Yes, this is the time of year many can pack on some pounds. With cookies, gingerbread men, shopping and eating out, Christmas parties w/ cupcakes, it's no wonder that some can put on 5-10 lbs. during November & December.
However, it doesn't have to be this way. I am finding a way to keep my meals at home filling and healthy. Here are 4 soups we've enjoyed in the last 2 weeks.
And P.S.: I always make enough to have for leftovers for a few days...or freeze 1/2 to enjoy later.
Turkey Bean Soup - This was an alternative to the chicken tortilla soup when I had leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.
Recipe: Shredded-up turkey (as much as you want, the more the meat, the meatier and more filling the soup). Simmered in 6 cups chicken broth (homemade or giant can is fine). Add frozen or fresh corn, as much as you want. Let cook until corn is tender. Add 2 cans of pinto beans, 2 cans of refried beans, and 2 cans of stewed tomatoes (w/ chili peppers for spicy soup). Cook until all is hot and serve up.
If you're watching calories, use less beans & more poultry breast. If you love tomatoes, add more. But this is what I threw in the large stock pot. My 4 yr. old loves this so I skip on adding peppers, but if you like hot, use any you love.
Traditional Cabbage Veggie Soup - This is what I use when I'm getting the scale to tick down. I advise this one for folks who want a cleanse & don't want to spend the money on one. This soup plus a good serving of nonfat/plain greek yogurt sometime in the day should get things moving for ya! ;)
Recipe: In this order, I add the veggies to piping hot chicken broth: onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, cabbage, and then stewed/diced tomatoes. Let it all simmer 'til all is tender. I add the hardest veggies first so that by the time I get the cabbage chopped, they are nearly done and my cabbage doesn't have to disintergrate to mush. Season w/ garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper.
We like to add diced up chicken to the top of this soup, or some cooked, ground turkey (measured out).
The GREEN STUFF - I came up with this soup last week when I wondered what just having green veggies together would taste like...plus I thought it would be real simple.
Recipe: All simmered in chicken broth....Onion, 4 garlic cloves, zucchini (7 of them), a whole celery bunch, and 1 1/2 head of cabbage. The seasoning that set it off was this "Montreal Steak" made by McCormick I picked up from the grocery store. I accidently dumped a ton of it in there, so it was too spicy for the boys (it has black & red pepper in it).
My favorite part was when Dave looked at the bowl of 'green stuff' and said, "You're feeding me that?" I told him that he was in for a surprise...and he was. He had 3 bowls the first night it was served up!
Low-Cal Shrimp Soup - Today's invention that I put together by looking at a variety of asian shrimp soup recipes was the following...
Recipe: 2 large cans of chicken broth (12 cups of it), 2 bundles of green onions, 5 cucumbers (skin shaved & quatered), celery bunch, and 1 head of napa cabbage & a couple of cans of water chestnuts. The store I was at did not have 'baby bok choy' - I will try this next time. After all the veggies cooked a bit, I added 1 lb. of chopped shrimp. Could've used more, I will double the meat for this next time. Dumped salt, a bit of pepper, onion powder, and parsley flakes in it.
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| Low-cal Shrimp Soup |
Once the soup was done, I served it up and added some soy sauce to it. Yummy. Then I served up a second bowl and added some Franks Red Hot Sauce to it. And then my 3rd bowl had soy sauce and the hot sauce. Yummy! I ate that at 2:30 this afternoon...and I am still full.
Basically, my take on soups have been: whatever veggies seem to go together, I throw 'em in a lg. pot of chicken broth, add some spices and voila - low-cal side!
They are so easy, the time is spent chopping. Some things can be purchased in a can or frozen to save time there.
Be creative in the kitchen, cook your meals at home & your family will be healthier & love you for it!
P.S. If you come up w/ a healthy soup...email me the recipe at: flexyourselfjen@yahoo.com so that I can try it! I love eating healthy.
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