Eating/dieting at cold weather climate

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redheadmommy
redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
in Food and Nutrition
During the summer I had no problem to drink lots of water, eat cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast and eat raw salad for lunch and dinner, but now i do.

I live in a cold climate and we already have frost on the ground at the mornings.
I work from home , sitting in a sweater and my hand and feet are constantly cold. I turned the heat on, but my office room has 2 outside wall and is the coldest place in the whole house.

I can not even stand the idea of drinking cold water. I gave up coffee, so i drink some herbal tea instead, but I can't do that without adding some honey into it. This adds some unwanted calories to my daily intake. :(

Also I just feel too chilly to eat cold salads. I do not feel satisfied after those meals, and I feel the cold just spreading out from my stomach.
The problem is cooking veggies take much more time, and for lunch I do not have time. I just end up cooking one veggies and eat it, but it neither good tasting nor have variety. Yesterday I just cooked a bunch of corn for lunch. For dinner I just baked a whole eggplant in the oven. Other day I toss a cup of frozen veggies into a steam bag, or cut up a broccoli or cauliflower.

I am BORED. I had a bunch of salad recipes at the summer and they tasted yummy and had lost of variation, but I have no idea about how to make warm veggies taste good.

Please shout me your fantastic meal ideas that WARM, fast, low calorie , high fiber and satisfying in a cold dumpy fall days.
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Replies

  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    I think the worst thing about cold weather is that you can hide under a big sweater.
    If your house is warm enough, you should be able to drink cold water.
    Good luck.
  • Jiv7
    Jiv7 Posts: 36
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    try soup! If you have one day a week you can prepare soup or just buy it in the can. Or maybe make a sandwhich like a panini?
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
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    replace honey with stevia...its a natural sweetner..and have 0 calories..
    for lunch..maybe cooking chicken the night before..heating it up for lunch..and throwing it on your salad..that may warm you up..

    You can also do loads of soups during winter that are nutritous and low cal.

    But I do feel your pain..I am always cold..whether its summer or winter....
  • hazelmae123
    hazelmae123 Posts: 109 Member
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    Hit the soup aisle of your grocery store. The weather is cooling down here and to me nothing is better than warm soup and a sandwich. There are lots of yummy gourmet soups in the health food aisle. I also buy a yummy sandwich from a deli and only eat half for lunch with half the soup and the other half for dinner with the other half of the soup.

    A yummy super lowcal soup.
    2 big head of cauliflower
    Large can of low sodium chicken broth
    nutmeg
    season to taste.
    Steam both cauliflower til really soft. Take out half, put in blender and puree with broth. Break up other half of cauliflower in pan with back of a spoon. Pour pureed mixture back into pan, season. Eat.
  • monocot
    monocot Posts: 475 Member
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    why Not just drink Hot water? Just heat in the Microwave and injoy. My Mom and grandma drink it all the time. They seem to enjoy it. THough I heat 3 cups of water and add Arizona Iced tea Lemon Stix and Love it. And there is no Calories.
    Why Not make a Vegetarian Chili or a Chicken chili. THey both have tons of veggies, tons of protein and fibre and if you use the right ingredients. Very low in Calories.
    Then all you have to do is pop it into the microwave and enjoy.!
  • Naughtybiscuit
    Naughtybiscuit Posts: 71 Member
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    When the weather gets cold I make veggie soup at the weekend and keep a jug of it in the fridge, so all I have to do is reheat it when I'm busy in the week. I change the soup, use different veg and that stops it from being boring. You can freeze portions of it too so you could have a different one every day.
  • Amandajean1105
    Amandajean1105 Posts: 53 Member
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    Bump for Northern Wisconsin Weather :) (not to metion that Cauliflower soup sounds good!)
  • slynnmiller
    slynnmiller Posts: 29
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    Its kind of hard to make hot meals quickly and have them be healthy as well. Here's a link to a recipe that I love. It takes less than 30 min to make. I know its probably not as quick as you want but its the best I can do. Good luck!!

    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/north-woods-bean-soup-10000000231620/
  • RLGamby17
    RLGamby17 Posts: 3 Member
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    chili
    any soup with beans
  • sexforjaffacakes
    sexforjaffacakes Posts: 1,001 Member
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    SOUP!
  • louiseei
    louiseei Posts: 260 Member
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    Porridge for breakfast, soups or jacket potatoes for lunch, or warm up some leftovers from the day before, healthy pasta or cous cous type dishes for example. Stir frys are good too.
  • LittleFootHafner
    LittleFootHafner Posts: 302
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    COMPLETELY agree with you! The winter is always harder for me as well - makes me want more comfort food and hot chocolate! haha ;)

    Why not make extra at dinner-time so that you have some leftovers for lunches (will only take 1-2 minutes to warm up in the microwave). I made chicken brocolli this week (look up beef broccoli, and substitue meats). It's very filling and has a fair amount of fibre! I also make chicken-rice soup in the winter and freeze it into individual portions for lunches. Have to watch your salt intake here though....

    Are you only wanting veggies for lunch? Or other meal ideas as well??

    To keep warm, try hot lemon water... not my thing, but a lot of people enjoy it!

    Good Luck with finding a new routine!
  • armymil
    armymil Posts: 163 Member
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    For most soups, the bad thing is high in sodium, even if advertised with low sodium.

    You've got me on this one. I wish I could provide more help. The preparing chicken or buying chicken breasts and warming them up prior to salad sounds good! Maybe you could add two types of meat? Chicken and ham and warm them up and put in salad? That would make a mostly warm salad!
  • Emdog24
    Emdog24 Posts: 81 Member
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    I am all about soup in the winter - i think Progresso has a lot of high fiber varieties now. Also, in the winter oatmeal becomes a snack for me as well as my breakfast - warm and filling :). I usually eat an apple each day with a scoop of PB but if it's cold out, I'll slice it up, throw it in the microwave with some cinnamon and splenda sprinkled on and have that as a nice warm snack.

    As far as getting enough water, I drink my water at room temp which some people might not like but I am always FREEZING at my office (i have USB powered heated typing gloves - no joke).

    Hope the suggestions help!
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
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    You could invest in a slow cooker. Little work involved, easy to make low cal and warm/hearthy!
  • WordToYourMamma
    WordToYourMamma Posts: 31
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    Soup is good and their are lot of canned kinds that are healthy. I ran out of sugar at work for my tea and I just got used to it without it, I drink raspberry or black cherry herbal tea. I also drink room temp water, I actually like that better maybe you will be ok with it too. I hate cooking, HATE it! But corn for lunch, hahaha, that is so bad! A fried egg sandwich is pretty satisfying and not cold. Just use PAM to cook the egg. Eggs are only 80 cals. Put it on a toasted, unbuttered hamberger bun (120 cals). Half a slice of cheese added is only 40 cals too. It's easy, at least. And get a little $20 space heater for your office :)
  • sweetiepie31612
    sweetiepie31612 Posts: 240 Member
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    In the winter months I drink hot water, no tea bags or anything. It wets the pallet and warms the bones. As for food...I LOVE chilli. I make mine with ground turkey, kidney beans, and a variety of veggies. You can make it in the morning in the crockpot or on low on the stove and then by the time lunch and dinner roll around you're ready to munch. I'm also a fan of homemade soups. SOmetimes I'll just throw together whatever veggies I have, some chicken broth, and some pasta and tada...soup!
  • armymil
    armymil Posts: 163 Member
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    Also, energy drinks make me feel flushed and warm. I usually drink one daily. Technically a bad habit but I like the Blue Monster Energies because they are low cal.
  • slynnmiller
    slynnmiller Posts: 29
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    I agree. Oatmeal is a great snack when its freezing out!
    I am all about soup in the winter - i think Progresso has a lot of high fiber varieties now. Also, in the winter oatmeal becomes a snack for me as well as my breakfast - warm and filling :). I usually eat an apple each day with a scoop of PB but if it's cold out, I'll slice it up, throw it in the microwave with some cinnamon and splenda sprinkled on and have that as a nice warm snack.

    As far as getting enough water, I drink my water at room temp which some people might not like but I am always FREEZING at my office (i have USB powered heated typing gloves - no joke).

    Hope the suggestions help!
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
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    I'm a fellow Canuck and actually found that I LOST weight last Winter as opposed to the usual gain.
    Do you have a crock pot?

    There are tonnes of yummy soups and stews you can make from scratch and have simmering throughout the day (just be sure to keep your eye on the sodium levels). If you like chili at all, I have a super filling, ultra tasty and super easy recipe I'd be willing to share ;)

    Have you tried the Catelli Smart pastas? They're mighty filling and delicious mixed with your favourite sauces and meats on those chilly days, too.

    What kind of teas are you drinking? Is there a Teaopia near you?
    They have oodles of different blends that are so naturally sweet, you don't need to add any sugars or honey to them.

    Best of luck!

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