Baby, it's cold outside....

Hi there foodies!

Now that it's getting a lot colder outside I'm having a hard time not doing what most of us love to do this time of year (read: eat lots of warm, comforting foods). I'm really trying to watch my sodium and sugars so many soups and warm beverages are out.

I'm going beyond teas and oatmeals here (at least I'd like to). What are some foods that you all  prefer this time of year that meet the following criteria:

1) You can have lots of it

2) it's warm

3) It takes a long time to eat

Bonus points if it's sweet. I'm partial to mashed cauliflower, oatmeal, pumpkin, cabbage, but I need some more ideas!

Got any?

Sorry, I'm a bit slow on the draw.. I just realized there's a post very similar to this above.

I'd still love some ideas !

Why are soups out? 
I make my own and I don't add any salt to it at all.  Add enough veggies and spices and you don't need any.

Pumpkin soup is terrific.

* Well I do LOVE pumpkin.... but I also adore butternut & acorn squash as well as spaghetti squash! & I can eat these all year round, but I especially love them in the winter because when they are nice and hot they feel so hearty! Hmmm what else... Uh, I stir fry pretty much all the time which is warm and hearty... I also really like roasted Brussels Sprouts with Olive Oil, Garlic, Salt, Pepper & some Italian Seasoning... Not sure if any of that helps... but to be honest, my favorite of the above is totally pumpkin! I warm it in the morning with cinnamon, nutmeg & stevia... mm mm good, cannot wait til breakfast! Ah ha ha!

I just made a huge pot of soup that I plan on portioning out and freezing (after I ate 2 bowls ;) )- It's totally healthy, high fiber, high protein, high anti-oxidant, low calorie, tons of flavor... I don't use recipes, but here's what's in it (i didn't masure amounts of things...) Vegetable stock, olive oil, lentils, spelt berries, extra firm tofu, carrots, celery, onion, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, turnip greens, fresh parsley, thyme, cumin (lots), cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika (lots), oregano, cilantro, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, agave syrup (small amount), tomato paste...So good!

Next week I plan to make a huge pot of chili...again, no recipe, just lots of different veges, lots of different beans, tofu, lots of spices, dark cocoa powder, etc...

Lol!! Despite you saying that soup was out, I'll just batter you with it anyway... especially if you like cabbage!!!!

Invest 20 bucks in a slow cooker and chop up 1 cabbage + any other veggies you like, and dump them in with a bottle of V8 and some pasta sauce and you are good to go!  (Well, I always tweak it around, but that's my general base recipe)  For a sweet soup, use less V8 more sauce, and get canned corn / sweet corn and dump it in.  It's marvelous.

If you aren't a seat-of-the-pants chef, there are TONS of recipes like mine (only more thought-out lol) on slow cooker websites.

baked apples: peel apples (especially tart ones like macintosh), sprinkle w/cinnamon and the smallest pinch of nutmeg and allspice, bake at 350F until soft (tastes like apple pie!)

Baked butternut squash: just bake the whole thing in a long baking dish at 350F until soft. You can also make soup out of it when it's softened, just adjust the amount of salt or add no salt (there are some stocks/cubes with no salt).

Lentil soup

Roast chicken w/roasted potatoes and roasted carrots

V.

when i'm cold instead of eating to warm up I do some exercise (get my heart rate up) and then i drink a herbal tea.  I try not to eat to remedy my body temperature, it's counter-productive, only eat to fulfill my nutirition needs not to warm myself.  I think i'd wind up eating more doing that than just eating for the pleasure of eating. I've pretty much given up on "hot chocolate" or "warm milk with honey" until i reach my goal. Sucks but true. It will pay off in the end I hope :) 

other ideas: 

take a hot shower/take a bath

vacuum the house (move around)

put a sweater on or put a tank top under your t-shirt

my fave is just go on the treadmill/elliptical for 20 minutes, then you're not only warmed up but you're also energized!

Original Post by 130by30:

when i'm cold instead of eating to warm up I do some exercise (get my heart rate up) and then i drink a herbal tea.  I try not to eat to remedy my body temperature, it's counter-productive, only eat to fulfill my nutirition needs not to warm myself.  I think i'd wind up eating more doing that than just eating for the pleasure of eating. I've pretty much given up on "hot chocolate" or "warm milk with honey" until i reach my goal. Sucks but true. It will pay off in the end I hope :) 

other ideas: 

take a hot shower/take a bath

vacuum the house (move around)

put a sweater on or put a tank top under your t-shirt

my fave is just go on the treadmill/elliptical for 20 minutes, then you're not only warmed up but you're also energized!

Thanks, I appreciate your advice and while I hear what you're saying, I work out quite a bit already. I also walk or bike everywhere, and I'm naturally cold all of the time anyway. Considering I have to eat, it's about this time of year that I really need (and crave) warm food. Thanks again for your input!

Original Post by gddrdld:

I just made a huge pot of soup that I plan on portioning out and freezing (after I ate 2 bowls ;) )- It's totally healthy, high fiber, high protein, high anti-oxidant, low calorie, tons of flavor... I don't use recipes, but here's what's in it (i didn't masure amounts of things...) Vegetable stock, olive oil, lentils, spelt berries, extra firm tofu, carrots, celery, onion, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, turnip greens, fresh parsley, thyme, cumin (lots), cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika (lots), oregano, cilantro, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, agave syrup (small amount), tomato paste...So good!

Next week I plan to make a huge pot of chili...again, no recipe, just lots of different veges, lots of different beans, tofu, lots of spices, dark cocoa powder, etc...

 that sounds like something i would make. lol. I have no concept of measuring items out. lol.

a huge pot of soup is such a good idea! :) 

oatmeal of course (:

Apple cinammon tea with equal.

Baked (microwaved in my case) apple with cinammon.

Any type of soup.

Oatmeal.

Thats all I got.

How about sweet potatoes?

I love them, I could probably eat one every day! You can bake them and eat them plain since they're pretty sweet. You could also fix them either sweet or savory.

A couple sweet potato fixin' links:

http://caloriecount.about.com/sweet-potato-he aven-ft133656

http://caloriecount.about.com/sweet-potato-su per-food-ft27430

http://caloriecount.about.com/tried-first-swe et-potato-good-ft57127