The weather is cooling off, the leaves are changing color, and the holiday season is fast approaching. With the holidays come food, and a lot of it! But don’t worry; with a few simple tricks you can serve healthy fall-inspired drinks, meals, and desserts all season long.
1. Use Alternative Sweeteners, Flours, and Oils
Leave sugar, white flour, and vegetable oil on the shelf this year. Alternative options abound and are more widely available than ever before. Look back to last month’s blog post for some great products I found at Expo East you can use in your fall recipes. Monk Fruit and Stevia Sweeteners are sweeter than sugar, but have no calories and no effect on blood sugar. Try swapping out your normal white flour for banana flour or whole wheat flour. Banana flour contains resistant starch and promotes a healthy gut. Whole wheat flour contains the fiber and B vitamins white flour does not. We’ve all heard about “good fats” and “bad fats”, but how can you be sure to make the best choice when it comes to oil? Olive oil is great for cooking and salad dressings, but can add unwanted flavor to baked goods. For baking, try canola or avocado oil. These oils all have a high amount of heart- and brain-healthy Omega 3 and Omega 9s. If you’re feeling adventurous, try some of these oil substitutes to drastically cut calories from your dish!
2. Spice Up Your Life!
In the rush to get food cooked and on the table, many of us forget all the options available and use salt over and over again. Fall is the perfect time to experiment with new spices and seasonings that won’t have a negative impact on your blood pressure. Many fall-inspired recipes call for allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, among others. Leave salt on the shelf this season, and experiment with these spices to bring a new flavor to your kitchen! If you need a little help along the way, check out this spice guide for seasoning and recipe ideas. You can make your own pumpkin spice latte at home and change out the sugar for stevia or monk fruit, saving money and calories!
3. Celebrate Squash
If you’ve been to the grocery store or farmer’s market lately, you’ve probably noticed the return of winter squash. Acorn, buttercup, butternut, spaghetti, and many more squashes in all their wonderful shapes and colors. Fall is the perfect time to add new recipes to your cookbook and a new vegetable to your dining room table! Because it comes in so many varieties, squash is super versatile and can be used to make soup, a side vegetable, or even a main course. Squash is packed full of vitamins and minerals, with none of the fat and all of the flavor. Try my personal favorite, stuffed acorn squash, and see what you think!
Ingredients
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4oz cremini or button mushrooms, diced
½ yellow onion, diced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup brown or wild rice, cooked
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season squash halves with a dash of salt and pepper (or your favorite fall spice!) and drizzle each with 1 tsp olive oil. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and roast for 35 min.
2. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushroom, onion, and thyme. Season with a dash of salt and pepper (or fall spice) and saute 8-10 minutes. Add spinach and rice, saute until spinach is wilted.
3. Remove squash from oven, uncover, and turn cut-side up. Fill with mushroom mixture and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil to melt cheese, about 2 minutes.
Recipe adapted from EVERYDAY FOOD, NOVEMBER 2012
This fall, remember that it’s okay to indulge every once in a while, but by using a few tricks, you can treat yourself to a fun and healthy holiday season! As always, if you need help with healthy food choices and recipe ideas, ask your Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
By Brian Behring
Graduate Student, Drexel University
MS In Human Nutrition