Apple Nachos with Pazazz Apples: The Cancer Fighting Superfood

 Superfoods. We hear this buzz word often, but do we really know what a superfood is? A superfood is a food that has a very high nutritional density. Apples just happen to be a superfood! Did you know that February is National Cancer Awareness Month? HoneyBear Apples wants you to take the Cancer Cruncher Challenge. Keep reading to find out more!!

Did you know that if you eat a cancer protective diet of superfoods, like Pazazz Apples, you can lower your risk of getting cancer? Apple peel is a prebiotic necessary food for probiotics that maintain a healthy gut. Check out this diagram of all the ways an apple a day my just keep that doctor away!

Obviously, we all want to try and be as healthy as possible, but sometimes that pesky sweet tooth just gets in the way! I know I’m guilty of reaching for a non-healthy treat here and there! Pazazz Apples are the Jolly Rancher of apples! They are perfectly sweet and tart, and the Ruby red color helps them stand out in a crowd! And what’s great about Pazazz Apples is that they are at their ripest between December and June! They are in their best season now! Run, don’t walk, to your local Hy-Vee and pick up a few!

So, we’ve discussed that Pazazz Apples are a superfood. They have cancer protective benefits. And they help stave off your sweet tooth! So in an effort to combine all of these pros, I’m bringing you a recipe that helps continue those healthy steps we’re all taking during the month of February! Who doesn’t love a healthy afternoon snack for the kids? A dessert that helps stay you on track. A treat for this weekend’s Big Game tailgate table! If you said yes to all of the above, keep on reading! 

Pazaza Apple Nachos: 

Pazazz Apples 

Peanut Butter (or any nut butter of your choice)

Chocolate Melts (or chocolate chips or chocolate syrup)

Granola

Raisins 

Mini Chocolate Candies

Mini Chocolate Chips

Core and slice your Pazazz apples into thin slices. Arrange your apples around your platter as you would with nacho chips. Pile them high!

In a small bowl melt the peanut butter for 30 second increments until slightly pourable. Do the same thing for the chocolate melts or chips. Place both the peanut butter and chocolate in separate piping bags or snack size ziplock bags. (I used ziplock bags.) Seal tight and snip a tiny corner of the plastic bags. Drizzle each of the peanut butter and chocolate over your apples in a zig-zag pattern. I turned the plate slightly to drizzle my chocolate in an alternate direction of the peanut butter to create a fun pattern! 

Once the apples are covered in both coatings, it’s time to pile on the toppings! I started with the granola, then added the raisins, the mini chocolate chips, and finally the mini chocolate candies. You can also add sliced strawberries and bananas for a fruit salad apple nacho! The granola will add that crunch we all love! The options are endless!

I served these to my family and the boys devoured them! And when I say devoured them, they were gone in under 10 minutes! They loved all the toppings, the chocolate drizzle the most, and I loved that this was a healthier alternative to the cookies and candy I find my son reaching for more often than not. And this was all from ingredients I had on hand. I know that it’s harder to get to the store these days, or not at all if you are limiting your exposure to large groups. And I love that the base is apples and all the add ons are truly what your family loves the most! A must make, in my opinion!

Now, let’s circle back to the Cancer Cruncher Challenge. Want to help contribute to the cause? Launch the Cancer Cruncher Challenge here: https://bit.ly/2I0wR7U. Follow the directions. It’s easy and fun!  And when you participate, Pazazz will donate $1 to The American Institute for Cancer Research to further the fight against this disease! I did it! Check out my photo below!

What are some of the ways you like to eat your apple? Are you a purist and eat it as is? Do you like to add something to it like peanut butter for added protein? Or do you like to bake with them? I do all of the above. Apples! The superfood! 

*This is a sponsored post, but all reviews and recipe are my own.

Easy Weeknight Dinner

Raise your hand if you find yourself asking every morning what to make for dinner? Keep your hand up if you've just come back from a week long vacation, where every meal was made for you, and you didn't miss making dinner every night? Well, I've raised my hand high and this is exactly where I found myself Monday night! I had created a weekly menu, made my grocery list, purchased all the groceries over the weekend, but when it came to making dinner Monday night, I just didn't really want to. And I think that's because I didn't really know what to have. Yes, I just said I created a weekly menu, but sometimes even then it doesn't sound good. So, I provided a couple of ideas to my husband, and he picked one. (He too didn't really care what we had either. No help!) 

When I'm shopping, I usually pick up a few things along the way that could be made into something down the road, and one of my go-to's these days is smoked sausage. I use them in foil packets on the grill or browned alone and then tossed in pasta. But on Monday, I decided to just wing it and make something of my own creation. I don't normally do that. Like ever! I am a recipe follower kind of cook. But, I had a few ingredients on hand, from one of the items on my menu for the week, and just started cooking!

Here's what you'll need! 

I started by heating some olive oil in a skillet and then added half of a diced white onion.

And then I decided it might need a little garlic, so I finely diced one glove. Add more if you're a fan!

I roughly chopped two large tomatoes and added them to the onion and garlic. If your tomatoes are as juicy as mine, that's going to create your sauce. You can always add a splash of chicken or vegetable stock.

I seasoned along the way, with the addition of each ingredient, with salt and pepper. All that Food Network watching pays off!

The main ingredient for this meal was chili lime smoked sausage. Man, was it full of flavor!! Not super spicy either. Just enough to add a punch of flavor.

Add the sausage to the tomato mixture. What's great about any smoked sausage is that it's already cooked! All your really doing is warming it through. I love having one less step!

While shopping from my food pantry, I found a can of Mexican corn. With the sausage having a chili lime base, I thought that the Mexican corn would be a great addition. It already has a spice base with jalapenos and red peppers. And again, you're just warming the corn through. 

While picking up the corn from the pantry, I found a box of corn bread mix and a box of rice. Dinner came together with all of these extras.

This meal came together in less than 30 minutes! I'm like Rachel Ray over here! Honestly, the things that took the longest were the corn bread muffins and rice, each taking 20 minutes. The main dish took 15 at the most! 

To serve it up, add a base of rice and then spoon over the sausage mixture. Place a couple of muffins on the plate and grab yourself your favorite beer! I just happened to have a Corona available and kept with my Mexican theme. 

And there you have it! A week night meal, that took roughly 30 minutes too make, with ingredients that you probably have on hand! (Seriously, I sound like any Food Network host!) It was enough for two night, I love leftovers, and Joel took it for lunch today! When you can get roughly three days out of one meal, and in essence five meals, that's a recipe to keep on hand! Even if you made it up!

XO,

Andrea

All Those Apples

So after you go apple picking, you find yourself with a lot of apples! Then you start thinking, what am I going to do with all of those apples? And then you start thinking, I'm going to have to peel and slice most, if not all of them, and that's so time consuming. I still haven't finished that task!

Last week I decided to make cooked apples as a side for our dinner. There's nothing like pork chops and cooked apples. Anyone out there remember The Brady Bunch episode where Peter was a detective and he kept saying "porch chops and applesauce?" Even the writers knew the pairing was a hit. However, I wasn't going to be home in time to actually cook the apples like I normally would so I decided to take it to the grill. Joel was going to grill the chops anyway, so why not get all the dinner on it!

I washed, peeled, and sliced about five apples. You can use more or less depending on the size of your apples. And I used Granny Smith. I think they are the best for cooking and baking. Oh, and let's be honest, I didn't actually slice them. I used my handy slice and coring tool. It's the best tool in my drawer! 

From there, I threw handfuls of apples onto two pieces of aluminum foil. I eyeballed all of the added ingredients which consisted of brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. I then added a couple of pads of butter to each bundle.

Then just wrap them up and place in the fridge until you need them.

I would have loved to show you an after photo, but due to some miscommunication between me and the hubs, the apples never made it to the grill! He thought he I said that he only needed to grill the chops when he asked if there was something he needed to do to the apples. My response to that was, no just grill them. Not sure where the breakdown came from, but he grilled them after dinner and then took some for lunch with the leftovers. I forgot to ask him if they were any good!

I'm going to be sharing my apple recipes so you too can have ideas for all the ways to use your apples, especially before they spoil. Tonight, I think it's either an apple crisp or an apple shortbread bar! 

As they saying goes, "An apple a day."

XO,

Andrea

Perfect Sweet Tea and the Adult Arnold Palmer

Sweet Tea is often referred to as the House Wine of the South. And it's so true. When we head back to East Tennessee, you never have to asked for sweet tea. You have to inform the wait staff that you want un-sweetened tea. And I love that sweet tea is making it's way to the Midwest. You still have to ask for it, but it's becoming easier to find. So happy!

My mom and I make sweet tea every time we make tea, however my dad is not a fan. My husband never touches it. That just means there's more of us! So when we started our week at the river, we kicked it off with making sweet tea for the week. But, I happened to take a bottle of Citrus Vodka on the trip. I had big plans for this special bottle. I knew there would be a time during the trip that I would be in need for a Mama Drink! What's a Mama Drink you might ask? Sometime it's something from Starbucks. Other times, it's a little bit of alcohol. At home, I find that I drink beer and wine, but I've been experimenting with mixed drinks. 

I mentioned on my previous blog, Style My Way, that I am not a typical cocktail drinker. In fact, I don't drink cocktails at all. Unless they come with a ton of fruit and an umbrella. And around this time last year, I started playing around with various forms of alcohol to make, and find, the best mixed drink for me. And I will bring you those recipes as they unfold.

But let's start with the Adult Arnold Palmer. You first have to start with the perfect sweet tea. This recipe comes from my cousin Kenneth. And it's good! Place six individual tea bags, or three family size, in a kettle with a cup of sugar. Add six cups of cold water to that and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Add six cups of cold water to a pitcher, remove the steeped tea bags, and add the tea to the cold water. Add ice and stir. 

And if that wasn't easy enough, the Arnold Palmer versions is simplistic! You fill glasses with ice, how cute are these ball jar glasses, and pour in some tea, leaving room for the vodka. Add a jigger, or cap full in our case (or more to taste) and stir. I added lemon slices for garnish and prettiness. And, they add just another hint of lemon to your drink. And that's it!! Sip and repeat!

A great place to sip tea is on the porch and that's where I sipped it several times during the week. How great does it look on my rusted out bar cart?! I can't wait to get to work on this guy. He's going to be a labor of love. I will definitely share all the progress along the way.

Let me know if you decided to try both recipes and let me know your thoughts? I love sharing tips and tricks! 

XO,

Andrea