✕
☰

Festive & Colorful for a Healthful Fall

by

Fall’s festivities are in full swing! Make them healthful by filling your family’s menus with these nutritious fall-colored foods.

Red Fall Foods

Apples, beets and cranberries

Red Fall Foods Benefits-Apples are loaded with powerful antioxidants which, in turn, build strong immunity. Beets are rich in naturally-occurring nitrates, a compounds that support healthy blood pressure. Cranberries protect your kiddo’s cells from cancerous changes.

Red Fall Foods Meal Ideas- Apples can easily top morning oatmeal or be an enjoyable whole snack with nut butter or cheese. Beets are delicious when added to salads and quinoa. For a tart snack, combine cranberries with mixed nuts and dark chocolate.

Red Fall Recipe- Beautiful Beet Smoothie

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Peel beets and cut into large chunks.
  2. Toss everything into a blender and blend until smooth.

Yellow Fall Foods

Spaghetti squash, yellow bell peppers and mangos

Yellow Fall Food Benefits-Spaghetti squash provides a stable source of carbohydrates for good, long-lasting energy. Yellow bell peppers supply vitamin E, essential for healthy nerves. Mangoes pack a hefty dose of the folate needed for brain development.

Yellow Fall Food Meal Ideas - Use spaghetti squash in place of noodles and pair it with meatballs, marinara sauce, garlic and parmesan. Yellow peppers can be added to stir-fry, wraps and tacos. Mangoes are great when diced and added to salsas or served as a sweet dessert dish with an array of tropical fruits.  

Yellow Fall Recipe- Spaghetti Squash Marinara

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds.
  3. Place the squash on a lightly greased baking sheet and cook for 45-50 minutes or until softened.
  4. Heat the oil in a saucepan over low to medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic and carrot for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add the tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the basil.
  6. Remove the squash from the oven and let squash cool for several minutes.
  7. Shred the squash with a fork until stringy.
  8. Place the spaghetti squash in a bowl and top with the marinara sauce.

Orange Fall Foods

Carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin

Orange Fall Food Benefits- Carrots pack a mighty punch with crunch for all the vitamin A they provide. Not only is this vitamin good for your kiddo’s vision, it also aids in skin health. Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, crucial for a happy and strong heart. Pumpkin is filled with fiber, keeping your child full to focus on the festivities ahead.

Orange Fall Food Meal Ideas- For a quick snack, munch on carrots dipped in creamy hummus. Sweet potatoes can be added as a side dish to dinner meals or incorporated into a hearty breakfast hash by peeling, dicing and cooking with onions.  Add pumpkin to pancake batter, oatmeal or smoothies.

Orange Fall Recipe – Carrot Fries

Ingredients

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Peel the carrots and cut them into strips about a quarter-inch thick and a few inches long.

3. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray and spread the carrots onto it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Bake 15 minutes. Flip them over and coat them with a bit more cooking spray, salt and pepper; bake another 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Amy Hundley is a registered dietitian nutritionist, licensed in both Kansas and Missouri, and a published freelance nutrition writer. She is currently practicing as a clinical RD and has been a resident of Olathe since early childhood.

Sources: EatRight.org, Prevention

Back to topbutton