The Beauty Department: Your Daily Dose of Pretty.

Beauty Bites

POST/PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHIC DESIGN BY NORAH CURLEE

Donuts are the new cupcake and cronuts are the new donut…but we think our croNOTS are the next big thing! (We’re calling it). You know after you core a ripe, juicy apple and slice it into rings? Looks kind of like a donut, huh? Well, with today’s Beauty Bite, we ran with it! With all the amazing beauty benefits apples bring, it really is true what they say about an apple a day…but we say bring on the toppings!

No wonder Snow White couldn’t resist…apples are such a gorgeous fruit! Not only are they easy on the eyes but these little pretties are a nutritional powerhouse. Among many various nutrients, apples have vitamins A and C, plus calcium, iron and fiber. You may already be familiar with the skin-supporting antioxidant benefits of vitamin C, as we’ve mentioned in previous posts, but one nutrient that shouldn’t be forgotten is fiber. An apple contains approximately 17% of your daily value of fiber, which is important for your body’s internal cleansing process. A beautiful body inside is a beautiful body outside! Apples also contain potassium, magnesium, and copper, all of which are beneficial to the hair by promoting growth, preventing loss and maintaining a healthy scalp. Score!

To make our pretty croNOTS, the first thing you’ll need to do is core all of your apples. You can use whatever type of apple is your favorite (so many to choose from!). Next you’ll want to slice your apple into rings…now do you see these donut-wannabees coming along?

Let’s talk toppings! To get the full donut effect you’ll need some “glaze” and some “sprinkles”. To keep things healthy, we used:

1. The “glaze”: We used flavored Greek yogurt and chose a few flavors that had especially pretty colors. For our chocolate fix, we made chocolate pudding out of an avocado…say what?! (Maybe that’s a post in and of itself!)

2. Fresh fruit. We sliced up some strawberries we had on hand, but you can use any fruit you like.

3. Almond butter. You could also use peanut butter or cashew butter.

4. “Sprinkles”: We used things like poppy seeds, almonds, cashews, peanuts, coconut, banana chips, dried apricots, dried cherries and pineapple…this is your chance to get creative with it!

Time to decorate! Make it fun…pretty food always tastes better.