Autumn is all about cosiness, lighting a fire, warm heavy knitwear, hot chocolate with marshmallows and snuggling on the sofa binge watching box sets. I’m all over autumn comfort because I’m a comfort kind of girl at heart, so I’m over the moon that it’s finally here!
Darker evenings and colder temperatures make us want to instantly reach for our favourite comfort foods. There’s nothing better that tucking into a hearty warm meal after a stressful day or a long walk. Comfort food is all about indulgence and feeling cosy, like a great big hug from your food – don’t you just love this time of year?
The food that we eat is heavily connected to our emotions so it’s no surprise that we turn to heavier meals in autumn to make us feel all snuggly inside and can even help improve our mood. I don’t see any problem at all with eating the food that you enjoy. In fact, I think we should be less scared and do more of it because it helps to nourish the soul and there shouldn’t be any feelings of guilt or self-hate in doing so.
Being healthy doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy these heavier starchy foods that are common in autumn. You can indulge and dive right in, but also find some level of balance that works for you by being more selective with the ingredients you use and making healthy swaps to make your favourite comfort foods lighter and healthier. The 80/20 rule works so well for my body, I get to feast on plentiful of amounts of healthy foods, but also indulge in naughtier treats too. This is message is key and something that I constantly tell some of the ladies that email me asking for advice.
So, if you think that being healthy rules out delicious and hearty comfort food then I’ve got you covered. Below, I’ve listed a couple of my favourite ways to either make comfort food healthier or alternatives that taste just as good, but are lighter on the calories.
Pizza
There aren’t many people who don’t love a pizza and I’m definitely in the ‘HELL YES!’ camp. To lighten things up or to inject more nutrition into your pizza, try creating a crust using vegetables, like these Low Carb Aubergine (Eggplant) Pizza bases.
Shepherd’s Pie
All that fluffy mashed potato is delicious, but you can get far more nutrition into your shepherd’s pie by swapping it for a root vegetable mash or sweet potato mash instead.
Cream
As delicious as sauces made with cream can be they’re not the healthiest. You could use less than the recipe calls for and add more stock or use something like full-fat Greek yoghurt to add a lighter creaminess to your meals.
Apple Pie
Mmmm…such a British classic! Why not swap all of that pastry for a baked apple with honey, raisins and cinnamon on top and serve with single cream or full-fat Greek yoghurt?
Casserole with Dumplings
OK, so it’s kind of hard to make a dumpling healthy and for it still taste the same. However, you could bulk up your casserole with lots of lovely vegetables to give it a healthy boost.
Pasta
I love pasta, but sometimes it can leave me feeling bloated if I eat too much. Courgetti is a great gluten-free alternative that is so quick and easy to make too.
Why not give these healthier comforting savoury and sweet recipes a try that don’t compromise on flavour?
- Slow Cooked Shetland Lamb Casserole With Creamy Herbed Polenta via Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans via Hungry Healthy Happy
- Hidden Veg Meatballs via Kitchen Sanctuary
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie via Full to the Brum
- Blackberry Tofu Brulee via Fab Food 4 All
- Eggplant Parmigiana Shakshuka via Food to Glow
- One Pot Vietnamese Beef Stew via Supergolden Bakes
- Spicy Vegetable Goulash via Coriander Queen
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew via Tin and Thyme
- Feel Good Fish Curry via Family Friends Food
Next time you’re craving comfort from your food this autumn, try to make some of these healthy swaps or recipes to help make your favourite comfort foods that bit healthier. Don’t be scared to make things from scratch and experiment to make your comfort meals more balanced – it’s all part of the fun when it comes to food!
While they all look and sound amazing those eggplant pizzas caught my eye immediately! I need to try those! Thanks for the recipe!
Kyla
Wanderlustkyla.com
Love these tips! I love cooking at home and have been trying to focus on cooking veggies and salads, along with fish and lean meats. These are some interesting ideas to try!
Abby of Life in the Fash Lane
Great read and I must try those aubergine pizza slices! Thanks for including my Tofu Brulee-)
I’m at a point in my life where I’m really trying to eat better and make better choices but finding it hard to let go of some old (guilty!) favourites so this post has come at a great time for me!
Musings & More
I suppose it depends what you derive comfort from? I’m a huge fan of curries and pulses which need not have added fat but are very warming in the cooler months (not that this puts me off eating them in the summer either!!)
Some great tips there which I shall try to remember next time I am tempted to go straight for some stodgy comfort food.
Great post! So many delicious things to eat here also. Did you make all of these yourself? I wish I had that kind of talent. Yum yum
I do love winter when it comes to comforting hot food. Soups are always my most craved thing. Big, thick steaming bowls!
Great list of recipes!
Hands up I am awful for comfort eating so I am going to have to try these and hope it helps! x
I love this list, when it comes to milder times of the year, I seem to float towards homecooked soup x
Thanks for the tips – I love apple pie and love that we can give it a healthy twist 😀
Thanks for the tips – I love apple pie and love that we can give it a healthy twist 😀
Hello Jemma,
Thank you for sharing us these tips how to make our comfort food healthy, ohh my struggle IRL!
Especially living alone, there’s always a tendency not to eat healthy… I’m still working on it.
For Urban Women
I always use sweet potato as a standard mash alternative! And I’m a huge lover of courgetti 🙂
Love the pics and the tips. great post.
This is the time of year when we start making stews – any meat really, but most importantly pulses and vegetables for a healthy meal. I love this time of year!
I am so bad at cooking healthy alternatives to things. I need to try cauliflower pizza as loads of people have raved about that x
Pizza is my favourite comfort food and eggplant is one of my favourite vegetables so I’ll definitely be trying that first recipe!
i saw the pizza aubergine idea somewhere and would love to try it. i tried the courgette version and loved it
Loved all these healthy recipes for this fall! Have pinned your post and definitely going to try few from your list!
I can’t wait for the weather to cool down so it feels more like Autumn.
Thanks for linking to my baked beans 🙂
I’m going to go against the grain here and admit that I am one of the very few people out there that doesn’t like pizza BUT I do like to make Pizzas for my husband and friends so definitely going to try your suggestion next time. And the blackberry brulee looks amazing!!
Comfort food and healthy are not usually words you hear in the same sentence, so this is full of great ideas.
Love the vegan sheperd’s pie ♥
summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com
So much healthy food inspiration you listed here. I have to start with the Eggplant Parmigiana Shakshuka.
Great suggestions!! I’m so bad when it comes to comfort food… Especially in the colder months…. I should swap some of the ingredents out for better ones!
love love love this post. I have just made protein balls which help with my sweet cravings but give me the boost i need and no processed sugars. I love the look of the eggplant pizzas
It’s great to know comfort food can be healthy too, great post 😉
I so want comfort food at this time of year. Some super ideas, I love my slow cooker for tasty food and healthy too
I just love reading your blog. Yet another post to inspire me! I love comfort food but doing heaps of training I need to be making better choices.
these tips are so helpful! I think now that Autumn-Winter is coming and we tend to eat more, we would need to replace some ingredients in our meals x
I like the sound of a Shepherds pie with sweet potato instead of normal mash. It would taste better.
Love this post. Autumn for us is about eating comfort food, but it’s nice that you’ve offered up some healthier alternatives. My mummy picked some blackberries and apples and we’re making a pie!
What fantastic ideas! I love baked apples but haven’t had one in such a long time – also shepherds pie with sweet potato mash is fabulous!
So many fab ideas. I could eat everything I think haha
I’ve created pizzas on meat bases before… a meatza! Flattened out chicken breast works well!
This post is great. I’m always looking for healthier alternatives to my comfort food.
They all look incredible. I think the eggplant would be yummy. I”m totally convinced you need to come to my house and make them for my crew. Please……………………………
Great read… My boyfriend and I are always looking for ways to eat our fave foods but still be healthy… This gave me some really good ideas
I would love to try to create these delicious dishes! I really want the pastry right now!
xoxo, Candice
http://www.candicenikeia.com
Thanks for sharing these tips as I think they’ll really help me. I’ve been making healthier pizzas using a wholemeal tortilla xxx
Some great recipe ideas here I love comforting foods in winter like Shepards pie.