10 Fall Recipes
Fall is in the air here in Southwest Colorado. The chilly turn in the weather makes my family want hot foods and things like apples, pumpkins, and hearty meals. Recently, my Healthy Mamas Group on Facebook reached over 300 members and I put out a poll asking the mamas how they’d like to celebrate. Getting 10 whole foods recipes won the poll. Of course, for me, they have to be able to be made quickly or prepped ahead so when I make them for a meal, they come together quickly. And they have to pass my picky family’s taste tests. I hope your family enjoys the following warm recipes. Happy Fall!
Hot Breakfasts for Fall
Overnight Slow Cooker Oatmeal – You don’t have to use almond milk in this recipe. You can use water or coconut milk instead. You can also sub out the dried cherries. They are delicious, but raisins or craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries) are tasty too.
Veggie Breakfast Tacos – Actually, this is a great meal for anytime of day. So yum! You can pre-cut the veggies and lightly pre-cook them if you would like, especially the onions. Also, you can lightly pre-cook your eggs, especially if you add whipped cauliflower. Then just finish cooking everything while warming your tortillas, fill, and eat. Add meat, if desired. I particularly like buying natural bacon bits and just sprinkling them on top. It adds a fantastic flavor!
Lovely Fall Lunches
Creamy Carrot Soup – So yummy! I like to make a carrot-orange soup by omitting the curry and add a few drops of doTERRA’s Wild Orange essential oil. Adding a couple tablespoons of cream cheese is also delicious!
Tortilla Wraps – This is a quick lunch made by reheating leftover dinners or by steaming vegetables. Warm a whole-grain or GF tortilla as you warm the filling. Add some plain salad dressing like organic mayonnaise if your veggies are pretty dry. Sprinkle in some nuts, if desired, and wrap everything is a warm tortilla. Quick, warm, and delicious.
Yummy Warm Snacks or Desserts
Zucchini Spice Cookies – Use olive oil or butter instead of margarine. You can use GF flour or whole wheat flour instead of white flour. Or go half and half: half whole wheat flour and half white flour. Half and half tends to make a lighter, more “normal” tasting cookie, but has less nutritional value.
Nutty Spiced Apples and Fully Fruit Salad – Here’s a post I did last April with these delicious, whole food recipes. They can be used for warm snacks OR healthy desserts!
Super Healthy Sides
Garlic Mashed Cauliflower – I omit the garlic and cheese for a plain whipped cauliflower. I eat what I want and then save some to sneak into scrambled eggs and soups. Don’t call this “mashed potatoes”. Although they look like mashed potatoes, they aren’t exactly the same, so if your family is as picky as mine, just call them “Whipped Cauliflower”. Better yet, make up an appealing name like “Fluffy Clouds” or something random so those picky eaters might give the dish a half a chance.
Seasoned Roasted Root Vegetables – Nothing beats this dish if you like root veggies! I use whatever root veggies I have or want. I make this ahead of time for sure! I dice up veggies like carrots, onions, beets, and sweet potatoes then put them in a glass baking dish that has a tight-sealing lid. I then drizzle the veggies with olive oil, sprinkle on salt, garlic, rosemary, and basil, and toss it all together. When it’s time to bake them, I just turn on the oven, pull the veggies out of the fridge, take off the lid, and bake them. Soooo good!!!
Delicious Make-ahead Dinners for Cold Days
Slow Cooker Beef Stew – Put as many veggies as you want in this recipe! If you want to add veggies that can get overcooked easily like zucchini and cauliflower, add them about 30 minutes before eating or just put in some blended veggies for a more saucy consistency.
Terrific Turkey (or any other kind of meat) Chili – Anytime I make chili, I make it ahead of time and add tons of blended veggies like whipped (or just blended) cauliflower, blended zucchini, blended yellow squash, and/or blended spinach. This makes the chili a little more saucy, but no one ever minds. The spices easily mask any vegetable flavor my family might dislike.
Yummy Warm Snacks or Desserts
Zucchini Spice Cookies – Use olive oil or butter instead of margarine. You can use GF flour or whole wheat flour instead of white flour. Or go half and half: half whole wheat flour and half white flour. Half and half tends to make a lighter, more “normal” tasting cookie, but has less nutritional value.
Nutty Spiced Apples and Fully Fruit Salad – Here’s a post I did last April with these delicious, whole food recipes. They can be used for warm snacks OR healthy desserts!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies – In this recipe, I use olive oil, whole wheat flour (or half and half), and coconut sugar. I don’t use the milk. I just put the baking soda in with the rest of the dry ingredients. I’d totally put in raisins instead of chocolate chips, but I think my family would throw a fit. Maybe I’ll make a batch with raisins and see if they refuse to eat them. Then I can freeze a bunch and have a special treat just for me. 🙂
A Few Healthier Store-Brought Recommendations
For breakfast – Cascadian Farm’s “Hearty Morning Fiber” granola. This is one of the very few cold cereals on the market that has an equal number of fiber to sugar or maybe even more fiber than sugar, which is supposed to help keep the blood sugar stable. Even so, I add coconut flakes and nuts and ground flaxseed to my cereal to dilute the sugar even more, and it’s delicious! Plain shredded wheat and plain cheerios are other cereals with low sugar and higher fiber, but they’re pretty bland, so we definitely add our sweeteners.
For lunch – Wolfgang Puck’s Soups. I like his “Hearty Lentil Soup”. My family likes his “Tortilla Soup” and his “Corn Chowder”. I add 2-4 tablespoons of frozen, blended zucchini to the soups and sometimes some frozen mixed vegetables too. If I need to add spices, I do. Usually, though, I can sneak in the veggies without doing anything else and everyone likes it.
For snacks – Our go-to snacks are always fresh fruits and vegetables, but sometimes it’s nice to have something else. KIND bars have whole nuts and some fruit or flavors that make them absolutely delicious. Several flavors have 5 grams of sugar or less, yet they have great flavors. My favorite is Mint Dark Chocolate. My family LOVES crackers! Plain Triscuits are one of the few crackers with less sugar than fiber. In fact, I think there’s no added sugar in them at all. I love putting a circular slice of cucumber and some cheese on my crackers.
For dinners – I’m really impressed with Frontera’s frozen family meals. Our favorite is the Barbacoa Taco Skillet. Mostly clean ingredients and lower sugar than most other frozen meals, but high in flavor. I also really like to get stir fry mixes, however, watch the sugar content in the sauces. They can be surprisingly high!
Desserts – I have yet to find a truly healthy, whole foods, store-bought dessert. The closest I come is buying a dark chocolate bar and some fresh berries for a “Berries and Chocolate Plate”. Once in a blue moon, I might buy an organic cookie dough, but usually they’re so expensive that I leave them on the shelf. If you know of some healthy, whole-foods-based, store bought desserts, please contact me or share them on the Facebook Group!