1. Eat Sweet Potatoes for Breakfast

Who says you can’t eat a sweet potato for breakfast? Done the right way, sweet potatoes make a nutritious breakfast, not to mention one of the sickest winter food hacks this year. Sweet and creamy, sweet potatoes are the next best hot breakfast that no one is talking about. They’re rich in vitamin A, fiber, and will keep you full and focused all morning long.

2. Make Your Own Homemade Cranberry Sauce in a Slow Cooker

Did you know that conventional cranberry sauce is loaded with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other additives that are potentially harmful to your health? Surprisingly, it’s not that hard to make your own homemade cranberry sauce that tastes just as good and is much healthier for you. Search for a recipe online and you’ll find hundreds of cranberry sauce recipes that can be made in a slow cooker, for no one wants to spend countless hours standing over a sweltering stove.

3. DIY Masala Chai to Warm You up All over

There’s nothing like a cup of masala chai on a cold winter’s day. Don’t think you need to buy this tea or latte at a fancy coffee shop anymore. Masala chai is simply black tea combined with other spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. Adding any (or all) of these spices to your next cup of tea at home or at work is a simple winter food hack that tastes amazing and is a much cheaper alternative.

4. Swap out Banana Pancakes for Plantain Pancakes

If you’ve hopped on the gluten-free/grain-free bandwagon, most likely you’ve heard of banana pancakes (i.e. pancakes made with bananas and eggs that don’t include flour or other grain-based products). But have you tried making your pancakes with plantains instead? Sometimes you can buy plantains at a cheaper price than bananas, making them another great winter food hack. Simply use ripe plantains in place of banana in any banana pancake recipe.

5. Marinate a Leg of Lamb in Hummus

Winter wouldn’t be winter without a roast leg of lamb. Traditional recipes use fresh herbs and the infamous mint jelly. But there are plenty of ways to prepare lamb. One Mediterranean/Middle Eastern technique involves marinating lamb in hummus, then roasting, broiling, or grilling until cooked. The combination of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and other flavorful spices results in a delicious and low-fat cooking method that’s both tasty and healthy.

6. Puree Veggie Soups with a High Speed Blender on Cold Winter Nights

I don’t know why, but there’s something warm and comforting about the texture of pureed food. Soup is one of the easiest foods to puree. Whether you’re making a roasted butternut squash soup, a broccoli soup, or a veggie soup, pureeing the soup will take things to a whole new level. Just be sure to steer clear of pureeing soups that have chicken, beef, or other meats in them. Chances are you won’t want to eat pureed chicken noodle soup.

7. Use Almond Milk and Raw Cacao for a Nutritious Vegan Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is another awesome winter luxurious drink. But if you’re not careful, the whipped cream, sugar, and other extra calories could add up. I love making hot chocolate with almond milk, raw cacao powder, and a little stevia to sweeten things up. This three-ingredient hot chocolate is super simple, super sumptuous, and only has 40 calories per cup!

Winter food doesn’t need to be boring by any means. All it takes is a little creativity and playing around with seasonal ingredients to figure out some new dishes you’ll look forward to eating. What are some of your favorite foods to eat in the winter?