Fall is a fantastic time of year! There’s something about the fall season that is so refreshing. There are tons of festivities that get you into the fall spirit such as football and the promise of Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Although this should be a time for enjoying cooler weather and pumpkin spice lattes, college students get caught up in the scholastic frenzy as the semester starts to come to a close. On top of this, money can get pretty tight, so we turn to unhealthy eating habits in the spare time we do have. Here are some quick, healthy fall snacks that can help you beat the fall semester blues no matter how little time or money you have.
- Crunchy Apple Chips
These chips are incredibly easy to make! They require a bit of prep time, but they’d be the perfect snack for studying. All they require are apples, but you can garnish them with cinnamon sugar, pumpkin spice, cayenne pepper or anything else you think sounds good. You can also mix it up when choosing the type of apples for the recipe. This recipe yields about 80 chips with 4 apples.
Directions:
- The key is to slice the apples thinly, about ⅙” in width. A mandolin would be really useful here, but you can always slice them with a knife as well.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Lay the apples in a single layer on a sheet pan fitted with parchment/wax paper. Be sure to remove the seeds. The chips will shrink, so you can fit as many as you want just so long as they don’t overlap.
- Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon, sugar or whatever else you like.
- Bake in the oven for 90 minutes. Next, turn them over and bake for one more hour.
- Once the apples are done, turn the oven off and leave them inside the oven for a few hours/overnight. This will help them achieve the crunchiness.
- Once they’ve had a chance to sit, take them out and put them in a resealable bag. They should last at least a week!
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
These muffins are high in protein, low in sugar, and also gluten free! Easy to make and take on the go, these are the perfect way to get extra energy in the morning. The ingredients call for some specifics, but you can probably sub some of the basics like flour and sugar.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend
½ cup coconut sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup milk of choice
½ mild tasting nut butter of choice (this person used almond butter)
½ cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
Cream cheese filling
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp coconut or brown sugar
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Coat your muffin tray with oil or butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, coconut sugar and baking powder. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg, Greek yogurt, milk, nut butter and canned pumpkin until fully incorporated.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice and coconut sugar and mix until combined. It should look similar to butter. Set aside.
- Add the wet mixture to dry mixture and mix well until no clumps remain. Do not overmix.
- Pour 3 tablespoons of batter into the muffin tray. Add 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese filling as close to the center of each muffin as possible. Top each remaining muffin with around 2 tablespoons of the remaining batter until it is fully used up.
- Bake in the oven for 18-25 minutes (depending on oven type) until the tops are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit in the tray for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely then enjoy!
- Naan Pizzas
My aunt taught me how to make these this summer. Such a simple, delicious and fast meal! You can load it up with any toppings you want, whether it’s stacked with veggies or just sprinkled with cheese.
Ingredients:
One slice of naan bread (Tandoori works great)
Marinara sauce
Shredded cheese
Any topping you like! (I’d try tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and a little pesto for a delicious caprese pizza)
Directions:
- Turn on your broiler and let it heat up.
- Take one slice of naan bread and spread your marinara sauce. Follow with sprinkled cheese and desired toppings.
- Broil for about 3 minutes or until visibly cooked.
- Skinny Pumpkin Dip
This dip is super creamy and delicious without all the guilt. It’s casual and great for sharing at a football party or even Thanksgiving!
Ingredients:
1 8oz package light cream cheese
¾ cup canned pureed pumpkin
2 tbsp. fat free vanilla Greek yogurt
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
⅛ tsp. cloves
1 ½ tsp. sweetener (Truvia is the healthiest option, but regular/brown sugar works just fine)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Nilla Wafers, Gingersnaps, animal cracker or pretzels for dipping
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients into a food processor. (If you don’t have one, not to worry! It just requires a good amount of mixing by hand.)
- Blend until combined and creamy.
- Serve with whichever crackers you like and enjoy!