08 Aug My favorite trick for eating veggies, even when I don’t want to

When my kids were young, I could barely get them to eat their vegetables. Sound familiar? What kid likes vegetables. Actually, I ate my vegetables but didn’t enjoy them. And I ate too few vegetables as a result.

I wish I could turn back the clock and try again. I have found the secret of success of how to get someone to enjoy vegetables. The secret is soup.

I was never much of a soup eater either. But I discovered an easy and pretty much foolproof way of making vegetable soups. Something about the broth radically improves the taste of vegetables. So I eat a whole, big bowl of soup and enjoy every bite.

Many people love salads and use that as a main vehicle for getting their vegetables and that is great. My problem, and my kids’ problem, is that we never seem to eat large amounts of salad. I can make a spinach soup, and the spinach cooks down quite a bit, so I eat probably four or five times as much spinach in a serving of soup than a salad.

Another benefit is broth is very healing for your gut. Many people are concerned about their digestion and it’s said that health begins in the gut. Also, nutrients can be more available to your body from cooked foods. And fat enhances absorption, and I add healthy fat to my soups. So most of us would do well to eat soup.

Here’s how I do it. I make my own broth, but you can always buy quarts of broth, organic and sugarless is preferred, and even better, from grass fed or pastured animals. You can also use vegetable broth, again, organic preferred. I make vegetable broth occasionally too, from vegetable scraps, usually leftover from a previous soup.

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

1 stick (½ cup) organic, preferably grass-fed, butter (can substitute coconut oil or olive oil)

1 small onion or half large onion

1 quart beef, chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth

1-2 pounds or 1 quart chopped vegetables, approximately

1-2 cloves garlic

Herbs and/or lemon juice for seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Cream or sour cream, spoonful added to each serving, optional

Directions

Melt butter over low fire in a large pot. Add onion and saute till clear. Add broth. Add chopped vegetables. If using both hard and soft vegetables, add the hard ones first, and then add the soft vegetables when the hard ones are getting close to soft. Let simmer. When vegetables are soft, add finely chopped garlic and turn off fire. Add seasoning. For pureed soup, blend with a hand blender till smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Quickie directions

Add all ingredients to the pot at once. (Except, add hard veggies before adding soft.)

Making soup is very forgiving. Feel free to experiment with combinations of vegetables and seasonings, or even to adapt a favorite side dish recipe. Here are a few soups to try.

Broccoli Soup

Use two to three heads of broccoli. After broccoli is soft, add juice from half a lemon. Optional–add ½ teaspoon basil. Use a masher for a chunky soup or a blender for a pureed soup. Add a spoonful of cream or sour cream to each serving, if desired.

Greens Soup

Use a bunch of spinach, kale, collards, mustard, or any green, stems removed and sliced fine. Spinach cooks quick and the others cook slow. Add ½ teaspoon tarragon. Add lemon juice. Puree if desired. If you don’t puree, add sliced carrots or mushrooms, optional. Add cream if desired.

Cabbage and carrot

Use about a quart of chopped cabbage. Add a couple sliced carrots. Season with fresh dill (dried is not the same). Add cream.

Root vegetable

Use about 2 pounds of chopped turnip, rutabaga, radish, or any root vegetable. Add lemon juice. Add a teaspoon of basil, a bay leaf, and a sprig of fresh parsley. Mash or puree. Taste, and if too bitter, add spoonful of honey or maple syrup. Add cream if desired.

Mushroom

Use a pound of white mushrooms, and a pound of baby portobello mushrooms. Add half teaspoon of thyme. Add cream if desired.

When I’m home, and have control over what I eat, I eat a healthy diet. And you can too. It’s not that hard if you know how. Contact me. I can help you find your own healthy diet. I’m a National Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach. I won’t put you on a program; I’ll follow your lead and listen to you. We’ll work together to find the healthy habits that work for you.

How do you prepare your vegetables? Share in the Comments.

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