Winter is the perfect time to cook wonderfully satisfying meals that would be too heavy in the summer, but are just right for cold evenings. Savory pies are one of those things.

Usually, if you buy a chicken pot pie or other meat pie, you’ll find they can be frighteningly high in sodium (salt). Keeping your salt intake down is one of the best things you can do to prevent heart and kidney problems. So, how can you make a savory pie without all the salt?

The trick is to be smart about the convenience foods you use. For the pie crust, try Pillsbury pre-made crusts. An eighth of a pie with a top and bottom crust has only 200 mg of sodium. In general, any entrée under 400 mg is a good choice. A healthy diet includes about 1,500-2,000 mg. per day.

These quick and easy recipes can make a weeknight dinner an amazing meal.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
1 medium baking potato
3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup dried onion flakes or ½ cup onion, chopped
½ pound mushrooms, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups water
¼ cup white wine (optional)
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
3 cups of leftover chicken, turkey, or beef, cooked
1 box (package) Pillsbury pie crust dough
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried, sage

Put potato on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and microwave about 5-7 minutes. When done, remove, peel and dice potato, and reserve. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet and brown the onion and mushrooms. Add flour. Stir until browned, about 3 minutes. Add water and wine (optional), stirring until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, mix in parsley, sage and frozen vegetables, then add diced potato and meat. Unroll pie crusts, put one in a pie pan, add filling, top with second crust. Seal and crimp the edges. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until crust is golden.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: calories: 346, carbohydrates: 30 g, protein: 21 g, fat: 14 g, sodium: 242 mg

Quick Quiche
½ cup mushrooms, sautéed
¼ cup onion, sautéed
½ cup red or green pepper, sautéed
4-6 eggs, beaten
½ cup milk, cream or half and half
1 cup leftover salmon, shrimp or chicken
Leftover green beans, asparagus or broccoli
¼ cup fresh herbs: parsley, tarragon, sage
1 box (package) Pillsbury pie crust

Chop and sauté mushrooms, onion and pepper. Break eggs into bowl and add milk. Mix in leftover meat, sautéed vegetables, and any combination of herbs and leftover veggies you have. Put pie crust in a pie pan, crimp edges, add filling and bake at 350 degrees about 30-40 minutes, until knife slipped into center comes out clean.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition information: calories: 249, carbohydrates: 17 g, protein: 16 g, sodium: 198 mg

Katy G. Wilkens is a registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. She has a Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington.