November is quite a busy month! Some of us see it as the perfect time to slow down and embrace the chilly fall mornings, vibrant foliage, and earlier nights. Others see it as the start of another holiday season and feverishly begin their preparations.
While we continue to transition and embrace everything that this month has to offer, we should not abandon our healthy habits or wait until the New Year to adopt them.
Luckily for us, November is a wonderful time to choose and enjoy a variety of seasonal produce. Whether it’s for a weeknight dinner or for Thanksgiving Day, it’s important to make an effort to incorporate diverse fruits and vegetables into our daily eating patterns.
According to USDA’s MyPlate, adults should strive to consume at least 2 cups of fruits and 3 cups of vegetables each and every day. Whole fruits and vegetables are typically low in calories, high in fiber, and tremendous sources of beneficial micronutrients that function to reduce the risk of many nutrition related chronic diseases. Choosing seasonal produce has other notable benefits: these items are typically more environmentally friendly, more affordable, and (in my humble opinion) more delicious.
With that being said, this November, consider incorporating the following produce picks into your daily routine:
3 fall produce to mix in daily
- Squash. Squash is an excellent source of fiber and beta-carotene, which our bodies convert into vitamin A. Winter squash varieties include butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and even pumpkins! This vegetable can star as a sweet or savory ingredient in many dishes, and you can enjoy it by trying the following.
- Create a company worthy fall appetizer by cutting butternut squash into cubes, adding your preferred spices, roasting, and serving warm on top of a kale salad with farro, goat cheese, and pumpkin seeds.
- Make a weeknight dinner that the whole family is sure to love by topping a halved spaghetti squash with olive oil, roasting, then shredding with a fork to create your very own “squash-ta.” It is so fun to get creative with this. I enjoy tossing mine in homemade pesto!
- Prepare a nutritious, delicious, and colorful side dish by roasting squash on a sheet pan with Brussels sprouts, carrots, and red onions. Toss in a balsamic herb mixture (that includes olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, rosemary, and thyme) for an even more fabulous flavor.
- Parsnip. This root vegetable is cousins to both carrots and parsley. Like many other vegetables, parsnips are a great source of fiber and vitamin C. Much like carrots, parsnips should either be peeled or scrubbed well prior to being used. We can partake in all that parsnips have to offer by enjoying them in a variety of ways.
- Start or end your day with a tasty parsnip muffin. If you are a fan of carrot cake or a lover of all things pumpkin spice, don’t knock this idea until you try it! You can find a quick and easy parsnip muffin recipe that only requires one bowl by clicking here.
- Sneak along with other vegetables into a hearty soup. In a low sodium broth of your choosing, add parsnips, celery, carrots, onions, turnips, and sweet potatoes. Boil until the vegetables are soft, then blend until smooth. Enjoy with pastina and garnish with Parmesan cheese.
- Turn this lesser known vegetable into something that almost everyone knows and loves: fries! Peel and cut parsnips into thin matchsticks, toss in olive oil, top with preferred spices, and cook in the oven or airfryer until golden and crispy.
- Cranberries. This tart tasting fruit has a wealth of nutritional benefits and can be enjoyed fresh, cooked, or dried. While a lot of us are accustomed to cranberries being jellied or sauced and placed on the Thanksgiving table, there are many other ways to incorporate and enjoy this festive food all season long.
- Add fresh or frozen cranberries into a fruit salad for a unique boost of brightness and flavor. Mix with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, banana slices, and diced apples to give this simple and nutritious dish a seasonal spin.
- Create a tart, tangy, and spicy cranberry relish by combining finely diced cranberries, shallot, serrano pepper, and Granny Smith apples. Serve on top of roasted salmon, chicken, pork tenderloin, or tofu.
- Make delicious homemade granola by coupling dried cranberries with slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and vanilla. Enjoy for breakfast or as a snack over low-fat or fat free yogurt and along with your favorite fruit.
Feeling ambitious and looking for a few more seasonal produce items to include on your plate? Check out this EatRight article: https://www.eatright.org/food/food-groups/vegetables/9-fall-produce-picks-to-add-to-your-plate?utm_source=Social_toolkit&utm_campaign=2023Q4.
Here’s to a nutritious November filled with lots of fruits, vegetables, and fun!
Blog contributed by Lauren Ordemann RDN
