Paleo Apple Crisp

-Gluten free, but you'd never know the difference-

I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again, fall is a beautiful time of year! And with Halloween behind us, most of us are looking straight ahead and preparing ourselves for the next of the holiday season… Thanksgiving. This is one of the most beautiful days of the year, where families and friends come together to give thanks for the amazing life we all have been given. Now don’t take this the wrong way, I am NOT advocating only being thankful and showing appreciation for the many blessings in our lives on this November day. I strongly believe that this should be a daily practice for us all, however this day in particular is special because it is set aside as a day to spend quality time with your loved ones.

Thanksgiving traditions in my family have been constant for years and I expect this year will be no different. The celebrations begin with my moms side of the family who always tries to beat the “rush” of the holiday and holds our gathering the Saturday prior to. The food is undoubtebly the best part of the entire day, and this is an understatement. My Great-grandma was an amazing cook, passed down to my Grandma who’s phenomenal, who then passed it down to my mother and all of her siblings who have grown to be quite the chefs… so basically YUM! As I continue to journey through this paleo lifestyle, I find temptations most strong at Meschke events for this very reason. However, I have been so much better at not overindulging during the meals over the past 2 years and this leaves me a MUCH happier person the next day.

Then follows the celebration at my Dads side on the actual day of Thanksgiving. Being that I have a large amount of cousins on this side, this has gone from a very loud, chaotic, and uncontrolled day to a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. There’s always a big turkey dinner, followed by way too many desserts, and then you’re sure to find the men tuned in to the football game and the women browsing Black Friday ads and sipping on coffee or tea.

I always make sure to bring dishes of my own to these holidays to ensure that there is plenty available for me to eat. Usually it’s not too hard to find meat and vegetables at a Thanksgiving dinner, but finding a Paleo dessert on the other hand… not so easy. For that reason, and because I genuinely love apple crisp/pie/whatever, I created this AMAZING apple crisp recipe that is not only Paleo, but gluten free, grain free, and dairy free. Bring this to your Thanksgiving dinner and nobody will even know that it's healthy.

Ingredients:

{For apples}

3 Granny Smith Apples
1/2 of a Lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Ghee
1Tbsp Apple Pie Spice
1Tbsp Cinnamon

{For topping}

1 Package Whole Me Almond Coconut Clusters
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp Ghee
1 Tbsp Apple Pie Spice
1 Tbsp Cinnamon

Methods:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Peel the apples and cut into bite sized pieces, throwing out the core and seeds, and place them in a medium sized bowl
Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and maple syrup into the bowl and mix well
Melt the ghee over the stovetop and stir into the apples
Thoroughly grease a 9x11 pan (or 4 individual serving dishes) with ghee or coconut oil
Transfer the apples into the pan
In another medium sized bowl combine Whole Me, maple syrup, cinnamon, and apple pie spice
Melt the ghee over the stovetop and add to the bowl
Mix topping together well, either with your clean hands or a spatula
Sprinkle the topping over the apples
Place in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the topping browns

*If you're using the single serve dishes, they may take 5-10 minutes less than the advised time

XOXO -brit

**I was in no way paid to write this blog on behalf of Whole Me, all recipes and opinions are my own.

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