Guilt Free and Easy Mini Apple Pie Bites

I just love these! They are super quick to make and easy to do! My favorite pie of all time is Apple Pie but your average 1/8 slice of pie is anywhere between 275-350 calories and has roughly 18-20 grams of sugar!! You only should be consuming about 25-30 grams of sugar a day! (Most Americans eat about 90 grams of sugar a day...yes you should be dying right now!) I consider these little babies "healthy" because they help with portion control, sugar intake, and they contain real apples! 

If you want to know why I'm always opting for the "no sugars added" route and the true "all natural" ways, click the link below to learn more. Sugar Love (A not so sweet story) by Rich Cohen-National Geographic, will truly open your eyes about the history of sugar and our addiction to it. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/sugar/cohen-text

But enough about why sugar can be bad for you and more about this recipe and why we should feel guilt free about these yummy, portion sized apple pies! 

Be sure to add your recipe into your myfitnesspal app and to weigh/measure out all of your portions! 

Serves 4 people
Time: 20 min

What you'll need:
4 Apple slices peeled, red or green (I used both)
4 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Reduced Fat
1/2 Tbsp Butter (I used I can't believe it's not butter, light)
2 1/2 tsp Light Brown Sugar 
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Apple Pie Spice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line a cookie sheet with Parchment Paper and lightly spray with cooking oil
2. Peel and slice your Apples
3. Place Apple slices, Light Brown Sugar, Butter, Cinnamon, and Apple Pie Spice into a microwavable bowl and stir it up
*Before:

4. Place the bowl in the microwave for 1 min, stir, and put it back in for 1 more min. Let this cool on the counter while you prepare your Crescents; it's easier to handle later
*After: cooked apples (that way you don't have hard crunchy apples when you bite into your Apple Pie Bite later). You can stop here and just enjoy these baked apples as a treat; so easy and so good :)

5. Roll out the Crescents (make sure they are pulled apart into separate rolls) and place 1 Apple slice per roll, drizzle a little of the Butter/Light Brown Sugar mix onto the inside of the roll, and sprinkle just a little more Cinnamon and Apple Pie Spice as well

6. Roll up and top with a little of the Butter/Light Brown Sugar mixture that's left in the bowl and a tiny sprinkle of Light Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, and Apple Pie Spice (to each roll)
*Before:

7. Place in oven for 8 min (depending on oven) and pull out of the oven to let them finishing baking on the hot cookie sheet (that you've placed on top of the stove or oven pad) for an additional 1-2 min. 

8. Serve with some warm Tea (my favorite is Bengal Spice Tea lately) or Almond Milk and enjoy :)

1 Serving Size: 
1 Mini Apple Pie Bite 118 calories
Total: 118 Calories 2.1 grams Protein 3.5 grams Fat 8 grams Sugar 

*Check out these websites to learn more about Apple Pie and Sugar; these are just a few links:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/08/sugar/cohen-text
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tlo27/how-much-sugar-is-in-your-food#.oi86LXPAd
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1139.aspx?categoryid=51
http://www.livestrong.com/article/308270-calories-in-one-slice-of-apple-pie/