The Hungry Swimmer: Cozy Fall Recipes

Ah, the temperature is dropping, the leaves are changing and the pumpkin spice is back! Fall is officially here people and I am so pumped. Besides the spooky movies and candy corn, the best part about fall are the iconic flavors of the season. From cinnamon apple to pumpkin spice, what’s not to love?

I’m so excited to share with you my favorite fall themed recipes, perfect for easing into the chilly weather and getting into the fall spirit.

Apple Cinnamon Oats with Maple Almond Butter

Ingredients

• ½ cup rolled oats
• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup almond milk or water
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ginger powder
• ½ chopped apple
• 2 tbsp maple almond butter

Of course, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Especially when it’s this delicious.

To start, combine the oats and almond milk in a bowl and microwave for 1:00. Stir in the 2 egg whites and microwave for another :45 – :50 until thoroughly cooked. Add in the 1 tsp cinnamon, ginger and 1 tbsp chia seeds then microwave for another :30. Let the oats cool while preparing the cinnamon apples. For the cinnamon apple topping, chop up half of a honey crisp apple, or your apple of choice, into 1-2 inch thick cubes. Place the apple cubes in a bowl and coat with 1 tsp of cinnamon. You want to make sure that the apple cubes are coated in cinnamon then microwave for :45. Top the oatmeal bowl with the warm cinnamon apples and 2 tbsp almond butter and enjoy!

Fluffy Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup Bob’s Homestyle Pancake & Waffle Mix
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tsp pumpkin spice
• Handful of raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• Drizzle of maple syrup

Now this is the ultimate fall stack! These incredibly fluffy pancakes just melt in your mouth and you won’t believe they’re are homemade. If you don’t have the Bob’s pancake mix, you can use any pancake mix you have on hand or you can quickly whip up your own batter. Check out my previous article, Upgrade Your Pancake Game, for the details on my 3-ingredient pancake recipe!

In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, water, pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice with a fork until smooth. Pour the batter into a sprayed pan and cook over medium low- medium heat for 1-3 minutes or until bubbles form around the edges. Once bubbles appear, flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Repeat these steps for the remainder of the batter. Top the stack with almond butter, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup and devour!

Dark Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Blondies

Ingredients

• ½ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• 1 ⅓ cup oat flour
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup coconut oil melted
• ¼ cup almond milk
• 2 tbsp  coconut sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Move over banana bread, there’s a new baked treat in town! Filled with pumpkin spice goodness and loaded with dark chocolate chips, these gooey dark chocolate chunk pumpkin blondies will be the talk of your socially distanced pow-wows.

First, preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, egg, coconut oil and almond milk. Next, carefully fold in the oat flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, coconut sugar and baking soda. Be sure to thoroughly fold in the dry ingredients and tease out any apparent clumps in the batter. Next, fold in the chocolate chunks and pour the batter into a greased 9×13 inch pan. Bake for approximately 25-30 mins then let the blondies cool for 5-10 mins. After cooled, slice the tray into 3 rows of 4 to make 12 individual square blondies. Enjoy!

Check out my page for more recipe inspiration and be sure to share your student athl-eats with me @whatzoeeeats.

About Zoe Gregorace

Zoe Gregorace is currently studying Nutrition Policy at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and recently graduated from Tufts University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and was a proud member of the Tufts Swimming and Diving team (Go Jumbos!). During her 16 year career as a competitive swimmer, she developed a passion for sports nutrition. She enjoys writing on the topic of nutrition, health and wellness and posts her meal creations on her Instagram page @whatzoeeeats. As a former college swimmer, she strives to share recipes and nutrition tips to promote balanced eating and optimize sports performance.