A Blogtoberfest Guest Post by Kaitlyn Pierce, founder of Willow House magazine

Fall is a time for sweaters, fires, and packing on the pounds while staying curled up on the couch to indulge in some binge eating and Downton Abby marathons on Netflix. Being pregnant with my second child has made it even more enticing to scarf down any piece of delicious looking food that comes my way.

“You’re pregnant, you can eat whatever you want!” is what I hear all day long. As much as I’d love to ignore everything I’ve ever learned about my health and believe this, I know that I can’t just sit around eating my weight in macaroni and cheese all day.

So what is a woman with an addiction to comfort food supposed to do in the fall to satisfy the cravings and not end up needing an entirely new wardrobe (not that I won’t end up with one anyway) come summer? I’m so happy you asked! I have found a couple of deliciously satisfying recipes that won’t make you fat and won’t take to much time away from any of your Netflix marathons.

White Bean and Kale Stew

I tried this recipe for the first time last fall and fell in love with it. Not only is it super simple to make (by that I mean I spent very little time standing up in the kitchen and more time on the couch eating), it is a great meal to make for my vegetarian friends (and vegan if you remove the cheese!) that is still 100% satisfying to my husband, my two year old, and I who enjoy our fair share of local and organic meats.

Another huge perk to the dish is all of that fresh kale in each serving. One cup of kale has only 36 calories, is high in fiber, iron and vitamin A, C and K. Kale is also a great anti-inflammatory food with powerful antioxidants. How’s that for some guilt free eating?

Chickpea, Tomato and Spelt Soup

I had never had spelt in my life until recently when I came across this recipe. As I mentioned before, comfort food has always been my food of choice, spelt never was on the menu.  So I was feeling particularly adventurous and decided to try something new, I figured if I hated it my husband (the human garbage disposal) would eat it.

I was pleasantly surprised by the spelt’s delicious nutty flavor. It is high in protein and fiber and is also a good source of calcium, magnesium and iron. This recipe has 437 calories per serving and thanks to all of that protein it was incredibly filling so there was actually some left for my husband to eat when I was done.

What are some of your favorite cool weather recipes?

Kaitlyn Pierce is the Editor-in-Chief of Willow House magazine, and blogs regularly at Mohawks and Lilacs. Growing up in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts assured that Kaitlyn would be a true New England girl. She is a die-hard New England sports fan, lover of all things visual, and local fashion activist working to bring more fashion to the Berkshires.