Here's a super healthy and yummy-sounding recipe I found. It caught my eye because we all know how decadent butternut squash soup can be, especially at restaurants when they douse it with heavy cream. This version is still as creamy and silky, just with a lot less calories. Bon appetit!

• 1 Tablespoon canola, vegetable or olive oil
• 1 small to medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 medium to large Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced
• 6 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
• Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, and water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Return to the pot and stir with a whisk to even out the texture. Heat through, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.

•  1 head cabbage coarsely chopped
• 1 medium to large onion chopped
• 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
• 5 cups water or chicken broth
• 1 pound Kielbasa, polish, hot Italian, sweet Italian or smoked sausage of your choice cut up
• 6 to 8 potatoes chopped
• 3 or 4 large carrots chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a kettle combine the cabbage, onions, garlic, water, potatoes, and carrots. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Add Sausage and seasonings and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until all ingredients are to your desired doneness.

Serve with buttered bread or garlic bread.

•  10 to 12 average size potatoes peeled and cubed
• 1 medium to large onion finely chopped
• 12 to 16 ounces of bacon fried crisp
• two 10 3/4 ounce cans cream of celery soup
• 10 3/4 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup
• 3 or 4 handfuls of fresh or frozen broccoli florets
• 12 to 14 ounces of Velveeta cheese
• 2 cups 2% or whole milk
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Put potatoes in pot and cover with enough water to cover by about an inch. Bring to a boil and boil until potatoes are tender. Add Broccoli and boil another 10 to 15 minutes over medium low heat.

While potatoes are cooking, fry bacon until crisp, remove from skillet and add onions to bacon drippings and cook until tender. Crumble up bacon and add back to onions in pan. Add onions and bacon to potatoes and broccoli. Add Worcestershire sauce and season to taste. Add soups and stir well to combine, add in Velveeta cheese and stir until melted. Reduce to lowest heat setting and add in milk.

•  8 to 10 average size potatoes
• 3 to 4 leeks
• 8 to 12 ounces of your favorite bacon
• 2 quarts water or chicken broth
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup 2% or whole milk
• 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• Sour Cream

Slice potatoes to desired thickness put into large pot and cover with water, set aside. Slice leeks very thin, place in colander and toss to separate rings, drain well.

In a large pot cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside. Add leeks to the bacon drippings, cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Increase heat to high and add water or chicken broth, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes start falling apart.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk and flour. Slowly stir flour and milk mixture into simmering soup and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with crumbled bacon and sour cream per bowl.

•  8 to 10 average size potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium to large carrot, grated or chopped small
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
• 1/2 cup roasted red pepper chopped
• Jalapeno rings to you taste. I use about 10 to 12 rings
• 3 Tablespoons beef bouillon granules or 6 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 Tablespoon pre-minced garlic or 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 pounds ground beef or venison
• 1/2 pound (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms (optional)
• 5 cups 2% or whole milk divided
• 6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• 14 to 16 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1 pound bacon fried crisp and crumbled for garnish (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot combine potatoes, carrots, green or red peppers, jalapeno peppers, beef bouillon, garlic and mushrooms. Add enough water to cover by an inch or so. Cover and boil until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile in separate skillet cook ground meat and onions until meat is done and onions are tender. Drain off excess fat. When potatoes are done pour meat and onions into the potato pot.

In a bowl combine flour and one cup milk and whisk until well mixed, set aside.

Pour remaining milk into potatoes, turn heat to medium low, add cheese and stir until cheese is all the way melted. Pour the milk and flour mixture and stir until thickened. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble a slice of bacon on top of each serving of soup if desired.

• 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage or sausage of your choice.
• 1 small to medium onion chopped
• 1 Tablespoon ready minced garlic or 3 to 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 14 to 16 ounce can butter beans or other white beans of your choice undrained. (We like butter beans)
• 14 to 16 ounce can black beans or kidney beans, rinsed and drained (we like black beans)
• 14 to 16 ounce can beef broth
• 14 to 16 ounce can rotel or other style of chopped tomatoes (we like rotel for the hotness in it)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 Tablespoon fresh basil chopped (I use dried basil)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large skillet or saucepan cook sausage, onions, and garlic until meat is done and onions are tender. Add beans, beef broth, tomatoes, basil and Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer on medium low for 15 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese and serve with grilled cheese sandwiches if desired.