Healthy, easy, yummy Fall eats

Check out my new favorite fall recipes!

Acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples, pears, beets, brussels sprouts — I am in heaven! I love Fall’s seasonal eats. And I’m not alone.

I just about jumped out of my computer chair with joy when I found the Baked Acorn Squash with Greek Yogurt, Honey & Pecans recipe — suggesting it for breakfast. I’m in!

There’s a plenitude of blogs out right now about all of the great seasonal fruits and vegetables available to us in the Fall. And there are also hundreds of  recipes coming across my Facebook feed that CLAIM to be “healthy” comfort foods, but honestly when you look are loaded with starchy, fatty, sugary carbs. Some of those claim to cut the carbs, but I’d have a hard time maintaining my weight loss if I didn’t pay attention to what’s really in those so-called “healthy” recipes.

My definition of healthy is different – to me it means low-carb, low healthy fat, low or no refined sugar and whole, natural food. I know from five years of eating this way that it can still be absolutely delicious and satisfying. So I did some research to bring a little creativity and fun to my Fall healthy cooking regime.

The good news it that you DON’T have to live in the land of deprivation if you’re trying to lose weight or eat healthy. Healthy seasonal fruits and vegetables, even comfort food, is possible in the Fall. In fact, its abundant. You just have to read the recipes and know your nutrition facts. And sometimes you have to tweak a bit – and trust me you won’t know the difference in flavor but you will in your waistline.

This weekend I went on a quest to try some new — more adventurous (for me) — healthy fall recipes. The recipes listed here are absolutely easy because I don’t do “hard” or difficult when it comes to cooking. If a recipe has more than 15 ingredients and/or takes more than 15-20 minutes to prepare, I’m out!

If you find yourself in a rut or struggling to avoid the heavy, starchy, fatty comfort carbs this Fall — check this out. Also, if you’re currently on a weight-loss plan and trying to stay on track but feel that means deprivation. I say no!

Almost all of my new fav recipes are “clean” and low-carb or can be adapted easily. I tried a few this weekend for this week’s meal prep — spicy sweet potato wedges and pork chops with Apples & Thyme. A hit! And many more — including the Baked Acorn Squash with Greek Yogurt and Blackened Salmon and Roasted Brussels Sprouts– are on the docket for next week.

• Baked Acorn Squash with Greek Yogurt, Honey & Pecans (For Breakfast!)
• Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges
• Apple-Butternut Squash Soup
• Pork Chops with Apples & Thyme
• Blackened Salmon with Broccoli Rabi & Raisins
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Capers & Carrots
• Roast Chicken & Sweet Potatoes
• Savory Beet Soup
• East Butternut Squash Risotto
• Skillet Apple Pork Chops
• Pear, Beet, and Gorgonzola Green Salad
• 25 Seasonal Acorn Squash Recipes (some healthy, some not)

Let me know if you have a favorite Fall go-to recipe that I can try at home and/or share here.

Happy Fall. Yum!

xo

Lori

Read related blogs on healthy, seasonal eating for Fall:

• Pumpkin spice & everything nice (Sept. 2015)
• Good, healthy eats for Fall. Yum! (Sept. 2014)
• Feeling peachy (Sept. 2013)
• Protein & weight loss. Myth vs. fact (Feb. 2016)
• Slow-cooker chicken salsa (Jan. 2016)
• My go-to snacks for healthy weight loss (Jan. 2016)
• Sugar smarts. 10 sneaky sugar sources (Sept. 2014)
• Hikers heaven! Take a hike this fall (Sept. 2013)