The fall season is in full swing as the leaves slowly turn red and gold, the air is becoming crisp, and most importantly, summer seasonings are being traded for fall flavors. There are lots of different treats, meals, and drinks to make with these flavors. Having too many of these meals isn’t good for you, though. Or are they? Treats like pie, cupcakes, and breads, are not good to eat in large amounts due to their high trans fat and sugar content, but there are many alternatives to baking ingredients and processes that can increase their nutritional value. Student and cooking connoisseur Drew Malk, ‘26, loves cooking and baking with his family, but often faces this same dilemma with fall treats and has “always wanted to make them healthier.” Malk is one of many students who struggles with this issue, so he has developed some of his own ways to make these treats healthier. He recommends making homemade ice cream with peanut butter and protein powder for extra nutrients, and using butter or olive oil to grease pans instead of non-stick cooking spray. Based on his suggestions, I’ve listed some of my favorite recipes for tasty and nutritious fall treats you can try at home:

Pumpkin seeds:

A tasty and healthy snack to follow pumpkin carving!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300˚F.

2. After finishing carving a pumpkin, remove seeds and pumpkin flesh, rinse pumpkin seeds thoroughly, then pat them dry.

3. Place pumpkin seeds evenly on a cookie sheet and cover seeds completely with olive oil.

4. Sprinkle cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, and ground allspice evenly on pumpkin seeds.

5. Cook the seeds in the oven for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to roast evenly.

6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, and enjoy!

Adapted from recipe by Pumpkinpatchesandmore.org

Low sugar banana bread:

A yummy seasonal favorite with a relatively short cooking time, and low sugar!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

4-5 ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup sugar

½ cup butter, softened

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease 9×5 inch loaf pan with vegetable or canola oil, set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Stir in eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas.

3. Combine banana mixture and dry ingredients together, and pour batter into loaf pan.

4. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

5. Let cool for 10 minutes, and enjoy

Adapted from recipe by Bobsredmill.com