Ok, so for the past ohhh... 10 or so years I've refused vegetables. (yeah.. tsk tsk hehe)

I LOVE cooked vegetables in SOUP. I just love soup, with light colored broth nothing creamy. (try to stay away from it, not as good for you i'm told)

My biggest problem is that they have so much sodium!! I get into the mental state that I need to drink a LOT of water in order to balance it out.

I just want to be able to eat some tasty soup without feeling bad about it..

This is probably the healthiest thing I eat, I still live at home and i'm trying to transition the house into eating healthier but as we all know thats difficult!!

Any input/suggestions are more than welcome! Thank you

OMG! My hubby is a big soup eater and he has to watch his salt. I have finally decided to make soups from scratch and just eliminate the salt alltogether. My first soup turned out pretty good, cream of broccoli, and he really liked it! I also made some beef stock, so maybe some veggie soup next?

Good luck!

do you have any more ideas? as far as recipes I mean, I can eat any vegetable cooked now

I dont necessarily NEED to watch my salt from my health stand point, but I know I SHOULD to avoid health problems in the future. (i'm only 19, but I want to set up a good habit NOW and not worry about it later)

Here's my favorite soup. Had it for lunch today. It is high in sodium, so drink your water.

Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans not drained
1 can creamed corn
1 can Rotel
1/2 package of Taco Seasoning

Heat it through and enjoy!

You know, I like to find any and all soup recipes, and just omit the salt. I've been using cookbooks from the 50's and 60's, cooking websites, and this one too. Take a look around!

One of my fave recipe:

Veggie Soup (out of WW Getting Started Booklett)
2/3 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup diced onion
2 galic cloves minced
3 cups fat-free broth (I love the beef broth!)
1 1/2 cups diced green cabbage
1/2 cup green beans
1 tbl. Tomato paste
1/2 tea. dried Basil
1/2 tea. dried Oregano
1/4 tea. salt (optional)
1/2 cup diced zucchini

1. In large saucepan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute the carrot, onion and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add broth, cabbage, beans, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and salt; bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until beans are tender.
3. Stir in zucchini and heat 3-4 minutes. Serve Hot
0 ww points - 42 calories per serving

I'm a soup lover, too. It is high in sodium, so I limit what I consume the other two meals so my overall daily intake is within limits. I also like to make homemade soup from time to time

I picked up this chickpea leek soup recipe (cut and paste below) from Glory87 a while ago, it's a favorite of mine. I don't usually follow it to the letter, usually ends up being a "kitchen sink" soup to use up whatever beans and veggies that need to be used up, but it's a great flexible recipe to start from. I just had some for lunch, I used kale instead of spinach (I love kale!) and added some red kidney beans and carrots and a little leftover brown rice. Delicious!

wow. i'm a soup friggin freak. love em. make a huge pot at least once a week. lots of fab things to say about soup but one of the greatest things about em is that they are souper cheap and if you're short on time just make a friggin tank of it and eat off of it for a week. that being said, it's hard to list a fave, but i love this lentil soup recipe i posted maybe a year or so ago. 'nother great thang bout soup is that you can always substitute and play around with ingredients and have the same base. also, i never measure so this is all approximated. without further ado i give you my---lentil soup

* 2 tblsp olive oil
* 2 large onions, cubed
* 1 or 2 cloves of garlic give or take minced
* 3 carrots, diced
* green bell; red bell, diced
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 3 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
* 1 1/2 cups lentils - soaked, rinsed and drained
* salt n pepper to taste ( I use white pepper also)
* 1 cup white wine
* 2-3 bay leaves
* 7 or so cups vegetable stock (I use organic)
* 1 sprig fresh parsley, chopped
* 1/2 tsp paprika



DIRECTIONS

1. In a large stockpot, saute the garlic and onions in oil until they are glossy. Stir in paprika, celery, carrots, and saute for 10 minutes.
2. Once the vegetables have sauteed for 10 minutes stir in tomatoes, stock, lentils, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Stir, then add the wine and bring the mixture to a boil. Slowly reduce the heat and cook for 1 hour on low to medium heat; or until the lentils are tender.
3. Sprinkle the soup with parsley (optional) before serving.

**Vegetables do not have to be sauteed, you can throw everything in and cook, will need to cook a little longer, but it all depends on how you do the things you do.
**I like everything I eat to be spicy, so I always add a can of Rotel. Sometimes if I want it heartier, I'll add red potatoes (skin left on of course). The white wine gives this soup its flavor. If you wait to add this until after it boils, you will have more of a white wine flavor (I usually do half and half). Your choice. Depending how thick you like your soup, eye the stock. Tomato paste can be added for thickness if you like. Really yummy served with a small piece of French bread.
**add and subtract as many vegetables as you like!
**prettier with mulit-colored lentils, which I only soak for about thirty minutes prior to cooking.
**less than 300 cal per serving and high in fiber!

I used to use the Swanson's lower sodium chicken broth at Walmart. I got bored and compared the nutrition information with the Walmart brand chicken broth (the kind in a box). Walmart won me over. Waaaay less salt, fewer calories, and fat free. Who'd have thought?
My veggie soup
2 boxes Walmart chicken broth
2 cans of no salt added diced tomatoes
1 frozen bag of spinach
4 stalks of celery, diced
2-3 cups sliced yellow squash and zucchini
1-2 cups cut up cabbage
1 cup diced bell peppers (whatever colors you like)
a little rosemary, pepper, a little bit of sea salt
I add some water to this, enough to cover up the veggies in the pot. This makes a ton of soup. I usually freeze it in bowls.

A "souper" (pun intended ) easy way to make soup is to take some store-bought broth (chicken, beef, or veggie, whatever you like) and add bags of pre-cut stir fry veggies to it. You could also add a bag of cabbage slaw. Throw in a can of diced tomatoes if you like tomato-based broth. No washing, cutting, or other prep required. Cook it just long enough for the veggies to be the texture you want. Make a big pot and then put individual servings in the freezer or fridge to eat the rest of the week.

If you want a more substantial soup, something that could be a meal rather than a snack or side-dish, throw in some cooked pasta, rice, and/or canned beans and some cooked meat. For the meat, you could use grilled chicken breast strips, smoked turkey or ham (although the sodium will be on the turkey or ham), turkey meatballs, or shrimp (you could add the shrimp uncooked and let it cook along with the veggies).

thank you everyone!

wow, that was a lot more input then I expected!

a lot of good info here, hehe more soup!!