107. Comfort Food Without the Crash

Fall is here — and so are all the cozy, carb-filled comfort foods. 🍂 But here’s the thing: comfort food shouldn’t leave you bloated, brain-fogged, and ready for a nap. In this episode, Dr. Stacy shares how to enjoy all your fall favorites — soups, casseroles, pumpkin spice, and more — without sending your blood sugar (or your goals) off the rails.

You’ll learn:
✅ The best fall comfort foods that actually fuel you (not flatten you)
✅ Smart swaps for casseroles, sides, and pumpkin spice treats
✅ Cozy, no-sugar mocktail ideas to sip all season
✅ How to balance your plate for comfort and energy
✅ Simple, non-food rituals to bring real comfort into your life

Because fall comfort food should make you feel comforted — not crashed.

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This episode was produced by The Podcast Teacher: www.ThePodcastTeacher.com.

Transcript

Welcome back everybody. I'm Dr. Stacy and this is Weight Loss Made Simple. I want to talk to you about fall and food and comfort and amazingness.

First, I want to say, if you can hear the dang dog—it's like every third episode he loses his mind and just wants to bark, bark, bark, bark, bark. So I'm sorry if you hear him, but let's move on to coziness and fall and fun.

Too often, those cozy meals and that soft, cozy whatever… and then we’re in a food coma, bloated, brain-fogged, and ready to crawl onto the couch and not move a lot. And then we know the holiday parties are coming, and we just say, “Forget it, I’ll see you in January,” right?

So I want us to be able to have all the comforts of fall—the pumpkin bread, cinnamon, chili, casseroles, cozy blankets, and cozy couches—without just totally falling off and saying, “Forget it, I’ll start again in January.” Because there is absolutely a way to have all the cozy fun without kicking our healthy eating plan to the curb. We can have both.

So I’m going to go through a couple of strategies and how we can make some smart swaps. I’m going to talk about our pumpkin spice latte for just a quick sec, and then I’ll give you a couple of mocktails to try—maybe. See if you like them. I want to get your feedback on them.

For me, a lot of times I find it’s just easier not to drink at all instead of trying to make a mocktail. But I’m going to try a few this fall season, so I want you to try a few with me and then let me know how they go.

Okay, so first let’s talk about soups and stews, because I find that soups and stews tend to be very comforting. I know my husband—you’ve heard me talk about him—he makes the best chili in the world. So I make him make chili every fall, more than once, because we eat the heck out of it for days at a time.

But it’s such an easy way to get protein. There’s no sugar in it. There are veggies all pulsed up so small you don’t even know they’re in there. I think soups and stews can be a very easy way to have a low-to-no-sugar, comforting, feel-full meal.

So one is chili, of course. I used to make this really good butternut squash soup that was so easy—just butternut squash, onion, apple, and then you can put in some coconut milk or butter. It’s like three or four ingredients, you blend it until smooth after you cook it down, and it’s really easy.

And then if you think about a pot roast, that’s super easy, no sugar, or a veggie chicken stew, or just roasted chicken. Nothing feels more fall to me than a big roasted chicken. None of these things are full of sugar—they all fit our protocols, they’re really good, and a lot of them you make in bulk, so it’s like meal prep gold.

When Quad takes the time to make that big bowl of chili, I can portion that out and freeze some, and then it’s there for later. Remember my hack for the freezer: not only do we date the container, but we go to our calendar two or three weeks ahead and write that meal on the calendar so we don’t forget it’s in there. That way, we can skip ahead to a hectic week, see it on the plan, and boom—dinner’s handled.

A lot of these soups, stews, and big fall recipes lend themselves beautifully to meal prep. It’s really easy to prep for the week or to have something tucked away for later—just write it on the calendar so you remember it’s in there.

Comfort food should comfort you, not leave you searching for your stretchy pants. Although, if you work from home like I do a couple of days a week, you might already be in your stretchy pants—that doesn’t count.

Let’s talk about casseroles, because they really are a fall classic. But most of them are like cream-of-something soup, noodles, and cheese—with more cheese. Delicious, yes, but it’s also a recipe for a carb crash and feeling gross later.

So here are a couple of quick swaps. We don’t have to use cream-of-soup. Use Greek yogurt or cottage cheese instead—it gives the same creamy vibe but way more protein, so you won’t have that sugar fiasco. Add chicken, lentils, or beans to bulk up the protein even more. Try quinoa or brown rice instead of noodles.

And these casseroles or one-pan meals—you can switch things out! Some of you are diehard recipe followers, and I see you, but it’s okay to try these swaps. Worst case, it’s not amazing, and you just don’t do it again. All of these things are real, edible foods. So lighten things up, add some protein, and you’ll feel better after you eat.

I think roasting veggies is a great fall thing too. Honestly, I kind of like the fall vegetables more. Just lay down foil, throw on your veggies, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic, and roast at 425°F for 30 minutes until browned or a little crispy—yum.

My favorite fall food prep: on Sunday I make a big thing of quinoa, roast some veggies, and grab a rotisserie chicken or some other protein. Then I just make bowls for the week. That’s lunch—done and easy.

For side dishes, let’s make smart swaps. Spaghetti squash instead of noodles—my kids love spaghetti squash (even though they sometimes forget that). They don’t miss pasta at all. Pasta is really just a vessel for the sauce anyway. Sweet potatoes are another easy swap. And cauliflower—especially roasted—is delicious.

You’re not losing comfort by doing these things. Instead of mashed potatoes, try half and half—half cauliflower mash, half potatoes. If going full cauliflower mash sounds like too much, that’s fine! Even half is lighter and still comforting.

One of my favorite fall breakfasts is quinoa with a little vanilla extract, a mashed sweet potato, cinnamon, and almond milk. I call it porridge. If you’re a porridge purist, that might offend you—but that’s what I call it! It’s cozy and warm and easy.

Let’s talk pumpkin spice. We can absolutely have it without the sugar bomb. A few swaps I’ve tried that are delicious and won’t leave you feeling gross:

Make your own pumpkin spice blend—cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove—and stir it into regular coffee with a little pumpkin puree. Or get one of the pumpkin protein drinks they sell this time of year and use it as your creamer. That’s a nine-out-of-ten swap right there.

You can also find tons of pumpkin spice dairy and non-dairy creamers—Nut Pods used to make one that was almond and coconut milk. You can even put your pumpkin spice blend straight in your coffee grounds before brewing. So many ways to get that PSL flavor without the syrup overload.

Now, I like warm drinks, but I also like something sparkly now and then. And I don’t know what it is about fall—it just makes me want something bubbly. So, mocktails!

Try an apple cider sparkler—unsweetened cider, sparkling water, and a cinnamon stick. Or cranberry rosemary—unsweetened cranberry juice, lime, sparkling water, and a rosemary sprig. Looks fancy, tastes amazing.

Another one I want to try: a ginger pear fizz. Mash a ripe pear, grate in some ginger, add sparkling water and a squeeze of lemon. Sounds incredible.

If you do none of that, don’t forget the plate method—it works even for comfort foods. If you’re at a party or family dinner with all the creamy casseroles and heavy foods, just visualize your plate: half veggies, a quarter protein, and a quarter starch.

So maybe a big scoop of chili with roasted veggies on the side and a small piece of cornbread. You still get all the cozy vibes, but your blood sugar stays stable.

Now let’s zoom out. Comfort doesn’t always have to mean food. The whole first part was about food, but we can create comfort through our environment, rituals, and self-care.

Environment: switch to cozy blankets, softer lighting, new fall scents. Simmer cinnamon and cloves on the stove or update your diffuser.

Rituals: have a nightly warm tea, or if you’re doing the pumpkin challenge with me, end your day with gratitude journaling. A quick note of something you’re thankful for—it shifts your whole mindset.

Self-care: take a 10-minute walk in the crisp air, read more, or declutter one small area to give yourself that “fresh start” feeling. Change your workout playlist—make it seasonal. Anything that makes your brain say, “New season, new energy.”

There are so many ways to build comfort into your life that don’t involve food.

These smart, cozy swaps and mindset shifts will help keep you on track through the season. Every week, we’re just making little shifts to stay in momentum so we don’t end up in that “forget it, I’ll see you in January” place.

None of my clients gain weight over the holidays—and it’s because of these small, weekly mindset check-ins.

So here’s your journal prompt for the week: How can I create comfort without sabotaging my health goals—or the rest of the year?

I hope this gives you some ideas, some cozy inspiration, and some comfort that fuels you—not flattens you.

See you next week. Bye!