Winter is all about cozying up with great food and great friends, but also the time to put on the pounds if you don’t watch out.
Fortunately, we hunted down 15 healthy winter recipes - and shared our very own healthy hot chocolate concoction that will keep you and your loved ones satisfied throughout breakfast, potluck lunch, and dinner.
Get ready to avoid all the holiday sugary traps and enjoy healthy winter meals and drinks that are as good for your body as they are for your taste buds.
Warm Up with Healthy Hot Chocolate
There’s nothing quite as comforting as a creamy, rich and satisfying cup of (healthy) hot chocolate on a cold winter day crowned by toasty vegan marshmallow - even better if it’s under 65 calories!
To prepare a delicious cup of this season-favorite and low-calorie, super healthy hot chocolate, you’ll need:
- â…” Â Unsweetened cashew milk
- â…” Â Cups of water
- ¼ tsp of vanilla extract
- ½ tsp of cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp of agave nectar or maple syrup (optional 8-10 calories)
- 1 Scoop of Organifi Gold, Chocolate
Preparation:
- On the stove: pour the water in a pot heat up for 30 to 40 seconds, then add the raw cacao powder and stir until it’s uniform, mix in the vanilla extract and slowly add the cashew milk, occasionally stirring, until you get a uniform and creamy mixture. Pour in a mug and add the cinnamon powder on top for an extra holiday feel!
- In the microwave: mix the water and cacao powder and heat for 25 to 30 seconds. The add the vanilla extract and cashew milk, mix and heat up for 15 seconds more. Add cinnamon to taste and enjoy!
Approximate Nutritional Values
Serves: One Cup
Calories: Around 61.Â
Add sweetener for additional 8-10 calories.
Fat: 3.75g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates:9g
Sugar: 0 (0.9/agave or 0.7/maple syrup)
Sodium: 150 mg
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 6.5 g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Why this hot chocolate is good for you:Â Made with raw cacao powder, it harnesses all the mighty powers and taste of chocolate, without the unnecessary added sugars and fat of the traditional chocolate bars used to make it in cafes and restaurants.
Superfoods and unsweetened cacao powder in our Organifi Gold, Chocolate contains calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and polyphenols (antioxidants) which have incredible nutritional value and a fantastic effect on your skin and blow flow.
Make it Healthier!
Turn your wholesome cup of holiday chocolate into a lavish meal, adding a choco-flavored complete protein to it. Adding just one scoop our chocolate flavored, plant-powered, supplement turns this holiday treat into a snack-craving shield. One of our favorite healthy winter recipes, but we might be a bit biased.
Double the recipe values and add two scoops for a full meal replacement that will keep your warm and satisfied for hours! If you use choco-flavored protein powder, it will do double-time when it comes to satiating your sweet tooth.
BONUS: Doctor-Approved Vegan Marshmallow Topping
If you want to indulge a little and feel like veering off the calorie counting, without sacrificing your body and wellbeing, this wonderful healthy winter recipe by food blogger 'Chocolate Covered Katie', will have you licking fingers and sharing the joy with family and friends as you cozy up with your healthy hot chocolate mugs.
You'll only need two ingredients and chances are they're already in your pantry: aquafaba (the liquid leftover of cooked chickpeas from a can or cooking liquid) and agave nectar.
All you need to do is mix 1/3 cup of agave nectar with half a cup of aquafaba for 15 minutes with an electric mixer, to get about three cups of yummy vegan marshmallow texture. Feel free to add some vanilla extract for a more flavorful topping.
For the full recipe and instructions, click here.
The original recipe results in about three cups of marshmallow mix; you can make a smaller batch for your holiday drinks or, keep reading this post for some heavenly winter recipes that are deceivingly healthy!
15 Healthy Winter Recipes to Add to Your Meal Plan (and fool everyone with!)Â 
It’s not enough to have healthy hot chocolate, am I right? The following fifteen healthy winter recipes have reimagined your holiday go-tos in nutritious and distinctively tasty ways to make sure that your 'winter bod' is the same as your summer one!
Drumroll, please...
Hearty Winter Breakfast Recipes
The most important meal of the day reimagined in a waist-friendly way! Enjoy your season favorites, without sacrificing your wellbeing.
1. Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
Vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free, but sweet and high in protein; these fluffy pancakes make that sugary PSL a thing of the past. Make them extra yummy using a vanilla protein powder.
Get the recipe from:Â The Big Man's World
2. Cranberry Orange Protein Muffins
Plant-based, low fat, and as sweet as you want them to be. This recipe uses whey protein powder, but we recommend substituting for a healthier complete protein powder instead since whey proteins usually contain lactose and may lead to bloating. Replacing 1 cup fo sugar for ¾ or ½ cup of maple syrup.
Get the recipe from: We Know Stuff
3. Pumpkin Cornbread Waffles
Wonderful vegan pumpkin cornbread waffles that you can put together in about 30 minutes using only one bowl. Top with anything from avocado to cinnamon maple syrup! Pair with your healthy hot chocolate for a truly comforting meal!
Get the recipe from: Minimalist Baker
Potluck and Lunch Hits
From an office get-together to family bonding, here are some guilt-free indulgences.
4. Warm Cranberry Almond Salad
This healthy winter recipe uses chicken, which you can replace with tofu, white fava beans, or skip altogether, but we picked it for the benefits of apple cider vinegar which, among other things, is fantastic to boost your immune system during the colder months.
Get the recipe from: Slender Kitchen
5. Pumpkin Turmeric Soup
So creamy and comforting! This soup will boost your immune system as temperatures drop and help keep that dreaded cold at bay. Probably one of the easiest of our go-to healthy winter recipes here!
Get the recipe from: Kara Lydon
6. Fall Harvest Buddha Bowl
Butternut squash, chickpeas, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup. This mouthwatering recipe is unexpectedly good for you with its savvy combination of healthy fats, flavor and apple cider vinegar. Did we mention ACV is good for you?
Get the recipe from: Kara Lydon
Easy Dinners to Fall For
Any roundup of healthy winter recipes wouldn’t be complete without some good old comfort food. Snuggle up and settle in for these delicious mains.
7. Stuffed Acorn Squash
Stuffed with kale, mushroom, and quinoa this acorn squash is a perfect way to impress dinner guests without doing a lot of work. A healthy winter recipe that makes it feel like summer.
Get the recipe from: Tasting Page
8. Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Is there anything more comforting than good ole macaroni and cheese to warm up your in a cold Netflix and PJs nights? No, that's why we added this fall version to the list.
Get the recipe from: Jessica in the Kitchen
9. Butternut Squash Potato Salad
If you felt there were too many squash recipes on this list, you may be right, BUT we included this easy-peasy one for its incredible nutritional value and low-calorie count: only 177 calories and 2 grams of sugar!
Get the recipe from: Minimalist Baker
Healthy Winter Snacks and Desserts
Because that's what you really want to know about, take a look at these tempting sweets that even the most cooking-challenged of us can make (we got your back, don't worry!)
10. 'Smores Parfait
A plant-based deconstructed version of ‘Smores that uses chocolate avocado pudding, vegan marshmallow fluff (hello healthy topping you made earlier, fancy seeing you here) and cracker crumbs that come together in a sneaky-good dessert in 20 minutes or less!
Get the recipe from: Party In My Plants
11. Healthy Apple ‘Pie’
A twist on the traditional apple pie that’ll make you an instant hit at the office party, or any party to be honest. These baked apples filled with all the cinnamony goodness of fall and winter, have only 3 grams of fat per serving! Substitute sugar for maple syrup and replace the butter for vegan butter or unsweetened applesauce for an even healthier recipe.
Get the recipe from: I Heart Nap Time
12. Fat-Free Cinnamon Rolls
Whole wheat fat-free and vegan cinnamon rolls that are oh-so-good! You'll be surprised at how tasty these are once you make them. 100% guilt free: they are only 260 calories, have less than one gram of fat, only 60g carbs and even pack 6g of protein per bun! (with icing!)
Get the recipe from: Happy Herbivore
Bloat-Fighting Holiday Drinks (that are warm and tasty!)
13. Turmeric Almond Milk Lattes
Combining the best of the season’s spices -ginger and cinnamon- with the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, these almond milk lattes are rich in flavor and low in calories, with only a dash of coconut oil for texture and healthy fats.
Substitute honey with maple syrup or go for a perfectly seasonal upgrade by adding a scoop of Organifi Gold, Pumpkin Spice.
Get the recipe from: Figs and Pigs
14. Gold Tea
Organifi Gold is like heaven in a cup. Turmeric, cinnamon and ginger make this the perfect and most restorative drink to have before bedtime or to unwind at the end of the day. Just add some unsweetened almond milk to our Gold Tea, warm up and enjoy!
And, of course, there’s Organifi Gold, Chocolate, a limited time treat that will change how you approach hot cocoa.
Get it: Organifi Gold
15. Skinny Fat-Free Vegan Eggnog
Vegan eggnog that packs all the flavor, and none of the fat or added sugar! This season staple will have everyone fooled and keep your belly happy.
Get the recipe from: Happy Herbivore
Healthy hot chocolate? Check.
Healthy winter recipes that are easy to prepare and make you look like a master chef? Double Check!
Enjoy a guilt-free holiday with these tasty treats and drinks, knowing that eating well is the best way to take care of yourself. The best part? No one - including you - will be able to taste the difference between these season delights and their traditional counterparts!
