During the coldest days of winter, I don’t want to do anything but snuggle under the blankets and watch TV. The last thing I want to do is spend 45 minutes cooking and cleaning up in the kitchen. That’s why soups and stews are a staple of my winter meal prep rotation.

Soups and stews don’t tend to require much time in the kitchen. Like slow cooker recipes, soups mostly cook themselves once you’ve added all the ingredients to the pot.

They also often have large yields of as many as eight servings—making them a great option for meal prep. After making the initial batch, all you have to do is pop a serving in the microwave, and you’re ready to eat.

A hot bowl of soup or stew can also be a nutritious option for comfort food on a cold, gloomy day.

Check out the recipes below for some ideas for soups and stews to warm up and combat the winter blues! Each recipe is calorie-smart (with about 500 calories or less per serving) and a good source of protein (with at least 25 grams of protein per serving). Each recipe also fits the Healthy Plate model by including a good serving of vegetables, protein, and a complex carbohydrate.

• Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

• Lasagna Soup

• Moroccan Beef & Lentil Soup

• Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup (vegetarian / vegan)

• Spicy Tofu & Cauliflower Soup (vegetarian / vegan)

Check out these healthy alternative recipes for the holidays:

• Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Cinnamon Toast Crunch Pumpkin Seeds

• Cinnamon Toasted Pecans

• Crunchy Yogurt Clusters

• Gingerbread Loaf

• Gingerbread Oat Milk Latte

• Gingerbread Protein Cookies

• Pomegranate Yogurt Bark

• Pumpkin Loaf

• Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate

The average woman needs about 2000 calories a day and the average man needs about 2500 calories a day. If you eat 3 meals a day, that means each meal needs to be between about 660 and 830 calories. Check out the examples of healthy high-protein meals below that fit those ranges below:

• Sausage & Sun Dried Tomato Penne  

• One Pan Steak, Potatoes & Broccoli  

• Green Curry Salmon & Rice (Pescatarian)

• Macadamia Coconut Crusted Cod Rice Bowl (Pescatarian)

• Peanut Tofu & Edamame Quinoa Bowl (Vegan / Vegetarian)

• Peanut Maple Tempeh Bowl (Vegan / Vegetarian)

• Veggie Pad Thai (Vegan / Vegetarian)

One of my favorite ways to save time in the kitchen is to use my slow cooker or crockpot. With minimal prep time, slow cooking allows me to make big batchesof entire meals that keep me fed with leftovers for days.

Check out the examples of healthy high-protein meals using the slow cooker:

• Slow Cooker Beef Stew

• Slow Cooker Chicken & Black Bean Taco Soup

• Slow Cooker Enchilada Beans & Quinoa (Vegetarian)

• Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken

• Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili

• Vegan Sloppy Joes (Vegan, Vegetarian)