An Apple a Day Keeps SAD Away: Winter Comfort Food - Brown Apple Betty Recipe

Make Winter Weary, Winter Cheery

It's cold.  It's dark.  It's dreary.  Yes, it's winter and the spectacular fall colors have faded into memory, as the days grow shorter and shorter and gray overcast days seem more like one long lingering night.  If you're feeling down or depressed, you may be experiencing a touch of seasonal affect disorder (SAD) - a condition brought on by a lack of sunlight and shortened daylight hours.  Life can seem like a chore getting through the days waiting for spring.  The moon hangs low in the sky above the snow, a tiny beacon of light.

The single quickest, easiest thing you can do to alleviate the "winter blues" is to get outside for at least 15 minutes a day.  Bundle up and go for a quick walk (even if it's cloudy), the natural light will boost your mood and get you moving in a forward direction again.

Also, SAD tends to exacerbate and magnify any issues or struggles you may be going through.  Life can seem overwhelming for many people at this time of year.  Grief, loss of loved ones, hardships, etc., can feel unbearable and you can't participate in the holiday spirit.  Coaching or counseling can help bring things back into their proper perspective.   

Learn more about SAD here:  
What is SAD? Diagnosis and Treatment - National Institute Mental Health

You may also experience the need to over eat, especially over the holidays.  A full belly of holiday cheer feels good.  Warm comfort food offsets the chill and baking becomes a pleasant past time.

After grocery shopping one cold December night while dinner was cooking, I whipped up a new recipe I call, Brown Apple Betty, from inception to finish in about half an hour.  Some bruised and aging apples called from the bottom of the frig, so I concocted this perfect recipe for apples a bit past their prime for just eating.

Indulging in dessert can be made healthier with a few adjustments to those old time recipes Grandma used to make.  My Brown Apple Betty is Vegan Friendly - no animal or dairy products and gluten-free!  And it still tastes like Mom's good ole fashion apple pie (minus the crust).  Enjoy hot straight from the oven or cold as a quick midnight snack.

Brown Apple Betty - Vegan Friendly, Gluten-Free

Ingredients:

• 8 medium sized sliced Apples of the sweeter variety, with the skin

• 3 TBSP Lemon Juice

• 1/3 cup Organic Raw Turbinado Sugar

• 1/3 cup Buckwheat Pancake Mix

• 1/3 cup  Old Fashion Rolled Oats

• 1/3 cup chopped Walnuts

• 1/3 cup Crisco Shortening (or 1/2 stick Butter, for non-vegans)

• 1 tsp Cinnamon

• 1 cup cold water

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325°.

• Lightly coat the bottom of a 13 x 9 ceramic or glass baking pan with olive oil.

• Place one layer sliced apples at the bottom of the pan, spread evenly.

• Sprinkle 1 TBSP lemon juice over apples and toss to mix.

• In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, pancake mix, Crisco, cinnamon and oats

  (can substitute granola OR muesli).

• Cut Crisco into dry ingredients until well blended and pebbly.
• Add walnuts and mix well.

• Spoon mixture over the apples in the pan. Place another layer atop this using
  remaining apples.

• Sprinkle 2 TBSP lemon juice over apples. Spoon remaining mixture over the apples.

• Cover with aluminum foil forked with tines to make holes and vent.

• Bake on 325° until apples soften, about 25 - 30 minutes.

• Add 1/2 cup water and toss apples to moisten. Add water if needed.

• Bake until mixture becomes bubbly about another 15 - 20 minutes.

• Add 1/2 cup water (more if needed) and toss apples to moisten.

• Bake until mixture becomes soft, bubbly and apples are tender to fork, about another 

  15 - 20 minutes.

• Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

• May be served warm or cold, and can be topped with ice cream or whipped cream.

* Makes 10 servings Brown Apple Betty

Healthy Particulars:

• For this recipe, I used Honey Crisp, Cortland, and Empire apples, sweeter varieties that allowed for using less sugar. 
• The Buckwheat pancake mix and oats add lots of healthy fiber and are gluten-free. 
•  Vegan Friendly - no dairy or animal products.
• Walnuts add essential Omega 3 fatty acids. 
• Baking longer at lower temperatures, 325 degrees, and covering the pan maintains the moisture content which merries the different ingredients together more slowly and creates a thicker, richer flavor than baking at 375 degrees or higher.

• Coating the bottom of the pan with Olive Oil reduces the Crisco content with a healthier unsaturated fat. 
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If you think you have SAD, reach out for help.  Many resources are available, call your PCP doctor, get counseling, etc. If you don't where to turn, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) free hot line:

SAMHSA’s National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Learn more about SAMHSA's mental health resources here

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If you enjoyed this recipe or this article please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!  I'm here to help! I'm available for counseling and coaching - simply reach out here with your request.

Having a Bad Day? Have Thanksgiving Every Day

Bad Day? Life not going the way you want it to?

This is the season of gratitude and family gatherings.  It may seem stressful, but it's all in your mindset.  Remember, you can start your day over anytime... You can change your life, and push reset anytime. One way to do this is to find gratitude for what is working - start by making a mental gratitude list of what is positive RIGHT NOW. Then move in that direction with action that improves the quality of your life or day immediately -- even if it's just a change in thought or attitude.

For instance, my gratitude list for the moment looks like this:

1.) It's been a milder, sunny November so -- the utility bills will be lower, yeah! There's only 4 months til spring, and it's been easy to get out without the snow.

2.) The Internet makes connecting with people a finger touch a way.

This doesn't mean we lie to ourselves about the challenging areas of our lives, rather gratitude keeps us from over focusing on the negativity. Often, a bad day is the result of over focusing on a bad moment.  This becomes a bad mood.  Then that becomes a bad day, that then creates the feeling that it's a bad life, a snow ball effect.

When we have mindful gratitude, tackling the more challenging aspects of our lives becomes easier, less stressful, and we acquire the good judgment necessary to make wise decisions that lead us toward improving our lives, even if it's only by not making a bad situation worse.

Try it -- let me know what you're grateful for this Thanksgiving  … in the comments below.  How have you turned a bad moment into a good day?

To Stop or Not To Stop? The Good Samaritan Question

Would you know what to do if you found a person in crisis on the side of the road or at home with a family member acting out?

Would you stop and help or just keep going?  This can be a difficult decision.  Especially, the way the world is today with the uptick in crime, gun violence, and scams. 

Here are few different options:

  

1. Stop, but don't get out of your car, and assist that way.  Keep 911 on speed dial and call for help.  Keep windows closed enough to be safe. Wait for help to come.

2.  For a mental health or drug overdose (OD) emergency or suicide - Call 911, and explain that you want the Mobile Crisis Unit for a person in self-harm danger or OD.  They should dispatch immediately; stay until they arrive, but call for own support, backup, family intervention, etc.  Don't get out of your vehicle alone. 

3.  Carry Narcan with in your car, just in case the person is passed out from an OD.  I have an Emergency Gear backpack in my car, with that and other first aid emergency stuff that the local Sheriff's Dept. put together and gave out to the public. 

4.  There is also a non-law enforcement option.  In New York state, call the 211 PIC (Person-in-Crisis) Hotline or 988 Lifeline Crisis and Suicide Hotline to ask for help.  See the pic below, for more details.  

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988 is more than just a suicidal helpline. It is a direct connection to compassionate care. Anyone can call, chat, or text 988 for support, including anyone having thoughts of suicide, is in crisis or emotional distress, is struggling with substance use, or is experiencing a mental health crisis.

If you or someone you know needs support now, call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or text 988, or chat at:  988 Lifeline Chat

 

 

Many local people have stopped to help me when I've been stranded on the side of the road with car trouble.  Or needed help with stuff like air in my tires, or groceries.  I am always grateful for this kind support.  We can care and stay safe, and help maybe save a life.  Life is better when we become neighbors helping neighbors.  

Did you find this article helpful?  Please share your thoughts or suggestions!  I would love your feedback.

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