Foods for Comfort and Nutrition

Winter Foods Part Two

Looking for easy-to-make winter foods? Warm up with this roundup of seven recipes, comforting and nutritious foods such as hot cereals, soups, and fried eggs. Simple as they are to cook, keep reading to see the recipes and benefits to eating these winter-comfort foods.

Earlier this month, I shared Winter Foods Part One with my readers. Part One included my Honey Banana Bread recipe. The story behind why I’m baking with natural sugars is also mentioned in that blog post. So take a moment to go check out that article about my decision to change the foods I eat. But first, scroll down the page a little to get these simple-to-make foods, great for a quick and easy meal for yourself and your family.

Seven-Recipe Roundup List of Nutritious and Comfort Foods

1. Honey Banana Bread (recipe shared in Part One)
2. Mini Applesauce and Zucchini Bundts (tastes wonderful! Go check it out.)
3. Rolled Oats, Raisins, and Walnuts (see below)
4. Cheesy Tomato and Cream Soup (see below)
5. Charcoal-Grilled Half Chicken Sandwich (Don’t do grilling? Use boiled or baked chicken instead – see below.)
6. Fried Eggs, Chicken Chunks, and Yellow Squash (How do you like your eggs? I like ’em just about any way. See this version below.)
7. Salmon and Asparagus (see below)

Oatmeal Recipe for One Person

Oatmeal is so easy to cook. Buy a box or ba1g of it at the store, follow the directions, and voila! Done. But the more nutritious, the better. I’ve tried steel cut and the one-minute kind, but lately, I’ve been favoring rolled oats. Takes longer, about five minutes, but it’s SO good. Here’s one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal:

1. Bring 1 cup water and a pinch of sea salt to boiling.
2. Stir in 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (Bob’s Red Mill brand).
3. Turn burner down to low, and cook for five to ten minutes (My propane gas stove burner’s low is more like a medium-low and cooks faster. When I only cook one serving as in these directions, it’s done in about five minutes.)
4. Pour oatmeal in a bowl when done.
5. Top with organic raisins and 1/4 cup walnuts.

 

 

Cheesy and Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe

Got a can of tomato soup? Fancy it up with cheese and cream. Really, that’s all there is to it. Here you go:

1. Heat up a can of tomato soup (I prefer low-sodium) according to directions.
2. Mix in 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, and turner burner to simmer (Or if yours cooks high like my gas stove, turn the burner off.).
3. Stir in 1/4 cup grated white cheese, like mozzarella.
4. Pour in a bowl, and top with crushed crackers.

 

 

 

Charcoal-Grilled Half Chicken Sandwich Recipe

 

A lady who managed an exercise facility once told me, “You don’t need more than half a sandwich.” Though speaking in general, she expressed that this is what she did. She was short and small. And she was probably right. But people who like to eat, like me, enjoy the whole sandwich. Nevertheless, a half sandwich for lunch (maybe even a snack) is just enough to fill you up and doesn’t make you feel stuffed.

My husband grills as often as he has the opportunity. We’ll prepare a large amount of meat, grill it, eat what we want, and freeze the rest for future meals. This recipe is from one of those yummy grilled days we had early January 2019. Enjoy!

1. Six thin charcoal-grilled chicken slices.
2. Heat up in the microwave (I set mine for 30 seconds to a minute).
3. Top each slice of chicken with one slice mozzarella (or other cheese of your choice), divided into six pieces.
4. Microwave again (about 10 seconds).
5. Toast one slice of bread, and cut into half.
6. Add Mayo and/or mustard.
7. Put the chicken between the bread slices, and it’s ready to eat.

Sure, anybody can make a sandwich. Right? But this just shows you how easy and satisfying a simple half sandwich can be.

Fried Eggs, Chicken Chunks, and Yellow Squash Recipe

The chicken chunks in this recipe were cut from one of the charcoal-grilled chicken breasts mentioned above. I like to cook eggs, usually fried or omelet, with meat and/or vegetables. In this recipe, I added one-half yellow summer squash.

1. Heat up an iron skillet on high, and add about 2 teaspoons of organic coconut oil.
2. Once the oil melts, add thinly-sliced (or cut into cubes) yellow summer squash on one side of the skillet.
3. Add two eggs in the other side of the skillet, and fry them the way you like.
4. When the squash looks tender, stir in the chicken chunks.
5. Once the eggs, squash, and chicken are cooked, put the eggs onto a plate and top with the chicken and squash medley.
6. Another way to serve this recipe is to first put the chicken and squash medley onto a plate and top with the eggs.

Trying to find ways to increase the vegetables you eat daily? Include them into your egg breakfasts.

Salmon and Asparagus Meal Recipe

Salmon is heard pronounced “SAL’ mon” or “SAM’ en” so which one do you think is correct? I’m from the South where it’s usually pronounced like the first example. But in other parts of the country, the second example is the favored pronunciation. Actually, the second example is the correct pronunciation. No matter how you say the word, salmon is nutritious to eat and tastes wonderful when charcoal-grilled or baked. The instructions for my salmon and asparagus meal that I cooked in the beginning of January 2019 are as follows:

1. Season the salmon your favorite seasonings (I used Six Seasonings).
2. Drizzle approximately one tablespoon Lemon Olive Oil on top of the seasoned fish.
3. If you don’t have the Lemon Olive Oil, squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top of the fish along with olive oil.
4. Bake for approximately six minutes (for salmon that is 1/2″ thick at the thickest part) at 425 degrees.
5. When the salmon flakes, it’s ready.
6. While you bake the salmon, prepare an iron skillet with about a tablespoon of olive oil and heat on high.
7. Cook your asparagus (it’s good baked, pan-fried, boiled, or broiled) and serve with the salmon.

A note about asparagus and how I cook it:

Asparagus can be cooked multiple ways. My favorite method of cooking asparagus is baked, topped with drizzled olive oil. YUM! This last time, however, I used a pan-fry method in an iron skillet. I added about a tablespoon of coconut oil in the iron skillet. Then I added the asparagus, enough to cover the bottom of the skillet. Next, I seasoned it with the Six Seasonings spices (you can use basil, salt, and garlic powder or any other seasonings you like). At first, I turned the burner on high. After the skillet became hot (sizzling, steam rising), I turned it down to low, added about a one-half cup of water, and covered it with a lid. Though I didn’t time it, the asparagus cooked probably at least five minutes with the lid on.

As I previously mentioned, these recipes are simple and easy. Baking salmon may be the most difficult to understand if you haven’t baked it before. There are recipes available on the Internet that offer detailed instructions and helpful advice on how to bake salmon.

I hope you enjoy these yummy meals and treats as much as I did. Since they are recipes good for any time of the year, I’ll be making them again. But coming next this month are more great recipes. So see you next blog post!