We are off today celebrating the Christmas holiday with our families and friends. If you’re stopping by DietsInReview today, we want to say welcome and thank you! Each of the millions of people who visit us each month have made our fifth year an exciting one, not to mention a successful one. We appreciate you and hope you’ll drop by often in 2013, too!

While we’re kicking up our feet and enjoying a little downtime, we wanted to share our 2012 holiday card with you! It’s not just any card with well wishes for the season and new year, it comes with a pretty fantastic treat that we dreamed up. Flip the card over (or in this case, keep reading) and you’ll find one of our most unique recipe creations ever … the Hasselback Apple Crisp!

We figured the potato couldn’t be having all the fun with this trendy slicing method and applied it to our favorite fall fruit – the apple. Use any apple you like, we prefer Honeycrisp and Granny Smith.
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Fall is nearly upon us, at least here in the Midwest. With leaves falling and the weather cooling down, we have three things on our mind: fall baking, pumpkin lattes and apple picking.

With autumn in full bloom, the selection of apples is beginning to grow at our local grocery stores and we can’t help but get excited at the thought of all the delicious things we can make with this nutritious fruit.

Health benefits: Apples are loaded with good-for-you vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, calcium and vitamin B-6.

They’re also a great food for healthy diets as they’re incredibly filling and high in fiber, which will keep you fuller longer than less water-dense foods.

Apples also contain an antioxidant called quercetin, which can help oxygen flow to the lungs. There have been countless studies surrounding apples and among the many benefits discovered, they’ve been found to help with asthma, protect our bone health, help prevent Alzheimer’s and even lower cholesterol.
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Mary Hartley, RD, MPH, is the director of nutrition for Calorie Count, providing domain expertise on issues related to nutrition, weight loss and health. She creates original content for weekly blogs and newsletters, for the Calorie Count library, and for her popular daily Question-and-Answer section, Ask Mary. Ms. Hartley also furnishes direction for the site features and for product development.

“Surely the Apple is the noblest of fruits” said Henry Thoreau.

For sure, apples are one of the basic foods, and all basic foods have nutritional benefits. But in this age of super-fruits, people want to know, what up with an apple?

Apple Nutrition

Question: “Is one apple healthier than another?
Answer: No

Apple nutrition is just a matter of size. A larger apple simply has more nutrients. Apples can be as small as a cherry or as big as a grapefruit. One medium apple is 3-inches measured across the middle.

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Summer is fun – especially going to the beach and other water events – but fall is my favorite season. Wearing jeans, watching football, and the crisp fall weather all comes together to create a delightful time.

One of the stand out features of the fall is the availability of fall produce – the cooler days make it perfect to turn on your oven and slow roast the heavier squashes and comfort soups for which the season begs. Try some of these terrific, tasty fall dishes that won’t break the calorie bank but will satiate your taste buds and warm you from the inside out.

Puree butternut squash in small batches in your blender to make this Butternut Squash Soup recipe from Elana’s Pantry. Top each bowl with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to lend depth of flavor.

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When you think of picnic salads, you probably think of fattening classics like coleslaw, potato salad and macaroni salad. Not only are these traditional salads laden with saturated fat and empty calories, they’re usually bound with mayonnaise, which makes them susceptible to spoilage.

Instead of looking to the usual suspects next time you’re asked to bring a dish to a potluck picnic, opt for something mayo-free that will keep well at room temperature and help you stick to a healthy diet.

Instead of coleslaw…

Apple Slaw: Full of fresh, crunchy apples and mixed with low-fat yogurt, this slaw has less than a hundred calories per serving and is a great alternative to a fuller-fat version.

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