Today we're going to talk about soup folks. I love soup. There's just something about a bowl of warm, silky, soup that makes you feel like you just got a giant, cuddly, grandma hug.

(Because grandma hugs are the best. You know...they're squishy and smell like cookies...and stuff)

Soup makes you feel all warm and happy and reminds you to just stop, take a breath, and relax. That's my relationship with soup anyway. Now, if you're the open-a-can-and-dump-it-in-a-bowl kind of soup eater...you probably think I'm a few bricks short with all this talk of soup love.

I've got a secret...that's because you're not eating REAL soup! Ooh, yeah...I want a bowl of artificial flavors, preservatives, and fake squishy (not in the good grandma way) meat.

Said no person ever.:) Seriously, if you don't get my love of a good, homemade soup, then you need to dust off that pot, whip out that spoon, and try your hand at one of these soup recipes.

The added bonus? These soup recipes are full of healthy ingredients and low on calories. That's what we're looking to do this time of year, right? You can also make most of them in your slow-cooker, making them a super easy AND healthy dinner choice. Have I won you over yet? How about a few photos to get you going? Here's a collection of some of my favorite healthy soup recipes.

Do you like to hoard certain food items? I do. After being bedridden for months and unable to get to the grocery store, I quickly learned the value of having a well stocked pantry.

Previously, my pantry was shamefully lacking in basic staples. I try to cook with whole, fresh foods when I can, but sometimes that's not possible and you need to pull from your pantry reserves for a while.

Like when your head is constantly in the....porcelain throne. O.K. Side note: After racking my brain for a nicer term for what we all know I mean, I came across some very interesting names for it. Comfort Room. Place of Easement. Necessarium. Really? Who thinks these up?

Anyway, I didn't have a very good stockpile, so my husband was constantly running to the store every other day...or picking up fast food. Long story short, I am obsessed with hoarding the basics now.

My goal is to have a 3 month supply of everything. Should I ever be in that position again, I want the peace of mind knowing my family won't starve...or have to live on junk. So this posts starts my Cooking From Your Pantry series. When you have a cabinet full of ingredients, it's always helpful to have a good collection of recipes to use with it!

This white chicken chili is a recipe I got from my sister-in-law Christel. I love how thick, creamy and cheesy it is, thanks to a generous amount of cream cheese and cheddar cheese added to the mix. It's so hearty and filling, and is a great recipe for cooking from your pantry.




2 cans white northern beans
2 cans corn
2 cans diced tomatoes, or 2 tomatoes, diced
2 cans diced green chillies
1 cup water or chicken broth
2 packages white chicken chili seasoning (I use Mccormack)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked (can also use a rotisserie chicken)
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese
shredded cheddar cheese (about 1-2 cups)

Directions:

Place all ingredients except for the cheddar cheese in a crockpot, and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Stir occasionally. Towards the end of cooking time, stir in the cheddar cheese and allow to melt.

Recipe Notes: This dish also works really well made on the stove top, and is super fast to make. Just throw everything in a big pot and heat up. To save even more time, use a rotisserie chicken instead of having to cook your chicken.

Warning: This post will be full of raw, honest feelings on the loss of our child. If you don't want to read this type of material today, or are here simply for a recipe, I suggest you skip to the bottom.

This is a hard post for me to write. My last one was filling you in on my pregnancy and the complications I'd been dealing with. Today I have to share that my baby was born into the arms of Jesus last week.

When I went for my 14 week checkup, the doctor wasn't able to find the heartbeat with her doppler, so we went into the next room to check things with an ultrasound. As soon as I saw the monitor and heard the deafening silence, I knew my baby had died, but I still kept praying, "Please God, let her find a heartbeat. Please God." As the doctor turned to me and whispered, "Amber, I'm so sorry." I already knew my baby was gone.

I was scheduled for a D&C the next day, and though having to go through the rest of the day knowing my baby was dead inside of me was hard, waking up from surgery feeling that emptiness was harder.

Miscarriage. It's something that can seem so common, but until you live it, you never know what you've lost. I may not have held my baby in my arms, or created memories together, but I carried the hopes and dreams of what the future was supposed to hold - with this particular baby - in my heart. That is what I have lost.

I've lost the chance to learn this child's personality, to know the contours of their face like the back of my hand, or feel the comfort of their small hand grasping my own. This is more than a setback in the plans for our family. We lost a child. A child that was unique and will never be replaced by another. If I'm being honest, I may not even have the chance to try again. My pregnancies are so difficult on my body and my family, it takes a lot of careful planning and consideration to decide if it's something we can go through again.

I'm hoping, given time, that I'll have the opportunity to give my son a sibling, and know the joy of snuggling a soft, downy head again. Until then, I'm focusing on healing my body from the months of malnutrition, and giving my son all the hugs and attention I wasn't able to give him these past few months.  I'm getting a great start with this delicious soup my sister-in-law made for me while I was recovering, which is a recipe of her friend Victoria Costilla. I was so lucky to have her there helping me, I cannot give her enough praise - thank you Christel!

This soup is full of vitamin C veggies and vitamin E from the brown rice. Did I mention it tastes great? And while it does have jalapenos in it, it's not too spicy at all.

3-4 cups water
2 chicken breasts with bone (or meat from a rotisserie chicken)
3-4 chicken tenderloins (not needed if using rotisserie chicken)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, diced
7-8 cups chicken broth
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cups frozen green beans
1 cup water
1-2 fresh jalapenos
1/2 tbsp black pepper
pinch of salt (to taste)
cayenne pepper powder
fresh lemon

Combine 3-4 cups water and the chicken breasts and tenderloins, cook until the meat falls off the bone, about 1-2 hours. Turn down the heat, remove from heat and shred chicken with a fork. Alternatively, you can use the meat from a rotisserie chicken to save time.  Return to stovetop and add the following: garlic, onion, chicken broth and brown rice. Cook until rice is soft and cooked through. Add celery, carrots, cabbage and green beans. Cook until veggies are semi-soft.

While soup is cooking, using a blender, blend one cup of water with the fresh jalapenos. Add the blended sauce to the soup. Cook about 10 minutes longer, adding more water if necessary until you reach desired consistency. The soup will thicken once the rice is cooked.

Before serving, remove any bones, garnish with cayenne pepper, salt and fresh squeezed lemon or lime. This soup freezes really well, and can be frozen in single one cup servings for reheating later.



My husband wrote a letter to our baby that he posted on his facebook page last week. He's a typical man, and rarely expresses himself verbally, but his heartfelt words struck a chord in me, and I wanted to share it with you since we're entering the month of giving thanks. You can read his letter below.



"To my child, 

I want to take a moment to tell you about your family. You have a brother Cade. He is awesome, he has the biggest heart of any person I know, and loves harder than any brother you will ever have! He is your protector and he will take great pride in that job. You have a Mom and Dad that love you to no end. We will never forget you and look forward to the day we see you and hold you. 

A part of me says I am glad you did not have to experience this world as it can be a cruel place. That being said, I would die this very second if it meant you could experience the love that you have with this family. I would die this instance, if it meant Cade could hold you in his arms and kiss your forehead. I LOVE YOU! and will celebrate you everyday of my life. 

I question why you were taken from us. This I may never know. I do know that this emotional storm will pass, the scars will heal, and ours days will go on. 

To those reading this, I encourage you the next time you feel like you are having a bad day, stop and think about the things you do have in your life. Don't think about the things that you want, you can't lose those. However, you can lose the things you have, so be thankful and protect the things you hold close to your heart."

I think this is good advice for us all this Thanksgiving. :)

I’ve been in a soup mood lately. Besides loving a warm bowl of soupy goodness on a cold day, I love anything that involves only dirtying one pot.

Did I mention leftovers? Having premade lunches or a light dinner is another plus in my book. Yep, soup is the lazy cook’s lifeboat.

My sis-in-law passed this recipe along to me, and I’m glad she did! This soup is packed full of veggie goodness, and is so satisfying. I have to admit, when I saw brussell sprouts in the ingredient list, I was slightly worried.

My last encounter with said vegetable was as a child, and I distinctly remember the experience was not impressive.

I don’t know if my taste buds have matured, or I just had a bad batch of brussell sprouts, but this time around I really enjoyed them.



Swirl a little sour cream into your bowl right before eating, it really adds to the flavor. Don’t forget the crusty bread!

Winter Vegetable Soup
Printable Recipe

• 2 tbsp vegetable stock or olive oil
• 1 1/2 C. chopped leek
• 1 1/2 C. quartered brussel sprouts
• 1 C. acorn squash (or butternut squash, pumpkin or sweet potato, peeled and diced.)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 C. vegetable stock
• 1 C. swiss chard or collard greens,(chopped and packed.)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 tsp marjoram or oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp dill weed
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• sour cream

Directions: In a Dutch oven cook the first seven ingredients over medium heat, covered for 10-15 minutes. Now add the vegetable sock, bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cover & let cook slowly until everything is tender. Add swiss chard or collard greens, tomato and bell pepper. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add herbs, soy sauce and lemon juice. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with a few tablespoons of sour cream stirred into each bowl. Enjoy!

I am a texture girl. I love texture in my clothes, my hair, and most importantly my food. I had the pleasure to come across a great recipe over at Tasty Kitchen, Spinach Lemon Orzo Soup, and I knew right away I had to make it. Namely because it had Orzo in it. Orzo falls into my “Food textures That I Love” category, and any recipe that calls for it has me game to try it.

If you’ve never tried orzo, you need to take your crazy self to the store and buy some right now.  What is orzo like you may say?  For me, it’s as if pasta and rice came together and had a delicious baby.  I can’t really say any more than that.

This soup was so good, with the bright flavor from the lemons and the comforting goodness of a (slightly spicy) chicken broth. You can find the recipe and my guest post for this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen Blog here.

I’ve been trying to incorporate more vegetables in my diet lately, so when I saw some fresh green bundles of asparagus at the store, I decided that asparagus soup sounded really good.  I’m one of those people who (with good intentions) buys multiple bags of veggies - making other shoppers think, “Wow, they must really like vegetables” – then lets the veggies rot in the fridge for weeks.

Oh,  I may eat a carrot or two here, a little bit of spinach in a salad there, but once I get the little vitamin packed guys home, I am at a loss of what to do with it all.

There’s only so many salads a girl can eat, or carrot sticks. That’s where soups and roasted veggies come into play.  I love asparagus soup, and I thought that roasting it first would really add to the flavor.  I was right.  This soup was sooo good, I’ll be enjoying the leftovers while they last.

Roasted Asparagus Soup
Yield: 4 servings       Printable Recipe

2 lbs asparagus
1 large yellow onion, peeled and halved (with ends cut off)
4 cloves garlic, not peeled and left whole
7-8 small red potatoes (optional)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4-5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half  
1 Tbsp. dry vermouth (or dry white wine)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Cut the ends off the asparagus, then arrange the asparagus, potatoes, onion halves and garlic cloves on the baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Bake the vegetables for about 45 minutes. Turn the onions if they start getting too dark on the bottom. Check on the garlic as well, once the cloves are golden and soft, remove them from the oven.

3. When the asparagus is done, peel the garlic and chop the asparagus and potatoes into smaller pieces. Reserve some of the asparagus heads for garnish. Place the asparagus, potatoes, onions, and garlic into a medium-sized saucepan, add 4-5 cups of chicken broth, depending on how thick you want the soup.

4. Now puree the soup. I used my immersion blender, but you can use a regular blender or food processor. If using a regular blender, work in batches, taking a few cups of soup at a time and blend until smooth.

5. Once the soup is pureed, return the saucepan to the stove and bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium, and stir in half and half (if using) and vermouth.  Season with additional salt and pepper, and a dash of lemon juice if wanted. Garnish with asparagus heads.

Note: If you're wanting a healthier option, this soups tastes great without the cream/half and half too!

Crockpot Conversion: This can easily be made in your crock-pot. After roasting the vegetables, place them and your liquid in the crock-pot. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Cook on low until ready to eat .Enjoy!

Winter has arrived. Gone are the cool, crisp evenings of fall which have been replaced with frigid, toe numbing winter nights that have me snuggling beneath my comforter for warmth. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, but the weather is not. I can overlook this minor flaw, when I am distracted with adorned Christmas trees and twinkling holiday lights. In December, the weather is "festive", as we drink warm cups of hot chocolate speared with a candy cane, and tug on our mittens to go sledding. The snow is pristine white and the words to "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", play incessantly over the radio.

In January and February however, winter is now an unwanted step-child that we can't wait to get rid of. The lilly white snow has become dirty, making you track muddy footprints through the house, the weather turns your nose an unbecoming shade of red, and instead of feeling like a Christmas elf, you now resemble Grumpy the dwarf. Well, that's what winter is like for me anyway:) So, I enjoy the season while it lasts and when cold weather hits, I invariably make a pot of warm, comforting soup. This broccoli soup is a recipe I've posted before, but it sounded good for lunch today and I thought it yummy enough to revisit.



Creamy Broccoli Soup

Now puree the soup until smooth. I used a stick blender, since this is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. It is much quicker and less messy than using a blender. The soup should now be nicely thick, but if you find it too thick you can add some hot water until you reach your desired consistency. If it is too thin, then continue cooking it uncovered until the liquid is reduced. At this point, taste the soup and add more salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Now the soup can be served as is, or if you want a richer, creamier soup, swirl in half of the cream (or half & half) and heat through. Serve immediately. You can add another swirl of cream for looks, with some freshly ground pepper. Or you can sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese, then eat with a yummy crusty bread.

*Recipe Tip: Store leftovers tightly sealed in the refrigerator.  This soup tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have had time to settle in overnight.  This recipe makes a large batch of soup, so leftovers can be frozen.

* Slow Cooker: You can easily make this in your slow-cooker. Just add all the ingredients into your slow-cooker pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When ready to eat, use a stick blender to puree the soup until smooth. Add more water to reach your desired consistency if desired. and salt/pepper to taste.

Source: (adapted from Apples For Jam by Tessa Keiros)

I think my blogging experience is rubbing off on my son.  My husband was trying to eat some cheese and crackers today, and my son walked up with his "camera" and said, "Wait, Dad.. put the cheese on the crackers like this, now let me take a picture."  I guess the sight of me with camera in hand, taking an endless amount of pictures of the food I make, has left an impression in his little brain.  We may have a little chef in the making.  He was along side me again today while I prepared dinner for tonight.  He had taken the leftover frozen vegetables and made his own "soup" at his little kitchen.  He calls it Doodleberry Soup.
. 


Being the loving mom that I am, when he asked if I would like to taste it, I had to agree.  My stage face really came into play, because he had poured a copious amount of garlic powder and chili powder on top. While his version of Poor Man's Stew might need a little tweaking, mine is tried and true and completely satisfying.

Poor Man’s Stew

1 lb. hamburger meat, cooked and drained
Season salt
2-3 Cups frozen vegetables (or 2 cans mixed vegetables, drained)
1 can whole new potatoes, drained and cut into bite sized pieces.
1 can red kidney beans, drained
4 small cans tomato sauce or 2 large cans
1 tablespoons ketchup
¼ cup picante sauce or salsa (optional)
1 chopped onion (optional)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
water or beef broth (optional)

Brown the hamburger with some season salt, and drain off the grease.  Place the meat in a large pot or crock pot.  Add the vegetables, cut up potatoes, beans, tomato sauce, ketchup, onion, and spices.  Depending on how thick you want it you can add a little water or beef broth to thin it down if desired.  I usually add about a cup of water or broth.  Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours. The longer you let this simmer before eating, the better it will be. The flavors soak into the vegetables and it tastes even better.

You can do a lot of different variations with this recipe.  I have used many different types of vegetables and beans.  You can also play around with the proportions, it is a very forgiving recipe.  You can even add some cooked elbow macaroni for a different variation.  Taste and season as desired, I use less chili powder because my husband doesn't like spicy food.  But you can add more to taste. This keeps very well for several days in the refrigerator, and tastes even better heated up the next day.  We may have to change the name of this soup in our house, since my son will only refer to it as Doodleberry Soup now.