Quick Update & Abstinent Cranberry Relish

Hi. Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time; I've been busy and my arms have been sore, so I've had to be choosy about how to spend their limited capital. Some great things have happened, like my disability status was approved by the Social Security Administration. That whole ordeal is worth a blog post in itself.

So, I need to post something short, so I want to share my abstinent cranberry relish recipe. By "abstinent," I don't mean a cranberry relish that is saving itself for marriage; I mean abstaining from compulsive eating, which for me means not eating foods with added sugar. Cranberry sauce is tough to make without sugar, but I've tweaked a recipe that turns out really well. I'm happy to share it; it's really tasty with turkey or even on yogurt.

Abstinent Cranberry Relish


1 bag of fresh cranberries (can substitute frozen)
1 sweet, red apple peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 can crushed pineapple in natural juice
1 small, very ripe banana, mashed
Optional: sweetener (sometimes, depending on the natural sweetness of the berries, I need to add some Truvia)

Cook the cranberries on the stove in a saucepan in 2 cups of water for about 10-15 minutes. Add apple and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 can of crushed pineapple and mashed banana. Sweeten if desired. Enjoy!