Apples, beans and oats.  All 3 of these foods are great for helping lower cholesterol, slow blood sugar rise and control hunger!

As the weather turns cool I seem to crave heavier foods and more carbs like fresh baked warm cookies! But if you are like me you can’t make those too often and still fit into your favorite jeans. So I thought I would share 3 of my favorite fall foods that are a little more waistline friendly.

#1 Apples

There is a lot of truth to the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Apparently there are several ways that the phytonutrients in apples help control blood sugar.

My favorite apple is SweeTango. Just like the name it’s a crunchy, juicy apple with a sweetness and tang all in the same mouthful.

Take advantage of apple season and take a trip to an orchard where you can sample and find your favorite apples and recipes!

#2 Beans

Chili is one of my favorite fall meals. I almost always make it in the crock pot and here’s a little tip . . . when you are browning ground beef make and extra pound, throw in freezer and when you want to make chili you just have to pull it out and dump everything in the crockpot.

Chili is packed full of body healing nutrients for your immune system, diabetes, digestion and cancer prevention.. Plus, if you are low in iron, the beef, cumin, and beans are all great sources of iron. The cumin is also a good source of manganese, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin B1.

Did you know that magnesium is a natural blood pressure medicine that helps relax blood vessels?  You can read more about it in my blog post on magnesium.

Here’s my favorite Chili Recipe  (with helpful hints)

• 1 lb lean ground beef browned  (keep a pound or two in freezer for meals like this)
• 1 cup chopped onion (I usually add the onion and garlic at the end of browning the meat or saute them for a short time in a little olive oil before adding to the chili – but it’s not absolutely necessary)
• 1 clove garlic minced (or 1/8 tsp garlic powder if you don’t have garlic cloves on hand)
• 28 oz canned tomatoes (chopped or pureed, or better yet home canned stewed tomatoes)
• 2 cans kidney beans (or whatever beans you like- I love the combo of kidney beans and black beans)
• 1 15-oz can tomato sauce (or you can skip the sauce and use another can of stewed tomatoes)
• 1 Tbsp chili powder (can use more or less depending on your taste preference)
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste (I use a small amount of sea salt but you may prefer not to add salt)

Put all ingredients in the crockpot, stir and let it cook according to your crockpot instructions, usually 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

#3 Oatmeal

If you like oatmeal there is nothing better on a cold morning than a warm bowl of oatmeal with a little brown sugar and plenty of cinnamon. That’s my favorite but maybe not yours. You can add honey or fruit or any other natural sweetener but my point is to find the combination YOU like. Try to avoid the instant and find your own combination of flavors. For some great ideas check this blog post at FoodHappy.

I would love to hear about your favorite fall foods in the comments!

“True health-care reform starts in your kitchen, not in Washington” -Anonymous