The 6 Best Recipes for Fall

Fall is here ladies! I’ve decided to look and find the best fall recipes that you can easily make from some delicious smoothies, to dinner meals and of course you can’t forget some pumpkin spice desserts! These recipes are easy, the ingredients are cheap and you can easily make them from your dorm hall kitchen! Enjoy!! ♥

Smoothies:

Creamy Apple Cinnamon Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 ripe banana, frozen

• 1/2 medium apple, chopped

• 2 tablespoons old fashioned oats

• 1 tablespoon almond butter

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3 ice cubes

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.

I love smoothies and I’ve had plenty of them but so far I could say that the apple cinnamon smoothie is my absolute favorite I’ve made!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 1 cup canned pumpkin

• 1 cup vanilla almond milk

• 1 frozen sliced banana

• 5-6 ice cubes

• Honey

• Fresh ground nutmeg for garnish

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.

I’m not the biggest pumpkin lover but I can assure you this smoothie changed my life. It was so easy to make and the only thing I had to actually go to the store for was the pumpkin and ground nutmeg because I could buy everything else from the markets here on campus!

Lunch or Dinner:

Creamy Butternut Squash Alfredo Pasta

Ingredients

• 4 strips of applewood bacon (optional)

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 cup diced red onion

• 1 garlic clove

• 3 cups butternut squash cubes

• 1 cup low sodium chicken stock

• 1½ tablespoon diced fresh sage

• 1½ tablespoon diced fresh thyme

• 1 cup 2% milk

• Angel hair pasta

• Optional: you can add cheese on the top if you want!

Instructions

1. In a large skillet add the butter and red onion. Saute until slightly soft, about 1-2 minutes.

2. Next add in the garlic, saute for 30 seconds, stir and add the butternut squash, chicken stock, sage, and thyme. Stir and cover. Cook until the butternut squash is fork tender, about 8-10 minutes.

3. When the squash is tender, add the squash to a food processor along with the milk and salt to taste. Puree until smooth.

4. In the meantime heat a small skillet to medium high heat, add the diced bacon to the pan and saute until the bacon is crispy. About 4-5 minutes. When the bacon is done, place it on a paper towel lined plate to let the grease drain. (Bacon is not necessary)

5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta, cook according to directions, (6-8 minutes) do not overcook.

6. Drain pasta and add butternut squash sauce to the pasta, gently toss together and top with crispy bacon.

I have to admit, I had some help while making the pasta but it was amazing. It sounds a little unpleasant because of the name but I swear this pasta was amazing. The taste of the butternut squash was phenomenal! And you can always make this pasta with your close friends and just watch a movie and chill.

Broccoli and Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium russet potatoes, washed well and dried

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 3 and 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, very soft

• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

• 1/4 cup buttermilk

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 3/4 teaspoon chives

• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon dried onion flakes

• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1 and 1/2 cups cooked broccoli, chopped, divided

• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

2. Place potatoes in a small baking dish and bake for 1 hour, or until soft. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once the potatoes are cool enough to safely handle, slice each one in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the potato pulp and place it into a large bowl, being careful to leave the skins intact. Rub the outsides of the potato skins with a little olive oil. Place the skins on the prepared baking sheet and set aside.

3. Add the butter to the potato pulp and mash – using an electric mixer or a potato masher – until fairly smooth; add Greek yogurt, buttermilk, salt, pepper, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, dried onion flakes, dill weed, paprika, broccoli and 3/4 cup of the cheese. Divide the filling evenly among the potato shells then top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are heated through. Serve at once!

Thank God I found this recipe! I have to admit it was hard to make alone but the results, AMAZING. I love potatoes (obsessed) and this was the best thing I’ve made. I recommend, if you can, making this at home rather than at school just because there are a lot of steps and it gets a little complicated. Other than that, you have to try this out.

Desserts:

Soft Maple Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 cup Extra Fine Granulated Sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract

• Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, vegetable oil and sugar until well combined. Mix in egg, vanilla extract and maple extract.

4. Add flour mixture 1 cup at a time, mixing until completely combined.

5. Roll 2 tablespoons of dough into balls and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving room for spreading. Lightly flatten dough balls with bottom of a cup into a disk shape.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until edges are set.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes on baking pan.  Transfer to a cooling rack.

7. For icing: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, water, vanilla extract and maple extract until smooth.

8. Using a spoon, smooth icing onto top of each cookie. Quickly sprinkle with sprinkles if desired and let set for 10 minutes, or until hardened.

9. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Since I’m allergic to chocolate, sugar cookies are my life! These cookies only took about half an hour to bake and they were so good! I think now that I look back, I should have added sprinkles to make them look more festive so I recommend getting some fall color sprinkles!They were easy to make plus I was able to save them for the rest of the week! You can’t go wrong.

Caramel Apple Slices

Ingredients

• Apples

• White or Wooden Lollipop Sticks

• Melting Chocolate – optional

• Caramel

• Toppings – optional

Instructions

1. First wash & slice your apples, remove the seeds, insert the stick at the bottom, & pat the apple slices dry.

2. Cover each apple slice in melted chocolate & place on a piece of wax paper to dry. Continue this process until all of your apples are covered in chocolate & have hardened.

3. Then drizzle the caramel & other toppings on top of your apple slices.

4. Let harden & enjoy!

Because I am allergic to chocolate I decided not to put chocolate on them but these apples were amazing. Caramel covered apples are the best snack (although not healthy)! They were really easy to make but I did have to go to the store to buy the caramel! You also have a lot left-over so I was able to give them to my friends!