Pineapple Casserole: A Unique & Delicious Holiday Side Dish

Are you looking for an easy and unique side dish for your holiday celebrations? My husband's family introduced me to pineapple casserole 11 years ago, and my life has never been the same! 

My personal feelings are to eat healthy most of the time throughout the year and enjoy my favorite traditional recipes in moderation during the holidays. This recipe is NOT revamped into a healthier version. This is one dish I enjoy just as prescribed, but I only eat it about 3 times a year. 

This recipe was given to me by my mother-in-law and I am not sure of the original source. I've found similar recipes online but none exactly like this one. 

Ingredients all mixed up

Pineapple Casserole

Serves 8

1 20-oz can crushed pineapple, drained well (be sure to get canned in juice not syrup)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (sounds crazy I know, just stick with me)

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp flour (I use white whole wheat)

1 sleeve butter round crackers (Ritz, Trader Joe's or Late July - the latter two have a healthier ingredient list)

1/2 to 1 stick butter, melted

Mix together the first 4 ingredients and put in greased baking dish. Mix together crackers and butter, then sprinkle on top of the pineapple mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes or until bubbly.

Recipe can be doubled or tripled (I quadrupled it once). Don't double the crackers mixture, just use 1 1/2 sleeves of crackers and 1 stick butter.

I know it sounds crazy to eat pineapple and cheese mixed together for the holidays, but I am telling you, this is the best!   So if you are looking to change things up a bit, but don't want a dish that is hard to make try this one out.  You won't be disappointed.

It's always a hit in our house.

I hope you enjoy this amazing side dish!  What are your favorite holiday sides?

Don't forget that health happens at home,

Erin Marie

(Amazon affiliate links are in included in this post. See FAQ/Terms page for details.)

Popcorn - My Favorite Healthy Snack and a Fun Gift

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. If you looked at my family meal plan from last week's blog post you probably noticed it several times. I like to combine it with some nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios) or dried fruit. I prepare my own popcorn (no microwave bags) and vary my seasonings to give variety!

If you prepare it properly it is a super healthy snack. Popcorn is a whole grain that is minimally processed. Popcorn contains many vitamins and some minerals (folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, vitamins B6, A, E, and K, iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc). It is full of fiber and polyphenol antioxidants. Polyphenols help protect our bodies from certain cancers and heart disease. In fact, the concentration of polyphenols is higher in popcorn than fruits and vegetables because of the low water content of popcorn. This doesn't mean we skip fruits and vegetables. They are still packed with other nutrients which popcorn lacks. A healthy diet includes both.  The hulls of popcorn have the highest amounts of polyphenols and fiber. Hulls also contain beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, three antioxidants linked to eye health. Popcorn is on the upper edge of the lower glycemic index (GI) foods. Lower glycemic index diets help control blood sugar in people with diabetes and can help with weight control because lower GI food digest slower, delaying hunger. 

“ “Popcorn may be the perfect snack food. It’s the only snack that is 100 percent unprocessed whole grain. All other grains are processed and diluted with other ingredients, and although cereals are called “whole grain,” this simply means that over 51 percent of the weight of the product is whole grain. One serving of popcorn will provide more than 70 percent of the daily intake of whole grain. The average person only gets about half a serving of whole grains a day, and popcorn could fill that gap in a very pleasant way.”

- Joe Vinson, PhD, a University of Scranton Researcher who published a study on popcocrn. ”

— http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2012/march/popcorn-the-snack-with-even-higher-antioxidants-levels-than-fruits-and-vegetables.html

You do have to prepare popcorn properly or it can become a health nightmare. Air popped popcorn has the lowest amount of calories. You can also pop popcorn in a brown paper lunch bag in the microwave. Use caution with store bought microwave popcorn bags. Some bags are lined with harmful chemicals and the butter flavoring has also been linked to health hazards. I personally like to prepare mine in a stove top popper with a little coconut oil in with the kernels. then I top it with a little olive oil and season it. The oils help the seasonings stick. Drizzle the olive oil immediately after popping. Then season and toss. Go light or without salt, most Americans get too much salt. Experiment with different herbs and spices. Here are a few of my favorite ways to prepare it. Check my Pinterest popcorn board for more inspiration. 

• Blood orange infused olive oil and a little orange zest
• Olive Oil, nutrition yeast (has a nice cheese flavor), and a tiny bit of salt
• Olive Oil and Herbs of Provence blend
• "Special" popcorn seasoning (I cut the salt way down in this recipe)
• Salt and Vinegar 
• Cinnamon glazed popcorn mix
• Scallions and cilantro
• Turmeric and coriander
• Parmesan and black pepper
• Coconut sugar and orange zest
• Parmesan and oregano
• Spriulina **I have not tried this but want to, I don't know how my kids will do
• Grind up fresh popcorn to use as a gluten free substitute for bread crumbs
• Season it like croutons and use as a salad topping

Full Disclosure: these are not affiliate links. I just like these products or recipes. 

Want more information:

http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/7-foods-should-never-cross-your-lips/3-microwave-popcorn

http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/popcorn-contains-more-antioxidants-fruits-and-vegetables

http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=22719

http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2007/09/epas-diacetyl-secret

---

Popcorn also makes a fun gift! The picture above was my dad's birthday present. This would also make a great Father's Day gift (Sunday, June 21st this year). He got an air popcorn popper. I bottle of olive oil and some sea salt. I made four different seasoning blends from those listed above and put them in these wonderful Ball Spice Jars. I also included a book on Prime Time Health.

For Christmas, I gave my brother a stove top popper and some organic popcorn kernels. I gave extended family small bags of popped and seasoned popcorn with a cinnamon ornament. My kids helped stuff the bags and make the ornaments. They loved being able to help!

We have also given bags of seasoned popcorn to neighbors as a just-because gift. These would also make a a great housewarming or teacher gift. You could also fill a ball jar with kernels and include a recipe.

---

Here are some of my favorite popcorn products on Amazon. These are affiliate links. If you make a purchase your price stays the same and I get a tiny commission to support my site. Thanks for your support!

Great Northern Popcorn Original Stainless Steel Stove Top 6-1/2-Quart Popcorn Popper

Great Northern Popcorn

Great Northern Popcorn, Organic, 5 Pound

Great Northern Popcorn

VonShef Professional 5 Piece Mixing Bowl Set Stainless Steel

Designer Habitat Ltd

Prime-Time Health: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Feeling Young and Living Longer

By William Sears, Martha Sears

Organic Spirulina Powder: Whole Food Multivitamin (16oz) - 100% Natural Source of Protein, Calcium, Vitamin B12, Iron, Magnesium, Selenium, Chlorophyll and Other Plant Nutrients | Nature's Daily Multivitamin

Sari Foods Co

Simply Organic - Turmeric - 2.38 oz.

Simply Organic

Cuisinart CPM-100 EasyPop Hot Air Popcorn Maker, Red

Cuisinart

Ball Dry Herb Storage Canning Jar

Hearthmark Llc

Non-Fortified Nutritional Yeast Flakes by Sari Foods - 8 oz. - All Vitamins & Nutrients are Non-Synthetic & 100% Naturally Occurring - Prioritize Your Health with this Delicious Superfood - Great Low Sodium Salt Substitute Packed with Vitamins, Minerals, Fiber and Protein

Sari Foods Co

Real Salt Sea Salt - Pouch, 26-Ounce

Real Salt

Ball Jar Heritage Collection Pint Jars with Lids and Bands, Blue, Set of 6

Loew-Cornell

Frontier Orange Peel Granules Certified Organic, 16 Ounce Bag

Frontier

Pacific Sun Eva's Blend California Extra Virgin Olive Oil 17oz.

Pacific Sun

---

Hope you enjoy some popcorn! Have questions or comments? Join the conversation on Facebook. Be sure to check out my Pinterest boards for more ideas!

Erin Marie