How to Cook Healthy at Home this Fall

This post is in partnership with Macys. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting collaborations I’m excited about and that have kept Apartment 34’s doors open.

Now that fall is officially here, I’m sure your brain, like mine, as turned to all things cozy. And while that means piling on chunky sweaters and snuggly throws, it does not have to mean piling on unhealthy food. While summer is typically the “healthy eating” season, this fall I want to stay on the wellness train.

One easy place to do that is in the kitchen, so this month I’ve partnered with Macys to get the tools to eat clean and healthy at home. I’ve finally found my rhythm in the kitchen post-baby (it only took 2.5 years), but it feels so nice to be cooking again. I’ve been working on some week-night dinners that both my kiddo and the grownups can love and I’ve landed on a winner that I wanted to share with you. Keep scrolling to check out the recipe – and some more peeks at my finished kitchen!

Macy’s has the best tools to create creative, healthy meals every day. I recently snagged KitchenAid’s new Spiralizer, and I’m obsessed. I now have my eye on the vegetable sheet cutter, food processor, and the slicer/ shredder attachments to make the work quick and easy with an all-in-1 machine. It’s also helpful when cooking is both good for you and aesthetically pleasing. Cuisinart has every type of tool to outfit your kitchen to be a healthy mecca, but I’m particularly loving the new Cuisinart cookware sets with rose gold hardware. I now have my eye on some J.A. Henckels ceramic cookware set to help whip up any healthy meal I desire – the naturally nonstick surface cuts down on the need for excessive oil or butter. I also just saw that Crux has introduced a new Air Frier to create healthy fries or veggie chips – I’ve never tried that before but it could be perfect for a fall party.

But when it comes to weeknight dinner recipes, I want to achieve three goals: making something quick, make something healthy, make something delicious. While I’m a massive pasta lover, I’m going to try to keep my carbs to a minimum fall while also plotting ways to sneak veggies into a toddler’s diet. I think I’ve created a total win-win – a pesto “pasta” made from Zuchinni noodles with chickpeas for added protein and Ricotta Salata for a yummy salty touch. The toddler gobbles it up (especially impressed by the extra long zucchini noodles) and the husband loves it just as much. Better yet, it takes no more than 30 minutes to make. Final bonus: this recipe is also gluten-free. Continue to scroll to see how it all comes together!

RECIPE: Parsley Pesto Zoodles with Chickpeas and Ricotta Salata

Ingredients
Bunch of Zucchini Noodles (4-6 zucchini’s worth, depending on size)
Parsley-arugula pesto (see below for recipe)
Chickpeas
Ricotta salata
Lemon
Olive oil
Salt

Step 1: Make your Zoodles. This is super easy to do via the KitchenAid mixer instructions and their handy-dandy online videos at KitchenAid.com/quickstart

Step 2: Drain, rinse and soak your chickpeas. Pro-tip: remove the chickpea skins before sautéing, otherwise, they won’t crisp up.

Step 3: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanche your zoodles, retaining a bit of the water from the pot, drain noodles and set aside.

Step 4: Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Step 5: Once hot, add chickpeas to the pan with the oil with a big pinch of salt. Stir to coat. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the chickpeas are just crispy, about 6 minutes.

Step 6: Lower the heat to medium-low, and add the blanched zoodles to the pan along with a good-sized blob of pesto and a bit of reserved pasta water. Toss until the zoodles are coated with pesto, then add one more pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Toss once more, and adjust lemon juice and salt as needed.

To serve, plate your zoodles and serve with shredded or sliced ricotta salata over top.

RECIPE: Parsley Pesto

Ingredients

1 bunch Italian parsley
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 C toasted almonds
1C parmesan cheese, grated
lemon
olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Step 1: Toast your almonds in a pan over low heat. Watch them closely to ensure they do not burn.

Step 2: Add parsley, garlic, almonds, grated parmesan, a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper to a food processor. Pulse until fine.

Step 3: Add a squeeze of lemon juice and then slowly add the olive oil as the food processor spins until you have a nice paste. Adjust seasonings to fit your taste.

(or if you’re feeling industrial you can use a mortar & pestle)

 

original photography for apartment 34 by andrea posadas

This post is in partnership with Macys. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting collaborations I’m excited about and that have kept Apartment 34’s doors open.

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