Well, 2011 is officially here and we are now faced with endless possibilities for the upcoming year.  In previous years my New Year’s resolutions had been pretty consistent, but this year they have finally changed.  They used to include, “lose five pounds”, “exercise more” and “fit into those old jeans again”. This year, though I’ll keep my “exercise more” resolution, the purpose and direction of the rest of my resolutions directly follow the path I’ve been taking on this Out of the Box Food journey.  These resolutions won’t necessarily get me to my old “lose five pounds” goal, but they will provide my family and I a healthier way of treating our bodies.

Resolution 1 – Eat Apple Pie For Dinner.  Yup, why not.  I  make my Rustic Apple Pie with very little sugar (if any at all) so when you break it down it’s simply apples (full of fiber and believed to reduce the risk of colon, prostate and lung cancer ), cinnamon (believed to maintain lower blood sugars ), whole wheat pastry flour (1/4 C serving contains 4 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein), flax meal (2 tbsp serving contains: 1.33 grams of soluble fiber, 2.67 grams of insoluble fiber and 2400 mg of omega-3) and the part that won’t let me reach my old “five pounds” resolution: real quality butter.

Resolution 2 – Learn.  I have learned so much over the last seven months in regards to food, where our food comes from, how it’s processed, and what it’s processed with, yet I’ve really only scratched the surface.  I resolve to continue to read more and share the information I read with you.  Just the other day, I ran into a friend who asked if I had read, “The China Study” by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D and Thomas M. Campbell II.  I had not.  She looked me in the eye, and with determined resolve said, “Go right now to Whole Foods and buy the book.  It will change your life.”  So I did.  I’m reading it now, and I can see how it will change my life.  My husband got tired of fighting me for reading time, so he went out and got his own copy.  I have been coming across many books that offer important information and perspective on our food and health and I’ll continue to list them under the RELEVANT READS tab.  Put them on your list as well.  They may change your life.

Resolution 3 – Don’t Be Afraid.  I’ll admit, I have had the movie “Food Inc.” on my shelf for a couple of years.  I kept meaning to watch it, yet I wasn’t able to commit to sitting down and dedicating the time.  I was afraid to see the abuse of our food animals and quite frankly, I like an occasional pork chop and didn’t want to see the process the leads to putting a neatly shrink-wrapped package of pork chops on the shelf .  I was afraid.  And I should have been.  I figured ignorance was bliss because deep down, I didn’t want to change.  I was comfortable with the way things were and if I didn’t know how that animal came to become my breaded pork chop, then I could eat it without guilt.  I was only willing to look at what I wasn’t afraid of.  In 2011 I resolve to not be afraid…and if I find that I am afraid, I’ll do it anyway because it may make the difference for the health of my children.

Resolution 4 – Fight.  I resolve to fight for what I believe.  I am going to continue to work towards making the changes to issues I used  to only  lament about from the comfort of my couch.  As I watched the documentary “Supersize Me” last week, I ranted about the nerve of the companies that entice children into eating their dangerous “food”.  I argued with the television about the freedom food companies are given to put products on the shelf and claim they’re “healthy” even though they contain chemicals like TBHQ, Carrageenan or  food dye Blue #1.  I resolve to continue the fight.

And finally,

Resoultion 5 – Involve My Children In Their Own Health. I think this may be one of the key components to making a change for our kids.  I don’t want my kids to follow in my food foodsteps of “McDonalds Sausage McMuffins” and “Squeeze Cheese on Ritz crackers”.  I still crave those foods as an adult because the companies that made them engineered them to addict me.  They knew how to make them taste good, but what they weren’t willing to do was make them good for me.  I don’t want my children to crave “Chicken Nuggets” and “Eggo Waffles” when they’re adults.  They may fight me a bit now, but I want to educate them to crave fresh food.  Real food.  When they asked for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups at Halloween, I chose not only to say no, but to tell them why.  Now they come home from school and ask me to talk to their friend’s mom because, “So-and-so was eating TBHQ at lunch”.  Kids are smart and ultimately they will be the ones to decide what they eat to fuel their bodies.  Our job is to give them the tools to choose well.

So those are my resolutions for 2011.  What are yours?  Will you resolve to eat Apple Pie for dinner?  If so, here’s the recipe for the Out of the Box Rustic Apple Pie for Dinner with Whole Wheat, Cinnamon and Flax Crust.  Happy New Year!

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Out of the Box Food^SM Rustic Apple Pie for Dinner

This is not a delicate dessert pie.  This is a hearty, filling and nourishing meal.

Makes: 1 deep dish apple pie

Special Equipment: 1 deep dish pie plate, pastry cutter or food processor (alternate methods can be used if needed), large mixing bowl, foil-lined baking sheet

Ingredients:

For Double Crust:

• 2 1/4 C whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 C flax meal
• 2 sticks (16 tbsp) cold butter, cubed into 1/2″ pieces
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 6-8 tbsp ice water
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

For Pie Filling:

• 4 lbs apples (about 11 medium), peeled, cored and chopped into large chunks
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

Step 1 (Pie Crust):

• Before beginning, place cut butter and mixing bowl in freezer to chill (approx 10 min).  This will help keep butter cold and increase chances for a flaky crust.
• Whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, flax meal, cinnamon, and sea salt in mixing bowl.
• Add cubes of butter and cut into the flour with the pastry cutter. (Do steps 1 and 2 in food processor if needed.)  Do not over mix.  Butter should be the size of peas.
• Put mixing bowl back in freezer for 10 minutes to chill, then remove and gently stir in water.  Do not over mix.  Dough is ready when a small amount sticks together when squeezed.
• Turn dough out onto smooth surface and divide into eight pieces.
• Using the heal of your hand, press dough forward a couple times to distribute the fats.  Do not overwork the dough.
• Scrape all dough back together and divide into 2 equal pieces.  Place each piece on a sheet of plastic wrap.  Press down to form a 4-5″ disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to use.

*Tip – To easily and efficiently roll out pastry dough: sandwich dough between two sheets of lightly floured parchment paper.  Roll out dough then remove top layer of parchment.  Leave bottom piece of parchment in place. Lay uncovered side down in pie dish, then remove second piece of parchment.  This technique will save you from both a mess and diminishing the taste of your dough from excess flour, and will help prevent sticking.

Step 2 (Pie Filling)

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In the large mixing bowl, toss roughly chopped apples with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, lemon juice and brown sugar (if using).
• Roll dough between two sheets of parchment until thin.
• Remove top sheet of parchment, place exposed side of dough into pie plate then remove bottom sheet of parchment.  Press to fit into pie plate.  Leaving approximately 1/2″ of dough over the edge of the pie dish, trim any additional excess dough.
• Pour apple mixture into pie dish.
• Roll out second disc of dough between two sheets of parchment until thin.
• Remove top sheet of parchment and place exposed side over the filling.  Remove bottom sheet of parchment.  Leaving approximately 1″ of dough over the edge of the pie dish, fold the top layer of dough under the edge of the bottom layer and press the edges together.  Crimp edges decoratively.
• Brush egg wash over top crust of pie.
• Using a sharp paring knife, slice six diagonal (or decorative) slits into top of pie dough to release steam while cooking.
• Place pie dish on foil-lined baking sheet and put into preheated oven. (baking sheet will catch any juices that may overflow)
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 375 degrees, cover edges of pie crust and bake 35-55 minutes more or until browned and bubbling.
• Cool to warm or room temperature.  Serve with a chunk of sharp cheddar cheese as a delicious (and nutritious) dinner.

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Happy New Year!   Until next week…