Notable Nutrients: Vitamin K, calcium. The Benefit: Both vitamin K and calcium are needed for strong bones and joints, so you can pound that court pavement for years to come.
Fall Favorites: Consider a fresh kale and pear salad, wilt kale into your scrambled eggs, or massage olive oil and salt into the leaves and bake crispy chips.
Win with Pumpkin
We can’ t forget pumpkin! This winter squash has been enjoyed by humans for thousands of years. It’ s completely edible, from the flowers to the seeds. Notable Nutrients: Potassium. The Benefit: Potassium is an important electrolyte that is needed for muscle control, including your heart muscle. It’ s also necessary for balancing the amount of water and sodium in your body to help prevent cramping on the court.
Fall Favorites: There are so many choices including pumpkin breads, puddings, pancakes, soup, hummus and chili. And never, ever forget to roast the seeds.
Pomegranates Promote Recovery
This gem of a fruit is a personal favorite because of its intense tart flavor. Each pomegranate contains hundreds of seeds called arils. Whole pomegranates are perfectly packaged and can stay fresh inside the refrigerator for up to two months. Notable Nutrients: Powerful antioxidants. The Benefit: The unique antioxidants in pomegranates help flush out metabolic waste, reducing muscle soreness after those long tournament days.
Fall Favorites: Try the arils in green or fruit salads, mixed into plain yogurt, as an oatmeal topping, or eat them just like popcorn while you watch the pros on TV.
Apples for Fall Fiber
Nothing says autumn like apples. From the extratart Granny Smith to the super-sweet Fuji, there are an estimated 7,500 varieties of apples grown today. Notable Nutrients: Pectin, vitamin C, water. The Benefit: Apples are high in a special kind of soluble fiber called pectin, which keeps your gut happy and helps lower cholesterol. Vitamin C is important for immunity and making collagen to repair your joints and ligaments. The high water content of apples also makes them perfect for a hydration-break snack.
Fall Favorites: Try them baked in an oatmeal-crusted crisp, chopped into a salad, baked with cinnamon as a side dish, or made into apple cider!
Serve Them Up
There’ s no need to fall into poor eating habits as the weather turns. Including these nutritious autumn foods will help keep us healthy and having fun on the courts through the cold autumn months.
See you on the courts, pickleball friends! •
Harvest Hash for Two
The key ingredient for this belly-warming breakfast is sweet potatoes, but you can make creative substitutions to your taste.
Makes 2 servings. Ingredients: 1 small yellow onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons avocado or canola oil, divided 1 large sweet potato, chopped into half-inch cubes 1 large beetroot, chopped into half-inch cubes 2 cups kale, stems removed, coarsely chopped( can substitute beet greens) Optional: ½ cup, chopped, of cooked protein of choice— like leftover roast beef, hamburger, ham, chops, chicken or lean sausage 2 eggs Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a medium-sized cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil on medium-high. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from pan onto a plate and set aside.
Using the same hot skillet, reduce heat to medium and add the second tablespoon of oil to the pan. Stir in sweet potatoes and beet cubes and spread out to evenly cover the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, only stirring occasionally with a spatula to allow roots to get browned.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Return the onions and garlic to the skillet with root veggies. Add meat( optional), kale, paprika, salt and pepper, and gently stir until everything is evenly combined. Cover and cook undisturbed until kale is wilted, meat is heated through, and root veggies are fork tender, about 3-5 minutes.
Uncover and make two little wells in mixture. Crack an egg into each well, cover and cook again until the egg is cooked through to your liking. Serve and enjoy!
Brandi Givens has been a registered dietitian since 2010, and earned a personal trainer certification in 2024. Questions can be posted to her blog at brandigivensrd. com.
Brandi’ s Kitchen
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2026 | MAGAZINE 63