It's that strange time of year in the South. One day, the weather is bluebird sunny and just a bit chilly. The next day, cold moves in and it's gloomy and frigid.

We are just a month into those New Year's Resolutions and getting weary about how to enjoy a good meal without wasting too many calories. For many, the combination of dieting and crazy weather just becomes too much to bear, and we turn back to sweets, carbs and comfort foods.

It is too cold to grill out, salads just don't satisfy, and we just want a quick, hot meal filled with flavor. Many are tempted to toss the diet out the window.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Think of this as the transition time when ingenuity can make the difference between dieting frustration and skinny successes. Let's fall back on some of the best flavors available and start making dishes that will satisfy and keep us on the right track.

Flavors we enjoyed in summer can go a long way to helping us over the mid-winter dieting hump. I know a piece of salmon or boneless, skinless chicken breast can seem pretty uninspiring, but with a touch of added flavor, they can become delicious and satisfying.

Try rosemary and lemon, dill and garlic or even hot paprika and a touch of cream to make your meals more delectable and diet friendly.

Take, for instance, that simple chicken breast. If you use an oven-proof skillet, you can season them with salt and pepper, brown them on the stove and then drizzle them with a bit of cream. Bake them for 20 minutes in a moderate oven, top with a dash of hot paprika and you have a variation on chicken paprika that even a diet diva will enjoy guilt free.

Or, if you have salmon fillets languishing in the fridge, try my roasted salmon and rosemary dish. Pair it with some steamed new potatoes tossed with dill and garlic. Now you have a healthy, hearty meal in minutes.

Rosemary Lemon Roast Salmon

Four large salmon fillets
2 lemons
8 Sprigs of fresh rosemary
Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and pepper
Cooking Spray

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray the bottom of a large baking dish (big enough to accommodate the salmon fillets.) Lay six of the rosemary sprigs in the bottom of the dish. Lay the salmon over the rosemary. Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper over the salmon. Slice one of the lemons into eight slices. Lay two slices on each salmon fillet. Cover the dish and bake the salmon for fifteen to twenty minutes, until it is cooked through. Garnish the salmon with the rest of the rosemary sprigs and lemon quarters. Serve hot.

Garlic Dill New Potatoes

8-12 New Potatoes, quartered
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon butter

Boil the water with the salt. Add the new potatoes and cook them for 15 minutes in the boiling water. Drain the water off the potatoes and toss them with the butter, garlic and dill. Serve immediately.