Low-Calorie Apple Recipes

Even though an apple a day might not exactly keep the doctor away, eating apples along with other nutritious fruits can offer many health benefits. Apples can be turned into countless dishes – pies, smoothies, bars, sauces, spreads, and more – that people from coast to coast just can’t seem to get enough.

Apples help your digestive system function correctly with its main fiber, pectin. Pectin moderates your digestion by bonding with the water in your intestinal tract to form a gel. Together with malic acid, which is abundant in apples, pectin creates a powerful digestive aid that helps waste material glide through your gut, beating out any probiotic drink you can buy from a store.

A balanced diet can help prevent some of the many lifestyle diseases brought on by not eating enough fruits and vegetables. Consult an expert from MediPlan Diet Services today to find out how eating healthy can be fun and delectable.

Here are some recipes for healthy dishes that feature apples:

Simple Baked Apples

For this recipe, you would need:

• 2 apples (cut in half)
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (ground)
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg (ground)
• 1 tablespoon of melted butter
• 1/3 cup of apple juice
• Ice cream or yogurt (optional)

Here are the steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove the core and seeds from the two apples, and place the apples in a baking dish.
3. Mix butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a separate bowl.
4. Pour apple juice in the baking dish, and place the sugar mixture on top of the apples.
5. Bake for 40 minutes.
6. Serve warm, with an optional dollop of ice cream, yogurt, or whipped cream on top.

Every apple half would contain only about 116 calories. Three grams of those are fiber.

Yogurt and Apple Pie Parfait

For this recipe, you would need:

• 1 cup of chopped apples
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 packet of stevia or Equal
• ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon (ground)
• ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt
• 1 graham cracker (crushed)
• Salt

Here are the steps:

1. Dissolve the cornstarch in a tablespoon of water in a microwavable bowl.
2. Add half the stevia packet, 1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and the vanilla extract.
3. Heat the mixture in a microwave until thick. It should take around three minutes.
4. Blend the yogurt, the remaining sweetener, and the cinnamon in a separate bowl.
5. Compose the parfait by placing half the yogurt into a glass and topping it with the apple mixture. Place another layer of yogurt and top it again. Sprinkle the crushed graham crackers on top.

This recipe is light yet rich in protein. It has only 167 calories per serving and provides 13 grams of protein, which is 26% of an average adult’s daily requirement.

You can use apples to cook just about any dish. For more recipes that are as delicious as they are nutritious, visit MediPlan Diet Services today to learn how you can integrate apples into an effective weight loss strategy.