One of my favorite winter meals is delicious, nutritious, body-warming soup!
Here are 3 reasons soup is a great addition to your health eating habits:
- It can suppress your appetite: Whether you are at a restaurant or home – have a cup of soup before your dinner — the low-calorie appetizer will help fill you up instead of having a big portion of the main course.
- It can help you lose weight: Having chunky soup (home-made preferably!) stuffed with veggies & lean protein boosts your nutrient & water intake and helps increase your metabolism & weight loss. Perfect!
- Quick & Easy: Busy nights can mean it can be hard to stay healthy. Instead of binging on mac’&cheese, or fast food, make a big batch of soup on Sunday evening and have it waiting for you when you get home. Not only will you have a one-stop, low-calorie meal ready to beat those hunger pangs, but you’ll also save calories by substituting a large bowl of soup for a huge calorie-filled meal. Win/win for you!
Now, here is one of my favorite soup recipes for you to try. You won’t regret it!
Warming Chili Soup
Makes many servings in a large stock pot
- 1 lb bag of Thompson’s Ultimate 15-Bean Mix*
- 4 cups cold water
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1.5 cups carrots, diced
- 1.5 cups celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
- 4-5 drops Tabasco sauce
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 x 796 mL can No-Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
- 1 x 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
Soak beans overnight (3 cups water for every 1 cup of dried beans). In a stock pot, add soaked beans to fresh cold water and soup stock. Heat to boiling then reduce and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are nearly tender. In a pan, brown meat, drain, then add to beans. Fry onions, celery, carrots, pepper and garlic until tender. Add to beans along with other remaining ingredients. Simmer until tender. Adjust seasoning to taste.
* Thompson’s Ultimate 15-Bean Mix contains: white pea beans, black beans, green lentils, pinto beans, yellow eye beans, light red kidney bean, dark red kidney beans, pink beans, green split peas, yellow split peas, baby lima beans, black eye peas, pearl barley, cranberry beans and chickpeas.
Serve with a green salad and you have the perfect meal!
