04 Oct Vitamin-rich Fall Foods Power Up Immune System
Every Autumn, I get a little closer to nature by eating more of the foods that are abundant in the Fall. Coincidentally, Fall foods happen to be nutrient-dense and easy to stretch over several meals. Take butternut squash for instance. Since I rarely use a whole squash for a single recipe, sometimes, a 3-pound squash will expand to several meals. Bits go into a breakfast egg dish, a lunch side dish, a roasted vegetable mix, and served with wild rice and turkey for dinner.
Give me a crockpot and a good knife and in under 20 minutes, I’ll have a delicious, budget-stretching stew assembled in the morning. A little of everything from the week’s groceries goes into a dish like this. Just thinking about how delicious a home-cooked stew will taste makes my mouth water on the drive home later that day.
The money I save by eating with the season adds up. It’s dollars I won’t spend seeing a doctor for a cold-weather sinus infection. It’s sick days I won’t have to take from work, and the restaurant bill I won’t have because there’s something fresh at home to eat.
There’s extra savings in Fall menus. The foods stay fresh for weeks, without the perishable quality of tender spring greens or summer berries. Try your farmer’s market for colorful squash, root vegetables, and game meats in Autumn.
As seasons go, Fall is my favorite, and not only because I get to gorge myself on acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, daikon radish, apples, pears, and wild game (duck, turkey, deer, quail). These colorful, vitamin-rich foods contain healing and fortifying vitamins and minerals. These keep my body healthy, warm, and strong as cold weather approaches. After a spicy bowl of buffalo stew or squash soup, I feel satisfied in a way that’s extra protective on a cool, blustery day.
Not confident you can cook your way through Fall? Schedule a visit with me to talk about healing recipes. I’ll help you discover herbs that make your menu more interesting and healthy for you and your family. Text 402.965.0097 or email info@naturalhealingomaha.com.
