Be honest—the last thing you want to eat on a chilly fall day is a salad. Sure, in the summertime, salads are refreshing. They are full of all kinds of summer produce and keep us feeling slim and trim throughout the summer months. But as the colder months come around, it can be difficult to find foods that can help promote and maintain weight loss. Especially when all you’re craving is warm comfort foods! But what if we told you that you could have the best of both worlds?
Comfort foods don’t have to be loaded with calories! With a few tweaks, they can easily be made into healthier meals that you’ll love, without compromising the comfort and flavor you desire during the fall season. The key is to aim for leaner cuts of meat and to boost your favorite comfort meals with lots of nutrients. Hello, vegetables!
From slimming breakfasts to comforting dinners, here are some of our favorite fall recipes to turn to for easier weight loss. And if you’re on the hunt for even more easy recipe ideas, check out our list of the 100 Easiest Recipes You Can Make.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Lean out that pot of chili this fall by swapping out fatty ground beef with lean ground turkey!
Get our recipe for Hearty Turkey Chili.
Blaine Moats
Who says pumpkin can only go in pie? Reap all the health benefits pumpkin can provide by adding it to this savory pad thai!
Get our recipe for Pumpkin Pad Thai.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
There’s nothing like a slice of warm banana bread with a steaming cup of coffee on a crisp, fall, weekend morning. Especially if that slice is significantly lower in sugar!
Get our recipe for Banana Bread.
Waterbury Publications, Inc.
Avoid the sugary bag of granola at the store and make your own low-sugar version at home with a fall-favorite flavor—cranberries!
Get our recipe for Homemade Cranberry Orange Granola.
Waterbury Publications, Inc.
Wake up to a healthier stack of pancakes made with multigrain and a homemade blueberry compote.
Get our recipe for Lemon-Poppy Seed Multigrain Pancakes With Blueberry Compote.
Blaine Moats
Spread your favorite fall flavor right onto a flatbread and top with nutrient-dense veggies for an easy appetizer for all—or a delicious lunch for you!
Get our recipe for Pumpkin Arugula Marinara Flatbread.
Courtesy of Danielle Walker
Swap out the carb-heavy pasta with butternut squash swirls when making your favorite comforting carbonara this season.
Get our recipe for Butternut Sage Carbonara.
Carlene Thomas/Eat This, Not That!
Sheet pans make for easy weight loss meals—especially when they are loaded with lean proteins and lots of veggies!
Get our recipe for Sheet-Pan Vegan Sausage and Vegetables.
Waterbury Publications, Inc.
Roast up a chicken on the weekend and you’ll have a lot of lean protein to work with throughout the rest of the week!
Get our recipe for Smoky Paprika Roast Chicken with Green Beans.
Blaine Moats
Pumpkin makes for a great flavor additive to your morning yogurt parfait—especially when it’s topped with nuts and seeds!
Get our recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Parfaits.
Waterbury Publications, Inc.
This balsamic chicken vegetable recipe makes cooking look easy thanks to your handy-dandy slow cooker.
Get our recipe for Slow Cooker Maple Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables.
Kiersten Hickman/Eat This, Not That!
Skip the sugary donuts at your local bakery and make your own low-sugar baked goods at home with these cranberry orange scones!
Get our recipe for Cranberry Orange Scones.
Waterbury Publications, Inc.
A hearty breakfast hash made leaner with turkey sausage, lots of veggies, and vitamin-A-boosting sweet potatoes!
Get our recipe for Turkey Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash.
Blaine Moats
Pumpkin, in brownies? That’s right! Pumpkin makes for the perfect addition to these brownie bites at only 50 calories a piece!
Get our recipe for Fudgy Pumpkin Brownie Bites.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Use up this fall-favorite veggie in a creamy (healthier) soup for easy weight loss lunches!
Get our recipe for Butternut Squash Soup.
Marty Baldwin/ Eat This, Not That!
Craving pizza on a crisp Friday night? This healthier version uses the heads of portobello mushrooms as the “crust” and is topped with all of your favorite pizza fillings.
Get our recipe for Portobello Mushroom Pizzas.
Kiersten Hickman/Eat This, Not That!
Brussels sprouts, in the fall? Groundbreaking. Especially when you try roasting them with all of these delicious flavor combinations!
Get our recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Blaine Moats
Use that leftover can of pumpkin in this clever take on chili this fall right in your slow cooker.
Get our recipe for Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili.
Jason Donnelly
Did we mention that your slow cooker is going to be your seasonal best friend? This hearty, healthy soup uses lean pork and spicy green chiles to warm you up.
Get our recipe for Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Soup.
Courtesy of Danielle Walker
Roast up some of your favorite fruits and top on a bed of leafy greens for a deliciously sweet take on salad.
Get our recipe for Roasted Autumn Harvest Salad.
Jason Donnelly
This black bean soup beefs up the protein in this soup by adding in a smoked ham hock, making this soup a filling lunch alternative.
Get our recipe for Slow Cooker Cuban Tomato Black Bean Soup.
Courtesy of Danielle Walker
Looking for a healthier dessert option to serve at your Thanksgiving festivities? These chai poached pears are a classy alternative to your usual sugary pies.
Get our recipe for Chai Poached Pears.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Still have bags of apples after going apple picking? Use some of them up by topping warmed cinnamon apples on top of these oatmeal pancakes for a fun fall twist on a classic breakfast favorite.
Get our recipe for Cinnamon Oatmeal Apple Pancakes.
Kiersten Hickman/Eat This, Not That!
Cupcakes, for weight loss? These cupcakes cut down the sugar and fat by using healthier ingredients without compromising that carrot cake flavor you love!
Get our recipe for Healthier Carrot Cake Cupcakes.
Jason Donnelly
Another clever way to use those leftover apples! Bake up this apple cranberry crisp for a healthier fruit-forward dessert to serve to a crowd.
Get our recipe for Apple Cranberry Crisp.
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald
Baked casseroles and slow-cooked meals are the name of the game in the fall, so having a few healthier versions of your favorite comfort foods—like baked ziti!—can certainly help with your weight loss efforts.
Get our recipe for Healthy Baked Ziti.
Posie Brien/Eat This, Not That!
Load up your breakfast with all kinds of greens with this easy, low-carb veggie casserole.
Get our recipe for Green Machine Veggie Casserole.
Waterbury Publications, Inc.
This cheesecake is made with a macadamia crust to cut down on the carb and sugar intake while still giving you all of that cheesecake goodness you love!
Get our recipe for Low-Carb Lemon Cheesecake with Macadamia Crust.
Rebecca Firkser/Eat This, Not That!
Whoever said smoothies were only a summer food was seriously mistaken!
Get our recipe for Paleo Pumpkin Smoothie.
Waterbury Publications, Inc.
Sheet pan meals make weight loss a lot easier because they require such minimal effort. Simply throw your meal on a tray, bake, and enjoy!
Get our recipe for Sheet Pan Pork Chops with Vegetables.