The "Krone" Lower Austria column

The little messenger cooks something warming

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Daniela Gaigg)

This is how we warm ourselves from the inside and get through the last really cold days. As a columnist, "Die kleine Botin" aka Daniela Gaigg writes about topics relating to life with the family. These include sustainability in everyday life, self-care and food for thought for parents. 

It wasn't entirely unexpected, was it? It's to be expected that winter will hit us again here in Lower Austria, away from the mountains. Even though the month has fewer days overall, there are many of them with temperatures of around zero degrees and it's hard for me to keep going at the end of the winter phase.

What helps? Sauna, thermal baths, appropriate clothing and warming foods and dishes. In winter, cabbage, root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots and pulses such as lentils are very pleasant and digestible. Curries or stews seasoned with ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, chili and pepper warm and nourish the body. I also find it practical that these dishes are great for pre-cooking and therefore fit perfectly into the hectic family routine after the vacations.

We often have a wintery porridge in the morning. Warm porridge or toasted flakes are easier to digest than raw muesli from the supermarket. I cook oat flakes (or millet) in plant-based milk and add pieces of apple or pear towards the end of the cooking time. With cinnamon, almond butter and a little honey, it becomes even "rounder" and provides you with high-quality ingredients first thing in the morning that keep you full for a long time and help you fight off the cold.

For school and leisure activities, there is ginger tea in a jug, which helps with cold fingers and warming up.