Winter is a great time to make big pots of soup; healthy, soothing, and so easy to make. One of our favorites is tomato soup. It tastes terrific on its own, or with a grilled cheese alongside for dunking. However, plain tomato soup can get boring after a while so I like to think of new ways to change it up. It doesn't have to be about crazy new recipes, just a few tweaks here and there.

First, sometimes I add cheese plus cheese tortellini to it for an extra delicious pasta twist. This makes the soup heftier, so it is really is a meal all on its own.

Second, for a healthier twist I add a 1/2 cup of quinoa and a 1/2 cup of water, plus two or three whole canned tomatoes. This creates a tomato soup with terrific texture and flavor. Plus, the added protein from the quinoa is always welcome.

Lastly, to get my winter greens I like to add baby spinach and let it wilt into the soup. I look at this is a new way to eat my salads in the winter. Sometimes spinach with dressing just gets too boring! Plus, if I finely chop the spinach my daughter will eat it without even realizing she is eating spinach.