Easy Methods for Preparing Healthier Fall Meals

The seasons are the perfect signal to switch up the way you eat and the way you cook. After a summer full of cold salads, fresh melon, and grilled food, it’s time to look to fall for inspiration. Leaning into cozier foods that are also in season is a great start. But how can that inspire you to cook healthier this fall? Here are some low-effort, nutritious ideas, according to a registered dietitian.

Go ahead and pick up a pint of frozen yogurt, but more importantly, grab bags of frozen vegetables and vegetable blends that you (and your family) love. This way you always have something nourishing on hand for busy nights.

And in case you didn’t know, you can cook frozen foods directly from the bag. Preheat a large baking sheet in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven. Remove and line with parchment. Add plain frozen vegetables (no oil or seasonings), spread out in an even layer, and roast for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Be sure to give them a stir once or twice too. Once finished, toss with spices, herbs, and other seasonings of your choice.

It’s time to put the slow cooker and Instant Pot to use, says Chef Julie Lopez, RD. Cook main dishes in them, but also consider using them to prep sides like rice, beans, and whole grains. Make large batches so that you can freeze extra for later use.

Not sure where to start? Lopez recommends soup. There is nothing cozier than a warm bowl of soup on a cool fall day, she says. Plus, soup can be a great vehicle for packing in plenty of nutrient-dense ingredients. And don’t forget to freeze any extras.

The microwave is an ultra-easy, super-quick cooking tool that helps get food on the table fast. Maggie Moon, MS, RD, brain health nutrition expert and best-selling author of The MIND Diet recommends cooking with your microwave to steam food from the inside out. Cooking this way helps retain vitamins and minerals, she says.

For example, a whole sweet potato cooks up in about 6 to 8 minutes. You can also use the microwave to cook spaghetti squash for a nutritious pasta-style dish or make a batch of nachos topped with black beans, sliced jalapeños, olives, and cheese. There are plenty of options that are healthy and delicious.

A wok is a handy kitchen tool for creating quick, healthy meals thanks to the way it’s shaped and how it conducts heat. It can easily cook all of the fall produce you’re craving in a matter of minutes. The key to success is ensuring your pan is hot and that you’re using a high smoke point oil (canola, grapeseed, and avocado oil are a few of our favorites) to get the job done. You’ll need about 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, then use the sloped sides to help move and toss the food, cooking it on all sides.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to cut produce into uniform-size pieces, so that it all cooks at about the same rate. Finally, if you’re cooking for a crowd, work in batches to prevent overloading your wok. Too much food will make cooking inefficient and will result in a longer cooking time. This means some bites may end up mushy and others overly crunchy.

Last night’s stir fry is delicious the next day too. Don’t make more work for yourself when you don’t have to. One great strategy is to store meal components separately. For example, if making tacos, store the meat in one container, leftover vegetables in another container, and any sauces in another. This simple strategy makes it easier to build other meals from those same ingredients.

Leftover taco chicken can quickly get mixed in a pot with a can of soup. Leftover veggies can be mixed with cheese and made into a quesadilla. Leftover sauces can be used as toppings for veggie burgers or marinade for meat, fish, or chicken. Storing food separately creates more opportunities for enjoying leftovers.

Fall is a great time to look in your pantry and use up the things you already have on hand. Pull out items on the brink of expiration and place them in a spot of prominence so that you remember to get to them first.

Tessa Nguyen, MEd, RD says the pantry is the perfect place to create the cozy, warm fall flavors with little effort. She suggests “simmering down canned fruit with spices for that cooked-all-day feel or stirring some canned green beans into a soup for an extra boost of crunch and pop of freshness.” Use dried fruit to add color and a touch of sweetness to salads. Toast almonds or walnuts as a protein source for a quick pasta dish or try mixing canned pumpkin puree into chili or stew for a pop of fiber and Vitamin A.