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You have to become a little crafty at this time of year about getting vegetables onto the table in ways that still feel interesting. In many places, the cold has settled in, farmers’ market offerings have thinned out, and we’re left with the hardiest of fruits and vegetables.

Root vegetables are the stars now, but they do benefit from a bit of inspiration when figuring out how to use them.

Enter soup. Even the most stoic vegetables can be coaxed into something soft, sweet and yielding. In this Creamy Rutabaga, Parsnip and Cheddar Soup, they’re simmered until ready to be puréed into a smooth potage that warms the soul and happily anchors a meal.

This is the kind of soup you can’t stop spooning up, full of earthy flavor from rutabagas and parsnips — the kind of vegetables that linger in the produce drawer, quietly daring us to figure out their fate. But if you ignore them long enough… well, then the rutabaga wins.

Not this time. And yes, I see you too, parsnips.

The color of the cheddar cheese — white, yellow or deep orange — will affect the hue of the soup. There’s no right or wrong, just something to keep in mind. The parsley is optional, and the sour cream adds a lovely creaminess, but it shouldn’t be a deal breaker. This soup is forgiving, flexible and very much on your side.

If you have an immersion blender you can puree the soup right in the pot, which saves time, skips having to pull out the blender or food processor, and eliminates the need to transfer hot contents back and forth.

This could certainly be a first course, but it’s substantial and comforting enough to be the main event, especially when paired with a crisp green salad.

Rutabagas

First, some tips on choosing, storing and cooking the rutabagas:

• Pick rutabagas that feel heavy for their size with firm, smooth skin.

• Medium-size rutabagas tend to be sweeter and less woody.

• A food-grade waxy coating is normal, often added to rutabagas to extend their shelf life. Just peel it off before cooking.

• Store unpeeled, unwashed rutabagas in the refrigerator crisper. They’ll keep well for several weeks.

• If greens are attached, remove them before storing.

Prepping Rutabagas

• Trim the ends, then peel with a sharp knife or sturdy vegetable peeler.

• Cut into evenly sized pieces so they cook at the same rate.

• Rutabagas take a bit longer than potatoes to cook, but they soften beautifully.

Creamy Rutabaga, Parsnip and Cheddar Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped onion

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 large rutabagas, peeled and diced

2 parsnips, peeled and sliced

5 cups less-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon pureed chipotles in adobo

1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

To serve (optional):

Chopped parsley

Sour cream or crème fraiche

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and the celery and sauté for about 4 minutes, until tender. Add the rutabagas and parsnips and stir, then pour in the broth, raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

2. Use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables right in the pot, or carefully transfer the vegetables and some of the liquid in batches to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, if needed, and over low heat stir in the chipotles in adobo and sprinkle in the cheese slowly, stirring as you do, until the cheese is melted. Add the sour cream and heat until heated through. Serve hot, with chopped parsley and a bloop of sour cream or crème fraiche if desired.

“Taco night” for many across the United States consists of an Americanized idea of Mexican food: ground beef cooked with a packaged seasoning mix, taco shells, lettuce, tomato and sour cream.

Let’s just say that if you’re reading this and have enjoyed a similar meal, you will be blown out of the water by this authentic version from my cookbook “Plantas: Modern Vegan Recipes for Traditional Mexican Cooking. " These tacos were a favorite of mine as a kid. I remember watching my Tía Chela making them, and they felt like such a treat. The secret here is using salsa to season your meat, rather than dried herbs and spices. It creates much juicier, deeper flavor.

Tacos Dorados de Picadillo/Crispy “Beef” Tacos

Makes 12 tacos

Ingredients

FILLING:

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as avocado oil

½ medium white onion, diced small

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced small

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced small

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (12-ounce) package plant-based ground meat (such as Impossible or Beyond Meat)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

SALSA:

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado oil

2 ripe Roma tomatoes

¼ medium white onion

1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded

2 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup low-sodium vegetable broth

¼ bunch cilantro

¼ teaspoon sea salt

TACOS:

12 corn tortillas, store-bought or homemade

6 to 8 tablespoons neutral high-heat oil, such as avocado oil

Guacasalsa (guacamole mixed with salsa verde), for serving

Directions

1. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, carrots, and potatoes and sauté for 4 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the broth. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender. Add the ground meat and cook, using a spatula to break up any large clumps, for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned. Season with the salt.

2. Meanwhile, make the salsa. Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the whole tomatoes, onion quarter, serrano or jalapeño pepper, and garlic cloves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, until blackened and charred (the garlic might char more quickly, after 2 to 3 minutes total). Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Add the broth, cilantro, and salt and blend on high until smooth.

3. Add the salsa to the meat and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and add more salt to your liking.

4. To make the tacos, heat a medium skillet or comal over high heat. Add a tortilla and cook for 30 to 40 seconds on each side, then transfer to a tortilla holder or wrap in a kitchen towel. Repeat to heat the remaining tortillas.

5. Add 2 tablespoons of the picadillo mixture to one half of each tortilla and fold to close. They should stay closed as you fry them, but feel free to use toothpicks if necessary.

6. Heat the oil in a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add a few tacos and fry for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Using a spatula, transfer the tacos to a paper towel–lined plate.

7. Serve with salsa and guacasalsa.

When Sarah Baldassaro turned 50, she took stock of her health and began working with a fitness coach on strength training, a type of exercise that’s crucial for women in midlife.

“Now I would say I’m stronger overall than I ever have been at any age,” said Baldassaro, 52, of Alexandria, Virginia. “My fitness level is much more like when I was in my early 30s.”

Medical experts say strength training keeps bones and muscles healthy after menopause when estrogen loss speeds up a reduction in bone density and contributes to the gradual loss of muscle mass. This type of exercise — which involves working against resistance — also helps women maintain a healthy weight and stay on track with New Year’s resolutions about fitness.

“People underestimate how powerful it is,” said Dr. Christina DeAngelis, an OB-GYN at Penn State Health. But what should your workout look like and how do you get started?

Strength training with weights

Physical therapist Hilary Granat said bone and muscle health are intertwined: When muscle pulls on bone during resistance training, it stimulates bone-building cells. Resistance can come from dumbbells, free weights or machines such as rowers. One example of a strength training exercise is the chest press, which involves lying back on a bench or the ground, pressing weights up from chest level and then lowering them.

It’s important to work “close to muscle failure,” said Granat, who owns Core Total Wellness in Washington, D.C. “You really have to push yourself.” That means lifting weights that are heavy enough to be challenging and doing somewhere between six and 30 repetitions.

You’ll know you’re working hard enough if you start slowing down in tempo or speed or can’t do another repetition in good form, she said. A good rule of thumb for an exercise like a bicep curl is to lift weights somewhere between 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms) and 20 pounds (9.1 kilograms), with novices starting at the lower end.

Baldassaro has worked her way up to 20 pounds (9.1 kilograms) for some exercises, incorporating techniques she learned from Granat. She said the health coach has helped her expand her workouts beyond mostly cardio. While she still does aerobic exercises, “the strength training has really been the difference maker for me,” she said.

No weights? No problem

Building up bones and muscles doesn’t necessarily require equipment. You can also do pushups, squats, lunges, situps, crunches or planks. Another good exercise is squatting down with your back against a wall. Even the simple act of getting into and out of a chair can be helpful, DeAngelis said. “You have to engage your core going from sitting to standing,” she said. “That also allows you to work on your coordination and balance.”

There’s also what Granat calls “impact training” — exercises like walking, hiking, running, jumping, skipping and climbing stairs. On the high-impact end of the spectrum is a “rebound jump,” which involves jumping up and down from a step 10 to 30 times.

“We’re not talking about jumping hard and fast and a lot,” she said, adding that three times a week is enough.

Don’t forget about balance

Experts say middle-aged women should also perform balance exercises, which play a crucial role in preventing falls that can break or fracture bones. These include tai chi, yoga or even standing on one leg while brushing your teeth for around 30 seconds.

All of these exercises are great for younger people too, experts say, especially since bone mass peaks at 25 to 30 years old and slowly begins to lessen around age 40. After seeing how strength training has improved her life, Baldassaro advises others: “Don’t wait. Get started

I’ve been growing herbs in the garden long enough to know they don’t require much. Just water, sunlight and my best intentions. In the garden, herbs are forgiving plants. They aren’t fussy about soil pH, almost never need fertilizer, and can power through if you occasionally forget to water them.

But when the weather turns cold and their outdoor beds become inhospitable, I grow some of my culinary friends on a sunny kitchen windowsill, even as they become more needy.

I say “some” because herbs are tricky plants to grow indoors. Dill and fennel have large root systems, making them impractical contenders for indoor pots. Basil tends to grow straggly because it requires intense sunlight, which is just about impossible to achieve indoors. And the way lavender and chamomile spread makes them best left outdoors.

Rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme and bay laurel, however, will get by indoors if cared for properly. Parsley may grow well, too, but only if planted in a deep pot, provided with supplemental artificial lighting and fertilized regularly. Cilantro is hit or miss, but there’s no harm in giving it a try.

Potted herbs are susceptible to root rot, so it’s important that containers have drainage holes at their bottoms and that you fill them with a well-draining potting mix.

Place plants near the brightest light source available. In the home, that typically means near a south-facing window; west-facing is second-best.

Providing artificial lighting for 14-16 hours a day would be even better: Set fluorescent lights 5-10 inches above the tops of plants, or LED lights 15-20 inches above them, adjusting their heights as plants grow. If using grow lights, apply a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half-strength every two weeks.

Monitor moisture levels closely. Underwatering is preferable to overwatering, so if you’re not sure if your plants need a drink, plunge your finger into the soil up to your second knuckle and feel around for moisture. Water only when the soil starts to feel dry near the roots, but don’t let the soil remain dry for long.

Place containers in the sink and let a very slow stream of cool water from the faucet moisten the soil until it runs out of the pot’s drainage hole. Let the water absorb for a few minutes, then assess the soil, which should be moist but not soggy. Then return the plant to its sunny perch until the soil dries again.

Growing fresh herbs in the kitchen over winter is a cook’s dream. The plants may struggle, and they’ll likely grow slower and smaller, but it’s worth the effort to be able to pluck fragrant leaves that taste like summer at a moment’s notice. It’ll even save you a few bucks – and a trip to the market