Healthier apple crisp

I love fall and all of the foods that come with it.  I also love apples.  Since being pregnant, I crave apples, but I have a problem.  Raw apples make my Crohn's disease worse.  I get very sharp pains where my ileum is and I'll be ill for awhile.  However, I noticed that when apples are cooked or are in the form of applesauce, I don't have a problem.  I've been eating applesauce like crazy and I'm getting a little sick of it, so I decided to make a twist on apple crisp. 

I was at work and craving apple crisp all day.  However, when I got home, I was exhausted and wanted to sit.  So, I thought of an easier version (if you can imagine) of apple crisp that combines everything in one bowl and you just bake it.  It has sweetness from apples, tartness from dried cranberries, and texture from old fashioned oats.  In other words, it has it all and it's a guilt free way to enjoy dessert. 

I made this twice over the weekend since my husband and I couldn't get enough, but I never measured accurately.  You can hardly mess this recipe up though, so add as much or as little as you like and taste it before it goes into the oven.

Shortcut apple crisp

3 large apples, cored, and cut into bite size pieces (my favorite apple is honey crisp.  They work really well in this recipe since they're so sweet, large, and crisp.  Any apple will do though)
About 1 cup old fashioned oats
About 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar (more if you like- especially if you choose a tart apple like granny smith)
About 1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (more if you like)
pinch of salt
About 1/4 cup water (add more if it looks overly dry.  Don't add too much though- apples will release their natural juices when cooked)

Mix all of the ingredients in an 8x10 glass dish (or any similar size- you can also distribute mixture among individual oven safe bowls)
Bake at 400 for 40-50 minutes until the apples are softened.
Stir mixture at least once while baking

This is really good with whipped cream, ice cream, or my personal favorite, caramel sauce. 
Reheat in microwave if you have leftovers.

Everything I used to love, I hate now

Pregnancy is a great thing- it's a time of change, growing, anticipation, and endless thoughts about how wonderful your children are going to be.  However, it's also a time when you feel so sick you can't peel yourself off of the couch, eat like crazy, throw up, deal with heart burn, take naps multiple times a day, are crabby, and sore.  You also have to buy new clothes every couple of weeks because you grow so fast that nothing fits.  Well, I'm expecting twins, so I have experienced double these wonderful pregnancy symptoms.  However, I've never been happier, so it's worth it.

Now, the reason I haven't blogged in a long time (other than not being able to get off the couch in the past 14 weeks).  Food tastes strange to me.  Fresh vegetables that I used to crave taste strong and rotten, chocolate tastes metallic, the smell of basil makes me queasy, baked goods are too rich, ice cream is beyond nasty, and roast chicken smells horrible and tastes worse.  There are many more foods I can't stand now, but I won't type it all out. In short, all foods that I was crazy about before pregnancy I hate now. 

My taste buds are childish now.  I love honey nut cheerios, bagels (white only please!) with cream cheese, string cheese, baked potatoes, pizza (double the turkey pepperoni!), triscuits, granola bars, applesauce, twinkies, oreos, steak, and hamburgers.  I never ate these foods before pregnancy- especially red meat.  I could eat steak and burgers 3 times a day now.  I never dreamed of buying twinkies and oreos (gross!), but they taste fabulous now.  Go figure....

So, my cooking is limited to barbecuing steak and hamburgers, with a baked potato (sour cream and broccoli on top), followed by oreos dipped in milk.  In a way, it's kind of nice to take a break from cooking, but I miss it.  I'll be on a mission to find recipes that match my childish and bland taste buds, but for now, it's snack time!