because of one bad day or even a bad weekend. You can do anything you set your mind to. I promise over time things will get easier. 

Believe in yourself, love yourself, and don’t give up! Remember, it’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle change. 

Love

The meal prep princess 

Meal prep basics part 2

Okay, you survived meal prep basics part 1. Welcome to meal prep basics part 2! So you have all of your fresh delicious food ingredients in your fridge, now what? Let’s get cooking of course! 

The most important part of meal prepping is following S.O.S which stands for “sanitation, organization, and safety” first off you want to completely sanitize all food surfaces with a spray or Lysol wipe, empty the sink of all dishes and give that a good wipe down, make sure your dishwasher is empty (trust me you will be filling it up by the end of this) keep your Lysol wipes handy and nearby for cleaning up after preparing raw poultry, beef, fish, and pork. 

Organize yourself accordingly, I take my largest bowl I own and put a grocery bag liner in it and that becomes my garbage bowl, keep it nearby for handy disposal. Prep all your fruits and vegetables first, chop everything for a stir fry, wash and thoroughly dry all salad mix, fruits and veggies. Box up your fresh fruit snacks or veggie snacks. Next I prepare my starches like rice and quinoa, I cook them according to the recipe I am using, then I spread them on lined sheet trays to cool in the refrigerator. Once that’s done I move on to protein items, I cut, clean and cook all my chicken breast at once (unless it’s for a specific recipe) same with beef and pork. Stick to the recipe!!!! 

Now safety, this is where it gets just a touch complicated. Foods if not eaten right away have to be cooled as fast as possible to avoid too much time in “the temperature danger zone” which is the ideal temperature for bacteria to grow this range is 41-135 degrees F. With that in mind, don’t leave things to cool at room temperature if you can help it. Take your chicken off the hot pan and put it in the cooler right away, for soups, stews, and chilis take the pot and submerge it in a sink full of ice water, stir every few minutes until cold (replenishing ice as needed) then portion, cover, and refrigerate. If things are still a little warm after they are portioned, leave the lid cracked to allow steam and heat to escape. Use a separate knife and cutting board for all raw meat, do NOT flip the cutting board over to cut veggies on, that is how salmonella happens. Completely wipe the space with a Lysol wipe and get out a clean knife and cutting board before moving on. 

Reheating is pretty self explanatory, microwave, throw in a pan, and heat well… 

Congratulations! With these simple tricks and tips YOU are now ready to begin meal prepping like a pro!! I believe in you, you can do it! Now there are no extra dishes to wash during the week, no more running out on lunch break for a cheap gross fast food burger, make all your friends and family jealous with all your fabulous and tasty food and the best of all? You get to eat a HEALTHY well balanced meal every single day, snacks included! What’s not to love? 

Cook fearlessly! 

The meal prep princess