I am posting this recipe in honor of the Winter Feast for the Soul, which I am participating in this year!

 I truly believe that everyone should know how to make their own (homemade) chicken soup—and make it often!  In the cold winter months, we eat soup just about every day. 

 To make your own chicken soup, you can follow the easy Slow Cooker Recipe Framework from Nurture.  Remember, just combine protein, vegetables, liquid and seasoning. 
So easy—just try it!

For my chicken soup, this is what I did.
Combine  in slow cooker:

Protein
-Chicken meat (I had made a Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker the day before—delish!)

Vegetables (this is what I had on hand—so I threw it in the pot!)
-1 pound of carrots, peeled and chopped
-1 bag (16 oz) frozen broccoli, or use fresh
-1 can of water chestnuts

Liquid
-I made the my own broth by taking the bones from the Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker and covering them in water, adding some spices and lemon, and cooking on low in the slow cooker overnight;  you can also use boxed broth

Seasonings

-2 TBS lemon juice
-2 TBS gluten free soy sauce (I was inspired by the water chestnuts and broccoli to create a sort of Asian flavor)
-2 tsp red curry paste (why?  Because I had an open container in the fridge)

Cook in slow cooker* on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
*For purchasing information, please see below.

Optional:  Anything!  You can garnish with green onions, fresh herbs, shredded cheese… whatever you feel like!  We drizzled ours with a bit of sesame oil because we felt like it.  This pot of soup nourished us for days.
*Need to buy some items to make this recipe? We’ve search the web and selected some great options for you (value, free shipping, and no tax!) that you can purchase through the links below. Thanks to Amazon Associates, when you purchase through one of the Amazon product icons, the Healthy Kids site gets a little kickback from Amazon. You don’t pay more; in fact, you will likely get a better deal than what you might find in stores. Our relationship with Amazon helps to offset the cost of running this website. If we end up making a profit– especially since our time is volunteer–we donate it to Nurture, a non-profit that helps low-income families improve nutrition and health. Thank you!

And what to do about blue/purple?  The kids asked me to make a blueberry crumble, which can easily cook and be served from a slow cooker that will sit in their classroom until lunch time.  I consulted my mother-in-law, Terry, an expert on blueberry crumble.  Here is her time tested family recipe– delicous and so easy!

Butter (1 stick)
Sugar (1/2 cup brown an 1/2 cup white)
Cinnamon (~1 tsp)
1 cup flour

Mix ingredients and pour over a generous amount of blueberries (or any type of fruit–at least 4 cups worth) in a pyrex dish.  Bake at 350 until bubbly (about 45 min). 

I tweaked the recipe a bit since we had just learned about whole grains with the kids, and I wanted to include some in the recipe.  So I substituted the 1 cup flour with:  1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup white flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour.  I also added some vanilla (about 1 tsp) because I felt like it. You could also add some lemon juice, or play around with different spices.  Be creative!

Because we were serving it at school and there is no oven, I tested this recipe in a slow cooker (on high for several hours) and it worked out great.  I hope the kids at school love it as much as everyone in our family did!   

My final step before next week’s lunch is to make a gluten-free version of this crumble.  One of the kids in the class is gluten-free, so I’m excited to challenge myself with creating a version that will be just as delicious.  Stay tuned!

3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 small sweet onions chopped, or 1 small sweet onion and 3 leeks (white part only) chopped
2 to 4 cloves of garlic (depending on your love of garlic) chopped
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups arugula, roughly chopped
4 cups kale (leafy part only) roughly chopped
4 Tablespoons white miso
pepper to taste – you won’t need much, if any, salt
optional:  2 eggs (I use extra large) at room temperature

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and leeks, if using, and cook until tender and just slightly beginning to brown.  No need to rush it.  Add the garlic and give the pot a stir.  Add the chicken stock and vegetable broth and the miso.  Stir to dissolve the miso.  Add the greens.  Let the greens settle down and let the pot come to a bubble then turn the heat down so that it simmers gently for about 20 minutes or so.  It is ready to eat.  Now, if you want to add a little bit of extra body and protein to the soup, beat the two eggs together in a small bowl.  Slowly pour about a ½ cup of the hot soup into the eggs, wisking as you go.  Turn off the burner and add the egg mixture into the soup pot, stirring to incorporate.  Ladle into bowls and eat!

-1 pound washed and chopped carrots–I put them in olive oil in the slow cooker on high for about 20 minutes, before adding:
-1 bag of frozen brocoli (or use fresh if you have it on hand)
-1 box of frozen spinach (or use fresh if you have it on hand)
-1 box of chicken or veggie broth (32 oz)
-1 can of diced tomatoes 

That is it.  You could of course add garlic, onions, a million other types of veggies, a grain a protein source… the options are unlimited.  But I found that with my kids, the simplier the better.  They even asked me to make it again (without the tomatoes!?) so Iobliged.  And they ate it, and I’m happy.  And it was so easy–thank you slow cooker!

Please comment on what kinds of soup your kids love!
*Need to buy some items to make this recipe? We’ve search the web and selected some great options for you (value, free shipping, and no tax!) that you can purchase through the links below. Thanks to Amazon Associates, when you purchase through one of the Amazon product icons, the Healthy Kids site gets a little kickback from Amazon. You don’t pay more; in fact, you will likely get a better deal than what you might find in stores. Our relationship with Amazon helps to offset the cost of running this website. If we end up making a profit– especially since our time is volunteer–we donate it to Nurture, a non-profit that helps low-income families improve nutrition and health. Thank you!

My daughter loves rice and cheese, so I also figured that adding these to the mix would increase the chances of this recipe going over well. The verdict? My husband and I LOVED it, but my daughter and her friend were “so-so”. Elena said, “I’d eat it if there was nothing else.” Maybe that is a good tactic for getting our kids to try new foods!

For this recipe, I relied on my time-saving rice cooker* and slow cooker* (* for purchasing information please see below) to make everything so easy. Here is what I did in the morning while we were all eating breakfast:
-I chopped up the carrots (1 lb bag of baby carrots—that was what was on sale) and the zucchini (about 4 small) and put them in the slow cooker on high, with a little olive oil so that they would sautee a bit

-Once breakfast was over and we were about to leave the house, I threw in some canned diced tomatoes (15 oz can) and some Italian Seasoning (1 teaspoon); I turned down the slow cooker to “low”
-I also measured out the brown rice and water (1.5 cups of rinsed rice and 3 cups of water) and put them in the rice cooker to soak. That way, when we got home later I could just press down the button to cook it, no effort required.
-we went skiing for the day
-when we got back, the house smelled very yummy and Italian! I peeked in the slow cooker and it looked great!

-I flipped the switch on the rice cooker (remember, the rice had been soaking in there all day) while I took a shower
-right before dinner, I added the rice to the slow cooker along with some fresh basil (just a handful from a plant we have in the kitchen) and sprinkled in some asiago cheese. I switched the slow cooker to “warm” since I didn’t know how long it would take to get the kids to the table. Here is how it turned out (this picture shows the dish without the cheese).

My hubby loves shrimp, and this dish needs some protein.  So this is how I plated it:

We (the adults) thougth it was quite delicious, the kids were “OK”.  Then our wonderful neighbors ended up coming over and, since the dish was nice and warm in the slow cooker, we were happy to serve our unexpected yet very welcome guests. They gave it the thumbs up!

Here is a complete list for shopping for this recipe:
Rice cooker
Slow cooker
Zuchinni (4 small/medium)
Carrots (1 pound)
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (fire roasted flavor if you like)
Italian seasoning (1 teaspoon)
Basil (a handful)
Asiago cheese (get a tub and add as much as you like)
Brown rice- 1.5 cups

Optional: onions, garlic, and additional spices –you would throw these in with the zuchinni and carrots if your kids like them
Optional: chicken, shrimp

Enjoy!
*Need to buy a rice cooker or a slow cooker? We’ve search the web and selected some great options for you (value and ease of operation) that you can purchase through the links below. Thanks to Amazon Associates, when you purchase through one of the Amazon product icons, the Healthy Kids site gets a little kickback from Amazon. You don’t pay more; in fact, you will likely get a better deal than what you might find in stores. Our relationship with Amazon helps to offset the cost of running this website. If we end up making a profit– especially since our time is volunteer–we donate it to Nurture, a non-profit that helps low-income families improve nutrition and health. Thank you!

Ingredients:

-1 can garbanzo beans
-1 can crushed tomatoes
-1/4 cup red lentils
-3 cloves garlic
-1 Tbsp chopped ginger
-1 Tbsp curry powder
-1 Tbsp crushed cumin and coriander mix
-1 sweet potato
-20 oz low sodium vegetable broth
-3 medium carrots diced
-8oz coconut milk*
-1/2 small head of cauliflower
-1.5 cups spinach
-3/4 cup red quinoa

In literally 10 minutes, I opened the cans, peeled and chopped the vegetables and threw everything (except the spinach and quinoa) into the slow cooker and turned it on low (for 8 hours).  Sam and I walked out the door to music class and when we returned a couple hours later, the house was already smelling great!
30 minutes before we ate, I put some red quinoa in the rice cooker and turned it on and threw the spinach in the slow cooker.  I topped the curry with a little spicy chili sauce for some heat.  SO easy, so healthy & so delicious!

Recipe makes roughly five 2 cup servings

Nutrition Information per serving of curry with 1/4 cup quinoa:

316 Calories

14 g fat

41 g low glycemic carbohydrates

10 g fiber

10 g protein

And a good source of antioxidants, vitamins A, C, B as well as Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc to name a few!

* According to Dr. Audrey Kunin, contributor to Dr. Oz’s website, coconut milk is a great source of a compound called lauric acid which boosts immunity and fights infection. The only other major source is mother’s milk. It also contains saturated fat, but in a different form than the kind that damages the cardiovascular system.  These medium chain fatty acids are thought to be good for the skin as well as a potent antioxidant!  I’m in…pour me more!

Love Heather’s recipes?  Read more Green and Plenty recipes on Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange, or experience her full blog on bloggerspot, which includes “green” tips for a healthy household.

Gluten-free /Dairy Free.

A few weeks ago I did a cleanse using the Clean Program as a guide.  Coincidentally, the latest issue of Whole Living features a guide for a 28 day detox with week 1 being very similar to the Clean Program guidelines- no wheat, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, soy or sugar.  Whole Living posted a few recipes for each week, including this soup.  I highly recommend it whether you’re detoxing or not.  It’s hearty but still low calorie, loaded with vegetables, high in fiber, protein, antioxidants and low-glycemic.  FYI, I added jalapeno for a little kick.

Ingredients:

-4 cups chicken stock
-1/2 yellow onion, diced
-1 minced garlic clove
-1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (2 cups)
-8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
-1/2 cup smooth almond butter
-1 cup collard leaves, coarsely chopped
-2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
-Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

1.       Combine the stock, onion, garlic, and sweet potato in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chicken, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

2.       In a small bowl, whisk together the almond butter and 1/2 cup of the soup mixture into a thick paste. Add the collard leaves and ginger to the soup and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the almond butter paste. Season with salt and pepper.

3.       Ladle the soup into bowls, and squeeze with lime wedge.
Love Heather’s recipes?  Read more Green and Plenty recipes on Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange, or experience her full blog on bloggerspot, which includes “green” tips for a healthy household.

Gluten-free /Dairy Free / Nut free.

To start, I soaked about 16 oz white beans overnight. (I actually started them around noon Monday and made the soup Tuesday morning).  Just make sure there is more than enough water covering the beans.

I then sauteed the following in some olive oil:

-1/2 yellow onion
-2 cloves of garlic
-3/4 of a bunch of celery chopped
-3/4 of a bag of carrots

then added:

-the beans
-a little less than a 32oz container of chicken broth (low sodium)
-a few teaspoons of chili powder
-a couple of tablespoons of thyme
-salt & pepper

and cooked the soup for 2.5+ hours covered on low.

-then pureed with a hand blender

I finished the bowls off with a splash of red wine vinegar…a must (thanks again, Julia)!  It really brightens the flavors of the soup.  Actually, I also added chia seeds, a squeeze of lemon (the Vitamin C increases the absorption of Iron from the beans) and Sriracha (b/c I’m a hot sauce addict…love it with beans!  And only to my bowl and my husband’s, NOT to Sam’s!!)  For more great recipes that are easy on the wallet and waist, check out Nurture’s website!

Nutrition Information per 2 cup serving

275 calories
6 g fat
42 g carbs
14 g protein
4 g fiber
& a good source of Vitamins A, C, Folate, B vitamins, Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc,Calcium and Iron

Not bad for a soup that costs less than $15 and makes enough for about 6 people!
Love Heather’s recipes?  Read more Green and Plenty recipes on Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange, or experience her full blog on bloggerspot, which includes “green” tips for a healthy household.

Gluten-free if use gluten-free breadcrumbs /Dairy Free if omit yogurt topping/ Nut free.

Ingredients:

* 1Tbsp cumin
* 1/2 tsp coriander
* 2 tsp curry powder (whole foods has a very nice fresh selection)
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (you could leave this off if cooking for babies and add a little hot sauce on your own burger)
* 1/2 medium onion diced
* 1/4 cup shredded or diced carrots
* 1-2 cloves garlic
* 1.5 cups cooked green lentils (can easily be made in a rice cooker by adding twice the amount of water as lentils)
* pinch of salt
* 1 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1 egg
* 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free)
* 3-4 Tbsp greek yogurt (I use 2%, but if you want to cut the calories a bit, use the 0%)
* 1 Avocado
* hot sauce to taste
* Raw onion or scallions for topping

Sautee onions, garlic, carrots, lemon juice and spices in 1 Tbsp oil until fragrant.  Combine with lentils and puree into a thick consistency with some lentils still whole.  Add the egg and breadcrumbs and mix.  Make 4 patties and refrigerate for a few hours or ideally overnight (the flavors really come alive more).

Prepare by heating 1 Tbsp olive oil (or natural cooking spray) and cooking the patties for about 5-7 minutes per side.  Stir the yogurt and avocado together with a dash (or more) of hot sauce and cumin to top the patties along with the raw onion.  Serve over spinach , bread (regular or gluten-free) or tortillas.

Enjoy…

Nutritional Information per burger + yogurt avocado sauce
Recipe makes 4 burgers
350 calories
15 g fat
42 g carbohydrates
16 g protein
15 g fiber
A good source of Vitamins A, C and E as well as B vitamins, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc

Love Heather’s recipes?  Read more Green and Plenty recipes on Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange, or experience her full blog on bloggerspot, which includes “green” tips for a healthy household.

Gluten-free /Dairy Free /Nut free.

I then slathered it with the juice of 1 lemon, fresh herbs from the patio (thyme, rosemary and oregano), some chicken rub I had in the pantry, a touch of red pepper, salt, pepper and 4 cloves of garlic (not shown).  I threw the juiced lemon in the slow cooker for good measure and turned it on high for 6 hours.

Sam and I went out to play at the water park and when we returned, the house was smelling fantastic and not at all over- heated thanks to using the slow cooker not the oven .  After 6 hours of cooking on high and 1 hour on warm, 4 adults and 2 children enjoyed the juicy, tender chicken that was literally falling off the bone!  Next time I may add some celery, carrots and onion to increase the veggie power!  Serve this with a salad of seasonal veggies and you’re all set for dinner!

Enjoy!

Love Heather’s recipes?  Read more Green and Plenty recipes on Healthy Kids Ideas Exchange, or experience her full blog on bloggerspot, which includes “green” tips for a healthy household.