I love how versatile omelets and stir-fries are. It’s easy to go months and not eat the exact same one twice. But we can add even more variety into our diet with soups, salads, and low-carb sandwiches. Soups today, salads tomorrow and sandwich ideas to follow.
I’m not going to give you 101 soup recipes, but I’ll start you off with plenty of ideas and their variations will get you there! I plan soup once a week at my house. It is low cost, requires no side dishes except for a lovely bread to help fill the children longer, and the warm broth is very filling with few calories.
For the lowest calorie soups start with tomato juice or low-fat broths. I make my own broths from boiling whole chickens or beef bones with celery, onions, salt and pepper, straining it through a wire strainer and placing it in the fridge. After it has cooled the fat hardens to the top and can easily be removed with a spoon or my fingers. You can save the fat for making soap or bird feeders if you like. You can also make a vegetable base broth by boiling carrots, celery, onions and garlic with your desired seasonings.
Cream based soups are higher in calories, but you can reduce the fat by using skim milk and plain yogurt in place of cream and sour cream.
For the soups I’ve listed, If they are underlined, they are clickable to the recipe. I tried to find high rated recipes that were already low in fat, but I personally haven’t tried them yet. They are on my to do list. I will be substituting 2 cups of homemade broth for every can of broth in the recipes, and will used chopped chicken from whole boiled chickens instead of higher priced chicken breasts.
Chicken Base Soups:
Italian wedding soup (use ground turkey for your meatballs)
Tortilla soup (use baked tortillas for the topping) This one calls for milk and cheese in it. We’ve always had ours without either and loved it.
Beef Based Soup
Vegetable Beef Soup (In the Grocery Shrink Ebook)
Calico bean soup (In the Grocery Shrink ebook)
French onion soup (you can leave out the wine if you wish and it will still be yummy)
(Any more ideas friends? Leave them in the comments)
Tomato Based Soup
I’ve always loved beef barley soup…good and hearty for winter, and as I grew up in a Russian family, I have to say any kind of borscht is a great way to bring cabbage into the menu. There are many variations. Also love a good lentil soup with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Yum.
Here’s another favorite of ours:
Black Bean Soup
1 cup salsa
2 15.5 oz cans of black beans, drained & rinsed
2 cups beef broth
Heat salsa in medium sauce pan over medium heat for 5 mins. Add beans and broth. Bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 5 mins. Puree 1/2 of mixture in blender, then add back to pan to warm. Serve with cheese and chips if desired.