Overcast gray skies and howling winds invite you to stay indoors and cuddle up in your cozy kitchen. However, indulging in too much unhealthy comfort food can make it difficult to emerge from hibernation in the spring.
You can pamper your taste buds with a few savvy twists on old favorites. You’ll savor your indulgence all the more when it’s guilt-free. Ready to get in the kitchen? Here are ten healthy and cozy meals to enjoy this winter.
Table of Contents
1. Shepherd’s Pie
Here’s a dish you can fix in dozens of healthy ways. Although the original recipe calls for lamb, you can make a cottage variation with ground beef, turkey or chicken. Tired of plain white spuds? Why not make your topping colorful, mixing the white russets with a bright orange yam or a blue sweet potato? Sweet potatoes have oodles of health benefits, including a high fiber content to keep you fuller longer and tons of antioxidants to nourish your hair and skin.
Begin by boiling your potato to make your crust. While that cooks, brown your meat in olive oil, adding carrots, onions and celery. A touch of Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and wine adds flavor but feel free to add herbs like bay. Mash your potatoes, adding butter and egg for a delicious crust and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top browns.
2. Broccoli Cheese Soup
Winter is the ultimate soup season. There’s nothing better than curling up by the fire, watching the snow falling outside your window while indulging in a bowl. This recipe combines the indulgence of cheese with healthy broccoli, a vegetable with an impressive antioxidant array.
Want to add a bit more veggie and increase the vitamin C content? Add a touch of red bell pepper, which has more than an orange.
3. Chicken Tikka Masala
Winter colds and flu can leave you with a lasting, low-grade inflammation that doesn’t keep you from your daily activities — but makes them less pleasant, as aches, pains and fatigue plague you. This recipe contains oodles of turmeric, a root herb rich in curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory that can help get you back to your old self.
This recipe might look complicated, but simmering the chicken takes most of the time.
Serve it over basmati rice with warm naan bread.
4. Zucchini and Spinach Lasagne
Who said you needed ground beef to make a delicious lasagne? This recipe is vegan, making it the ideal main course for meatless Mondays. However, you can feel free to use regular ricotta or mozzarella instead of the cashew cheese sauce.
Zucchini is a great source of manganese and vitamin C. Spinach is chock-full of antioxidants and is a rich, plant-based iron source — the stuff that kept Popeye strong to the finish.
5. Turkey Meatloaf
Few foods comfort you like meatloaf. However, traditional recipes that combine beef and pork give you an extra dose of red meat each week. You should minimize your consumption according to the World Health Organization, which lists such foods as potential carcinogens.
This recipe uses a touch of dijon mustard to add richness to the meat. It’s also the perfect make-ahead freezer comfort meal, as it stays fresh for up to three months.
6. Seafood Gumbo
Upping your seafood consumption in the cold months could help you stave off the winter blues. It’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which your brain needs to function at its best.
This recipe omits the fatty sausage but has plenty of lean shrimp for protein. It also keeps the okra, a fiber-rich vegetable, to nourish your intestines.
7. Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo
Fettuccine has a bad reputation for adding unwanted notches to your belt. However, you can indulge in this recipe and still feel sleek in the spring.
Instead of using oodles of butter, this recipe calls for extra-virgin olive oil, a better choice for your heart. It also recommends 1% milk, although you can substitute skim to cut calories further.
8. Roasted Spaghetti Squash With Parmesan
Here’s a simple side dish that’s hearty enough to become a full meal on Meatless Monday or anytime. It’s a piece of cake to roast spaghetti squash. Cut it in half lengthwise and drizzle the inside with olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste. Poke a few holes in the bottom of each half and roast in a 400° oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir the “spaghetti” with a fork and enjoy.
For more flavor, add a touch more olive oil, a sprinkle of parmesan and a bit of oregano and parsley on top. You can also shred the “noodles” and add sauce.
9. Cranberry, Walnut and Feta Salad
Spinach makes the perfect base for many winter salads. It grows best in cool weather like the fall, meaning it’s fresh from the harvest.
It’s a piece of cake to add candied walnuts, dried cranberries and feta crumbles. A few granny smith apples add extra crunch, and you can top it with this healthy honey-balsamic dressing.
10. Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
It’s the crust that makes pot pie a problematic comfort food. It’s empty calories, and the white flour contains a chemical byproduct that some researchers believe may drive higher diabetes rates.
However, this crustless version is light and healthy — yet still sticks to your ribs. It’s also a snap to put together if you use precooked chicken and frozen vegetables.
Healthy and Cozy Meals to Enjoy This Winter
When the cold winds blow outside, it’s time to cozy up to your kitchen and whip up delicious comfort foods. However, overindulging in unhealthy versions can leave you sluggish come spring.
Why not stock your freezer with these healthy and cozy meals to enjoy this winter? You’ll indulge your need for warm, festive favorites while nourishing your body and maintaining optimal health.
