Are healthy fall treats an oxymoron?
From pumpkin spice everything to apple pie, fall’s warm, cozy flavors have the potential to ruin all your hard work at the gym and sabotage your clean eating goals.
That’s why today we’re giving the spotlight to the healthiest fall treats you can make or pick up in a pinch.
Add these guilt-free options to your autumn lineup, and you’ll be able to savor all the flavors you love and feel good this season.
3 Healthy Fall Treats Perfect to Grab and Go
Fun fall activities like apple picking, football games, and spooky hayrides may dominate your schedule as the weather gets cooler. But you can still enjoy some healthy fall treats even if you’re short on time.
These three easy, quick options prove it:
1. Apple Slices and Spiced Nut Butter (or Spiced Hummus)
Autumn delivers the tastiest apples. So slice up your favorite fresh varieties and pair them with a fall spiced nut butter. Sprouts makes a delicious Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter that works well here.
Can’t have nuts? No problem! Trader Joe’s offers a Pumpkin Spice Dessert Hummus made with vine-dried garbanzo beans, pumpkin purée (instead of tahini), and notes of vanilla and maple.
Either option gives you a crave-worthy healthy fall treat in less than five minutes.
2. Gingerbread or Snickerdoodle Flavored Protein Bar
If you don’t have time to even cut up an apple, you can grab a fall-spiced protein bar, such as our limited-edition Gingerbread or our delicious Snickerdoodle. Stash these in your pantry, and you’ll have a healthy grab-and-go option packed with fall flavor.
3. Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
These Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats are another healthy fall treat you can feel good about while enjoying the season.
You or your kids can throw these together the night before in under two minutes. Then all you have to do is grab one as you head out the door, making for the perfect quick and easy fall-themed breakfast or snack.
6 Healthy Fall Treats To Make When You Have Some Time On Your Hands
If you can carve out some extra room in your schedule, you should definitely make one (or more!) of these healthy fall treats. You and your family can whip them up in no time and savor them all season long:
1. Fall Spiced Roasted Mixed Nuts
Store-bought flavored nuts can be loaded with sugar, unhealthy oils, and chemical preservatives, three evils no one needs in their diet.
A better -- and healthier -- alternative is to roast your own mixed nuts at home, which is a lot easier than you may think.
Using this Autumn Spiced Nut recipe, you can dig into the season’s flavors with one of the healthiest snacks on the planet.
Nuts are loaded with fiber, good fats, and protein. So you’ll have a batch of yummy, satiating snacks that can help combat cravings and boost energy levels.
2. Baked Apple Crisps
Another easy and delicious option is to bake your own apple chips.
Similar to nuts, making your own apple chips allows you to control the amount of sugar and ensures no harmful additives or preservatives sneak into your diet.
Plus, you can add all your favorite fall spices (hello, nutmeg and allspice!) to really bring out the flavor in the apples and capture the essence of the season.
Make a big batch in your oven or air fryer, and you’ll have a tasty, healthy snack all week long (if your roommate or kids don’t gobble them all up!).
3. Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes
For a healthy fall treat you can eat for breakfast, try these Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes. They’re grain-free and boast a whopping 26 grams of protein for two medium-sized pancakes.
With that much protein, you’ll easily be able to stay satisfied until lunch, which you can’t say with most commercial pancake mixes out there.
4. No Added Sugar Pumpkin Bread
If nice, warm pumpkin bread is more of what you’re craving for your healthy fall treat, this No Added Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread recipe will become your new go-to. Just try not to eat the whole loaf when it comes out of the oven.
5. Sugar-Free Pumpkin Bars
For a healthy fall treat that isn’t packed with sugar, try these Sugar-Free Pumpkin Bars. They’re just as decadent as pumpkin pie, even without all the sweetness you’d typically find in this holiday dessert.
6. Healthy Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
You can also enjoy pumpkin cheesecake without ruining your hard work thanks to these Healthy Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins. They combine two fantastic treats into one easy recipe, so you have the best of both worlds minus the sugar dump to your system.
These gluten-free, low-sugar muffins are also high in protein, making them the perfect fall breakfast or afternoon snack to savor while reaching your health goals.
Final Thoughts on These Healthy Fall Treats
Healthy fall treats are not an oxymoron and really do exist. But with nine different and delicious options on deck, it’s going to be tough choosing one healthy fall treat over the others.
Fortunately, you don’t have to stop at just one!
You can make a few (or all) of these treats throughout the fall season without derailing your fitness goals or sabotaging your healthy eating plan.
So save this article, and have some fun making these treats to keep yourself on track. Or share this list with your friends and family, and have a fall-themed treat swap!
You can’t go wrong when these warm seasonal flavors are on the menu.
Author: Devan Ciccarelli
Email: devan@behappynothangry.com
Instagram/Facebook Group: @behappynothangry/Be Happy Not Hangry
Website: www.behappynothangry.com
