5 Easy, High-Protein Lunches
Maybe it’s just me, but lunch seems to be the hardest thing to plan for sometimes, especially for a busy work week. You need something that is simple, easy to [...]
Winter sucks, man. Who in the room needs a hot, steamy, soul warming pot of soup?
I moved to the South from Milwaukee over a year ago and I have morphed into a full fledged winter weather pansy. It’s going to be below 40 today? SOMEONE PLEASE KILL ME. I know I’m going to lose all credibility with my Midwest friends claiming that I need a bowl of hot soup on a 45 degree day, but I’m going to ask you to look past that and focus on this super simple fiberlicious 1-pot vegetable soup.Fiberlicious: real food fiber that tastes really good
Not that fiber doesn’t always taste good. But our main fiber sources are veggies and raise your hand if sometimes you just eat veggies because it’s healthy and you need to add a Fiber to your meal and not because it tastes like a cheeseburger? Right. This soup tastes like a cheeseburger. Well, not an actual cheeseburger but it’s really really good like a cheeseburger. I’m reaching, but tomorrow is Friday and I am feeling bold!
I would highly recommend swirling in a dollop of Spinach Herb Pesto – this is how I’m eating it as I type. I’ve got a few other ways I’d eat it, too PHFF! style:
Add a pound of ground beef – brown it separately and add in the last 15 minutes
Fry up 2 eggs in 1 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee and eat on top of the soup
Eat it as a side dish to baked fish with olive oil and lemons or a roast chicken
Have for a snack with lots of fresh shaved parmesan or avocadoIf you give this a try, post a pic to Instagram, tag me and use the hashtag #caloriesarestupid [and if you haven’t read my Calorie post, do it!] – I love to see your remakes!
Hearty Italian Vegetable Soup
Author: Megan Hansen, RDN, LD
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 6-8
A hearty pot of vegetable made with fresh veggies and herbs – perfect for a cold winter day.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, chopped into 1/2″ rounds
2 celery, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
1/3 c tomato paste
3 c chicken stock or water
28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 head of green cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces
2 c quartered, small potatoes
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp salt
1 c frozen green beans
salt and pepper
Instructions
Heat a 3-4 qt, heavy bottom pot over medium high heat and add oil.
Sauté onions for 10 minutes – they should just start to brown.
Add garlic, carrots and celery and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until they just start to soften.
Stir in tomato paste.
Add chicken stock or water, canned tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage and zucchini. Add salt and basil. If they veggies aren’t totally covered, add more stock or water until they are.
Bring the pot up to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Add green beans. Continue simmering for another 15 minutes.
Serve with chopped herbs like parsley and cilantro, green onions, a dollop of Greek yogurt or avocado slices.
Serving size: 2 cups
Fat: 3
Sugar: 16
Fiber: 11
Protein: 7
Notes
Mix this recipe up based on what you have in the fridge! You can always swap ingredients or leave others out. Fennel, leeks, sweet potatoes and kale would all work fabulously in this recipe.
This recipe is all fiber!! It’s a perfect side dish to a protein source like steak, chicken or fish with some add healthy fat. Or, fry up a couple of eggs and eat this on top.
