Fun Fall Foods

[lsereno 2,525]

Hi all,

I'm celebrating my fourth fall since WLS surgery in May 2011. Here's my fav fall foods that keep me at goal:

pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt: I mix one large Fage Yogurt from costco with 1/2 can pumpkin (not the pie filling), about 1 1/2 cups Splenda, 1 Tablespoon vanilla and a few shakes of cinnamon. I eat it in the morning for Breakfast. For a nightime snack, I crush one graham cracker sheet (just put it in a baggie and roll a can over it) and pour it over the top.

Pumpkin Latte: I make a cup of Decaf espresso or use a packet of Starbucks Via Instant Decaf French Roast, add a cup of soy milk and a big splash of Torani's sugar free Pumpkin Pie Syrup.

Pumpkin Cream: I heat a cup of Soy Milk and add a big splash of Torani's sugar free Pumpkin Pie Syrup.

Soup: I love Soups in fall. I doctor up my canned Soups, added frozen veggies and extra Protein. I freeze two and three ounce portions of meats left over from dinners. Put the Soup in a bowl, toss in frozen veggies and meat and heat till it's all hot. Easy-peasy. I found frozen black Beans at my Walmart. I throw in some of those sometimes.

Sausage: What is it about fall that makes me what sausage? Who knows. But I do like turkey sausage. I eat Turkey Little Smokies or Jimmy Dean's Frozen Turkey Sausage Patties. I especially like the Jimmy Dean sausage with Mrs. Butterworths Sugar Free Syrup and a Thomas' Whole Wheat English Muffin. It reminds me of McDonald's Sausage McGriddle, but clocks in at just over 200 calories.

Sugar Free Hot Apple Cider: I love this stuff! I add a splash of Torani's Caramel Syrup to make a hot carmel apple drink.

Apples and Persimmons: My go-to fall fruits.

Roasted Veggies: I love Brussel Sprouts, onions, sweet potatoes and winter squash roasted tll the outsides start to crisp. I use a Misto sprayer to hit them with a little oil before cooking. If I'm making a lot at once, I put them in a bowl and roll them around with a tablespoon of oil.

What re-imagined treats do you enjoy in the fall?

Lynda

[Sharpie 3,306]

those all sound great. I love pumpkin and like the idea of low cal /sugar free treats. now if I could find a way to make chicken n dumplings low cal I would be happy...lol

[lsereno 2,525]

Haha. Somethings can't be low-calorized. I remember the year my Mom tried that with her coconut cream pie. Disaster! But you could try this: lowfat cream of chicken Soup, add a few ounces of chicken breast, some frozen peas, and mix up a tiny bit of bisquick to make dumplings. My mom uses canned biscuts and cuts them in quarters. But as little as we eat, that leaves a lot of biscuits by the wayside.

Lynda

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,722]

hey sharpie

we call chick/dumplings (chicken pastry) where we are from

and although i dont like the pastry part, i so love the chicken/brothy part

those all sound great. I love pumpkin and like the idea of low cal /sugar free treats. now if I could find a way to make chicken n dumplings low cal I would be happy...lol

[Sharpie 3,306]

Lynda that sounds pretty easy and I might try it ... My husband loves chicken n dumplings and I use bisquick. CG it's all fattening I am sure but maybe we can lighten up.

[NewLife'sGr8 241]

I love making homemade Soups of all kinds in the fall.

A great fall "cream" soups is: Creamed Acorn, butternut & carrot Soup.< /p>

I like to freeze portions so usually I make a lot of soup at a time Adjust the amounts to whatever you like.

start with peeling & de-seeding the squashes and chop into ~ 1in chunks. chop up the carrots ~ 1 in chunks. I wash & don't peel the carrots to get more Fiber & nutrients in. Toss all of it in olive oil, pop on a big cookie sheet or roasting pan, sprinkle with sea salt and pop in a 425 oven for 30-40 min (=roasted veggies)

In the soup-vat, brown up lots of big chunks of onion, celery, garlic, then dump in 8-16c broth (depending on how much you want to make) into the vat when onions look clear/ browned.

bring to boil & simmer until the roasted veggies are done cooking. Toss in roasted veggies, bring back to boil, then down to simmer again.

throw in some cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, sea salt & pepper. simmer for an hour or so. TASTE THE broth & AJUST SPICE TO TASTE.

let cool a bit to not scalding hot.

If you have one of those stick blenders, stick-blend the whole vat until smooth & creamy. serve with a dollop of sour cream on top & a few chopped scallions if you like.

If you don't have a stick blender, then let it cool to tepid, then spoon the broth & chunks into a blender & blend until smooth & creamy. If you don't let it cool before blending, the lid will blow off from pressure & you'll get 2nd/3rd degree burns like I did 1st time I tried this.

Don't worry about the lil dollop of sour cream because you're not adding any extra cream or butter fat other than the olive oil you roasted the veggies & browned the onions with (not much per serving).

SO YUMMY! Enjoy!

[lsereno 2,525]

That Soup sounds yummy! I make this veggie soup and add Protein and starch when I eat it. I like barley or black Beans for the starch. For meat, I use whatever's left over from dinner. This recipe is a slightly modified version of one from Leanne Elly: http://savingdinner.com/.

2 large cans diced tomatoes -- undrained
1 large onion -- chopped
4 cloves garlic -- pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil -- divided
2 large carrots -- chopped
2 small celery stalks -- chopped
1 medium turnip -- chopped
2 cups green Beans -- cut in 1" pieces
6 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 small russet potatoes -- peeled and chopped

In a large soup pot, heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook till nearly translucent, now add the garlic. Don't let the garlic brown and saute another couple of minutes. Add the rest of the chopped veggies, sauteing for just a minute or two; the extra tablespoon of olive oil is if you need it for the rest of the veggies. Remeber--you're not cooking them-- just sauteing them for the wonderful flavor this quick step will infuse in your soup. Add the thyme and salt and pepper while sauteing. Now add the tomatoes and broth and cook on low until it tastes good. I usually simmer about 1.5 hours.

Customize the soup when you serve it. Pull out your serving size and add:

Quick Fix #1: Tex Mex Veggie Soup. Add some diced chicken, canned black beans (drained and rinsed), corn, roasted red peppers (I buy them frozen and just chop them a little smaller) and a little bit of
cumin and chili powder.

Quick Fix #2: Barley and Beef Veggie Soup. Add some left over beef, barley and chopped kale. Cook till
heated through and the kale is tender.

Quick Fix #3: Autumn Veggie Soup. Add some lowfat sausage, diced cooked butternut squash (I found this on the freezer isle in Walmart), and a sprinkling of nutmeg. Top with a little Parmesan.

[auntiemel 275]

Baked Apples

Core the top of the apple out and add cinnamon and whatever sweetener you use (if tart apples) and top with margarine or butter. Bake at 425 for about an hour or until apples are squishy.

Works with pears as well, I just turned the pear upside down and cooked between the apples.

Like apple pie!

[NewLife'sGr8 241]

Yummy sounding Soup base & jish it up tweaks.

I would make a lot of it and freeze it, and then add the tweaks according to what we feel like eating on any particular night.

I like a grab n go lifestyle- keep it simple, so I pre-prep a lot of foods and freeze them pre-portioned in zip bags (they stack well).

Also, I eat for nutritional value (=satiety) so don't buy or eat much processed food. ex: Bread- I get the 12-15 grain kind, dry Cereal is Mesa Sunrise; qionoa, flaxseed, amaranth & corn grain-blend, my 'chips' are Riceworks; baked wild rice chips (so yum). I do buy flash-frozen fruits & begs with no added anything.

I like home cooked meals. I like to make them but not everyday. I did that 3x's/day-7days/week-365 for 22years. So now I have cooking days. No particular day, just when I feel like or when I'm running low on freezer-portions.

One example I do is roast whole chickens or small turkeys, eat them hot, and cut up for leftovers, sammies etc, as usual, then put the carcasses in a bag in the freeze. Then, when I feel like it, I take out whatever carcasses are in there and boil them up in a big vat of Water and then freeze the broth in gallon freeze zip bags for use whenever I want to make soup later on.

I freeze vegetable ends, pieces & peels for veg broth (toss the vegs in the trash or compost after boiling).

For beef soup, I do freeze bones if we have T-Bone steak to bone-in cuts but we don't have those often enough to make a big vat of broth. Usually, I just get those marrow bones at the butcher case, give a couple to the dogs & boil the rest for broth.

Sometimes I add veggies to flavor the broth but throw away the cooked veg cuz basically, I want clear broths. For great flavored broths, simmer on low for a day or two. It leeches all the nutrients & flavor out of the bones and really intensifies the flavor if you reduce the volume by 1/4 or 1/2 (boil it down).

This way, I know exactly what's in the broth & what I'm putting in my bod.

FYI: I don't skim whatever fat is in the broth because once the bones are reduced to carcases, there's very little fat left on the birds- tiny little bit & very little skin left on after being fairly well though not completely picked over. Any fat grams per serving are negligible when making large quantities to freeze plus the little bit of fat left adds to the overall flavor.

when making the actual soup, I throw in chicken breast or thigh or portioned out beef, or whole cuts - frozen & let them defrost & cook in the soup = increased flavor. Don't use frosted or freezer-burned meats of course. Then, when it looks cooked, I take out the meat and cut it up into soup-sized chunks & plop em back in the broth just before adding veggies, starches & seasonings.

I package everything I cook in individual serving snack & sammie zip bags & freeze, to grab n go to work or heat at home on those days i don't want to cook.

I make big pans and crock pots of every meal I make & do the same; portion & freeze. Healthy & in accordance with the WL diet for life & in the right measured amounts. No calorie counting!

This gets me through, Particularly in the fall & winter. When I'm ravenous & could eat the bark off a tree, I grab a ready-made frozen meal that I made- that's good for me & my family.

[HealthyNewMe 1,935]

I whip softened low fat cream cheese, canned pumpkin, vanilla, and stevia. I top with a dollop of sugar free cool whip. I place in individual clear glass cups. It's like a pumpkin cheesecake parfait.

Edited October 28, 2014 by HealthyNewMe

[Sharpie 3,306]

I love cheesecake.. this recipe for pumpkin and creamed cheese might be what I need. Thanks for all the recipes gals. I make Soup and chili in my crockpot then freeze it.

[Sharpie 3,306]

just got back from Walmart, gonna make the pumpkin cheesecake parfait.. can't wait

[NewLife'sGr8 241]

LUV the sounds of these pumpkin-y fall recipes! I'm going to try some of them for sure. That pumpkin parfait made me drool. lol