I came to the conclusion recently that Cape Town weather is determined by whether or not I’m wearing a coat.

Coat = unbearable heat.

No coat = freezing winds and rain.

A friend of mine pointed out that they knew we were in a drought when their usual rain-summoning trick  – hanging the laundry on the line – didn’t work.

As unpredictable as the weather is in the windy city, one thing is certain. At some point in the next month or two, it’s going to get ridiculously cold.

When the winter weather reaches this point there’s nothing to do but break out the blankets, scarves and rich, warm comfort food.

Before you, and all the time that you put in at the gym, run screaming from the temptation of “comfort food” – hold up.

The following three recipes from Daily Dish are healthy and packed with vitamins, protein and flavour.

Lentil Soup with Tortilla Croutons

Red lentil soup served with crispy tortilla croutons, sour cream and coriander. A perfect hearty meat-free but protein-packed dish.

Get the recipe HERE.

Relax, meat lovers – there’s a tasty soup for you, too…

Chicken & Chickpea Soup

A Moroccan-inspired dish, that is both comforting, healthy and filling with zingy garlic, lemon and fresh coriander topping.

Get the recipe HERE.

Thai Red Curry Chicken Broth with Noodles

Free range chicken breasts cooked in fragrant Thai red curry and coconut milk and served with noodles, fresh herbs, bean sprouts, spring onions, chillies and lime.

Both chillies and lime are excellent sources of vitamin C, which means that this meal does the double duty of being delicious and also warding off winter colds and flu.

Get the recipe HERE.

You can go through the trouble of leaving the house, your couch, and your heater to get all of the ingredients to make these dishes, OR…

You can order a Dinner Box through Daily Dish.

Each week, they offer six different menus to choose from, with each menu featuring three or four meals like those above (for one person, two people or four people, depending on your needs).

Family Box, Classic Box, Banting Box, Veggie Box, Goodie Box and Pork-Free Box – something for everyone.

Each Monday, the highest quality and freshest ingredients required to make the meals are delivered to your door, perfectly measured out to avoid the guilt of food wastage.

Because we’re all feeling the pinch at the moment (can we take a moment for the cost of groceries…), Daily Dish has also decided to reduce their prices, making an already cash-saving service even more affordable.

Added bonus – order here and score up to R250 off your first Dinner Box with 2oceansvibe.

Seriously, winter doesn’t get better than this.