When seasons change, it brings about changes in many other aspects of our lives. In the summer, we wear shorts, sandals, and tank tops, but when the season changes from summer to winter, the weather requires us to put away our summer clothes, and trade them out for sweaters, boots, gloves, and scarves.

Even the ways we take care of ourselves change with the shift in seasons. In the winter, our bodies are more prone to catching colds, and the flu. The harsh winter air dries our skin out, so we have to take extra precautions to drink plenty of water, as well as keep our skin moisturized. The drop in temperature definitely brings about changes in those areas our life, but do you know the other area the weather change affects us? This weather change also causes us to change some of the foods we eat.

It might not be something you really think about, but if you can remember, do you eat vegetable soup or beef stew in the summer? Some people do. There are those who can eat soups any time of the year, but many people don’t eat soups or chili in the summer because they are warm and filling foods. When it’s summertime, people typically eat salads and lots of grilled foods. With the weather being so cold in the winter, people tend to cook more of the warm and hearty foods.

The timing of the seasons is perfect if you think about it. During the summer, it seems like there are cookouts every single weekend. There’s an abundance of baked beans, barbecue ribs and chicken, grilled hot dogs, and every kind of salad you can think of from June to September! By the time October comes, everyone’s’ taste buds are exhausted of summer foods. The fall/winter foods arrived right on time, and are ready to tickle our taste buds with something new.

A lot of the winter foods are one-pot meals, which makes them very convenient because they are typically created in a slow cooker. The convenience of it all comes from being able to dump all your ingredients in the slow cooker, put the lid on it, and let it do its thing. If you want the convenience of cooking this winter, check out these slow cooker meals that you and your family will not want to miss out on.

Chili

Chili is a wintertime staple that should be in your home all winter long. Making chili is so simple, and there are so many different ways that you can prepare chili. The funny thing about this particular meal is that every man has an “all famous” chili recipe! Whether it’s your dad, grandfather, brother, or uncle…they all claim theirs is the best!

That’s perfectly fine. You really can’t go wrong with making chili. Of course, everyone has their own ways of making chili, but the main ingredients to chili are essentially a meat of your choice, beans, tomato sauce, and chili powder. Aside from those basics, the rest is up to you and your own creative ingredient stylings. Just put all your ingredients in the slow cooker, and go on about the rest of your day!

The main thing I love about chili is not only the flavor but the fact that it’s so versatile. You can eat chili on its own in a bowl with some crackers, but then you can also put some on a hot dog and have chili dogs. You can also put chili in a baked potato, as well as pour chili over fries or corn chips. If you sprinkle a little cheese over the top, then you can have chili cheese fries or chili pie!

Beef Stew

You can get creative with your stews this winter too. The most common, and all-time favorite stew is beef stew. This is definitely a hearty and savory meal that will seduce your taste buds. The basis of beef stew consists of stewed meat, potatoes, and carrots. Some people create the rue with a broth (beef broth or vegetable broth), while others use a broth in combination with a tomato paste or sauce.

This a great meal to prep the night before, and before you go to work, you can throw everything in your slow cooker. By the time you get home from work, dinner is already made! That is how the convenience of a slow cooker comes into play. Most of us just want to come home and relax when we get off of work, but we usually have to pick up the kids from school or go to the grocery store; when we finally do get home, cooking is the last thing we want to do. So get yourself a slow cooker and let it do all the cooking for you!

Soups

Soups are the recipes for slow cookers where you can “throw everything in but the kitchen sink!” You really can’t go wrong with making soup. The great thing about them is that they’re so customizable. Whether you choose to make your soup out of multiple different canned foods or make everything fresh, you can still just dump everything in the slow cooker, and just forget about it for a few hours.

You have all kinds of soups that are out there; your chicken soups, vegetable soups, and bean soups that are common amongst many people, but I’m sure you have several soup recipes that you can share. As a matter of fact, you can actually share your recipes through blogging! It allows you to really get crafty as a cook, and you can share your wealth of knowledge with the world! You could potentially become the next Pioneer Woman!

If you have a new take on vegetable soup, that steps away from the typical peas, carrots, and corn and potatoes, share it with people! Everyone is always looking for a way to step outside the box of cooking, and your blog could be just the way to help people get out of that cooking rut! It’s just something to think about!