Homemade Soup: Cheap, Healthy, Fast, and Deeelicious
Once the weather starts to get cool, we enjoy making warm meals. One meal that we sometimes make is homemade soup that my dad taught me to make.
After my husband had his gallbladder removed, he was on a liquid diet for a couple of days. After that, he was ready to eat some food but needed to take it easy. So, I whipped up a batch of soup.
It was a meal that he enjoyed and we could all enjoy it. One of the best parts about it is that when you make a big batch, you have leftovers for at least a day.
After having your gallbladder removed, or any surgery that affects your digestive tract, you have to ease into eating again. He found that he could only eat small meals and ate more frequently throughout the day.
Since we had so much leftover soup, he could heat some up whenever he was getting hungry. I try not to heat things in the microwave (because it is bad for you), so I would put some some in a saucepan, add a little broth and a little water (since the noodles soaked up most of the liquid), let it boil for 3-5 minutes, and it was ready to eat.
This soup is great for anyone who has a sensitive digestive system. My husband also has a history of intestinal problems, and it does well for him. If you have digestive problems, be selective about the meats and veggies you choose. Depending on the problem, you may want to stay away from veggies that are harder to digest (such as broccoli and beans).
I've tried many different types of veggies in the soup. Here are some different ones that I've used (not all at the same time):
- kidney beans or other beans
- broccoli
- asparagus
- spinach
- peas
You can also use different types of meat. I choose the lean ground turkey most of the time. If you want yours to be even leaner, you can use the ground turkey that has only 1% fat and is 99% lean. You could also use lean ground beef or any other meat of your choice (depending upon your taste preference and your dietary restrictions).
I'd love to hear comments from people who make this soup, especially if you are on a special diet due to health problems or post-surgery. It can be so hard to find something healthy that is delicious and is not labor-intensive.
To healthy eating and easy cooking ~ fitmom
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 package Chicken broth, optional
- water (fill pan 3/4 full)
- 1 lb ground turkey (93% lean, 7% fat)
- frozen peas
- fresh spinach
- 1/2 package noodles
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- seasoning, optional
- Note: Ingredients can vary based on your taste and what vegetables you have on hand. I don't measure the veggies. I just eyeball how much I want to put in.
- Put your liquid base into your pot. I put 1 large package of chicken broth and then fill the pot the rest of the way with water.
- Peel the garlic and chop it finely and put it into the broth mixture. * You can even mince it if you wish.
- Once the liquid boils, add the ground turkey meat (or other meat if you wish or skip it for vegetarian soup). I use a fork and break up the meat as I put it into the boiling broth.
- Let the meat cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the noodles next. If they are large noodles and need some time to cook, give them a couple minutes before adding in your veggies. Make sure to stir the noodles around periodically so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the frozen peas and let them cook a couple minutes before adding spinach.
- Add the spinach and give it a stir. Let the spinach cook for at least 3 minutes and up to 5 minutes.
- Your homemade soup is ready to serve! * If you use different noodles and veggies than what I used, your cooking time and order may vary. * * The nutritional information is based on the amount of meat, veggies, and noodles that I used. If you use different ingredients or quantities, the nutritional information will be different.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 bowl | |
| Calories | 261 |
| Calories from Fat | 63 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 7 g | 11% |
| Saturated fat 2 g | 10% |
| Carbohydrates 32 g | 11% |
| Sugar 3 g | |
| Fiber 4 g | 16% |
| Protein 15 g | 30% |
| Cholesterol 40 mg | 13% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
