Our Favorite Healthy Fall-Inspired Dinners

We often blame the Holidays and winter months for poor diet choices, but the colder months can be a great time of year to enjoy wholesome meals with high-powered ingredients that we can’t take advantage of in other seasons. Whether you’re interested in bringing a taste of Thanksgiving to your regular weeknight menu or adding some variety to your plate, these fall-inspired dinners will help you enjoy the season in a tasty and more health-conscious fashion.

Harvest Chicken Casserole

What’s Required:

• 2 tbsp avocado, olive or coconut oil divided
• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• salt and pepper
• 1 small onion diced, white or purple
• 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1 lb brussels sprouts trimmed and quartered
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ cup chicken broth, low-sodium if preferred
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar

Make it Today:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large skillet or pan, over medium-high heat. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Sear until golden brown on the sides, and almost cooked through, 3-4 minutes in total.
4. Meanwhile, combine sweet potatoes together with brusselprouts, onions, garlic, paprika and cumin into a 9″-x-13″ or comparable sized baking dish.
5. Drizzle with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to get it coated on all sides. Top with chicken pieces and pour over the broth.
6. Place in the preheated oven and bake until veggies are fork-tender, about 30-40 minutes.
7. Stir in cranberries, and sprinkle with cheese. return to the oven and continue to bake until cheese is melted, roughly 5 more minutes or so.
8. Remove from oven and enjoy while hot!

Access Full Recipe With Tips Courtesy of Healthy Fitness Meals.com

Apple Pecan Fall Salad

What’s Required:

Salad Ingredients:

• 6 cups mixed greens
• 1 Fuji, Gala, or favorite apple of your choice, diced
• 1 pear diced
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup blue cheese or substitution of your choice
• 1/2 cup salted pecans

Optional Honey Mustard Dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Make it Today:

1. In a mason jar, combine all the ingredients for the dressing and then shake to combine.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients. Toss to combine.
3. Serve with the dressing provided or your favorite alternative on the side.

Access Full Recipe With Tips From FullJoy.com

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, and Turkey Sausage Sheet Pan Meal

What’s Required:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into medium-sized cubes
•  3 tbsp olive oil
•  1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
•  1 tsp. garlic powder
•  salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
•  1 pkg. (4 or 5 links) pre-cooked chicken, turkey, or pork sausage (about 14-16 oz. sausage)
•  1 lb. broccoli, trimmed and cut apart to make about 3/4 pound broccoli pieces

Make it Today:

1. Preheat oven to 450F and spray sheet pan with non-stick spray.
2. Cut up two medium sweet potatoes into cubes that aren’t too small.
3. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, and black pepper.
4. Put sweet potato cubes into a bowl and toss with half the oil-balsamic mixture, then spread out on a sheet pan, put pan in the oven, and start to roast for 15 minutes.
5. Slice sausage into slices about 3/4 inch thick.
6. When sweet potatoes have roasted 15 minutes, add sausage pieces to the sheet pan and roast 10 minutes more.
7. Cut up broccoli into same-size pieces (about the size of the other ingredients and toss broccoli with the rest of the bowl of oil-balsamic mixture.
8. Remove sheet pan from the oven and turn sausage pieces over. Spread sausage and sweet potatoes apart and tuck broccoli pieces between them. Put sheet pan back in the oven and cook 15 minutes more, or until broccoli is done to your liking and sausages and sweet potatoes are nicely browned.
9. Season with a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper and serve hot.

Access Full Recipe With Tips From KaylynsKitchen.com

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

What’s Required:

• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 thumb-size piece of ginger peeled and grated
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp finely chopped red chilli pepper
• 1 tsp cumin seeds toasted
• 1 heaped tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 14.5oz can of chopped tomatoes (400g)
• 2 1/2 cups butternut squash (380g) peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 large green bell pepper pith and seeds removed and cut into medium chunks
• 1 15oz can of chickpeas (420g) drained
• 2 cups of vegetable stock (400ml)
• 3 cups of fresh spinach (90g)
• A small handful of fresh cilantro/coriander leaves & stems, chopped + more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Make it Today:

1. Heat a small frying pan, add the cumin seeds and toast for about 2 minutes, giving a little shake of the pan a couple of times. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until golden. Then add the ginger, garlic and red chilli, chopped cilantro/coriander stalks. Cook for about two minutes then add the turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander and cumin seeds. Mix well and cook for about 1 minute, making sure not to burn the spices.
3. Pour in tomatoes and stir, add butternut squash, peppers and chickpeas, and stock. Add salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Check the seasoning again.
4. After 30 minutes the curry should be reduced by a third and the butternut squash should be cooked.
5. Turn off the heat and then start adding the spinach. Add it one large handful at a time, gently stir it in and as soon as it wilts down. Repeat with the remaining spinach. Once all the spinach has been added the curry is ready to serve.
6. Serve with rice and/or naan and some extra coriander leaves.

Access Full Recipe With Tips From The Food Blog.com

Cranberry Rosemary One Pan Chicken

What’s Required:

Cranberry Rosemary Marinade:

• 1/3 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

Chicken:

• 3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs  (about 6 pieces)
• 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
• salt
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary plus more for garnish, if desired
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Make it Today:

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Place chicken, skin side up, in a 9×13″ baking dish or comparable size pan, and pour marinade over, spreading to coat chicken evenly. Cover and marinate in the fridge at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
2. Remove the dish from oven 30 minutes prior to baking, and let stand at room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 375º. With a spoon, scrape marinade from the chicken skin, leaving in the baking dish. Brush skins with 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil and season skins with plenty of salt. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries and 4 sprigs of rosemary around chicken thighs. 
4. Bake for 22 minutes then remove from oven and preheat broiler. Discard cooked rosemary sprigs.
5. Brush 1 tablespoon maple syrup over chicken thighs skin. Place under broiler, about 10″ from the heating element, and broil 5-7 minutes or until skin is crispy and getting dark in places. Watch carefully to make sure the skin browns evenly and does not burn, moving the dish around to brown evenly if necessary. 
6. Remove from oven and spoon cranberries and sauce on top of chicken. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs and serve immediately with plenty of sauce.

Access Full Recipe With Tips From 40Apron.com