OK gals...I take soup to work every single day! I have done this since I started my journey....soup and a sandwich instead of chips and dip...or something else crappy for break and lunch like kipper snacks and crackers.

I used to buy the healthy request chunky types...you all know the brand

or some of the other better brand names...

but with the new economy I am finding it a real pain to pay for soup....I used to get 10 cans for $8 or 10 for 10...now they seem to be $2.50 a can...ouch!

I do make my own chili....pretty darn good too...

but...there has to be more to life...

have you got a soup recipe that I can make and "love" ...one that goes with the turkey sandwich on whole wheat...

Easy Veggie Cheese
2 Large cans chicken stock
2 bags frozen cali veggies
1 head cabbage-sliced
Green beans-fresh or frozen
You can add ANY veggies
Simmer in stock until veggies tender
Remove from heat-stir in light velveta (to taste)I use small block.
salt/pepper
Very easy to make and you can customize to your taste.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/soup...phase-1-a.html

This soup is a popular favorite on the SBD forum. You can substitute and vary the ingredients to suit your tastebuds, too.

Here are my favorites that I make or I buy canned from Aldi's/Save Alot/Sams club.


Potato Soup from hashbrowns: ( I love this soup, easy and cheap)

1 bag frozen cube hash browns (has to be the little cube ones) $1.99

1 large can chicken broth (the big one that is size of tomato juice) $1.99

1/2 packet white country gravy mix $1 (or more to taste, save rest for another time)

Total: $4.98, makes around 10-11 cups


In pot add all ingredients, bring to a boil. Use hand mixer or blender (after cooled a bit) to puree until smooth. I personally add more water to thin out because it is a really thick soup. Add water a little at a time and taste to see if it is where you want it. Put back in pot and warm on low for a few mins.




Another way of making:

Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 bag Ore Ida O'Brien Hasbrowns (16 oz., frozen)

Or 8 med potatoes peeled and diced small
2 cans fat free chicken broth
1 can 98% FF cream of chicken
2 cans Water
1 pkg. McCormick Country Gravy Mix (found in Gravies & Mixes isle)

Directions same as above.



Taco Soup
Makes 14 cups

2 cups very lean raw hamburger
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans whole corn
3 cups tomato juice
3 cups water
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch mix
2 packages Taco season

Put ingredients 2 through 6 in a large soup pot. Add only one package of Taco season and start cooking.

Brown meat (rinse and measure out 2 cups if meat has a lot of fat). Then finish browning.

Add: onion, salt and pepper to taste, one package of taco mix and a little water.
Let simmer and mash into small pieces. Add this to soup pot and let simmer for 4 hours.


Tomato Soup


Ingredients
15-18 cherry tomatoes or 1 ½ regular size tomatoes, halved (about 1½ cups)
2 cloves garlic
¾ cup chicken stock
½ cup cream (milk, or nonfat yogurt)

Step 1: Add tomatoes, garlic and chicken stock to blender.

Step 2: Steamer in microwave for 2-3 minutes, until the tomato is soft.

Step 3: add cream

Step 4: Blend until you have a smooth soup-like consistency.

This recipe is for 3 bowls, or 6 cups of soup. For more servings, simply multiply each ingredient by the number of servings you want to create.

Fat Free Version:
Use fat-free plain yogurt or skim milk instead of cream.

Vegetarian version:
Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to create a vegetarian version.


Chicken Tortilla Soup From: Campbell's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup lowfat
1 can Campbell's® Condensed Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup
2 soup cans milk *
1 cans (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
Tortilla chips

Directions:
Mix soups, milk, chilies and chicken in 3 1/2-qt. slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW 5 to 6 hr.

Place a few tortilla chips in each serving bowl. Ladle hot soup over chips. Serve immediately.

TIP: * To make thinner soup, add more milk. Recipe may be doubled.

I love making soups, but I usually make them by the "dump" method. I start with a soup base and dump leftovers, and anything but the kitchen sink into the soup.

I do make my own stock occasionally (or a semi-homemade stock from a grocery store rotisserie chicken), but for quick bases I use one or more of the following: tomato juice, V-8, canned stock, or even bouillon cubes or powdered soup base and water, canned soups like tomato or cream of mushroom (which I buy at Aldi's for about 50 cents).

My diet standby is vegetable soup made with half chicken broth, half tomato juice or V-8 (I like spicy V-8) and whatever veggies I have in the fridge. Canned, frozen or fresh or leftover. I chop and toss into the soup and simmer til all the veggies are tender. For me, it's not veggie soup if it doesn't contain onion, carrot, and cabbage (and sometimes that's all), but I also add whatever else I've got - diced beets, corn, peas, potato (not much of those) diced tomatoes, green beans, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower.

When I make fresh salsa, especially if I make too much and won't be able to finish it in a few days, I throw that into some chicken broth or spicy V-8 (or a bit of both), with some leftover meat if I've got some. A few weeks ago, I made a salsa that contained sweet corn, black beans, diced cucumber and avocado as well as the usual tomato, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. I wasn't sure how the cucumber and avocado would be in the soup, but I thought "what the heck," and it turned out to be one of my best ever left over soups. The avocado was creamy and cucumber cooks up almost indistinguishable from cooked zucchini (although with cucumber I always remove the seeds first, especially before putting into a salsa or before cooking).

AWESOME IDEAS!!

keep them coming!

My go-to quick soup is a minestrone. Veggie broth, kidney beans, onion, garlic, celery, peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, carrots, corn, and potato if I'm in the mood, or whole wheat pasta. Add a spoonful of pesto to the bowl and it's super tasty.

I freeze my pesto in ice cube trays, then pop them into a bigger bag. By the time I get around to warming up my soup, the pesto has thawed. Mmmmm.


My second go-to is leek and potato soup, with a pine nut "cream".

i second that Fireside white bean soup- but i used to use ground turkey instead of sausage. it's really yummy. and even i can make it- and i'm the soup ruiner!

Gary I have a great lentil soup recipe. Very easy, ready in 30 minutes.

Just hold on I will get back to you

Love-love all the ideas....can't wait for more!

Here it is. I always add extra carrots and I don't drizzle the oil at the end. Use the cilantro it gives the soup a great flavour. Very good for you and low in points.

http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/l...237835.html?16

I use cayenne pepper as I like it spicy. Really easy to make.

I know I'm not contributing to the convo, but this is my first post and was just wondering how to get those cool time line weight loss things in your posts?

Thanks Big Bird...what is the difference between red and regular lentils?

I buy red lentils at a local indian grocer. They are very bright and not dull. They cook much faster than brownish lentils. You can use either whatever you have on hand.

Also I don't blend mine as I like it a thicker consistency.

EZ (and others), I have a nice soup recipe for you, it's a version of minestrone:

1 tbs vegetable oil
2 leeks cut in thin slices and washed
2 sticks celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 can tomatoes, chopped
7.5 cups vegetable stock (I use chicken instead)
3 oz. dry pasta (like macaroni or small penne)
7-8 oz mixed green veg, like peas, green beans, sugar snap etc., cut into 1" lengths
1 can flageolet beans, drained and rinsed (have used others in the past, flageolets can be hard to find here)
1 tbs pesto
freshly ground black pepper
6 tbs freshly grated parmesan to serve

heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan, add the leeks, celery and garlic and cook over low heat 6-8 minutes.
add the tomatoes, stock and pasta, bring to a boil and cook, partially covered, for 8 minutes.
stirr in the green vegetables, flageolet beans and pesto and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Season with pepper
To serve, sprinkle parmesan on top.

Makes 6 serving ( and quite generous ones), at 161 kcal. per portion
Very yummy

Also I just lookedon eatingwell.com, a site I use a lot because all their recipes have nutritional information, and they have 2360 soup recipes! That should keep you going for a while.