An apple a day is so much more important than you think!

It has always been said that an apple a day will keep the doctor away, right? Well, let me tell you, that is right in a MAJOR way!

Aside from the fiber content that is contained in the peel alone, which by the way is 20% of what you need daily, the meat of the apple itself is very high in quercetin - the key chemical that protects against strokes. Quercetin also fights heart disease by preventing cholesterol from sticking to the walls of your arteries, making them narrow and therefore, vulnerable to a heart attack.

My favorite at the moment is that juicy honey crisp apple. Have you tasted it? Oh, it's so good! When you break the skin with your teeth, you can hear the crispness. It's so luscious, the juice runs down my wrist and I feel like a kid enjoying a piece of candy! It's a combination of granny smith and red delicious rolled into one and I have to say, I simply love them! They haven't been so easy to find though...I had to go to one of those fancy, schmancy gourmet grocery stores but, I tell ya, it is worth the trip!

Don't like raw apples? Here, try this recipe I ran across for Apple Cranberry Muffins. They are so sinfully delicious, you'll have your daily quota taken care of in no time flat! Grab a cup of milk to go with it and enjoy! Here it is;

Apple Cranberry Muffins

1&3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of sugar (divide this in half as you won't be using it all at once, okay?)
1&1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup sweetened applesauce
1/4 cup butter or margarine-melted
1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine 1&3/4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine egg, milk applesauce and butter; mix well. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just until it's moist. The batter's gonna be a little lumpy but don't fret and DO NOT OVERMIX. In a small bowl, toss cranberries with remaining 2 tablespoons flour then fold them into the batter. Spoon batter evenly into 12 greased 2&3/4 inch muffin cups. In measuring cup, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over tops of muffins. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove muffins and place on a wire rack to cool. Beware, if you use a muffin tray where the cups are a different size, the cooking times will vary so you may have to adjust to more time, if the cups are larger or less time if the cups are smaller. Happy eating!