It’s nearly fall, meaning healthy, hearty harvest treats are on their way! Pumpkin, parsnips, apples and arugula, autumn equals an abundance of colour and flavour. Still, it’s important to keep our comfort-food cravings in check when the cold weather hits, so we’re swapping out high-fat, high-cal dishes for slimming, plant-based substitutions thanks to Vega. Here’s how:
use your noodle: Replace traditional pasta with spaghetti squash, with just 42 calories and 10 grams of carbs per cup (versus 220 cals and 42 grams of carbs per cup of pasta). Squash is also high in fiber, keeping us fuller, longer, and loaded in antioxidant vitamins A, C and E that can help prevent free-radical damage and keep our immune systems ticking through winter.
wrap star: A simple, healthy, taco night substitution means switching out taco shells for mean, lean, swiss chard. Just cut out the stem of the chard, fill the leaf with taco filling, wrap and serve! Swiss chard is certainly one of the healthiest greens around, with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as fibre to help ward off many viruses and keep blood sugar in check. It’s also rich in energy boosting chlorophyll, bone-building Vitamin K and immune-boosting Vitamin C—no wonder swiss chard is called the new kale.
just desserts: Swap our traditional pie for a delish butternut squash and apple crumble. The naturally sweet, perfect pairing of squash and apples is lower in calories and high in fibre, satisfying our winter appetite while keeping our waistline in check. Enjoy this simple recipe as a side dish or a dessert:
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash peeled and cubed into 2-inch pieces
1 apple, cored and sliced (keep skin on for extra fibre and nutrients)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup water
Sprinkle of coconut palm sugar (optional)
To prepare: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and pour into a large casserole/baking dish, ensuring all pieces of squash are exposed and none are overlapping. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until squash is tender and cooked throughout.
Pie/crumble substitute: Transfer baked apple and squash to small dessert bowl or martini glass and top with 2 tbsp granola. Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt for a special treat! —Peggy Kotsopoulos
Visit Peggy at www.peggyk.com and follow her on Twitter and Google+.
But wait, there’s more! Subscribe to the good life NOW for your chance to win a Fall Harvest Prize Pack!
How to Enter:
1. Subscribe to VitaminDaily.com (1 entry) entry form below
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Update: contest is now closed! Thank you for entering.
What’s included:
~ 1 Tub Vega One
~ 1 Box Vega One Bars
~ 1 Copy Kitchen Cures
~ 1 Vega Shaker Cup
Valued at $150.
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