LOVING LATELY & A MOMENT VOLUME 15
Hello and Happy Sunday!
I'm freezing. But I understand this is how it is going to go for the next week or so until I am freezing 'enough' to turn on the heat. My Wisconsin is showing. Does anyone else get the unshakable urge to bake come October? I not talking about a batch or two of pumpkin muffins. I mean overflowing countertops of new recipes. Spending full days in the kitchen (like I did Friday), then upon reflection, realizing I have more food than I do places to store it. I don't know what it is, but there is something about the cooler temperatures, the howling wind and the wild skies that keep me wanting to feed the people I love! Besides of course enjoying everything ourselves, looks like cookies for the football team, and on Monday Anna will go to to school with bags of treats she'll distribute before first period. I love the teen appetite. Which brings me to what else I am...
LOVING LATELY
Apples!! On this one, I KNOW I am not alone. Partially because they are everywhere, but mostly because there was so much backlash when I told instagram I'd be putting this creation on hold indefinitely. Turns out I just needed to put it down for a bit to get some clarity. And it was worth the wait....wow, this Apple Cobbler is GOOD. And not 'good-for-being-macro-friendly' (though it is that too), but absolutely something I'll put on the table for a special occasion. The apple filling is sweet thanks to the naturally sweetened honeycrisp variety I used, and enhanced by only a few ingredients. The topping layers chewy oatmeal cookie flavors with a crispy cinnamon sugar coating, and everything sticks together exactly how I imagined, thanks to the addition of cornstarch and a dose of patience, which is required to let it cool and come together. Recipe: Filling: 6 large honeycrisp (or other sweet variety) apples, cored and thinly sliced (totaling about 1000-1100 grams or ~2.3lbs) 1/4 cup golden monkfruit (I use Lankato brand; any brown sugar will do, this one has no measurable calories) 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 tsp cinnamon Topping: 4 tbsp butter, melted (56g) 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (60g) 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew or any milk (120g) 3/4 cup quick oats (60g) 1/3 cup PEScience Snickerdoodle protein (40g) 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt Cinnamon Sugar: 1 tbsp monkfruit sweetener (use any granulated sweetener you like) 1/2 tsp cinnamon Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 9x13 or similarly sized pan with nonstick spray. Core and thinly slice about 6 medium-to-large sized apples of a sweet variety (I don’t recommend Granny Smith). I do recommend leaving the skin on for ease of prep and added fiber, but not required. To make the filling, combine apples, brown sugar substitute, cornstarch and cinnamon. Toss gently and layer evenly in prepared pan. Set aside. Begin making cobbler topping by combining melted (not scalding) butter, applesauce and milk. Set aside and whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine gently. Spread the topping over the apples and coat to the edges. If desired, for a sweet and pretty crunch, combine cinnamon and monkfruit sweetener, and sprinkle over the cobbler topping.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the cobbler to cool. The cornstarch will thicken and liquid will be absorbed once it comes to room temp. You can certainly enjoy it hot from the oven as well, but there will be more moisture. Warmed cobbler will be moist but not liquidy. I recommend reheating, then topping with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce! My husband recommends eating cold from the pan with the fridge door open.
6 servings: 210g each
Calories: 240 Carbs: 35
Fat: 8
Protein: 7 Fiber: 5 MFP Entry: Katie Crokus Apple Cobbler The protein powder is what makes this variation more macro friendly because it eliminates the need for additional flour and
sugar. The brand (PeScience) is proven to work in baking and has an awesome variety of flavors, which is why I partner with them.
If you don’t want or are unable to use protein powder, I estimate this will work by subbing an an additional 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour in its place. But if you're not looking to modify, maybe just surf pinterest for the prettiest apple cobbler you see and make that one!
A MOMENT
So instagram needed a minute this week. Or as it turned out, two days to sort through whatever crap was blocking me from any sort of content creation. And if you know me, you're probably thinking - ‘oh I see what’s coming. She’s going to draw a direct link to the universe and call this a sign…’ And you would be partially correct. I mean, it tracks right?! But even more than a sign, which I classify as subtle and gentle, I would call this a direct hit. Wake up call to the mind, body and soul when I was just not getting it. I’ve been not-so-silently lamenting my misalignment with Instagram for probably a year now. It’s not the platform it was when I started publicly sharing in 2018. What I loved was the blogging and sharing snippets of my day in stories. The photographs and the views of still life. But in Meta’s universal effort to become most relevant, I've become less visible, and ironically more blocked in my creativity. I’ve never been driven by metrics. I’ve always been motivated by engagement. Am I connecting authentically to the people who are following me? Am I offering valuable content? Are my stories resonating with them? How can I better meet people where they are? And because my engagement is so wildly unpredictable (one day a viral post and the next messages from people asking why they don’t see my stories anymore), I get the impression I am showing up for the wrong audience. I’ll say this; it's been a great run on instagram and I am so grateful to have established this community. But now I am feeling tethered in a way that’s not grounding. Consistent in a way that feels stale. Safe in a way that isn’t creative. For those reasons (and more which I'll continue to share) I will end most of my content creation on the platform at the end of 2022. What will be in store for 2023? If you're receiving my emails, you'll continue to find out! But my promise to you is that I will keep this community alive as long as it wants to be. Thank you for being with me!
WHAT'S NEW
Or maybe more accurately…what’s coming very soon. On Tuesday, October 11th at 6am Pacific, The Favorites Collection will finally be available in three varieties!
Pumpkin Oat Bar mix (protein included) + Cocoabar in a Jar Peanut Butter Cup & Iced Oatmeal Cookie
Pumpkin Oat Bar mix (protein included) + Cocoabar in a Jar Iced Oatmeal Cookie
Chocolate Pumpkin Oat Bar mix + Cocoabar in a Jar Peanut Butter Cup
Use this link and code CAKEFORBREAKFAST to receive 15% off the bundled items of your choice. On top of that discount? Only ONE shipping for both/all products. It's safe to say you could never grab all three of these at this price any other way. Stock up for yourself or for holiday and hostess gifts now! Split up the goods or share as a package with teachers or friends. While I haven’t made any final FINAL decisions yet, I am pretty sure this limited run will be the last for the dry goods mixture. Certainly for the remainder of 2022, and currently I don’t see it on the horizon in 2023. So if you’re someone who has waited or missed the last two opportunities to grab product before it sold out, this really is it! If you received this email in your inbox, then I can assure you that you are an insider and will get notified first when the limited run, discounted bundle gift sets go live Tuesday.
THOUGHTS IN PICTURES
The best shot I have of Anna's haircut was from her game this week.
Some of us were happier than others to be in the brisk temperatures at the game.
Are you team thin and crispy or thick and dense when it comes to CCCs? I've never made this style before, but I followed this recipe to the letter and they for SURE turned out. My kids loved them more than the fat, chewy ones I usually make. I thought I didn't like them as much, but my calculations at the end of the day suggest otherwise.
Is there a 'BOO-ing' tradition in your community?
Around here, throughout October kids fill bags with halloween delights and doorbell ditch them at a friend's house. The goal is to be entirely inconspicuous, but ring cameras make it a fun challenge! We do bags several every year and always make sure each kid leaves a bag at the house of one friend who has never been Boo-ed before. It's the cutest.
This one landed on our doorstep last night and it is clear we are going to have to up the ante from last year! But this is one tradition I love so much. Doesn't feel like work.
I've been very impressed by the G2G bars lately. Not only the quantity of little chips throughout, but the CHUNKS of chocolate in every bite. Well done. Code KatieC saves 15%, which is very helpful if you consume them at the rate we do!
Tess made Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls on Saturday. Don't forget to pull up the middles before you bake for that bakery-style high rise!
I played with a white chicken chili this weekend. You have no idea how hard it was to resist adding more green or red to this, but I wanted to keep it true to its name and a little different from my usual lineup. Sadly, the french onion focaccia from Trader Joe's kinda stole the show the first try.
But I was instantly reminded that there is literally nothing savory that isn't enhanced by crispy lettuce, white queso and tortilla chips. Filled with butternut squash, white beans, cauliflower, chicken and mexican spices, I think it's a keeper.
Most of us have not outgrown the Trader Joe's chocolate cookie Halloween house.
Added some white queso (!!) to Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes and once again, it over-delivered. In the queue to share! This was the only sneak peek I got, I know it's not pretty, but it was a slam dunk for the family. Night one was on buns, night two was warmed up over tortilla chips.
New reel this week announcing the release of a plant-based protein packet from Simply Delish. I promise I'll let you know the moment it's live to order. I created a Lava Mug Cake that is insane. Chocolate lovers only.
Another lunch this week at Ancho & Agave. Chicken tinga quesadillas I can't quit you.
Photo Credit: Scott Sowers Next Sunday I will be emailing you from Colorado! Even though October is the best time to be in Wisconsin, I cannot give up the chance to get into the mountains with Fall break upon us. If you have kids you can probably relate to this:
There was a time when I had no trouble pulling the kids out of school for one, two or even three weeks. But those years are so far in the rear view I can barely believe we did it. Present day commitments to school and activities relegate us to firmly following school break schedules. Sad trombone.
(If you have kids, I invite you to read this (girls) and this (boys). I loved both.) In the interest of radical gratitude...I could not be happier about the abundance of gifts this season of life has for me and this little family of mine. And the above articles remind me of this deeply. If you're not familiar with the notion of radical gratitude, check out this podcast when you have a minute. I listened while driving and need to go back to make some notes. Enjoy the week everyone! Warmly, Katie P.S. Wishing my little sister Emily the happiest birthday today! How are you 40 when I am still 33? G E T I N T O U C H Communicate & Connect katie@empowernutritioncoach.com @katiecrokus
S U B S C R I B E
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