After School Snack: Mini Apple Crisps in Ramekins

I’m not one to let wedding gifts sit & gather the dust! I had to store my ramekins in a spot I can only reach on my tippy-toes , but I just knew today was the day to pull them out!

My husband loves apple crisp more than anything else, and it just popped in my head today that there had to be a way to make apple crisp in the ramekins! I consulted Google and came up with this recipe on Andrea’s Wellness Notes.

I started with 2 apples, but I ate probably a half of an apple as I chopped them. I always leave the peelings on out of sheer laziness. Kevin has never complained so I’m guessing that’s fine. If company ever complains, I can just say I’m trying to be healthier?

I chopped them up and added 2 generous tsp of cinnamon. That mixture was immediately divided among the 4 ramekins. Here’s where the recipe and I parted paths. I know they were trying to be healthy and all, but if I want my husband to keep feeding my iced coffee addiction – he’s going to need a little more crumb topping than that!

So I simply doubled the crumb topping mixture. 2 TBS whole wheat Flour + 6 TBS oatmeal + 3 TBS butter. That should do it! I put just a sprinkling of water on top because the extra crumb topping helped the mixture stay moist.

Ramekins ready! I placed them on a cookie sheet as a precautionary measure because every time I turn on the oven my nose reminds me of my tendency to overfill things!

Here’s the recipe in its entirety if you’re interested:

• 1 1/2 large apples
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 3 Tbsp oats
• 4 Tbsp water

Mix apples and cinnamon. Evenly divide among ramekins. Mix other ingredients and top each dish. Pour one tbs of water over each dessert before baking. Bake @ 350 for about 25 minutes.

Do you think Kevin is enjoying being married?

Today while I was making this my snack was plain apples. Kevin’s snack was apple crisp. IS THAT EVEN FAIR!??! It reminded me of a funny post I read last night entitled (No) War & Peace: Maintaining Your Diet & Your Marriage.

I’m going to quote 2 points:

8. Don’t be a martyr. I never think it’s a good excuse when people say they can’t eat healthy because their family doesn’t like the healthy food they would make. Who says healthy can’t be tasty? Experiment with new recipes and ingredients; try some of the recipes you see on blogs or subscribe to a healthy eating magazine, like Clean Eating. Use spices and herbs for flavor. Buy lean cuts of meats, try new grains (quinoa, anyone?). Spicing things up is key to your relationship and food so don’t be afraid to find healthy things you and your man like.

2. Don’t be a Soup Nazi! Don’t be so uptight about your eating habits that you can’t enjoy some of life’s greatest food pleasures together. For us, we love eating ice cream while watching our favorite TV show and do it regularly. And admit that some of his favorite, perhaps not-so-healthy foods are pretty tasty and just eat them sometimes!

Do you ever struggle to find the balance in this area in your household? I feel really lucky that Kevin is an adventuresome eater and is fine with eating “cowgirl food.” However, I do get a little jealous when he’s packing away the cookies… or worse yet – the Diet Coke!

Do you have any great recipes that use ramekins? I definitely want to get adventurous and try crème brûlée someday, but I’m afraid my torch skills are below average.