decadent apple crisp

What could be more delicious than decadent apple crisp? How about decadent apple crisp that doesn’t have refined sugar or flour? BOOM!

I know I’ve hit a home run when everyone in the family says, “it doesn’t taste healthy”.
My job is done here.

desserts on my terms

Before I share how to make the best apple crisp ever, I want to talk a little bit about desserts. I do allow myself to have treats but try to do it on my terms.

That means I don’t keep processed, “get sugar into your bloodstream asap so you can have more”, cookies, cakes, ice cream, etc. around for easy access.
Until someone else does the grocery shopping, you won’t find that stuff around here.

With that said, I do make desserts on the weekends and use natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup. Or, I use natural sweeteners that don’t cause blood sugar spikes.

That is what I’m trying to avoid – nasty spikes in blood sugar and insulin. The highs and lows that jack me up. That’s what my life became at the height of my drinking. I was always chasing a high and then crashing with feelings of emptiness because what I thought would make me feel better, only made me feel worse.

I want to feel as good as possible consistently and I want that for my family.

Also, let’s keep it real, I have 3 eleven-year old boys. If I close my eyes, it literally feels like a stampede of wild boar has occupied my home (love you guys!!). Why on earth would I want to regularly add refined sugar into the equation?
Xanax, maybe.
Sugar, NO!

It’s important to remember that bad habits, behaviors, addictions, need to be replaced, not removed quickly, which would only leave us scrambling to find the next negative fix.

When I’ve had to change habits, it’s been helpful to focus on what I can enjoy, not what I’m giving up.

Although I can’t drink wine and eat Oreos, I CAN enjoy an ice-cold seltzer water (in a wine glass) with fresh fruit and mint. I CAN enjoy low carb peanut butter blondies.

It’s helpful to identify your triggers (like wine and Oreos) and come up with a plan. I’ll talk more about identifying triggers in a future post.

For now, how ’bout them APPLES…

how to make decadent apple crisp

To begin, add the peeled, sliced apples to a bowl and then add the lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, almond flour, Swerve and sea salt. Hold off on the water until you mix and see how much you need (if it seems dry, you can add a little more).

I love using Swerve in my baking (granular, brown and confectioners). It caramelizes and bakes like sugar and has no aftertaste. Plus, you get the benefit of it being zero-calorie, non-glycemic and no effect on blood glucose or insulin levels.

Once apples are mixed, add them to your greased pan. Now add all of the topping ingredients in the food processor. Pulse a couple of times until you get the desired consistency (see above) and then place on top of the apples.

That’s it – easy breezy!

If you are loving the flavors of Fall, check out my pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting or slow-cooker butternut squash soup.

This recipe was slightly adapted from therealfoodrds.com.