Sunday Brunch! Healthy Cinnamon Apple Toast

It's apple season, and our neighbors brought us some delicious apples after taking a trip to the North Carolina mountains. Some Sundays I love making French toast, but since I'm eating healthier,  I utilized the lovely apples for a warm, comforting autumn brunch recipe. Cinnamon Apple Toast is perfect for a relaxing family Sunday brunch. It's quick to make, kids love it, and is packed with nutrients.



Ingredients (Serves two):

One large, crisp apple
Two pieces of whole wheat toast
A teaspoon of cinnamon
A teaspoon of honey
A tablespoon of butter
 (I use Land O' Lakes Olive Oil Butter, and always use it in moderation.)





Place your toast on a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven heats up, cut up the apple into small cubes and mix them with the butter, cinnamon and honey. Combine the mixture until it's completely blended, then spoon the mixture onto the toast. When the oven is ready, put the toast in the oven for about ten minutes, making sure to check it since all ovens are different.
And that's it! Pretty simple, huh?

Happy Sunday!

Autumn: Collecting Acorns



There's a slight chill in the air in central NC. I can feel autumn clacking through my brain like the Headless Horseman on a foggy night in Sleepy Hollow. Last week, despite my desire to stay in bed, I tossed a cardigan over my shoulders and went to class. Chemistry can be pretty boring, but normally I can focus on the lectures. As soon as fall came breezing through, everything turned to static- even my attention span.

It's funny how a changing of seasons can funk up our perception. Some researches have said it has to do with the shifts in sunlight. It has also been linked to a change in barometric pressure. Then there's the need to slow down and prepare for hibernation. Though humans don't exactly hibernate, our bodies do react to everything napping around us, and the cold messes with our body temperatures, causing our blood vessels to narrow and bodies to shiver. It takes energy for our bodies to maintain homeostasis.

This sluggishness was also followed by the familiar cool-weather urge to push aside my nightly salad and shove my face into a pot of mashed potatoes. Like the squirrels harvesting their acorns, us humans feel the need to harvest fat. Survival of the fittest! And by harvest fat, I mean gorge on ham, pies, candied apples, hot chocolate and Boo Berry cereal, (Mmmm Boo Berry cereal....).

Even though the merge from summer to fall wreaks havoc on our bodies, I'm welcoming it. Bring on the gorgeous colors of North Carolina's changing leaves and the smell of pumpkin spice. I'm ready for boots, jeans, soft sweaters, crocheted scarves, and other fall fashion necessities. I've never been more excited about scary films and watching Jamie Lee Curtis scream in a closet for the hundredth time. Most importantly, I'm looking forward to family. Their always worth feeling a little static.