Brownies and Zucchini

Full Disclosure: I was given this product for free from Musselman’s but the opinions are, as always, completely my own. 

Typical new year’s resolutions often end up being huge goals that someone makes for the entire year ahead.  Things like going to the gym every day, not eating any sugar, and getting organized are things that immediately come to mind. These large goals often get pushed aside after a few days or weeks or months when it becomes clear they are not easily attainable.  I am not a fan of new year’s resolutions mainly for this reason.   What seems to make more sense to me is to set goals or resolutions at a smaller scale so that they are more manageable and realistic.  So now that it is March, and the sparkle of those lofty new goals has faded, why not reach for something a bit more attainable?

One of the things that I’ve been working hard at the past couple of years – every since I started to focus more on being healthier – is a “fruit first” motto.  This means that if I am hungry for a snack, I choose fruit first.  Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes I REALLY want to just have a donut instead of some pineapple, but my motto helps me remember my healthy goals. Of course I’m not perfect, and there are times when my brain decides to ignore my motto, but most of the time just having that in the back of my head helps me think in a healthier way.

Musselman’s has a campaign right now (that you may have seen me hastagging #AppleSauceInstead on Instagram and Twitter in the past few weeks) about replacing your snacks with applesauce in an effort to make healthier choices.  This fits into my resolution perfectly! Choosing applesauce (fruit) instead of something else less healthy seems like an easy and attainable switch that many people could make.

Why should you chose apple sauce instead of a different snack? Maybe these  fun facts about apples and apple sauce will help convince you:

• Apple sauce naturally has no fat or cholesterol and is low in sodium.
• Researchers from the University of Denmark have discovered that apples and apple products could give the health of your intestines as well as your immune system a boost – by increasing the numbers of good gut bacteria.
• One 4 ounce cup of Musselman’s applesauce contains a full serving of fruit.  (It isn’t like some fruit juice or fruit snacks that are “made with real fruit” but in reality you would have to eat much more than one serving in order to get a full serving of fruit.)

• Apples contain complex carbohydrates so they energize faster than eating something high in sugar.
• A growing body of evidence from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell suggests that eating apples and drinking apple juice can be beneficial when it comes to improving brain health and diminishing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.(Source)

Even if you don’t choose applesauce instead every single time you have a snack, it can still make a difference.  Once I started focusing on eating more fruit, I found that I started to actually want fruit as a snack more often – not just settle with fruit because it was a healthier choice.  It can be a hard transition to make, especially if you are used to having less healthy snacks all the time, but even just replacing one snack a day, or a week, can make a difference in your habits in the long run.

Another way that I love to use applesauce as a healthier replacement is in baking.  Many of my favorite quick bread recipes use applesauce instead of oil.  I love it because it makes it super moist and it is healthier than using oil.

To help promote this campaign, Musselman’s sent me three packs of applesauce (natural, original, and cinnamon) as well as a stability  ball.

I haven’t done any kind of core work in a while, but I’m excited to put this ball to work. I remember a few things that we did in Pilates classes with the ball and I’m looking forward to working those back into my routine. I’m sure my body will thank me!

Oh, and one more thing…

GIVEAWAY!!

Musselman’s has offered to send a package just like I received (3 6-packs of applesauce and a stability ball) to one of my readers! That means YOU!  Enter by completing tasks with the Rafflecopter widget below!  (This is my first time using rafflecopter, so please let me know if there are any weird issues going on so I can fix them!) Giveaway is open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will run until next Wednesday, March 6, and I will draw a random winner and let them know by Thursday March 7!  If you win, you will have 48 hours from when I contact you to get back to me with your mailing information.  If I do not hear back from you within that time, I will draw a new winner.

Good luck, and have a great weekend!!

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Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | applesauce, giveaway, Musselmans