Autumn is famous for its turning leaves, crisp temperatures, and darker nights. 

However, it also brings a host of exciting seasonal celebrations, including Halloween on the 31st of October and Bonfire Night on the 5th of November. 

If you’re hosting a party this autumn, you might wonder how to stay on track with your diet and fitness goals.

Luckily, we’ve got two fabulous crowd-pleasing party recipes using seasonal fruits and vegetables and low-fat, low-sugar ingredients from the Skinny Food Co.! 

Autumn favourites - inspiring warming recipes 

Slow Cooker Beef Chilli Con Carne (Serves 4-6)

This hearty dish is a great choice for chilly autumn evenings. Using extra lean beef mince combined with plenty of vegetables creates a satisfying, nutritious meal that’s high in protein and low in fat.

Ingredients:

• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 500 g extra lean beef mince
• Two onions, diced
• 3 tbsp of Sriracha Skinny Sauce 
• 350g mushrooms
• 2 x 400 g tins of kidney beans
• 2 x 400 g chopped tin tomatoes
• 6 tsp paprika
• 6 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp chilli powder
• Salt and pepper

1. Spray a non-stick frying pan with the low-calorie cooking spray. 
2. Brown the onions and mince in the frying pan for 3-5 minutes. This helps to develop the flavours in the dish
3. Stir in the Sriracha Skinny Sauce
4. Pour the onions and mince into your slow cooker. Add the other ingredients and cook on low for six hours, stirring occasionally if you’re at home. 
5. Serve with rice, nachos, high-protein tortilla wraps or tacos. Alternatively, serve it on a bed of cauliflower rice or roasted vegetables. 

Bonfire Toffee Apple Crumble

Desserts can seem off-limits if you’re watching your weight, but this Bonfire Toffee Apple Crumble captures the essence of autumn while keeping the sugar and fat content relatively low. 

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ kg Bramley apples
• 75g light butter
• 4 tbsp zero-calorie sugar-free Bonfire Toffee syrup
• 150g whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 25g rolled oats
• 50g of stevia blend (or similar sugar substitute)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 fan). 
2. Peel and core the apples, then cut them into chunks. 
3. Put the apples into a saucepan with 15g of light butter and 2 tbsp of water.
4. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes until the apples are soft. 
5. Put the part-cooked apples into a large ovenproof dish and spoon the Bonfire Toffee sauce on top.
6. Rub the butter, whole wheat flour and ginger together to create the crumble topping. 
7. Stir in the oats, then scatter the mixture over the apples and toffee. 
8. Sprinkle the stevia blend on top if you want to sweeten it up. 
9. Put the dish onto a baking tray and cook for around 40 to 45 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden and you can see the toffee sauce and apple juices bubbling around the edges. 

Ready to savour all of the best flavours of the season? 

As the leaves turn golden and temperatures drop, it’s time to dig out your scariest Halloween costumes, find a local firework display, and check out the Skinny Food Co. autumn collection!