I’m LOVING the fall weather – and the excuse to eat “cozy” food.  But since I’m not ready to go into hibernation just yet, I’m on the hunt for recipes that taste comforting, without being calorie or fat-laden.  I’ve found a few that look pretty good, and we’re ready to give them a try this week.

Monday – Still trying to stay meatless on Mondays, and this butternut squash soup looks like fall in a pot!  I’m going to try to up the ante on the nutrients by using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, and throwing in some extra veggies, like carrots and green beans.  I’ll serve up a side of cornbread for extra deliciousness.

Tuesday – This recipe for slow cooker pineapple pork looks pretty yummy.  I happen to have an organic roasting chicken in the freezer taking up a bit of space, so I’m going to defrost that, cut it into pieces, and use that instead of the pork.  I’m also going to try using fresh pineapple instead of canned, and a bit of chicken broth to keep it moist.  I’ll serve it up over brown rice and add a side of healthy greens (sauteed spinach or chard, steamed broccoli, or romaine salad) for a balanced meal.

Wednesday – Since this is our craziest day of the week, I’m going to try out this quick and easy sausage and lentils meal.  I’ve got the Trader Joe’s pre-cooked lentils in the fridge already, so I think I can shorten the cook time down to 15 minutes, instead of 30.  I’ll add some diced carrots and celery for extra veggies, and use chicken sausage to cut out some of the fat.  We’ll have whole grain naan bread on the side, along with some orange slices.

Thursday – I’m a big fan of cabbage rolls, but lacking for time to make such things.  However, this crockpot version of cabbage roll stew looks pretty tasty.  I’m going to omit the chili flakes, since I don’t love spicy stuff.  This already has some veggies in it, so I’ll probably serve some sliced fresh fruit on the side, and maybe some whole wheat rolls.

Friday – it’s all about leftovers tonight.  I will have cooked all week long, and anything that’s left is fair game for tonight’s dinner.

Hope you have a great week full of delicious, healthy meals!