Winter Warmers

Winter warmers and comfort food

If you find that even thinking about eating a salad makes you shiver when the weather turns cooler, you’re not alone! Thank goodness there are plenty of Winter vegetables available to inspire you to think about soups, stews, casseroles, tray bakes, and the like; healthy ones, of course!

These dishes are the mainstays of our menu planning in Winter. Oh and let’s not forget the humble roast dinner; we load our plates with lots of veggies, some lean meat, and a good splodge of gravy. Such got a great Winter warming comfort food meal!

Now I’d like to share some of my favourite Winter meal ideas and recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, that are healthy and delicious.

Breakfast

Let’s start with breakfast; porridge is a favourite of mine all year round, but especially so in Winter. I alternate between rolled oats and steel-cut, as the flavour and texture are quite different.

Also, now that I’ve learned how to cook steel-cut oats in the pressure cooker, it’s quick and easy.

My favourite porridge toppings are berries, bananas, nuts, chocolate spread and nut butters. I usually stir in some chia seeds for extra protein too.

One of my favourite porridge recipes came from Dan Churchill a few years ago. The recipe arrived via email, before breakfast and when I read it, it sounded so good I knew that I had to try it straight away!

I love the combination of chocolate, banana and nut butter, and let me tell you this recipe doesn’t disappoint! Check out my CHOC NUT BUTTER PORRIDGE if you’d like to try my version for yourself.

While we’re on the subject of breakfast, let’s not forget eggs. They’re protein packed and can be cooked so many different ways. Don’t forget to add plenty of veggies; think about tomatoes, spinach, beans, onions, peppers, mushrooms and so on.

Check out this post with lots of HEALTHY EGG RECIPES for you to try.

And last but not least, there’s the humble shake or smoothie. These are perfect before a workout, if you’re in a hurry, or want something healthy and portable to take to work.

I’ve got 5 of the best HEALTHY SMOOTHIE RECIPES for you here.

Lunch

So that’s breakfast done, now let’s talk about lunch! I find that soup is always a quick and easy way to go at lunchtime.

I have a few recipes on rotation, like my DELICIOUS BROCCOLI SOUP and this easy ROAST PUMPKIN SOUP, that are really quick to make from scratch.

Soups are ideal for the weekend too; you can make a big batch as part of your meal prep, have some for lunch and then freeze the rest for lunches through the week.

Spend a couple of hours on the weekend pre-cooking and freezing homemade burgers, fishcakes and chicken breasts with different herb and spice combinations, and you’ve got yourself protein-packed, nutritious lunches in no time at all. Just add veggies or a salad – which you can also prepare ahead of time.

You’ll always have leftovers when you make a big pot of soup or stew for dinner, which is perfect for an easy lunch the next day.

Dinner

Do you get home from work too late or too tired to think about cooking? A slow cooker can be a good solution; just throw everything in before you leave for work and come home to a ready to eat meal.

The other alternative is a pressure cooker. Throw everything in when you get home, and you’ll have a delicious dinner on the table within an hour.

Once again, your meal will be full of healthy goodness and if you make enough, you can save the leftovers for lunch the next day, or freeze for a quick and easy dinner on another night.

And let’s not forget the taste – home cooking wins out over supermarket ready meals every time.

Soups can be hearty, comforting dinner meals too. There’s nothing like a chunky chicken and vegetable soup served with crusty bread or grilled cheese on toast.

Bake a batch of these SAVOURY MUFFINS as part of your weekend meal prep to keep in the freezer. They’re a delicious, healthy side dish for soup too.

I can’t talk about Winter dinners without mentioning curries. There are so many recipes around these days, it’s not hard to find one to suit your palate.

I only like a mild heat myself, but I love the rich, spicy flavours of homemade curry and remember, you’ll also be getting the added benefits from turmeric – read more about that in this post HERE.

So there you have some of my Winter favourites. Your Winter meals don’t have to be heavy, stodgy and fat laden to still feel warm and comforting.

I hope that this inspires you to start planning some healthy soups and casseroles!

Don’t forget to pin it for later!