Healthy Cold-Weather Meals

Want to serve up good healthy dinners that your family will love? It's as easy as turning your family favorites into healthy cold-weather recipes.

Fill up your stomachs during the cool nights of late fall through the cool evenings of early spring with some delicious and warm dinners. Serve up some meals for your family that will delight their taste buds with a few healthy cold-weather recipes.

When you think about meals during the winter months, you probably think of comfort foods that keep your family fed and warm. But comfort foods often earn their name because they're filled with ingredients that are delicious but might not be so healthy, like heavy cream, butter and cheese.

We have good news, though. If you're looking to feed your family healthy meals for nightly dinners, you can often make your family favorites a little healthier with a few tweaks to those recipes.

The ABCs of healthy cool-weather meals

Healthy eating can seem overly complicated, but it doesn't have to be! You can make your family's meals more nutritious by making small additions and adjustments. Start with these basics:

Add in plenty of fruits and vegetables. These antioxidant-rich foods are nutritional powerhouses! Choose fruits and veggies of a variety of colors to include in your favorite meals since each hue contributes different nutrients. You can look for healthy recipes that include the fruits and vegetables you choose, or you can add them to your favorite recipes by dicing, slicing or even pureeing them.

Break (whole wheat) bread. Baking up your favorite lasagna recipe? Choose whole-grain pasta for an extra dose of good health. Whole grains contain more fiber than their more-processed counterparts, and they can help keep you feeling full for longer. You can also turn to other alternatives, such as veggie pasta or lentil pasta, which may have extra nutrients and fiber. Choose whole-grain breads and brown rice for the same benefits.

Choose carefully when it comes to ingredients. While cream of chicken soup may add great flavor and a dose of comfort to that recipe, it may also be filled with unhealthy additives, including excess sodium and saturated fats. Carefully read nutrition labels on products and choose options that contain a minimum of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar. Look for packages that say "low sodium" or "healthy recipe" when possible.

Other tips for serving up healthy cold-weather recipes

Looking to add a few healthy cold-weather recipes to your meal plan? Head to a farmers market! Check out what's fresh and in-season to find the foods that will taste the best, then frame your meal around those ingredients.

You can make a healthy, flavor-packed soup for cold nights by taking seasonal vegetables, sauteing or steaming them, then stirring them into low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth or blending them together. You can also toss them in the blender after cooking to create a creamier soup without adding heavy cream.

If your kids love macaroni and cheese, there's no need to skip it. Use skim milk instead of whole milk—or a lactose-free option like soy milk or oat milk—and toss in some veggies for extra nutrition and flavor. You can also use whole-grain or veggie pasta without significantly changing the flavor or the texture.

The bottom line? You can transform many of your family favorites into healthy cold-weather recipes by making small changes or healthy additions to the recipe. It really can be as simple as ABC.

Looking for other tips about caring for your child? Check out the articles in our Checkup Newsroom.