Autumn weekends in New England are filled with apple picking and pumpkin patches. Every year we pull out our red wagon and wander through the rows of apple trees, picking as many as we can, and inevitability, come home with way too many apples. Apples for snacks, apples in soups, apples with vegetables. Lots of apple crisp for dessert. Morning, noon, and night…apples.

Imagine waking up to the smell of apples and cinnamon cooking on the stove…there is nothing better. Did you know that your digestion actually begins in the brain when you smell and see your food? The aroma and the sight and the food triggers your salivary glands to start creating saliva. The process of digestion has begin before you even take one bite of food. Smells are so important and should be enjoyed! So wake up, brew that organic coffee, peel those apples, and melt that butter.

Real butter is one of the most important ingredients in this dish because it gives allows us to absorb those fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K, keeps us satiated, and balances your blood sugar. Without healthy fats in our diet, we would most likely be deficient in those essential vitamins and hungry an hour after you eat. So don’t be afraid to use butter - add extra if you want! Although the apples do have some natural sugars, they also provide fiber, which helps us digest at a slower pace and not over-consume. It is important to note that eating a whole apple is quite different from drinking a glass of apple juice. When you drink a glass of apple juice, you could be consuming the juice of up to 12 apples in one glass - that is alot of sugar with no fiber. In addition, juice is highly processed therefore it looses many vitamins and minerals.

Since most of us do not have time to make a REAL apple crisp, I created this easy version. This recipe started as simply cooking apples + butter + cinnamon on the stove for breakfast (which is delicious BTW). In order to make this meal more filling, I figured it was worth the extra 2 minutes to whip up some oats + butter + more cinnamon to add to the apples - making a quick and simple apple crisp.

Four ingredients, one pan - on the stovetop.

Easy and delish.

Cast Iron Apple Crisp

4 organic large apples, peeled and sliced into bite-sized pieces (about 5 cups)

2 + tbs. grass-fed butter

2 tsp. cinnamon

Crumble:

1 cup sprouted organic oats (i buy these)

2 + tbs grass-fed butter

2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Make Crumble: Place oats, butter and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until butter mixed with the oats.

2. Heat the pan with butter and add cut up apples. Heat on medium heat, constantly stirring until warm. Add in Oat crumble and continue to heat and stir until crumble is lightly browned.