Gluten free, vegan Apple Crumble Recipe (no white sugar either...)

Over the weekend when looking at way too many Apples being sold in one pack by Costco, I decided it was time for Apple Pie. Since I am not a fan of too much processed sugary stuff I made this recipe up from ingredients that were around my house. It turned out like an Apple Crumble more so than a pie, but it is very tasty!

Vegan, gluten free (all based on Oats) and no white sugar. Enjoy!

Crust:

3 - 4 Cups Old Fashioned plain Oats

2/3 Cup of Coconut Oil (when at room temperature, not liquid, not hard)

4 -5 Tablespoons of cold water

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Preheat the Oven to 375 Degrees.

Grind up all the Oats in a Food Processor (I used the Magic Bullet, which works perfectly for this) so they come out looking like flour. Mix the Oat "Flour" with the Coconut Oil, Water and Salt and make a crust dough that sticks together. (If the dough is not sticky enough add more Coconut Oil until its perfect).

Grease a deep pie pan with a bit of Coconut Oil. Put the crust dough into the pan and form an even crust all around. Put crust like that into the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

Filling:

4 - 6 Apples (depending on size of Apples)

1/2 Cup of Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup Oats

2 Tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon (more if wanted)

1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg (more if wanted)

Cut all the Apples into pieces (about 1 inch). Grind the Oats into Oat Flour and mix in with the Apples. Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix them. Taste the filling. It should be at a good level of sweet and some liquid. Rather a tad too sweet and a bit too much liquid. After the Pie Crust has been in the oven for initial 10 minutes, fill the pie crust with Apple filling.

Crumble Topping:

2 Cups Oats

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Maple Syrup

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

Cinnamon (if wanted)

Grind 1 Cup Oats into Oat Flour and keep the other cup as regular Oats. Mix in with all other ingredients. The crumbles should come out crumbly not sticky. (Use more Oat Flour if needed).

Put the crumbles on top of filling evenly and return the whole Apple Crumble back to the oven at 375 Degrees for 50 minutes (middle to lower half of oven).

All of the above are estimated, you might need a tad more or less of each, but it will come out nicely. The Apple Crumble seems to almost be better the second day.

Enjoy!

:0) Frieda Online

True!

Here are two things that are very true:

Frieda Online :0)

Protein: Spinach vs. Meat, and the Spinach wins???

If every food label was showing you what is in the product per 100 kcal, wouldn't that be less confusing than doing it by weight? Here an example. I am looking at a package of chicken sold at the supermarket: Serving size 1/2 a chicken breast, only 142 kcal, loads of protein and not too much fat. Looks healthy! Right? (Even the red meat next to it seems unhealthier as it has more fat).

Now maybe lets get some Spinach along with this. Everyone knows Spinach is healthy, good for you. Serving size is half a cup and there are only 20 kcal in a serving AND Vitamins! Everyone knows those are good for you, but what else really is in Spinach? In our 20 kcal serving it looks like a little touch of everything but not enough of anything to sustain us. Right??? (Same with Asparagus and other Vegetables).

What if we recalculate the whole thing so one does not have to calculate nutrition out every time we are at the supermarket? What if we just decided to label everything in a way were a label would tell you what is in 100 kcal of a product and how much you would need to eat of it to consume those 100 kcal as the "portion" size?

I know I would like this! It would make shopping a faster experience all together. I would grab that 100 kcal pack of Spinach Salad, the 100 kcal Pack of Asparagus and a 100 kcal "portion" of an apple and be out of there, knowing I just bought 300 kcal worth of food that holds plenty of Vitamins and other things that are good for you.

But hold on! Where is the Protein? Don't we all need Protein to feed our Muscles?

Right, nobody can live of some Vitamins, Water and Fiber alone! What else is there in Vegetables right? I can tell you: Good Protein! Good Carbohydrates! Vitamins! Nutrients straight from the Vegetable to your body, unprocessed!

When I tell this to people they do believe me sometimes, but they do not believe the Protein part. Well if we had food that was labeled correctly for us at the Stores we would all know by heart that for example a lean Beef actually has LESS Protein per 100 kcal than for example Spinach! So Spinach, a Vegetable holds more Protein than meat!!! Yup, check it out and please feel free to calculate it yourself. (I threw the original chicken and Asparagus in there as well so you get the whole picture).

So I would propose to just eat loads more Vegetables as they do hold all the good stuff that your body needs in Plenty: 13.5g of protein in Spinach and 13.4g in the lean meat. Thing is: You can eat soooo much more of the first and know that everything in it is good for you. Enjoy!

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"Whole Grain" Cereal, what a seller!

I have not written in a long time now. For some reason I made excuses to myself that I was too busy while doing things I did not really want to be doing. I think everyone experiences this once in a while. I am back now to focusing on what I love!

Inspired by the General Mills Breakfast Cereal Commercial I saw the other day I can do nothing but write about it. First, watch this:



Whole Grain in Lucky Charms Cereal! Wow, what a seller. It is frightening to me that probably well over 50% of the target audience for this commercial now will actually buy into this. They truly believe that for example Lucky Charms is a nutritious cereal which is good and save to feed to your kids. After all the advertisement says that all these "kids" cereals have at least (and I quote): "8 grams of whole grain and a good source of Calcium". The add further portrays active kids, which obviously are at the top of their game! They have just accomplished a goal (mostly indicated by all the winning metals around their necks) and they are of course happy and smiling.

I went to General Mills official website and checked out the actual ingredients of the most sugary Cereal I personally have ever tasted. Of course their claim is correct and yes, the main ingredient of their cereal is "Whole Grain Oats" which is followed immediately by Marshmallows (made out of sugar and coloring), followed by more Sugar, some Oat flour, Corn Syrup (Sugar), Corn Starch and so on...

One of the ingredients, even I, the foodie and Nutrition geek, was not aware of: "Trisodium Phosphate", what the heck is that???

It is listed as the seventh of the main ingredients. On a Google search the first thing that comes up is that Trisodium Phosphate is a degreaser, cleaning agent, stain remover and, yes, also a food additive. It's other description name is: "E 339", a substance s that by itself should never be consumed (poisonous), will not give a specific taste to the food it is added to and is solely used for technological food making reasons (for example to make appearance better).

General Mills says in a letter:

"TSP is used as a buffer to adjust the acidic nature of the cereal dough. In home cleaning products TSP is used in large quantities. In our food products we use very small amounts. Theoretically, any food grade base could be used: sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium phosphate, etc. At General Mills we have found that TSP works best in our particular products, and has been approved as safe for use in food by the Food and Drug Administration."

Lets focus back on the sugar in our "healthy 8 gram of whole grain" Cereal, the oh so Luck Charms. Sugar, the one thing we keep telling our kids to not eat too much of is found in overwhelming amounts in this cereal. So if you would like to give yourself or your kids a little sugar shock high of some processed white sugar, this is the way to go...NOT!

Especially for kids at an early age, who still learn eating patterns for the first time, this is crucial. We all know eating loads of sugar will make us hungry for more.... sugar! Blood sugar rises unnaturally by feeding our body factory produced sugars. Once the sugar high wears off we need more fuel to come back to that sugar high. The cycle will never stop until we feed our body proper nutrition!

What about plain whole grain Oatmeal with a Banana for breakfast? That is truly something that will give you natural Vitamins with sugar inside the fruit that no machine produced!

Here is actually the whole commercial voice over in writing, just because i think it comes across a little better in writing of how vague the statements made in the General Mills Cereal commercial really are:

"To do well, kids need to eat well; and eating well means getting enough whole grains and calcium. At General Mills big G kids cereals can help: Did you know it's the only leading line of kids cereals with at least 8 grams of whole grain and a good source of calcium? Cereals they already love like Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Give your kids more of what they need to be their best. Grow up strong with big G kids cereals!"

Please do not listen to this and think it's good for you or your kids: It's NOT! Feed your kids right and feed yourself right and do not believe the vague non statements that this cereal commercial makes.

:0) Frieda Online

Post and such ;0)

what was different today is that I actually meant to write about a differnt subject... The recovering of the Password got me... Google has the Power ;0)

Public Reviews

I just watched a Michael Douglas film: "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt". I watched it for the only two reasons that it was an instant Netflix movie and that it had a description that sound like this: "Michael Douglas stars as corrupt district attorney Mark Hunter in this remake of Fritz Lang's noir classic about a reporter, C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe), who sets himself up as the prime suspect in a murder he didn't commit in order to expose Hunter's misdeeds. Nicholas's plans go awry, however, when Hunter discovers the trap and destroys the evidence that would exonerate the cub reporter. Amber Tamblyn and Orlando Jones co-star."

Now this a movie you kind of have to see for what's to come next. Only after the fact can you truly appreciate the following: A wonderful review by a fellow Netflixer that I read AFTER I sat through the whole movie. A review that made me break out in ridiculous laughter attacks. Thank you Netflix user gkl 446015! Enjoy:

"I have never felt the need to write public reviews. My feelings, good or bad, were never strong enough to warrant one. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, however, is quite possibly the worst movie ever made. I have no idea how they got Michael Douglas to participate because ever aspect of this movie is awful: writing, acting, editing, lighting, directing... Anything that a movie can do poorly, this movie does poorly. Michael Douglas does great with his Michael Douglas-ness but the words he was given are just so dumb and terrible and awful. This movie has absolutely no redeeming qualities, I'm embarrassed for everyone involved in making it. The deep seeded hatred I have for this movie is difficult to fully convey but suffice it to say that by not renting this movie you are actively taking a step to better the overall quality of your life." - gkl 446015

OK, so maybe don't watch the movie. In case your ever made to watch it though, just come back and read this beautiful review again and you just might burst into tears from laughing so hard.

:0) Frieda Online

Inspiration Point!

"Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue." - Buddha

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Hiking with a river crossing ;0)

This Sat we hiked 10 miles up to Mount Zion....

All of you that know I am afraid of hights (if I show it or not...). I would like to qote something a coach of mine wrote to me after this last hike:

"I was sharing with several of you that I am very afraid of edges and that was the biggest challenge of TNT Hike for me! While we won't see the same kind of edgy trails we did this week in future hikes, it is always good to have a back-up plan should you get into a fearful situation. I have a "mantra" I say in those spots. I had it on a card in my pack during my trip to Half Dome. Here it is (thanks to Frank Herbert's 'Dune' series):

The litany against fear:
I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its
path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."

Thank you Tanis! :0) I did never know that Tanis was afraid of hights... I guess we both hide our fears well ;0)

Thank you so much!

:0) Frieda Online

Temescal Canyon - The Rain!

It was raining on the way down... slippery mud... definitely a do-not slip-now challenge! Good news: Saw my first Los Angeles rabbit ever! Big, beautiful, brown rabbit, yes!

:0) Frieda Online

7.3 Miles in Topanga = a click in my brain!

When I first signed up with "Team In Training" to go hiking and help raise money for the "Leukemia & Lymphoma Society" (LLS), I did it to get to know new people, climb on top of some great mountains for some awesome views, and to do some good for society at the same time. Or so I thought...

It was not until the hike we did yesterday in Topanga Canyon that my brain clicked into a place I had not been in a while, because I try to avoid the subject:

I wanted to bring my mom back to life... and that was the true and real reason I signed up for this all along!

I never really had made this connection before as my mom had not died of any form of blood cancer, but it still was cancer. Now, anyone that has had anyone in their family die of a cancer knows that there is always the hope in back of anyones mind, that maybe if more research had been done on this specific form of cancer, a life of a loved one could have been saved!

It really sucks loosing people, especially good friends that are family. I wish for nobody to have to go through the pain and hurt a cancer patient and their loved ones go through... Ever!!! That is why I believe strongly in the work of LLS! They have achieved major breakthroughs in the research of cancer. I have met people that would not have been able to be alive today without the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's help!

I know that it is hard to grasp things as a whole in our world. For most it is easy to not care about people dying, that they did not know. Yet, so many have loved ones that are sick or have died of this crazy disease:

If you have someone you know that had battled with cancer of any kind, please help me in my efforts to raise money for LLS. For a donation on your behalf I will embroid the name of that person you know into the shirt I will be wearing to climb Half Dome. I will honor that person with every step I take to the top of the mountain sending them strength for their recovery or in my moms case, honoring her name for the great woman that she was!

Thank you!

:0) Frieda Online

Malibu State Park, Oh Yes!

Today was the day when I saw a herd of deer chase a coyote away.

They were about 100 feet away from the "herd" of people that we were at our first hike meeting in the Malibu State Park. At 8 am on this Saturday morning we were ready to see some amazing nature spectacles only 20 miles North-East of Hollywood. It is amazing what one can find in LA when looking for it... Nice 3 hour hike that lead us to the original film site of the TV show "Mash". Most of the filming sites props were burned down by wildfires a couple of years ago, but nature took over and it is gorgeous there!

All together it was a wonderful hike with great people all supporting the same cause of helping the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Please support me in raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Even the smallest donation helps!

Thank you!

:0) Frieda Online

Please Support Team In Training!

Please support and help me raise money for Cancer! Read my story and why I am doing this here. Thank you!

Haiti Help!

Please text 9-0-9-9-9 to "Haiti" and help support the American Red Cross in their efforts in Haiti's tragedy.

Brittany Murphy

It is not good when someone young dies, no matter if they are a celebrity or not: When a celebrity dies though, one does not want to post a scandalous underwear pic of the missed one to remember the person that appeared on the movie screen. It feels weird. Nobody wants to say things either. Really we just want to grieve about the fact that there will be no new film appearance of that actor ever. We identify the situation with our personal losses and in that way grieve for the lost star that we really never knew.

I will miss Brittany Murphy much. She was marketed well to me as the female under 30 viewer and I feel like I knew her, even though we never met.

I hope there will be no bad publicity affecting Brittany after her death. When they do her autopsy and find scandalous causes of death, people should have the decency to just shut up in front of the reporters. Maybe they already have. Thanks for that!

Frieda Online :0)

Negotiating for You?

So they finally have come up with some agreements at the green meetings in Copenhagen, the wonderful "Copenhagen Report", but really this just states a lot of things they should do, not what they will do, kinda funny really. Here is a little sneak, before you might not read the whole thing :0)

6. We recognize the crucial role of reducing emission from deforestation and forrest degradation and the need to enhance removals of greenhouse gas emission by forrest and agree on the need to provide positive incentives to such actions through the immediate establishment of mechanism including REDD-plus, to enable the mobilization of financial resources from development countries.

Now kids, lets go and get those 3rd world countries ;0)))

Lets hope Yemi Katerere will do a good job influencing all the world leaders while

trying to support the little countries and holding on to the promised words in the "Copenhagen Report".

Oh promises, promises!

And then there is the 13 year old from last year that truly tried to make things happen,

but happenings are not so common apparently...

Merry Christmas everyone!

:0) Frieda Online

Button

I went to a little house party last night and ran into an amazing artist, Shawn Button. Just wanted to share one of his paintings here. Self portrait bathing in fruit loops :0)

Frieda Online

Publicity Stunts vs. News

Somewhat recently the white house was crashed by a couple that supposedly was not on that little invite list the white house has for the annual state dinner. The media was freaking out. The press made it seem like Michaele and Tareq Salahi really crashed the white house festivities and that the secret service had done a horrible job. Somehow this all feels like a really good publicity stunt to me, one that will soon develop into a reality show and nobody in the actual public ever would know what hit them. Slowly, slowly, over days the media has dragged this out and slowly actual facts of the so called "crash" come to light. Of course there was a background check done and, yes, people responsible for making these lists at the white house knew who this couple was. The bigger story would be, who really pulled the strings and how much were they paid? I smell a reality show with an amazing marketing team...

Along with the whole Tiger Woods drove into a fire hydrant on private property these were THE headlines on the news during Thanksgiving and up to this day.

While we were listening to these oh so important happenings over and over while filling our bellies with turkey, somehow actual news slipped past us:

Aminatou Haidar for example was on a hunger strike over Thanksgiving almost about to die while fighting to not be exiled by her home country Morocco as she fights for independence as a Western Saharan citizen. She has been in the Tenerife airport on the Canary Irelands these past 3 weeks waiting for the right to see her children again.

Fake news should only go so far and that`s that!

Frieda Online

Tasered UCLA

Protests at UCLA going on the past 3 days! The main media does not seem to want to report on this, especially the TV news.... WoW! Read more at LA Times

:0) Frieda Online

supporting education!

Jay Lenno

Everybody: Stop worrying about Jay Lenno and which show he will host.. He is a veteran, an old timer, he doesn`t care as long as he rules his show... Common everyone loves him no matter where his stand up is. I would go and see him at a local club if he wasn`t on TV anymore...

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Happy Halloween!

Miro Painting :0)

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