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If the thought of parsnips, beets, and kale makes you turn up your nose, think again. Cooking Light just came out with 25 fantastic recipes that utilize winter veggies.

Several of my clients tell me that they just don’t enjoy eating cold vegetable salads during the winter. Who can blame them when it’s freezing outside? The beauty of these vegetable recipes is that they’re hot, nourishing, comforting, delicious - and really easy to prepare. They’re all perfect for leftovers, which helps make healthy eating much easier for busy families.

My personal favorites? Lentil soup and roasted vegetables. Try out some of these recipes or share your personal favorites.

After walking around Washington DC on a cold and windy day recently, my husband and I stopped to enjoy some hot chocolate. The menu board not only listed the sizes (small, medium, large) and cost of the hot chocolate options - it also listed the calories. A small hot chocolate has 350 calories, and the large has 600 calories - I bet you can guess which one I chose!

What size beverage do you typically choose? If you’re drinking something with calories, go for the smaller size. If you’re drinking water - opt for the large, or even supersize. Save calories throughout the day, and they add up. Plus those calories in beverages come from added sugar or added fat, and we can certainly do without either of them.

“Hey Mom, let’s make stew together for dinner!”

These words from our younger son warm my heart, just as the soup will warm all of our bellies come dinner time. Nate loves to cook, and living in an apartment at college this year, he’s developed some new skills. While he was home recently, we made beef stew together, using this awesome recipe from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension program.

Things we love about stew:
- you can include a bunch of veggies
- we finish it in the slow-cooker, which makes meal prep a snap
- the leftovers taste even better the second day!
- it fits a college student’s grocery budget
- it’s filling, delicious, and healthy!

Making - and eating - soup together is a wonderful family activity. If you haven’t tried it lately, dust off your favorite family soup recipes or use these seven simple soup recipes Make sure you sit together and enjoy the finished product. You’re not only creating a healthy meal, you’re creating lasting memories.