Seasons

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...” - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, RSV

I walked by a budding pussy willow tree the other day. The snow and ice have melted, song birds are singing in the [still baren]trees, and the boisterous calls of Sandhill Cranes are wafting on the blustery winds. Hints of Spring... harbingers of change.

Change can be thought of in many ways... As disruptive and dangerous, healing and hopeful, frightening and fractious. The results of change are seldom predictable, inspiring uncertainty in some, trepidation in others. Change is seldom entirely new or alien, though. An evolution of what was, a rebirth into what is, a rebalancing of life... Not necessarily for good or bad, but because life is dynamic and ever changing. To quote from the Tao by Lao Tzu:

“As it acts in the world, the Tao is like the bending of a bow.
The top is bent downward; the bottom is bent up.
It adjusts excess and deficiency so that there is perfect balance.
It takes from what is too much and gives to what isn't enough.”

While I embrace such ideas, I find myself constantly challenged to bend without breaking... to find and recognize the good and the positive in life... to save and cherish such finds so that they can be used as needed to balance out the bad and the negative. Sometimes, when the winds of change are blowing especially hard and life seems particularly overwhelming, the thought of breaking can seem almost comforting.

And then the boisterous calls of the Sandhill Cranes return to the blustery winds, reminding me that, for everything, there is a season... A thought that partially inspired the following recipe; a balancing of my favorite season, Autumn, with my current season, that of a Weight Watchers member (and Leader) continually in search of yummy food. Enjoy!

TIM'S BREAKFAST ALA MODE

Ingredients:

• 3 honeycrisp apples, medium, diced
• Butter-flavored spray
• 2 tbsp. uncooked oatmeal
• 2 tsp. unpacked brown sugar
• 4 tsp. Splenda
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 individual containers of Fit & Active non-fat vanilla yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine all ingredients except the yogurt in a mixing bowl. Separate the combined ingredients into two oven-safe ramekins. Cover ramekins in foil and bake ~30 to 40 minutes, until the apples are nicely baked and a little caramelized. Serve with chilled non-fat vanilla yogurt.

Serves 2, 5 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving (Note: Substituting a 2 SmartPoint vanilla yogurt will reduce the SmartPoints to 3 per serving).

A note to social media users: Here is a sample tweet you can use to share this recipe: 

• Missing #Autumn? Try this @WeightWatchers-friendly #breakfast: http://bit.ly/2nahxGB #RecipeOfTheDay #recipe #foodblog #apples @AldiUSA

Additional acknowledgements: Portions of the above recipe were adapted from ”Mom's Apple Crisp” recipe on Food.com