Back to Natural Basics: Reblog – Day 9: Procrastination Station

Today’s “Back to Natural Basics” message is a simple one indeed. I thought it would be helpful to remind everyone to keep a satisfactory amount of vitamins and minerals in your system as the summer months may be heating things up for you on your side of the world. 

Actually, taking care of your physical makeup through consuming raw and all-natural fruits and veggies is always in style (no matter the season). Personally, I’ve noticed that the really juicy fruits are becoming my go-to as the weather heats up, especially when it comes to pineapple, cantaloupe, and watermelon. The more liquid I can extract from the meat of the fruit, the better.

And, you can never outdo a yummy and vitamin-packed apple. There are so many variety of apples to choose from, but I’ve narrowed my favorites down to Honeycrisp and Gala apples as of the last year or so. I never get sick of them. And while I wholeheartedly encourage that you eat them raw to get the most potent nutritional value out of them, there are those times that cooked apple absolutely hits the spot.

Checkout this reblog, originally posted on December 16, 2018, which marks day 9 of the “Procrastination Station” 30-day challenge I was participating in at the time. On this monumental day, I partook of some of the best homemade applesauce I’d ever eaten and it was created from my own hands and a handy-dandy crockpot. And of course, I used my favorite apple varieties (Honeycrisp and Gala) for this recipe.

If you’re looking for a healthy all-year-round snack for your family, check out my day 9 experience below.

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Day 9 of the 30-Day Challenge: Procrastination Station

Task:  To make homemade applesauce, using my much-loved crockpot.

Reason for Task:  I thought I’d lay out my reasoning in a list format.  Here are my top 5 reasons:

1. Applesauce is one of those side items that will hold quite well in Little Man’s school lunch bag.  He needs a fruit component in each lunch that I pack for him and what better way to get some Vitamin C than in an apple.  And better yet, you don’t have to worry about applesauce browning and getting yucky like you do when an apple is freshly sliced and left out for any length of time.
2. I know what my child is consuming.  All the ingredients are all-natural and it makes me feel good in knowing that I’ve prepared him a healthy, nutrient-packed snack with zero additives and preservatives that I don’t want him exposed to.  (Homemade applesauce is perfect for little ones, even back to the infancy stage, just be careful in the kinds and amounts of additional items you may add to the recipe, outside of the apples, like sugar or cinnamon).
3. I can make a big batch of it to last throughout the week.
4. It can be cheaper to buy the ingredients and crockpot the applesauce versus purchasing the store brands, especially if you would be buying the organic version (like myself).
5. I can bypass the plastic or aluminum packaging some store-bought applesauces come in.  You never know how chemicals from packaging could leak into foods and drinks, affecting bodily health over time, if consumed.  So, I prefer to use glass and stainless steel containers with lids in Little Man’s lunches.  And by packing his applesauce in my own containers, I don’t have to worry about chemical contaminates.

Duration of Task:  1 day.  (This is a 1-day task with benefits to last throughout the week).  The return on investment is well worth the effort.

Outcome:  I have been wanting to try this homemade crockpot applesauce recipe for some time now and actually went so far as to buy the apples for it several weeks in a row.  However, I could never progress any further than buying the apples.  Perhaps, it was due to the lack of enthusiasm for having to core, peel, and cut eight whole apples into chunks.  But believe me when I say, once you get past this part of the recipe, the rest is elementary, my dear.  You throw all the ingredients (apples, water, sugar which is optional, and cinnamon) into the crockpot and let it do its thing for about 4 to 5 hours.  Some mashing is involved but it’s so easy to follow this recipe and the applesauce is so good.  I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but I can’t.  It actually appears in Phyllis Good’s Stock the Crock cookbook, which is a masterpiece compilation of recipes from home cooks.  In fact, there’s a recipe for veggie lasagna that my family has enjoyed on several occasions now.  I would probably make it every week if I could get away with it, but I’ll be careful not to make it too much.  I wouldn’t want them to get veggie lasagna burn out.  By the way, Phyllis Good’s cookbook contains quite a few vegetarian, vegan, paleo-friendly, and gluten-free options, which is so nice to have if you want something for more strict dietary needs.

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Quote for the Day:  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but I’ll tweak the quote in honor of today’s challenge and state… “1/3 to 3/4 cup of applesauce a day helps keep the doctor away”.

(NOTE:  According to the website, What’s Cooking America, one of the online articles regarding info on apples states that one small apple is the equivalent of 1/3 cup of applesauce, one medium apple is the equivalent of 1/2 cup of applesauce, and one large apple is the equivalent of 3/4 cup of applesauce).