A special thanks to my friends at Superfresh Growers for sponsoring this post. All thoughts, photos and opinions are my own.
Happy Nutrition Month, friends! Today we are going to learn about apples and why they are so nutritious! I’m sure at a certain point in your life you have heard the saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. While the phrase was first coined in 1913, it was based on a Pembrokeshire proverb that originated in 1866. That means even back in the 1800’s they knew apples were good for us! But why are they good for us? Let’s dive right in!
Apple Nutrition
Although research shows that eating more apples may not actually be associated with fewer visits to the doctor, adding apples to your diet can help improve several aspects of your health (1). Apples are a great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
One medium apple provides the following nutrients (2):
- Calories: 95
- Carbs: 25 grams
- Fiber: 4.5 grams
- Vitamin C: 9% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Copper: 5% of the DV
- Potassium: 4% of the DV
- Vitamin K: 3% of the DV
As mentioned above, apples are also an excellent source of antioxidants like quercetin, caffeic acid, and epicatechin (3). Because of their antioxidants, apples have been associated with several health benefits, including improved heart health and a reduced risk of certain types of cancer (4).
How Much Should I Eat?
Just like any fruit, you want to limit yourself to 2-3 servings per day. I usually recommend that you eat no more than 2 fruit servings per day. Just like everything else, moderation is best!
A Few Cooking Tips
This is a straight forward, easy recipe but I do want to share a few tips that I learned along the way.
Tip 1: This recipe can be cooked in one pan or in various small cast iron dutch ovens. Either way works great!
Tip 2: Try not to mix the sweet potatoes too much while they are being cooked. If you over mix they will turn soft and mushy.
Tip 3: Wait until the very end to cut up or spiralize your apples. This will ensure your apples are crisp and not brown when eating!
Now that you know so much about apples and why they are good for you, let’s learn how to make this DELICIOUS recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 large Sweet Potato, spiralized and strands cut into fourths
- 2 Autumn Glory Apples, spiralized and strands cut into fourths
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 whole Eggs
- Garlic Salt
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
- Arugula or Chives, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and spiralized sweet potato to the pan. Cook sweet potato until tender- about 5 minutes. Season with garlic salt.
- Remove pan from heat and use a spoon to divide the sweet potatoes evenly into fourths. Use the spoon to create circled nests and indent the center. Return the pan back to the heat and allow to crisp the bottoms for a few minutes.
- Turn heat off and use a small bowl to crack the eggs in one at a time and carefully pour the egg in the center of indented nests. Place pan in preheated oven and bake until eggs are set, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Carefully add spiralized apples. Garnish with greens of your choice and sprinkle Everything Bagel Seasoning. Enjoy!!
Xo,
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