The leaves are FINALLY changing colors and I am so excited to get into fall. My entire house currently smells like leaves, cinnamon, and those woodwick candles that are the closest thing a college student gets to a fireplace. And, with fall comes the temperature drop, the change in scenery, and the food!! So, here are some fantastic fall treats that are extra good for you.
Nutty for Nuts (And Seeds!)
Theres no debate that fruits and vegetables are insanely good for you, but their predecessors like seeds and nuts are good for you too! Sunflower seeds, apricot seeds, and pumpkin seeds are some of my fall favorites to spice up my diet. And, as a student, one of my favorite on-the-go snacks thats packed with nutrients and vitamins to keep me going on a busy fall day includes Apricot Power‘s apricot seed-infused chocolate covering raisins, mixed with Craisins, cashews, salted sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. For a little extra salt, I’ll throw in some peanut butter filled pretzels, and for a little extra sweet, I’ll toss in some semi-sweet chocolate chips!
Each of those core ingredients are so important, especially those apricot-chocolate covered raisins. Surprisingly, dark chocolate can be very good for you in moderate amounts. It helps reduce your risk of heart disease and lower blood pressure through natural cocoa flavanols, which both increase your insulin sensitivity and help relax your veins to encourage blood flow! These chemical reactions are so legit, Harvard students have done studies about dark chocolate heath benefits! And this combined with the awesome antioxidant powers of apricot seeds and a little sweetness from the raisins make this a key component to this rockin’ fall trail mix.
Fun Fruits (And Oats!)
So, this post is a lot about food, and I’m no food blogger. I just admire them from afar, and I’m going to talk about one of my favorite food bloggers now because, seriously, she’s the QUEEN of healthy and all-natural eating. And I’ve been thriving getting to watch all her fall recipes roll in on my Instagram.
If anything I’ve just said got you excited, you have to go check out @thenakdkitchen on Instagram. She posts lots of awesome vegan recipes that are great for getting all the nutrients your body needs in a wonderfully sustainable way. One of her most recent creations was this oatmeal (I will do an entire post about oatmeal one day, it is seriously the best food) made with chai, almond milk, spiced apples and cacao powder.
This entire meal is packed with goodness. Not only will it keep you full for the entire morning, but incorporating chai into oatmeal is genius. It adds an entire new dimension of flavor, and chai is good for improving the way you feel and look. For one thing, it helps get rid of free radicals in your body, which can lead to things such as signs of premature aging. It also helps keep hormones in check, which can help keep your mood and skin-state steady. Not to mention, it strengthens your immune system AND helps with digestion. Truly good for you inside and out.
Also, stay tuned for more fun things you can do with oatmeal in the future. No joke, it’s so good for you, and there are so many options. I won’t ramble here, but know that it’s coming!
Veggie Roasts (And Bread!)
We’ve gone through some neat snacking and breakfast options, so now for the rest of your fall meals: lunch and dinner options that are full of veggies! For one, I love this recipe for oven-roasted fall vegetables, mostly because you can easily pair it with soup, bread, or chicken for a super-hearty meal. I also love it because it includes rosemary in a super seamless way, which is an awesome herb for improving your memory and digestive health!
One of the best types of bread, I’ve found, to pair with this wonderful veggie roast is apple-cheddar bread. Weird-sounding, I know. But it really is quite good, and it goes well with butternut squash soup too, which is another fall delicacy that no autumn is really complete without. Plus, cheese-bread fulfills carb-cravings that tend to creep up on all of us as the weather starts to get a little chilly while still being packed with protein! What’s not to love about curbing cravings and doing something good for your body?
To sum up: Fall is fabulous and food is even more fabulous. Enjoy both AND make your body as happy as the leaves changing color makes me!!