Healthy winter cooking ideas

*Collaborative Post

Whether it’s ready meals, lunchtime picnics or dinners out, everything is costing more money at the moment. A great way to save money is to cook at home, however, with the start of winter bringing temperatures down you’re more likely to want something warm that’s also going to keep you full. Keep reading for some great healthy winter cooking ideas that will fill that hungry hole in your stomach. 

Batch cooking

Batch cooking is perfect not just for saving money, but for not having to worry about what you’re eating next – great for rustling together something in your work lunch break. No longer will you have to rack your brains at 10 am for what’s left in the cupboards, all you need to do is reach into the fridge and your lunch is sorted. It’s best to set aside a couple of hours one evening a week to make large batches of a specific recipe, before splitting it into individual portions to be frozen and eaten over the next few weeks.

Popular healthy winter recipes

As we start looking for ideas of what to cook in the winter, we might find ourselves looking for more comforting dishes that are very filling but still healthy at the same time. These could include: 

• Meat and veggie pies
• Roasts (including roasted traybakes)
• Stews in the slow cooker 
• Bakes and one-pot recipes

What do you need to make sure you’re ready to cook?

To make any of the dishes above, as well as master the art of batch cooking, it’s important to make sure you have the right things on hand, including:

An idea of what you’re planning to cook

The secret to the success of meal-prepping is planning. First, choose which meals you’d like to focus on that week, before checking your calendar to decide the number of breakfasts, lunches and dinners you’ll need to make. Remember to also include any times you’re likely to eat out, for example, date nights, brunches, or quickly grabbing something at work.

Good-quality cooking utensils

Ask any good chef and they’ll all say that the key to making great food is using great utensils. Sharp knives will make cutting ingredients a dream, while good-quality frying pans will prevent ingredients from sticking to the bottom. Cooking with the correct utensils also makes it easier to estimate how long it will take you to make the dish since every recipe has a recommended cook time that’s calculated by using the correct equipment. This way, you can properly plan family dinners to find a time that properly suits everyone at the table.

Cooking at home over winter is a surefire way to save money. With these healthy winter cooking ideas, you can throw together some tasty dishes that will keep you warm, keep you full, and keep costs down this festive season.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.

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