Healthy, warm food?

YayRomina

Hi, I've been on my diet (no frills or fads- just following FDA suggestions to a tee in terms of carbs/protein/fat ratios and maintaining 1200-1400 calories a day) for a good few months now with great results, but now that the weather is steadily becoming colder I realize how much I miss hot soup and other warm meals, and how much I don't want lettuce and yogurt when I'm already freezing. Any suggestions for warm food?

I try to keep each of five meals under 300 calories and suggested serving size. Also I avoid breads that aren't whole wheat and limit sodium and sugar intake as sensibly as I can.

Thanks!

stephabef

Steel-cut oats all the way! You can add anything - almond butter, pumpkin, raisins, spices, etc.

And homemade soups and stews. Yuuum.

Maggieq87

I just discovered Quinoa! It's a grain, similar to rice, but it has loads of vitamins and good stuff in it! It's really good!

UponThisRock

Chili

Michelle9939

Veggie soup!

Purpleflipflops

My mom and I make a HUGE Batch of what we call "Diet Soup" every year... Use V8 Low sodium as a stock, then add in A TON OF cabbage, carrots, celery, tomatos, potatos, onion, garlic, and whatever other veggies we want! Sometimes we add in chicken breast, sometimes not.... You can really just let it simmer for hours and break down. It is SO GOOD! (And easy.... you literally throw everything in, stir once in awhile, and let it cook!)

ddecarr

Ditto the Steel cut oats and also Quinoa. If you like the Quinoa, may I suggest Farro and also Bobs Red Mill Hull-less Barley. Delicious!

GaiaGirl1992

a really easy soup is to take your favorite broth, heat it up and toss in veggies you like. if you like a thick soup, just add some milk or flour and simmer on low heat.

re08scue

I make a homemade low-sodium tomato sauce and fill it with peppers, zucchini, spinach, kale, carrots - load it up with veggies! Then I ladle a scoop on top of some warm spaghetti squash.

tosborne46

Mashed Cauliflower - it;s so good and it's total comfort food. Steam the cauliflower until very tender. Put into a bowl and add fat free low sodium chcken broth, a bit of salt and pepper and as much garlic as you'd like. Mash it up like you would mashed potatoes and serve. I like to add a 1/2 tsp butter on top as well.

I don't know the caloric intake but I know it can't be bad plus this is a very healthy dish.

oberon0124

You have to try St Francis soup. You can find it on the net everywhere. It is a homemade vegtable soup that is low in all calories. A two cup serving is like 75 calories. It is a great soup that was designed to help people that were going to have by-pass surgery loose weight fast. It is a simple soup to make and very filling and quite tasty.

re08scue

Mashed Cauliflower - it;s so good and it's total comfort food. Steam the cauliflower until very tender. Put into a bowl and add fat free low sodium chcken broth, a bit of salt and pepper and as much garlic as you'd like. Mash it up like you would mashed potatoes and serve. I like to add a 1/2 tsp butter on top as well.

I don't know the caloric intake but I know it can't be bad plus this is a very healthy dish.

Instead of butter I often mash mine with a wee bit of lite cream cheese. Delish! If you can afford the fat & sodium, a few bacon bits are nice too.

CallieM15

There are tons of flavors of light soup. I usually eat that for lunch at work. Progresso Light has cans that are like 100-180 calories per can. They are pretty yummy.

Also Instant Oatmeal. You can find ones like berry oatmeal that are like 100 calorie packs.

tseecka

Not so much for a meal in and of itself, though tasty as a snack or a dessert replacement;; baked apples and poached pears.

You can do them in the oven but I find it easiest in the microwave. :P For an apple, just core it (but not all the way through), put it in a dish, and cook it for five minutes. Pull it out, sprinkle with cinnamon, and enjoy! (You can almost imagine you're eating warm apple pie...mmmm!)

For a pear, it's almost the same--peel and core it (not all the way through), cut a bit off the bottom so it stands up, then put it in a dish with a little water in the bottom. Cover, and cook for about 3.5-5 minutes (depending on size and ripeness of your pear). I like it best plain, but you can also add some cinnamon if you like.

For less "pure" alternatives, try adding a little butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon inside of the apple before you cook it to REALLY get that apple pie taste...and a mixture of brown sugar, flour, and finely chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) inside of the pear is delish!. (Pears are also reallllly good with chocolate sauce, but that might be a little too far off the reservation for ya )

nolakris

Oats are a definite. I get Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter and add 1T. of the pumpkin butter. Yum! I've also added Stevia and pumpkin pie or apple pie spice, depending on my mood.

Soups are great for healthy eating! You can use chicken stock or vegetable stock and load it up with tons of veggies. You can have a slice of whole wheat bread too.

Quinoa, brown rice, lentils and beans are frequent on our table in the winter. All are healthy and good for you as well as have staying power to fill you up without weighing you down.

Elizabeth_C34

Buy a crock pot and learn to make soups, stews, chowders, etc. Nothing like warm soup on a cold day. The good thing is you can make it as healthy as you want, and it comes out great.

oberon0124

You have to try St Francis soup. You can find it on the net everywhere. It is a homemade vegtable soup that is low in all calories. A two cup serving is like 75 calories. It is a great soup that was designed to help people that were going to have by-pass surgery loose weight fast. It is a simple soup to make and very filling and quite tasty.

That would be sacred heart soup. Sorry!!! 73 calories for two cups!!!

BeesKnees181

Tis the season for acorn squash and sweet potatos. You can fill squash (baked at 450F with cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of maple syrup) with wild rice, quinoa, or couscous and pecans for some protein. Yum!