Dietitian shares simple one-pan dinner ideas using Michigan's best fall produce

All right, time for a little comfort food. Gotta eat. That's what we need as temperatures drop. Hey, you want a cozy home-cooked meal? Michigan is one of the nation's leading producers of apples and pumpkins, so that means this is the time to take advantage of it all. Joining us in the kitchen, Ashley Popovic, a registered dietitian, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Ashley, thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. Okay, so let's get into it right away. What are you working with here? So we have a delicious cozy autumn sheet pan meal here. So we We have flavors of fall with our sweet potatoes, our Brussels sprouts, our apples, shallots. There's some bacon for flavor. And then we put marinated chicken thighs on top. You put it in the oven, 450, 30 to 35 minutes. That's incredible. And this is what, right, look at this. It comes out. I love a sheet pan meal because it's one pan, right? Yes. You put your parchment paper down. Okay, so what are you doing to season? How are you making this taste so good? I'm going to just start eating, Dina. You don't mind me, do you? No, please, I'm going to eat. Yes, enjoy. So we start out with a marinade. We marinate the chicken. It's going to be two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and then one and a half of red wine vinegar, and then we have one tablespoon each of the herbs. So we have thyme, we have rosemary, and we have sage as well. So that's what's in here, then? Yes. So garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage. So kind of whatever seasoning you like, right? You get some oil, you get your vinegar. Yes. You get your herbs, your seasoning. Okay. And you're putting it all in the... And why do you like chicken thighs? So I love chicken thighs because... I do too. Are they the best? They are. Yes, they're so flavorful. It's hard to mess them up. Honestly, you cook them a little too long, they're really forgiving. I really do. My wife started getting chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, and it has so much more flavor and tenderness. Do they have bone in them or no bone? They have bones. Yes. You know, I actually prefer bone-in, skin-on better. There's more collagen in it. Okay. All right. So you're getting some better nutrients. Yeah. Yes. Exactly. Good for the hair, skin, and nails. And who doesn't want that? Yeah. I know I do. Me too. Good. Yes. So how long do you marinate the chicken? So a few hours is helpful. Okay. Yes. And then you just plop it right there on top of your veg? Right on top. Yeah. Easy peasy. Now... How long do you bake it Ashley? 30 to 35 minutes or once the chicken reaches 165 degrees. These vegetables are cooked perfectly too in this one. I mean it's like the I don't know it just tastes great and it looks so gourmet and I feel like you could very manageable to do at home. That looks impressive. Doesn't it? What other vegetables? What are we? What good nutrients are we getting from fall vegetables? What should we be looking for in the store that's in season, not super expensive, and really good for us? So the squashes are huge right now. Squash is phenomenal for you. It's gonna have beta carotene in it, which is a precursor to vitamin A. Great for your vision, and also great for immunity as well. And who doesn't need that this time of year? No doubt. So that's anything orange, any of those big colors. We see the Brussels sprouts. Yep, yep, Brussels sprouts are amazing for us. They have vitamin C, they have vitamin K, and then fiber as well. I mean, you've just got, so again, And just to, you've got squash, Apples, brussel sprouts, chicken. And a little bacon. Just a little kiss of bacon. Just a little kiss of bacon. Doesn't that help? Ashley, thank you. Recipes at a healthier michigan.org. A healthier michigan.org. We'll be right back.