Cranberry Craze

Almost everyone has cranberries at holiday dinners in one form or another whether it is homemade cranberry sauce or the kind out of the can that continues to hold the shape of the can until cut into…. I have always found that to be oddly satisfying. Anyways, cranberries always seemed to be present at holiday meals but are often overlooked. At your next holiday meal, I challenge you to not overlook these babies because they are packed with some amazing health benefits! We are all probably familiar with the common benefit people use cranberries for… to get rid of or prevent UTIs. However, they have many other benefits. Cranberries are packed full of antioxidants and have many anti-inflammatory properties. They are high in vitamin C and fiber as well. There are many benefits to this health food and I challenge you to work it into your holiday meal. However, to get these health benefits, the can jelly is not your best bet. Making your own cranberry sauce with a little less sugar or purchasing one that is less processed would be better. If you have diabetes you can even make your own version with Splenda that will have very little carbohydrates in it! There are also many other healthy recipes out there that you can make that include these wonderful little berries. One of my favorites is Cranberry Apple Baked Oatmeal that I found on Slender Kitchen’s website. The recipe is attached below. I hope this holiday season you consider including this wonderful health food.
Cranberry Apple Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:
-       2 cups oats
-       1t cinnamon
-       ½ t salt
-       ¾ t baking powder
-       1.5 cups unsweetened apple sauce
-       1 cup unsweetened almond milk
-       2 large eggs
-       2T brown sugar
-       2T maple syrup
-       ½ t vanilla extract
-       1 cup fresh cranberries
-       1 apple, diced
Instructions:
1.     Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together applesauce, almond milk, eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract.
2.     Combine both bowls and then fold in cranberries and apples. Pour into greased 9x9 dish.
3.     Bake for 45 minutes until the oatmeal is golden brown. 
 -JM

Comments

  1. I do not enjoy classic cranberry sauce (homemade or canned) at holiday dinners. This Cranberry Apple Baked Oatmeal sounds absolutely amazing and is a great way to include this awesome food into my diet. I will have to give it a try, thank you for sharing!

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