No Sugar Added Apple Chips

I'm heading back to Colorado in a week!

It is such an exhilarating, nerve-wracking feeling. I've missed all the connections I made in CO, but I've been really enjoying time with my father and other family here in CA. When I was growing up I lived in Arizona (which was about a 7-9 hour drive to CA), so I didn't see my extended family very often. Now, living in CA, I can see them much more frequently, and I really cherish it.

Today's "recipe" is so simply that I almost didn't post it, but then I decided that I should anyways because these guys are delicious. Apple chips are such a great thing to make, because they are open to so many different uses. For example: a healthy snack for work; topping on some frozen yogurt or ice cream; something to bring camping that is lightweight and full of energy; great texture to add to baked goods or oatmeal; and part of a trail mix. Seriously, apple chips are amazing. I've never really been a huge fan of chips in general (I rarely had them growing up), so apple chips are one of my favorite things.

And by favorite things, I mean I'll eat about two-thirds of them off the pan before I store them because I have no self-control. I know. I am a child.

This recipe is the easiest. It's slice, spray, and bake. That is seriously it. You can use however many apples you want, but remember that the apple slices naturally shrink when they bake, so you will end up with a smaller volume than you started with. The handful you see up there is about 3/4 of a medium gala apple. I also love this recipe because you can seriously put it in the oven and then walk away to do errands or laundry or read, and not have to worry. I put these in the oven and then went grocery shopping, along with going out to dinner. So. easy.

Apple Chips
Serves 4 (assuming you are using four medium gala apples) (or another apple of your choice; but since it is just the apples in this recipe, you want to use something crisp and slightly sweet. I've seen recipes using granny smith apples, but they are a bit too sour for me)

Ingredients:

• 4 medium gala apples  
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 250F.
2. Lightly coat two large baking pans with cooking spray.
3. Slice apples thinly, just thick enough so that you can't see any newspaper through them, but not any thicker. You will get some round slices and some more rectangular ones; different shapes are normal and they don't affect cooking time.
4. Lay apples in a single, even layer on the baking pans. Bake for three hours, or until apples are crisp like chips. (It shouldn't take more than 4 hours, max; if it does, your slices are a bit thick. Just keep cooking them.) Allow to cool, then store in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Nutrition Info:
Sodium: 0mg
Total Fat: 0g
Sugar: 16g (all naturally found in the apples)
Protein: 0g
Calories: 80