Quick and Easy soups: Classic Tomato Soup

There is nothing better on a cold winter day then a hot bowl of Tomato Soup and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Homemade tomato soup in easier then you thought and I promise you can have it on the table in 30 minutes. You can't get and more nutritious and delicious.


32 oz Can reduced sodium Crushed Tomatoes (organic if possible)
32oz Reduced Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Stock (organic if possible)
5-6 Roma Tomatoes or 4-5 large tomatoes or tub of cherry or grape tomatoes
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 small sweet or yellow onion
1 bay leaf
1 Tbls Olive Oil

Place tomatoes on foil lined baking sheet, place in 450 degree oven for 20 minutes (till skin cracks). While in the oven heat olive oil in large pot med heat. Grate (with box grater) carrots, celery, onion, drop in bay leaf. When tomatoes are done, and vegetable in pot are soft add crushed tomatoes, use empty can to measure out the chicken or vegetable stock. Take tomatoes out of oven and rough chopped them, making sure to remove the stem. Add to the pot and bring to a boil. While it is coming to a boil remove the bay leaf and use immersion blender to make soup smooth. If you do not have a immersion blender you can remove the soup for the stove and place in food processor or blender. BE CAREFUL, if you do this the lid can not be sealed onto the device. It will build up pressure and blow up all over and burn you. Serve warm with your favorite sandwich (on whole wheat bread of course)

You are probably asking yourself why would she put tomatoes in the oven then add them to the soup. By roasting the tomatoes first you bring out the natural sugars. When added to the soup it slightly sweetens the soup, taking away the tart acidic bite this soup can have. Some people add sugar to their tomato soup, but why add sugar when nature can do it for you. For a sweeter soup add more tomatoes, for a tart soup add less. For a cream of tomato soup, stir in a cup of buttermilk at the end. Buttermilk is what is left over after they make the butter. By the name most people think it is high in fat, but to the contrary. All the fat has been removed. So you can still have that creamy butter taste with out all that fat. Happy Cooking :)

Crock Pot Made Simple #1

So I have a request for a Crock Pot Recipe and boy oh boy do I have some good ones. I must say there are a few things I don't like about cooking in a crock. The first being you have to brown meat first and the second this misconception things have to be floating in a pool of liquids. Well this recipe with blow you out of the water. I call it...

Pulled Pork 1,2,3!

4 Pound Boneless Pork Loin
1 Palm full Chili Powder
1 Tbls Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1/2 to 1 Tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tsp Cumin
1/2 cup to 1 cup chicken

#1 Mix Spices in a bowl
#2 Rub Meat (you can wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight/optional)
#3 Cook: Place in Crock Pot fat side down, DO NOT ADD Liquids. Cook on High 4-5 hours Low 6-7 hours. Till you can Shred pork with a fork, add chicken stock till moist.

This is a great option for those Pulled pork lovers who are trying to watch their weight.

Easy BBQ Sauce
1 Bottle of your Favorite Beer
1 Cup of your Favorite BBQ sauce

Place beer in medium size sauce pan, bring to boil. Reduce beer by half, stir in BBQ sauce. This would be the time to add more cayenne pepper if you chose to.


The great thing about this dish it it can be serve so many ways. It really takes no time, because you don't have to babysit the Crock. Here are some serving suggestions:
~On a soft whole wheat roll with broccoli slaw
~Wrapped in a Corn Crepe (as in picture) with salsa and Monterrey Jack cheese
~Serve cold wrapped in a tortilla with light ranch a little BBQ sauce and some romaine lettuce

I hope this inspires you all to cook a pork loin tonight!

Left Over Remix: Spaghetti

Do you have a bunch of cold lifeless Spaghetti in the fridge? No sauce, or are you just not feeling the same old dish another night this week? Here is a simple, nutritious and delicious alternative.

1/2 Pound Cooked Spaghetti (I use whole wheat, we like Ronzoni Healthy Harvest or Barilla Plus)
1 Package Frozen Spinach
1/2 Onion
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tbls Olive Oil
1 Fistful of your favorite cheese (Mozzarella and Parmesan work well)
2 whole eggs
3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350. In a large non stick skillet place package on frozen spinach over medium heat. As it defrost keep string in the pan. When mostly all of the water has evaporated add Olive Oil, grated (with box grater) onion, garlic and Spaghetti. In bowl whisk all five eggs, excluding three yolks. Pour eggs over Spaghetti mixture, sprinkle with cheese. Cook on the cook top for 3 to 4 more minutes till eggs firm up. Bake in oven 10 to 15 minutes till the eggs are no longer runny... Enjoy!!!

Thai Pea Soup (AKA Green Monster Soup)

How do you hide veggies? Ahh easy, with an immersion blender. These are relatively inexpensive items you can buy at Walmart, Target or a home goods store. The great thing about this item it makes everything nice and smooth and creamy. Well if you ever tired to get a child to eat vegetable soup you will know what I am talking about. Think about what fun vegetable soup can be if you can eat it with a straw. Also if your children can't see what they are eating, it may be easier to get them to eat that serving of carrots.

Soups are a great way to pack in the veggies, but buying canned soups is expensive and unhealthy. You can make soups at home so easily. When you make it yourself, you control the ingredients. My favorite soup, Thai Pea Soup, or to the 6 year old, Green Monster Soup.

1 Tbls canola oil
1 Small Sweet Onion
1 Large Carrot
1 Large Parsnip
1 Stalk of Celery
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
1 bag of dried split peas
6 cups of chicken or veggie stock (Homemade preferred/recipe to follow)
14oz can of Coconut Milk
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground chili pepper (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

In a Large Pot (Dutch Oven works best)over Medium heat add 1 Tbls of oil. Grate with a box grater onion, carrot, parsnip and celery, add bay leaf, cook till vegetables are tender. Grate garlic then add peas, salt, pepper and ground chili pepper, heat through about 1 minute. Add 6 cups of stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1/2 hour, till peas are tender. After cooked take immersion blender and blend soup till smooth. While blending add coconut milk in small batches.
Serve hot and garnish with chopped cashews.

This is such a great recipe to get those veggies into any diet. It's sweet and savory plus low in fat and high in nutrients. For younger children I tend to leave out the chili pepper or add a small amount. This is also a great recipe to get children in the kitchen with you. They can use the box shredder and help with the veggies. The older children can even use the immersion blender, with your supervision of course. I hope you enjoy!