Apple Cole Slaw

DAY 6:

I just made it through my first two shifts at work and while I struggled a bit, I'm happy to report that I did pretty well.

Coffee and soda turned out to be way harder to give up than I anticipated, and I did cave a bit. However, I only drank probably half or less of what I usually do.  I successfully avoided the urge to order fast food with my other coworkers, but did not manage to meander past a homemade pumpkin doughnut my coworker made.  Despite that, I made it through the weekend without too much trouble, so hopefully, it's only going to get easier.

I'm considering making a switch from coffee to tea.  I rely on caffeine pretty heavily when I'm working, but tea seems like it might be a healthier option.  I just don't know if it will give me the same kick that a big cup of coffee would.  Any suggestions/advice???

This week, I'm concentrating on exercise, trying to establish a routine so I'll continue to do it.  I enjoyed doing the yoga/pilates workout, but I've been a bit too busy the last couple days to do it.  Walking and running is slightly hampered by the change in weather we're experiencing and my absolute disgust at having to turn on the heating system in my house.  I know it's October, but I just can't fathom that this, again, is my life until probably March.  As much as I love fall and winter, the first day of artificial heat always depresses me to no end.

That being said, apples are a big fun part of fall for me, so cooking and baking with them always makes me feel a little bit better.  Every year in my neck of the woods, everybody flocks to two specific locations, the apple orchard and the cider mill.  The orchard is a great place for families to walk through rows upon rows of apple trees, picking their own bright red apples to take home.  The cider mill sits up against a shallow river surrounded by trees.  The large back deck provides the perfect scenery for sitting outside and enjoying hot cider and a fresh cider doughnut.  Two things I absolutely look forward to doing every year.

With my bag of fresh apples, I've been trying to think up some healthy ways to use them.  My favorite ways are obviously in the form of pies, fritters and big dollops of apple butter.  I decided to use apples in my cooking since baking is pretty much nonexistent for me right now.  I loved the idea of chopping apples up julienne-style and tossing them among some cabbage and carrots for a sweet slaw.

My favorite slaw dressing is, unfortunately, a mayo-based one (I never seem to prefer the healthier options in life first!), so I continued that theme here, adding a little apple cider vinegar for extra tang and sweetness.  I've head of people substituting Greek yogurt for mayo, but there's actually less carbs in mayo (and way more fat, yikes!), so I'll be sticking to mayonnaise for now.  But, the yogurt idea is something I'll be keeping in mind for next year.

I'm busy brainstorming what this cole slaw would work well on and I think I've come up with something promising, but you'll have to wait and see.  Until then, do any of you lovely people have suggestions for serving this deliciously sweet slaw???








Apple Cole Slaw

2 red apples (I used Cortland apples), julienned
2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. lemon juice


Place the sliced vegetables into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the mayo, vinegar, honey and lemon juice together.

Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix well, coating all of the vegetables.