Try Something New: Low-Carb Thanksgiving Side Dishes

You have finally started to see results from your low-carb diet, but now, the holidays are here....  Perhaps  reinventing your traditional side dishes is one way to stay on your diet, but wouldn't it be fun to find entirely new and tasty sides to celebrate your accomplishment?  When it comes to side dishes, the sky's the limit so why not create an entirely new menu of side dishes this holiday season.  Let's take a look at some low carb side dishes that just may become new traditions in your family.

Smarter Starchy Sides

Cooked spaghetti squash (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We all love our big pile of mashed potatoes and gravy, but on a low carb diet this is pretty much off the menu.  But, there are ways to satisfy that starchy craving without all the carbs involved.  A great alternative is baked spaghetti squash with Parmesan cheese.  This filling and satisfying side dish can fool the taste buds into believing you're getting a tummy full of starchy goodness without all the carbs.  Toss in a bit of cream cheese for a real smooth texture that makes this dish even yummier.

Another way to serve a side that tastes starchy without being loaded with carbs is with a brown rice dish.  Granted, brown rice is not exactly low in carbs, but you won't eat that much in a serving when you make a side dish that is loaded with mushrooms, vegetables, and even sausage.  This starchy side will definitely have you forgetting about your plate of potatoes.

A New Green

Getting away from the usual green bean casserole can be a struggle, but not when you replace it with a side dish that's just as creamy and tasty.  It's all about having the same textures in a new dish that we enjoy in our classics. Think of all the healthy greens that can be cooked with creamy ingredients.  For instance, a very flavorful green like kale can be tossed with almonds and Parmesan cheese for a  tasty side.  You have the creamy texture of the cheese and crunchy almonds that replace what you long for in the old classic, but with a fraction of the carbs.

Or consider a creamed spinach instead of your usual green bean casserole this year.  This is a wonderfully satisfying side dish that is made low carb easily by using almond flour or meal to thicken a white sauce instead of using wheat flour.  Add nuts for the additional crunch.  Or depart entirely from the greens and choose a cheesy eggplant bake instead.  When finding something new to replace the classics, think about what you like about your traditional side dishes and find ingredients that replicate the old, but with a new twist.

Don't Get Stuffed With Stuffing

This is the dish that has most of us falling way off the low-carb wagon.  The trick here is to create a whole new taste sensation so you don't miss the traditional herbed bread stuffing.  Here's where you need to get creative.  Instead of bread cubes, think of using cubes of yellow squash, then add cauliflower, sausage, and lots of celery, onion, chopped nuts and traditional herbs.  Bake this 'stuffing' outside the bird and you'll get to enjoy a whole new taste without all the carbs of bread.

Again, you want to replace the traditional breaded stuffing with a dish that is different enough to intrigue your guests, and their taste buds.  Look at ingredients like squash, nuts, sausage, apples, and even oysters.  Use traditional stuffing spices to tie it all together and your new side dish will be a definite hit.

Pumpkin soup. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Soups and Salads Move Up to Side Dish Status
Often, we think of soups and salads as starter courses, served before the main dish and sides.  But, why not choose a soup or salad as a side to serve along with your turkey or other main dish?  Stick with familiar fall ingredients and the flavors will be just right for your holiday table.

Why not make a thick, creamy pumpkin or squash soup to serve with dinner?  Try a curried carrot and parsnip soup or even a seafood bisque to satisfy that craving we all have for a nice filling starchy side dish.  Serve with a sprinkle of toasted salty almonds for crunch and a dollop of yogurt on top for extra creaminess.  You can even serve a hearty potato soup and you won't get as many carbs in the soup as you would in a serving of potatoes and gravy.

Salads loaded with fresh, healthy ingredients can easily replace your traditional green bean casserole or other carb-loaded vegetable side dish.  Use crispy spinach and mixed greens with a lot of added vegetables, then toss in goat cheese and other cheeses, along with nuts, and even a variety of thinly sliced hard sausages.  Don't forget to add fresh chopped savory herbs to complete the holiday flavor palate you're looking for.

Sometimes tweaking familiar traditional side dishes leaves us feeling a bit deprived;  we didn't get our real green bean casserole, stuffing, or mashed potatoes and gravy.  But, if we change the menu completely with brand new sides featuring entirely new ingredients, our taste buds are so intrigued, we may never even miss the old classics.

Try some of these twists on your Thanksgiving sides this week, and see just how tasty low-carb can be!

Crockpot Recipe: Moroccan Lentil Squash Stew

This is the perfect fall one-pot dinner, with hearty fall veggies like squash and potatoes paired with warm lentils and curry. It has loads of flavor, and can be put on to cook in the morning, and you'll have dinner hot and ready when evening comes!

Moroccan Lentil Squash Stew
(Serves 6-8.)

Ingredients:

1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
10 small new red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 cans (14 oz size) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water
1 pkg (8 oz) frozen cut green beans, thawed (or fresh, cut and steamed for 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• Combine all ingredients EXCEPT green beans in crockpot, stirring gently.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or until lentils are tender.
• Add green beans during last 30 minutes of cooking time, stirring to combine.

Recipe: Slow & Smooth Cannellini Soup

This yummy, hearty Italian soup is great for a cool fall evening - and it's easy to make in the crockpot as well. Just cook on low for 8 hours and have a lovely dinner ready at the end of the day.

Slow & Smooth Cannellini Soup

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

8 ounces dried cannellini beans
6 sage leaves
2 garlic cloves
dash kosher salt
olive oil
3 carrots, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
1 dried chili pepper, diced (seeds removed)
4 large tomatoes, chopped small
5 ounces ditalini (or other small) pasta
Olive oil or Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Directions:

• Put the beans in a large glass bowl and cover with lots of water. Let soak overnight. Drain the water that the beans soaked in overnight, put the beans in a large (8 quart) soup pot, fill with fresh water and the sage leaves and garlic cloves.
• Cook the beans for 2 hours or until they are tender, over low heat. When beans are almost tender, add the kosher salt. 
• Meanwhile, put a skillet over low heat, add olive oil, carrots, celery, and chili pepper, and cook until veggies are tender, stirring often.
• When beans are cooked and tender, ladle out most of the cooked beans (working in sections) into your food processor and puree, removing to a bowl and continuing until most of the beans are pureed. 
• Pour the pureed beans back into the soup pot, add the vegetables from the skillet to the pot, add the tomatoes, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often, maintaining a gentle bubble.
• Add the pasta to the pot, and continue simmering until the pasta is al dente, then serve in deep bowls with a drizzle of good olive oil, and/or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Recipe: Sweet Surprise Tomato Basil Soup

This tasty recipe brings together the sweet tastes of late summer, with apples, tomatoes, bell peppers, and fresh basil for a delicious Italian twist on an old classic.

Sweet Surprise Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
4 cups diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1/3 cup pasta (I suggest orzo)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped 

Directions:

• Heat the apple juice and olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add to the soup pot the garlic, red bell pepper, and onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the veggies are soft (making sure the onion doesn't brown). Drizzle in just a touch more apple juice if the veggies start to stick to the pot.
• Add the broth and diced tomatoes, bring to a boil, then add the orzo (or other small pasta you choose) and turn heat down just to stay at a slow bubble, and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
• Put lid on pot, turn heat down to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. 
• Remove the pot from the heat, uncover the pot, stir in the basil, and serve immediately.

Recipe: Italian Sausage And Bean Soup With Pasta

Quick, easy, simple, and delicious, this recipe is the essence of Italian cooking! It's great for a cold winter night, and easy to tailor to your own tastes - try different pasta shapes, different kinds of beans, add different herbs, etc. to make it your own. Use fresh (or frozen) ripe tomatoes for a fresher, lighter taste. 

Sausage And Bean Soup With Pasta
Ingredients:

1 pound fresh Italian sausage
1 cup onion, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
28 ounces diced tomatoes (or 4 large fresh tomatoes, diced)
1 cup pasta (shells, penne, ziti, or other sturdy pasta)
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 4 cups fresh or frozen chicken broth or stock)
3 1/2 cups water, hot
18 ounces kidney beans or white beans, cooked (or canned) & drained
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Brown the sausage and onion in the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes. 
• Once the sausage and onion have been browned, add the tomatoes with their juice, the pasta, bouillon cubes or broth, and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, then add the beans. 
• Make sure soup is just simmering, then cover pot, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes or just until the pasta is al dente.
• Serve hot in bowls sprinkled with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Leftovers Recipe: Cheddar Potato Veggie Soup

Mashed potatoes are an essential side of most Thanksgiving dinners, but what on earth to do with the leftovers? They're not as easy to just throw into something as leftover turkey is, and they don't always reheat well, and certainly aren't good cold. This recipe offers a creative use of leftover mashed potatoes, so you can get rid of that bowl sitting in the back of the fridge! Rather than having to blend up the potatoes to make a creamy soup, just use the already mashed ones. The addition of cheese, carrots, celery and cauliflower makes this filling and hearty potato soup anything but bland. Next holiday, you may just make extra mashed potatoes on purpose!

Cheddar Potato Veggie Soup
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

 (Photo credit: lynn.gardner)

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup cauliflower pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups mashed potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or white Cheddar cheese
1 (8 oz) package lower fat cream cheese, warmed to room temperature, and cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In your food processor, put the onion, carrot, celery, and cauliflower and pulse until fine.  You can use either cooked leftovers or raw.
2. Put this mixture into a large soup pot, add the olive oil, and put over medium heat, stirring to saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add the broth to the soup pot, turn heat up and bring mixture to a boil, immediately turning heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Keep heat low, and slowly add in the potatoes and milk, and stir until well combined; simmer slowly for 5 minutes.
5. Keep heat low, and stir in the Cheddar cheese and cream cheese, stirring constantly while heating until the cheeses are completely melted and soup is hot - but do NOT boil. Be patient, this should take a few minutes to do correctly.
6. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
7. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for five minutes.
8. Serve in soup bowls with a pat of butter on top, a sprinkling of more Cheddar cheese, or a few chives or green onions.

Recipe: After The Feast Turkey Vegetable Soup

Turkey soup is one of my favorite ways to use up holiday leftovers. It's easy, simple, and delicious, and it helps you get rid of that turkey carcass a lot faster!  We usually make this a few days after the holiday, when we've snacked on turkey sandwiches for a couple of days, and are ready to be done with it. But if you just want to get that big carcass out of the fridge sooner, pick most of the meat off the bones and put it in stackable containers in the refrigerator, and then use the carcass in this tasty soup. The stock is filled with flavor and good healthy stuff. To get the most nutrients out of the bones, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the stock before cooking.

After The Feast Turkey Vegetable Soup
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: churl)

Stock:
Carcass from roasted turkey, picked clean
1 large yellow onion, peeled, quartered
1 large carrot,  scrubbed, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed
1 bay leaf
10 whole black peppercorns

Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 cups leftover turkey meat, shredded or chopped
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, taste as you add
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Put the turkey carcass, quartered onions, coarsely chopped carrots and celery, smashed garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a large stockpot.
• Cover with cold water and set over medium-high heat and bring to boil, then immediately turn heat to simmer and slowly simmer for 1-2 hours.
• Remove pot and pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or pot.  This should yield about 10 cups of broth.

• Dry the inside of the stockpot a little with a paper towel.
• To the stockpot add the oil and place over medium heat. 
• Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots and cook until starting to get soft, about 5 minutes. 
• Add the minced garlic and thyme, stirring to combine for just 1 minute.
• Pour in the reserved stock and bring to a gentle simmer; simmering until vegetables are just soft, about 10-15 minutes. 
• Add the leftover turkey meat, salt, and pepper, tasting to adjust seasoning.
• Simmer just until turkey is heated through. 

Recipe: Blended Fall Fruit And Veggie Soup

This soup combines sweet and savory flavors of fall into one special and unique warming dish with layers of autumn flavor. Sweet potatoes, apples and pears lend sweetness and richness to the earthy taste of carrots, celery and zucchini, and the kick of curry brings everything up a notch to something really special! Check this one out this fall and it'll warm you inside and out.

Blended Fall Fruit And Veggie Soup
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

2 tsp Olive oil
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 med onion, diced
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 lb carrots, scrubbed and diced
1/2 lb zucchini, washed, sliced lengthwise, seeds removed, and diced
1/2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled, diced
1 med Bartlett pear, cored, and coarse chopped
1 Small Granny Smith cored, and coarse chopped
3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until sizzles when a drop of water is added.
2. Add the celery to the pot and cook until just starting to soften.
3. Add the onion to the pot and continue to cook until both the celery and onion have become transparent.
4. Add the curry powder and stir to combine.
5. Add the vegetables, fruit, and parsley, stir to combine, then pour in the broth.
6. Bring the soup to a boil, then immediately turn heat down to low, cover the pot, and allow soup to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and watching so it doesn't boil.
7. To create a smooth, blended soup, allow soup to cool slightly, then transfer soup in small batches to blender and blend until desired texture is reached.
8. Pour back into soup pot and reheat over low heat until just hot, not boiling.
9. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche, sour cream, or yogurt.

Recipe: Smooth Spiced Butternut Squash And Apple Soup

Sweet, spicy, and tangy, this creamy and delicious soup combines the best of fall into a smooth and rich tasting soup. Most of the ingredients should be easy to find at your local farmer's market or in your CSA share this time of year. Using butternut squash gives the soup a creamy richness even without using any cream, so if you're looking to cut some fat and calories, this simple autumn soup fits the bill and still satisfies!

Smooth Spiced Butternut Squash And Apple Soup
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash Soup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2 large butternut squash
2 sweet ripe apples
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp basil
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp Turkish or Spanish saffron (safflower blossoms)
1/4 tsp allspice
pinch ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

• Wash the whole squash, then cut it in half, then into chunks, removing any seeds or string first; bring a big pot of water to a boil, drop in the squash and let cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender.
• Meanwhile, peel the apples, core, chop, and put in a glass bowl (without water) and microwave for 3 to 5 minutes or until you can mash them with a fork. You can also just put the chopped up apple in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until soft, just watching it so it doesn't burn to the bottom.
• Remove the squash from the cooking water, let cool slightly, and scrape the edible portions from the outer rind, putting the good part in a bowl. Save the cooking water in the pot.
• Put the squash in your food processor and blend until smooth; then add smashed apples and process until both are pureed and smooth.
• Put the squash-applesauce puree into another soup pot and add enough of the reserved cooking water to make a thick soup. You can always add a bit more as you cook the soup to thin it out more.
• Add the seasonings to the soup, stirring to combine.
• Turn burner on to low under your soup pot, slightly tip a lip on the pot, and simmer slowly for about 5 to 10 minutes, just so the flavors combine.  Add more of the cooking liquid from the other pot if desired.
• Serve warm.

Fall Is Soup Time - Warm Up With These Tasty & Unusual Chill Chasers

The start of the fall season is usually marked by that first hint of chill in the air.  That chill outside can often translate into a chill inside. This makes fall the perfect time to curl up with a steaming bowl of soup.  But, do you want to have yet another bowl of plain chicken noodle soup?  Why not warm up your body and soul at the same time with some unusual soups?  Here are a few soups that you can try this fall to warm up yourself and your family.

 (Photo credit: 46137)

Harvest Soup With a Basil Bump

If you want a great soup that you can throw together with one trip to the farmers market, this is the soup for you. Get your big pot going with fresh diced tomatoes, zucchini, onion, bell pepper, celery, and carrots. When all those wonderful ingredients have simmered together and gotten all softened, it's time for the surprise ingredient - basil pesto.  Make a classic basil pesto from fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil, blended smooth in a food processor.  Stir the basil pesto into the finished soup, reheat and serve hot. This is great before the basil, but after the basil pesto is added, this soup goes from great to unbelievable!  No more chill.  No more dry scratchy throat after you've settled in with this spicy, satisfying soup.

Pozole Chases the Blues Away

Known as a special occasion dish in Mexico, this is a soup that is often served at large parties where the wine, beer, and other adult beverages flow freely.  As such, this soup is a well-known cure for hangovers and is often eaten in the wee hours of the morning.  Typically, this soup is a combination of pork, beans, and hominy grits in a hearty stock.  But, its curative properties come from an abundance of several other ingredients like garlic, cumin, onion, fresh oregano, and lots and lots of red chiles. Whether you want to sweat out a headache or ward off a chill, having a pozole recipe to turn to is a very good idea.

Wonton noodle soup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Turkey Wonton Warms You Up

We love our leftover turkey, don't we.  We especially love it when we're looking around for some inspiration to make a warming soup.  This soup starts simply enough with some stock, turkey, noodles,  pork dumplings, and greens.  Use baby bok choy for authenticity, or choose a more bitter or peppery green if you want to impart more of a warming feel to your soup.  Most recipes for wonton soup will have added sesame oil which is tasty and also helps to soothe the throat.  For whatever reason, the more intense the flavor, the more warming a soup seems to be.  Of course, adding red pepper flakes bumps the warming factor up a notch or two, so be sure to spice this soup up to send the chills packing.

Apple Pumpkin Soup Strategies

If there are two ingredients to put in your soup that scream Autumn farmers market, they would be apples and pumpkins. There are quite a few variations on soup recipes using these two fall favorites.  You may be looking for a soup that closely resembles pumpkin pie.  Or, maybe, you want the tart apple flavor to come through first.  You can make a country style soup with big chunks of pumpkin and apple swimming in a sweet and sour broth to warm you inside and out.  You can make a smooth pureed soup with a surprising kick of curry to help clear a stuffy head and chase away the chills.  This is a combination of two powerhouse ingredients that can go from one end of the flavor wheel to the other with no problem at all.  Pick your favorite flavors and create a soup that fits your needs.

When it comes to chasing chills away, nothing beats a big steamy bowl of soup.  But, choose the right ingredients and you can do more than make a warming bowl of soup – you can create a big soup hug!

Be sure to check back later this week for some hot and tasty soup recipes.

Recipe: California Style Gazpacho

The quintessential summer soup, gazpacho has gained popularity in many gourmet restaurants across the country. But you don't have to fork up the big bucks to enjoy this cool summer treat. Check out the recipe below and learn how to make your own fresh, flavorful, and veggie-packed gazpacho right at home from fresh healthy ingredients from your own garden - or a local farm stand.

California Style Gazpacho

Ingredients:

Gazpacho. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

4 cups tomato juice, chilled
1/2 of a whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, including 1/2 tsp of the sauce
2 cups fresh, ripe, diced tomatoes
1 medium green bell pepper, diced fine
1 small sweet onion, diced fine
2 small cucumbers, scrubbed and diced fine
2 green onions, chopped fine
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic flakes, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp hot sauce (more or less to taste)
4 to 6 ripe avocados
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Sour cream or Greek yogurt to garnish

Directions:

1. Put the tomato juice, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce in your food processor and process on puree until smooth.
2. Add diced tomato and pulse until chopped slightly and combined well; pour into a large bowl.
3. Add to the bowl the remaining ingredients - except avocado and cilantro - cover with a glass plate or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. When ready to serve, peel the avocado and dice small.
5. Stir the avocado pieces and cilantro into the cold soup and serve immediately.
6. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt if desired.

Video - Creamy Potato Soup

Here's one to impress the guests!  Easy and delicious, it's also very rich, so is best saved for special occasions.  (And please disregard the tip about the Velveeta. That is not real cheese, and really not even fit for human consumption in my opinion! Smoked gouda should be relatively easy to find, and if not, regular gouda would be fine - just with a different flavor.)

Yum!  Try this one next time you have a special dinner, and you won't be disappointed!

Creamy Potato Soup Recipe
One of America's favorite comfort foods, potato soup is served everywhere from steakhouses to country diners. Hi, I'm chef Jason Hill of Chef Tips and today we're making a creamy potato soup recipe that's dressed up with smoked gouda cheese. If you c...

Related Potato Soup Recipes:

• 5 Winter Soups Recipes (mademan.com)
• Potato, Spinach and Sausage Soup (comfycook.wordpress.com)
• Potluck: Potato Soup (notecook.com)

 

Recipe - Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

If you've been reading this blog for a while, and are beginning to get a bit more adventurous, here is a great one to try! It's very easy, and SO good, if you like Thai food (which I love). This is a good one to impress guests with!

Image via Wikipedia
 This is one of my favorite recipes, and I make it often -- it is just as yummy winter and summer, but fall and winter for me are always "soup season", so that's probably when I make it the most. Most recipes (including the one below) call for galangal - a root similar to ginger which can be found in some Asian markets.

I rarely  have it on hand, as it can be hard to find, so I usually substitute fresh ginger root, with great results (make sure it is fresh - the outside should be firm and non-wrinkled, and it should have a slightly yellowish tone if possible - then peel and slice -- 4-6 slices are usually sufficient; you will remove these before eating).

Enjoy!

Easy does it: Thai Chicken Galangal soup
Chicken galangal soup. This is one of my favorite thai soups. I learnt to do it a long time ago, when I was taking Thai cooking classes. The recipe stayed with me and I cook it regularly. It's very delicate and quite easy to make, ...
Publish Date: 10/20/2010 13:57
http://easydoesitrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/10/thai-chicken-galangal-soup.html




 

Healthy Homemade Soups on the Go

In this day and age it can be hard to eat healthy. With your busy schedule, especially if you have children, many people find it easier to grab whatever is available and the quickest and deal with the health consequences later. With the following tips for soups on the go you’ll learn how to make sure that the food you grab is of the healthy variety.

The problem with dealing with the consequences of unhealthy eating habits is that later is actually closer than you might think. Later is right now. Sadly, we are a nation of obese adults and just as many, if not more, obese children. Our unhealthy eating choices have caught up with us. You might be asking yourself, “How can I eat healthy when I’m crunched for time already?”

Image via WikipediaOne way is to make foods that can be taken with you on the go. One of those foods is soup. Soup is tasty, filling, and good for you anytime, but especially on a cold fall or winter day. There are hot soups and believe it or not even cold soups. Many of the warm soups are even good eaten cold or lukewarm.

First, choose your favorite soup. A popular choice of many is the infamous chicken noodle soup. There’s nothing better when you are under the weather than the warm chicken broth soothing your throat. Campbell’s has a wonderful soup in a microwave container perfect for eating on the go, but we are going to make our own soup for an even healthier choice.

The one thing that is best about homemade food is that you know what is and is not in it. Since we are concerned with health, preparing your own soup creations at home is the best way to go. No matter which type of soup you choose to make, be sure to use fresh ingredients. The other items you’ll need are plenty of cups with lids and a blender.

Image via Wikipedia
 Now it’s time to actually create your time saving soup. A good soup always starts with the stock. For chicken soup, make the broth by boiling the remains of the chicken you had for dinner. Add the herbs and seasonings of your choice and boil until the chicken bones come out clean. Any remaining meat will be included in the broth. Once the broth cools completely, ladle it into air-tight jars or containers for storing.

If you’re more of a beef and vegetable soup lover, you can use commercial canned broths or bouillon cubes for the base of your soup (but keep an eye on the sodium if this is an issue for you). Season the stock really well and boil before adding any other ingredients. Once the stock is ready, all that is left to do is toss in your favorite veggies. Again, wait until the soup is completely cooled before pouring into storage or serving containers.

Now, what about that blender? It’s a bit difficult to eat soup the traditional way while driving and if you are serving to your kids, the combination of a car and soup in a bowl is a disaster waiting to happen. Here’s where the blender comes into the picture.

Pour some of the soup into the blender and blend until the pieces are small enough for you to swallow easily. You can even puree the soup completely if you’d prefer. For a thicker texture, add a bit of cream soup.

Now your soup is ready for distributing in your to-go cups. The ideal cup would be a coffee mug with a lid. These types of cups have a wide opening perfect for drinking soups from. Be sure to prepare enough soup for the entire week. You can take the soup with you while you’re out shopping, working in the garden or to work. A cup of soup is packed with healthy nutrients and it won’t mess up the car or cramp your busy lifestyle. The next time you don’t have time to eat, reach for a cup of healthy homemade soup instead of pulling into that fast food drive thru.

And check back soon for some yummy fall and winter soup recipes - we'll be posting some here later this month!

 

Related articles on Soups:

• Vegetarian Bean Soup and Butternut Soup with Cream (suite101.com)
• Use homemade broth for pilaf, chicken soup, chicken and noodles: Cleveland Cooks (video) (cleveland.com)
• Laksa to Locro: Spicy Soups from Around the World (thekitchn.com)