The Cardiologist's Wife

Pimento Cheese, Not Your Grandma's Spread

Pimento cheese is one of those foods that has been so corrupted by the food industry that it has become synonymous with other crappy foods like Spam. I'm not even certain what store bought pimento cheese might contain, nor do I want to find out. It's a shame because pimento cheese can be a delightful treat, even if it does Read the full post…

Plum Good BBQ Sandwiches

In a few days it will officially be fall but the temperatures are still warm enough for me to continue swimming for a few more days. The breeze was a little cool but that didn't stop me from swimming several laps this morning and I felt great afterwards! Have you exercised lately? With fall's cooler temperatures and fewer insects, you Read the full post…

Shingles Vacine and Treatment

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with shingles so I felt I should discuss this nasty virus once again. If you ever had chicken pox, you are at risk for getting shingles and believe me, you don't want it. Shingles is a painful rash with blisters that scab over and may take 4 weeks or more to heal. The Read the full post…

Vegetarian Tacos are muy delicioso!

There are times when I think I could easily become a vegetarian, especially when I try a new dish that is as good as the vegetarian tacos I had at Local Lime restaurant in Little Rock and the tofu fried rice at Sai Tai here in Jonesboro. My husband and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary this past weekend by spending Read the full post…

Midyear Health Check

Summer is winding down , the year is more than half way over and our January resolutions are long forgotten. It's time for a health reality check. First of all, how is your health lately? If you have enjoyed good health, are you thankful? Take some time to appreciate how wonderful it feels to be healthy, for your family to Read the full post…

Vacation Lessons For A Healthier Life

I'm back from a lovely beach vacation and I wish I was still there with all my heart. Wouldn't it be nice if our every day life was as nice as a vacation? If we could relax, eat well, sleep and exercise just enough without having to worry about bills, work, illnesses and school, our lives would be perfect. But Read the full post…

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It’s My Birthday And I’ll Eat Apple Pie If I Want To

[ Post by Lisa Tedder ][ Post on October 30, 2012 ][ In Dessert ]

Do you celebrate your birthdays or do you just pretend it’s another day and hope no one notices you are older? Well we celebrate every birthday around here, even if they are larger numbers than we’d like. The lucky person gets to choose what they want to eat all day long and of course, they have whatever kind of cake they want. See, we do eat cake and not just oats, nuts, and roots around here. That’s one of the benefits of healthy eating – you can indulge once in awhile, just not every day.

I indulged in royal fashion Sunday. If you are a regular reader, you know my sister fries chicken and makes gravy for my birthday present. Since frying anything is alot of trouble and mess, it is a really special present. We don’t have fried chicken the rest of the year except for the rare times we might try it at a restaurant. (Sorry, I wasn’t impressed with Gus’s fried chicken in Memphis which I’d heard was fabulous. I don’t like spicy fried chicken or heavy batter.) Regular readers may also remember that my family makes me a pie instead of a cake for my birthday. That tradition got started in my teens because I so loved my mother’s Apple Betty. In fact, I’m going to share the recipe with you, not because it is healthy but because it is a better choice than some pies out there.

Apple Betty’s are pretty simple to make because there is no crust. A one eighth serving of pie crust contains about 110 calories with 50% of those calories coming from fat. Anytime you can leave off the crust, you are saving yourself a bunch of calories. Don’t get me wrong, I love good pie crust all by itself! However, if the crust is inferior, I’ll scrap off the pie filling to eat and leave the nasty, soggy crust behind. That is one of my calorie saving tips: be choosy about the treats you eat! Save yourself for the good stuff! And Apple Betty’s are good stuff and a perfect fall dessert. Serve it warm with a dollop of whip cream. By the way, don’t stick birthday candles in a warm pie; they melt. We found that out a few years back.

My Mother’s Apple Betty Pie

4 cups sliced tart apples

1/4 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Dash of salt

1/2 cup butter

Mound apples in a 9 inch pie dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with orange juice. For crumb topping, combine sugar, flour, spices, salt; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Scatter topping over apples. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until apples are very tender and topping is crisp and light brown.

Enjoy! You just might decide to have pie for your next birthday.