A Healthy Winter Recipe to Warm Up Your Mornings

When it’s cold outside, it can be tempting to turn toward comfort foods that are full of sugar or fat. Luckily, there are healthy winter recipes for comfort foods that are healthy as well as satisfying.

When it’s dark and cold outside, the negative effect on your mood can be dramatic. In the wintertime, it is also harder to spend time outside where it is easier to burn calories and keep your metabolism humming.

I love soup. Especially in the wintertime or anytime I’m feeling cold. There’s something magical about hot soup that makes me happy just thinking about it. A hearty soup can warm you up and spread comfort and joy without packing on the pounds. Keep reading to learn more about avocado chicken soup and other recipes that will keep you happy and healthy when it’s cold outside.

The Benefits of Healthy Winter Recipes

When you make homemade soups and other dishes, it’s usually healthier for you than store bought or restaurant soups. Most restaurants know they can take short cuts. They use a lot of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats to make things taste good. This drowns out any complex flavors that make eating a lot more fun.

If you are watching your salt intake, it’s a good idea to avoid canned or premade soups. They are usually packed with salt, and sometimes sugar. Making homemade soup gives you more control over your salt and sugar intake.

Soup is good for your digestive health. It adds significantly to your liquid intake and helps keep your electrolytes balanced. This is especially helpful in the wintertime when artificial heating can dry out the air and leave your skin dry and irritated.

And finally, healthy food can boost your mood, which, surprisingly, can support a healthy immune system. Some comfort foods make you feel better because you associate them with good times in your life. These are often full of fat, salt, and sugar like pizza and candy. On the other hand, healthy foods boost your mood because they are made with high-quality healthy ingredients. Certain fats and carbohydrates have a measurable impact on your mood, so when you’re feeling down, you may just be hungry. If you do get a snack, check out the nutrition facts on the label and try to pick one of the healthier options.

Healthy food and a positive outlook make your immune system stronger. Eat right, get plenty of exercise, and take good care of your mental health so you can have a strong immune system.

Cooking Healthy Winter Recipes at Home

When you cook for yourself at home you can use high-quality ingredients that have a lot of flavor. Cooking takes a little bit of time and preparation, but when you plan ahead, then the experience can be a lot of fun. Do it with someone you love, and you can turn it into an intimate date night. Some of my best memories were made in the kitchen with family when I was young, and with close friends and romantic partners as an adult.

If you don’t know how to cook or don’t trust your skills, you can take classes to improve your confidence. Learning a new hobby is a great way to make new friends, reconnect with old friends, or draw closer to your romantic partner. And when you’re done, you have a new skill that means you never have to be bored. You will always be able to whip up something delicious and healthy while having fun and not spending a lot of money. Avocado Soup with Chicken and Lime is a great recipe to help keep you warm while getting the energy you need for the day. Avocado is very high in healthy fats, which is a good source of energy. Lean chicken breast is rich in protein. Lime juice also helps improve digestion and lowers blood sugar. While ginger has antibacterial effects, cilantro is a good source of immune-boosting antioxidants.

My Favorite Avocado Soup Recipe

There’s something about avocado, and it goes way beyond toast. It goes great in salsa, and it blends well with fish and shrimp. Avocado can potentially be used in almost any meal that has a savory component.

Part of this is because fat makes things taste better, and avocado is full of fat. The best part is, it’s a healthy fat! That doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want, however. Too much of any food is bad. That’s part of why I love avocado soup. You get all of the flavor with only a little bit of fat.

My favorite avocado soup recipe uses chicken and lime. It’s one of several winter soup recipes that make me look forward to the cold.

This avocado soup is so good that just talking about it makes my mouth water. When you combine several different savory ingredients, you unlock new dimensions of flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound chicken breast, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
• ½ tablespoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 4 cups chicken bone broth
• 2 avocados, cubed
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the avocado and cilantro to one side. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a stock pot and bring to a boil. 
2. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. 
3. Add avocado and cilantro and serve immediately.

A Few Tips for Healthy Fats will Make You Happier

I like to get all the bone broth benefits whenever I can, so I substitute it in whenever chicken bouillon or chicken broth is called for. It’s one more step that can help ensure you get the best possible nutrition in every meal.  

Even though it’s healthy, it’s easy to eat too much avocado. You want to eat a lot of good foods, but sometimes you can get too much of a good thing. Avocados are full of saturated fats, so enjoy them in moderation. Eating it in soup lets you enjoy the flavor without going overboard.

Are you looking for vegan or vegetarian recipes for healthy winter meals? Eating less meat can help you lose weight and build a healthier lifestyle. Vegetarian Instant Pot recipes make it easy to eat a plant-based diet full of flavor. When I come home to the smells of a delicious, savory meal in my Instant Pot, I feel my stress instantly melt away.

Winter is a favorite time of year for me. You can make it warm and cheery when you treat yourself right. Try some new recipes and see just how delicious and healthy comfort food can be.

What’s in your kitchen? Commit to living a better life today. You can start by making this avocado soup tonight and see if it makes you as happy as it makes me.