By Shelley Sherman, University of Minnesota Extension

Here we are again, January in Minnesota. It’s cold, it’s dark and we’ve all resolved to eat better. So what are some good, healthy foods that respond to that need to warm up and don’t take a lot of time to make?

Here are a few ideas:
< Soups. Few meals are easier to make than a hot bowl of soup with some fresh warm bread on the side. My brother-in-law recently brought over some cream of broccoli soup, still warm despite freezing outside temperatures. When I complimented him on his soup, he said, “Nothing easier, I was just cleaning out the refrigerator!”
With a little sautéed onion, garlic, vegetables, butter or margarine, a bit of flour (for thickening) and some milk, you can have yourself a steaming “cream of anything” soup in no time. It’s a great way to eat your veggies and get your calcium at the same time. Don’t like or have milk? Use broth, canned or homemade, instead. Besides meat, you can add beans, spices, rice or noodles. Make it thick or thin.
Roasted vegetables — squash, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onion and garlic— are delicious too. Brush them with olive oil, roast them at 425 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until tender (stirring a couple of times), then chop or purée them for your soup.

< Pizzas. These are fun to make as a family activity, and the 500 degree oven really warms up the kitchen. I make pizza dough in the bread machine with half whole-wheat and half white flour. (New dietary guidelines: “Make half your grains whole.”) Have some pasta sauce on hand, a couple of different cheeses, a variety of sautéed vegetables and meat if you like. Make one big pizza, or let everyone make their own. Pizzas cook quickly in the hot oven, so watch them closely. Serve with a salad.

< Ethnic dishes. Finally, why not try making a dish from a culture different from your own? Rice pilaf, found in Middle Eastern and South Asian cooking, can be made by cooking your rice in bouillon or broth, and adding sautéed onion, raisins, almonds, sliced carrots or other vegetables; add curry if you want, or cinnamon. Make tostadas by spreading a layer of refried beans on corn tortillas, followed by ground beef cooked with salsa, topped with freshly diced tomatoes and avocadoes. And what about that fresh warm bread?

Spring will soon be just around the corner.

(Shelley Sherman is a nutrition educator with University of Minnesota Extension.)