The weather’s getting cooler, meaning it’s time to heat your kitchen up with the seasonal foods of fall. Because of the weather and the holidays, it is often harder for many students to get outdoors and stay active during the fall months. Fortunately, there are some healthy and equally delicious fruits and vegetables worth trying that also keep your waistline from expanding.
Apples are a versatile fruit, good for snacks, desserts and drinks – perfect for fall meals. Not only are they good for your heart, the peel is full of antioxidants and dietary fiber. Personally, I enjoy adding sliced apples to my salad with balsamic vinaigrette and Gorgonzola cheese. If salad is not your choice, warm apple pie is a classic fall desert – throw in a scoop of nonfat vanilla ice cream, and you’ve got melt-in-your-mouth bliss. If you have an oven, you can bake apple slices soaked in sugar and cinnamon for a warm treat.
If you are missing the citrusy, tart tastes of summer foods, try grapefruit as an option. Grapefruit has 75 percent of your daily-recommended dose of vitamin C, which helps fight against cold and flu once they start circling around campus. Grapefruit juice can also help lower cholesterol and can add a zing to any salad or drink.
Winter squash, different than summer squash, has a surprisingly sweet flavor and a fine texture with a thick skin that allows it to be stored for months at a time. Winter squash comes into harvest in October and is great to put over any pasta dish. Filled with lots of vitamin A, this vegetable is easily flavored with ginger or cinnamon to become a tasty snack.
Believe it or not, pumpkin is a type of winter squash and can be used for more than just Halloween decorating or Starbuck’s famous Pumpkin Spice Latte. This hearty vegetable is full of vitamin B, potassium and fiber but has a sweet taste perfect for making puddings, pies, cakes, cookies and even waffles. Even after you’re done carving your jack-o’-lantern this Halloween, the seeds can be salvaged and baked in the oven for a crunchy snack.
Sweet potatoes are the most traditional vegetable of fall, with their orange coloring and wide variety of recipe options. Sweet potatoes are best to eat between the months of September and December, and with their high vitamin A and iron content, these colorful spuds have more nutrition than regular potatoes. You can boil or bake sweet potatoes to eat them plain. I love to cut them up into thin slices and bake them for homemade sweet potato fries.
With October’s arrival, try something new, and take advantage of these festive foods found at your local grocery store or farmers’ market.
