Doesn’t everything feel so much better when you’re warm and cosy?  You feel relaxed, your joints move more fluidly and it’s just so much easier to think.  Here are three effortless ways to keep warm this winter:

One of the quickest ways to warm up is simply to move more.  Avoid remaining seated for periods of more than an hour.  Just a quick walk around your house or office is enough to kickstart your circulation and reenergize your body and mind.

A hot drink works wonders and what could be better than a mid morning mug of lemon & ginger.  It warms you to the core and keeps you healthy by boosting your immune system.

In my view by far the best way to fire up your inner central heating system is to indulge in a warming winter soup. Why is that?

  • Soups are 100% mobile!  Prepare a flask of soup for a long car or train journey.  Take a portion of soup to work in a container for lunch – just make sure it’s BPA friendly.
  • With the right ingredients soups can be tremendously nutritious.  Pack in as much veg as you can and get your five a day all in one hit!
  • Soups are the simplest and most time efficient meals to batch cook.  You only need 30 minutes to create enough servings to see you through the week.
  • Soups are a tremendously versatile source of food. They’re fit for lunch, dinner or you can even freeze a batch for a rainy day!
  • Easy to make – soups are super simple to prepare and absolutely anyone can make them. Here’s one of my faves:

 

Bold & bright beetroot soup:

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, choppedbeetroot soup
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed & chopped
  • 1 stick of celery, chopped
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 150g of fresh beetroot, peeled & chopped
  • 1 veg stock cube in approx. 3 pints of water

Method:

  1. Gently fry the onion, celery and garlic until soft.
  2. Add carrot & beetroot and cover with the veg stock
  3. Add salt, pepper and chilli to taste
  4. Simmer for 15 mins, then blitz!
  5. Serve with a cheeky dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche

So there you have it, my all time favourite winter warmer has got to be home made soup. Easy to make, highly nutritious, tasty & filling – what’s not to like!