What You Need:

1/2 C of pearl barley

1 C vegetable broth

2 C feta cheese, crumbled

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 C roasted red peppers packed in oil

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut in strips

1 T of lemon juice

4 Portobello mushrooms, sliced thin

3 C of spinach, roughly chopped

How to Make It:

Set the oven temperature to 450 degrees and allow the oven to preheat.

Spray the inside of a cast iron Dutch oven with a non stick cooking spray.

Place the barley into the bottom of the pan.

Pour the vegetable broth over the barley and spread the barley out into an even layer.

Scatter the cheese and garlic over the barley.

Layer the roasted peppers and the bell pepper strips into the pan.

Drizzle the lemon juice over the peppers.

Spread the mushrooms over the top of the peppers.

Stuff as much spinach into the pan as you can fit and still have a tight fitting lid.

Bake 45 minutes or until the barley is tender.

Makes 4 servings

The sweet addition of both roasted and fresh peppers along with the salty feta cheese makes for a scrumptious side dish.  Serve this dish with white fish, seafood or chicken.

Preparation Time:  approximately 15 minutes

Baking Time:  approximately 45 minutes

Total Time:  approximately 1 hour

Nutritional Information:  (approximate values per serving)

Calories 461; Fat 25g; Carbohydrates 36g; Cholesterol 80 mg; Sodium 143 mg; Protein 35g;

Fiber 6g

When the days are short and the weather is frigid, we look for foods that are comforting. Often times these foods will sooth the soul, but they won’t warm the toes. Luckily, there are certain foods you can eat to help warm up your body temperature. There are also foods that should be avoided if you’re looking to warm yourself up on the inside and out. We’ll talk a bit about both.

Foods to Avoid in Winter

Not all foods are the greatest if warmth is what you’re after. There are some foods that should be avoided in order to stay toasty in the winter. First things first, remember not to overeat on a cold winter night. Overeating can jump start your metabolism which burns off the extra calories needed to keep the body warm. It can also extinguish digestive fires which help in fending off the chill.

Certain foods that should be avoided include:

• White breads
• Cucumbers
• Too much butter
• Cold drinks
• Rice (especially at night)
• Alcohol
• Processed chips

These foods can also heighten metabolism and add to your blustery feeling.

These are just a few of the foods to eat and to avoid during those cold winter months. The next time you curl up in front of the TV with a warm blanket to fight off the winter chill, try snacking on a few of the foods listed above to help keep you warm. You might be surprised at how well it works.

Foods that Warm the Body

Adding certain foods to your diet on a daily basis can make a difference in your body temperature. Some of these items may not come as a surprise to you, but others may have you asking yourself if they really do make a difference?

Nuts & Seeds

Peanuts and almonds are easy to incorporate into a diet. 10 soaked almonds or a handful of peanuts can give the body deep warmth that lasts.

Seeds such as sesame, pumpkin and fennel are great body warmers. Sesame seeds can be incorporated into many dishes, such as green beans or chicken. Pumpkin seeds are great as a snack when roasted. Fennel seeds can also be added to foods. These seeds are great for the digestive system and help to warm the body no matter how you choose to use them.

Spices & More

Cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper are warming spices. Ground cinnamon can be added to add flavor to many of our baked foods. Cinnamon sticks give a wonderful taste to many warm beverages, such as tea.  

Cloves are not only warming but they are a great mouth freshener. Because they have antiseptic properties, they not only help with bad breath, but can also keep other parts of your body healthy. Ginger can be added to soups or vegetables to help incorporate this spice into our daily diets.

Pepper just yells out warmth. Sprinkle a little pepper onto your foods in place of the extra salt.

Honey is effective when it comes to warming the body. Honey is a natural sweetener that can be added to just about anything sugar is used in. Honey is also great for the complexion.

Onions and garlic are easy to incorporate into most meals. These little gems not only help in keeping the body warm but can also be helpful in keeping the body healthy. Have a cold? Try a little garlic to open up those stuffy noses. Lowering cholesterol is also one of the benefits of garlic and onions.

Fruits & Veggies

Fruits and vegetables will also give the body the warmth it needs. Add a serving of fruits and vegetables to each of your meals every single day. It’s just what the doctor ordered. We all know fruits and vegetables are healthy, but when added to your daily diet in the winter time, they help to warm your entire body by boosting your immune system, blood flow and much more.

What You Need:

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

4 (11 oz.) cans refrigerated breadsticks

2 pkg. cheese smoky links

1 t of processed cheese spread

48 small raisins

How to Make It:

Preset the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Cut 24 small pieces of red bell pepper to look like a tongue.

Remove the breadstick dough from the cans but do not unroll.

Separate each one of the breadstick dough into 6 pieces.

Unroll 1 roll of the dough and press to seal the center perforation.

Loosely wrap the dough around a smoky link leaving about 1 1/2 in. dough extending from each end.

Continue until all the smoky links have been wrapped.

Place the wrapped smoky links on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Form small balls of foil and place under the extended ends of the dough to help form the heads and tails when baking.

Make a small slit in each piece of dough to form a mouth.

Bake 15 minutes or until the dough is a golden brown.

Place the baked snakes on a platter.

Place a tiny amount of the cheese spread onto the head of each snake where the eyes and tongue would be placed.

Place two raisins on each snake for the eyes and a piece of bell pepper on each one for the tongue. 

Makes 24 servings

Kids love these little sneaky snakes.  Regular hot dogs may be used in place of the smoky links if you prefer. 

Preparation Time:  approximately 30 minutes

Baking Time: approximately 15 minutes

Total Time: approximately 45 minutes

Nutritional Information per serving: (approximate values)

Calories 290; fat 16 g; sodium 910 mg; carbohydrates 29 g; sugar 6 g;

protein 9 g

What You Need:

4 (8 ct.) refrigerated home style biscuits

24 frozen meatballs, thawed

6 T of Parmesan cheese, grated

1 sweet red bell pepper, seed and cut into 12 chunks

How to Make It:

Preset the oven temperature at 375 degrees.

Remove the biscuits from the cans and cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.

Place the biscuit pieces into a mixing bowl.

Add the Parmesan cheese and toss the biscuits until well coated.

Using a metal skewer stick on one biscuit, one meatball, another biscuit, a chunk of pepper, another biscuit, a meatball then end with another biscuit.

Placing the ingredients in that order, continue with 11 more skewers.

Place the kabobs into a 15X10 pan.

Bake 15 minutes or until the biscuits are a golden brown.

Remove and allow the kabobs to cool slightly before serving.

Makes 12 kabobs

Serve these kabobs with a tomato sauce, pizza sauce or even a cheese dip.  The kids will love them.

Preparation Time:  approximately 20 minutes

Baking Time:  approximately 15 minutes

Total Time:  approximately 40 minutes

Nutritional Information per skewer: (approximate values)

Calories 580; fat 29 g; sodium 1,730 mg; carbohydrates 57 g; sugar 17 g;

protein 24 g

What You Need:

8 t of margarine, softened

8 slices of whole wheat bread

4 slices of American cheese

4 slices of Muenster cheese

2 C of mild salsa

How to Make It:

Spread the margarine over 1 side of each slice of bread.

Place half of the bread slices, margarine side down, into a large skillet.

Place one slice of the American cheese onto each slice of bread

Layer one slice of the Muenster cheese over the American cheese.

Place the remaining bread, margarine side up, onto each sandwich.

Place the skillet over medium heat.

Brown the sandwiches for 4 minutes or until nicely toasted.

Flip each sandwich and continue browning 3 minutes or until toasted.

Remove to a platter and allow them to cool at least 5 minutes.

Cut each sandwich into 4 sections.

Cut each of the 4 sections in half.

Serve with the salsa on the side for dipping.

Makes 8 servings

Any type of cheese can work in these little dippers. Try cheddar, mozzarella or Swiss if you prefer. 

Preparation Time:  approximately 20 minutes

Cooking Time:  approximately 7 minutes

Cooling Time: approximately 5 minutes

Total Time:  approximately 32 minutes

Nutritional Information per 8 dippers:  (approximately values)

Calories 380; fat 23 g; sodium 1070 mg; carbohydrates 31 g; sugar 5 g;

protein 16 g