9 Fit Foods to Buy in October

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Pop these foods into your cart for big flavor and big nutritional bonuses!

By Rachel Crocker, Fitness Editor

October and the onset of autumn come with many nutritional roadblocks – namely Halloween, the number-one candy-selling holiday of the year. (Americans purchase about six hundred million pounds of Halloween candy each year. Yowza!)

That said, there are plenty of nutritious, fat loss–friendly foods that will be flooding your grocer’s shelves in the coming weeks – and the best part is, seasonal produce won’t cost you a pretty penny! Check out these recipes for nine of the season’s freshest finds to help you shrink your waistline while keeping your pocketbook fat! 

1) Butternut Squash
Nutritional benefit: Only 63 calories per cup!

Recipe: Curry and Ginger Butternut Squash Soup

Curry and Ginger Butternut Squash Soup

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Build a strong immune system with this low-fat, vitamin-rich soup!

By Lara McGlashan; Photography Paul Buceta

Ready in 1hour and 30 minutes • Makes 6 servings

Ingredients: 

• 1 butternut squash
• 4 cups water
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, about 2”, grated
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Place face down in a baking pan with water. Bake for 45 minutes or until soft when pierced by a fork. Let squash cool and save the water it was cooked in.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or soup pot on medium-high.  Add onions and garlic and sauté until golden. Stir in curry powder, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer on low for a few minutes.
3. Pour the water in which the squash was cooked into the skillet and heat. When squash has cooled scoop out the meat, leaving the skin, and add to the skillet. Remove from heat and let cool. When room temperature, puree the vegetable and spice mixture in a blender or food processor with the broth.

2) Pumpkin
Nutritional benefit: Excellent source of potassium, which can help reduce your risk of high blood pressure.

Recipe: Baked Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

 

Nutritional Bonus

• Pumpkin is low in fat and calories and contains anti-aging alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs).
• Cinnamon keeps your hunger at bay by stabilizing fluctuating blood sugar levels.
• Nonfat cottage cheese yields 14 grams of slow-digesting casein protein in just a half cup serving.
• Oats whittle your middle with soluble fiber and keep your heart healthy with beta-glucan.

Baked Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
Makes 1 serving · Ready in 35 minutes

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats1 cup water
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp nonfat cottage cheese
1/4 tsp baking powder
Dash sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp allspice
1 piece crystallized ginger, crushed (optional; available in the spice section at supermarkets)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine all ingredients in an oven-proof bowl. Stir to mix thoroughly.
3. Place in oven and let bake for 30 minutes. Remove and serve.

3) Sweet potato

Nutritional benefit: High in vitamin A, believed to be an essential fertility vitamin.

Recipe: Cinnamon Ginger Sweet Potato

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp honey
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat, add 1 tbsp of broth and sauté onions until soft.
2. Add ginger and garlic and mix together with onions.
3. Add sweet potatoes, cinnamon, honey and remaining broth. Stir and let simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).
4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

4) Turkey
Nutritional benefit: Good source of iron (opt for dark meat for a bigger dose), which helps carry oxygen to muscles.

Recipe: Turkey Breast Mushroom Stew 

Photography Peter Chou, Maya Visnyei

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 lb extra lean ground turkey breast
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground 4-pepper blend
• 3 28-oz cans diced tomatoes, with liquid, no salt added
• 1 15-oz can Bush’s Best pinto beans, with liquid
• 3 strips cooked extra-lean turkey bacon, chopped
• 2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 12 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the turkey until evenly brown, stirring with a spoon to separate.
2. Add the garlic, onion and red pepper, and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add crushed red pepper, 2 tsp Italian seasoning and freshly ground 4-pepper blend. Cook for 8 minutes, then transfer to a large pot.
4. Add the tomatoes, beans, turkey bacon and hot sauce. Stir in zucchini and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and add remaining Italian seasoning, then reduce to low heat. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over brown rice.

Nutrients per serving (Makes 8 serving):

5) Cranberries 
Nutritional benefit: One cup delivers 20 percent of your RDA of manganese, a mineral important for bone health.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins (That’s two seasonal foods in one!)

Enjoy these hearty low-fat muffins as a warm and healthy start to your day.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup palm sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup  unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup egg substitute

Instructions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, combine flour,  sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Combine remaining (wet) ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture until just moist. Divide batter between muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes (or until and inserted toothpick comes out clean). Remove from tins and cool on a wire rack.

6) Broccoli
Nutritional benefit: All of the vitamin C you need in one day can be found in a single cup; research has shown that it can help prevent complications from the common cold.

Recipe: Veggie Quiche 

By Elizabeth Brown, MS, RD; Photography Peter Chou

Ready in 60 minutes • Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 2 tsp olive oil (divided)
• 12 cups spinach, fresh, chopped
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup unbleached flour
• 3/4 cup wheat germ or whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Filling:

• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh broccoli, finely chopped
• 6 stalks asparagus, finely chopped
• 1 large shiitake mushroom, minced (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 large onion, minced
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Coat a pie dish with 1 teaspoon of oil, set aside.
2. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet. Add chopped spinach, then salt and sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes.
3. For crust, combine remaining dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
4. Remove spinach from heat and add to bowl, including any liquid from cooking process. Pat spinach crust mixture into pie dish to cover the entire dish, including the sides, evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: preheat oven to 350°F. Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl and add the milk and cottage cheese. Beat with an electric mixer or wire whisk for several minutes until well blended and uniform. TIP: the more thoroughly you mix this, the fluffier and lighter this dish will be.
6. Add chopped vegetables to egg mixture. Pour mixture into piecrust. Cover just the edges of the piecrust (the lip) with aluminum foil to prevent over browning. Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife placed in the center comes out clean and the top of the quiche is lightly browned. If the center is still liquid, cover the entire top of the quiche with foil and bake 5 more minutes. Let set for 5 minutes uncovered. Slice into 6 pieces.

7) Apples
Nutritional benefit: Contain pectin, a soluble fiber that may help keep hunger at bay. 

 

Recipe:Spiced Apple Protein Shake 

Spiced Apple ShakeReady in 5 minutes (not including overnight freezing time) • Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 small apple, cored, chopped into chunks and frozen (skin left on)
• 1/4 cup dried, pitted prunes, frozen
• 1 tbsp all-natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 scoop vanilla UltraMeal  protein powder
• 3/4 cup chilled water

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in blender and pulse until well blended. 

8) Bell Peppers
Nutritional benefit: One cup provides 10 percent of your daily folate (vitamin B9) needs, which aids cell production.

Recipe: Bison Stuffed Peppers

Recipe by: Elyse Miller, Oxygen reader; Photography by: Christopher J. Miller

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground bison
• 1 egg
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce (find one with low sugar)
• Sea salt, ground pepper and oregano, to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded light mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut a golf-ball-sized hole around pepper stems. Then pull out the stems, seeds and membranes. Rinse peppers, inside and out.
3. Brush peppers’ outer skin with olive oil. Set aside.
4.  In a large mixing bowl, combine bison meat, egg, celery, onion, flaxseeds, marinara and spices.
5. Using a spoon, stuff mixture into peppers evenly.
6. Pour water into a cooking pan (just enough to cover bottom of the pan). Place peppers onto pan and then bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until meat is browned throughout. Remove peppers and top with cheese. Place back in oven for 5 minutes to melt cheese.

9) Brussels Sprouts

Nutritional benefit: A source of glucosinolates, phytonutrients that have cancer-preventing properties.

Recipe: Scallops and Brussels Sprouts