Please enjoy these delicious soup recipes from Mary Tellis-Nayak, RN, MSN, MPH, SSND Wellness Nurse in Chicago.
Soup for Spring!: Easy to prepare, delicious and nutritious
Nurse Mary’s favorite soup recipe from her mom, Marge Dietrich – Senior Citizen Soup!
Why Should YOU Make and Eat Soup? Mary Tellis-Nayak, RN, MSN, MPH- Wellness Nurse - Chicago
With many of our sisters cooking their own meals, it is important to find dishes that are easy to prepare, tasty and nutritious. When you come home from your work in the field probably the last thing you feel like doing is cooking yourself a nutritious meal. (Do NOT stop at a fast food restaurant!)
What is the WHY of soup - you can make a large pot of soup and freeze it in individual servings so when you come home you just heat it up and enjoy it with a salad and perhaps a roll. You can put it in individual containers and stack them in your freezer. In the morning, take one out and it will be thawed when you return.
Soup is an important dish and just like salad, having a bowl of soup has a lot of health benefits. You will eat more veggies which are packed with nutrients. Fiona Kirk wrote a book on soup as an effective diet. In her bestseller “Soup Can Make You Thin” she says:
“The wealth of ingredients in a bowl of soup provides a good balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats, as well as the vitamins and minerals required to create energy and keep us firing on all cylinders.”
Let’s look at the top reasons WHY you should make and eat soup:
Soup is delicious.
Soup can be a comfort food as it is delicious. It is easy to make. With only a few ingredients, one can make a bowl of hearty soup for the end of day.
Soup is good for the health.
Perhaps the easiest way to add vegetables to your daily meals is to make and eat soup. You can make several bowls of soup filled with fruits and veggies each day and you’ll be filled. Eating vegetables is part of a healthy diet so veggie soups are highly recommended.
Soup can help you lose weight.
Soups are slimming. Of course, that is if you strictly follow a weight-loss plan and exercise more. A bowl of soup packs minimal calorie but is very nutritious.
Soup makes you feel full.
Soup fills you up because it stretches the stomach. You easily feel full so it’s ideal to eat soup at the beginning of every meal or as a meal in itself.
Soup is affordable to make.
Making soup won’t require a lot of money. Go the grocery or market; buy some vegetables and fruits, broth or water, and you can easily make a batch enough to feed yourself for several days. For a small cost, you can eat well.
Soup can make you feel better.
Ever wondered why chicken soup is always given to the sick? It is because soup is great for people who are sick. It is easily digested and is filled with health benefits.
I am going to share with you some of my favorite soup recipes. This posting will start with what my mom, Marge Dietrich, called “Senior Citizen Soup” – it requires few ingredients, you can vary it as you please, it doesn’t need to simmer all day, and it is low in calories and good for those with Diabetes - unless you fill it with pasta!
Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground beef – preferably grass fed beef (more about that later)
2 cans of diced tomatoes (or 1 large one)
1 onion diced (size depends on your liking – remember that an onion IS a vegetable))
2 quarts of beef broth (if you make your broth from bouillon, go easy, as it is very salty or you can use a broth base with seasoning according to your taste)
1 package of frozen mixed vegetables (you can also use fresh vegetables such as celery, carrots, corn, peas, green beans or parts of different frozen vegetables)
1 can beans (optional) – (i.e. navy beans, cannellini, garbonzo, etc.)
Spices and herbs are optional and according to your taste. Some examples you can use would be: fresh garlic, parsley, bay leaf, allspice, Italian spices - oregano, basil, thyme, sage, rosemary
Directions for preparation of soup:
Use a large pot or dutch oven (about 5-6 quarts), heat the pot and add olive oil until it is warm enough to fry onions. Add diced onions to oil and fry until transparent. If you are adding fresh garlic, add it here to fry with the onions.
Add the ground beef to the onions and cook until all the red is gone and the meat is nicely separated. (if you are using fresh uncooked veggies, add them here and sauté for a few minutes).
Add the canned tomatoes with all of their juices and mix nicely with the meat and onions. (I had a green pepper so I added that at this time too).
Add the 2 quarts of broth. If you like your soup thin you can add either more broth or some water to achieve your desired thickness.
Now add whatever herbs you wish:
For a robust flavor add one or two bay leaves and at least a teaspoon of allspice.
For a more Italian flavor add one or two bay leaves, parsley, oregano OR “McCormicks Italian Seasoning”
OR, you may just like it as is, with no seasonings though a little parsley is always nice!
If desired, add a can of beans (navy, cannellini, garbanzo – two if you like)
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer the mixture until the vegetables and seasonings are cooked and assimilated into the soup.
All of the ingredients I am showing you for this soup (but the allspice) I get at Aldi’s – pricing can’t be beat.
I am hoping you will enjoy this soup which is easy to prepare, tasty, nutritious, versatile and you can adjust to YOUR taste buds!
