Recipes

Carrot Fennel Soup

Carrot Fennel Soup

Last, but certainly not least, is most definitely my favorite of the 3 soups. I made this the other night to take some pictures for this post so my husband and I ate it for dinner. We both kept commenting on how good it really is, almost as if it's crazy that these ingredients make this much awesomeness!

For those of you asking, "what is fennel", I will give you the low down. Fennel is a whitish bulb with greenish stalks coming from it, as seen in the picture below. It is crunchy and a little sweet and smells like licorice. It is in the same family as carrots, parsley, dill and coriander. Fennel is a good source of vitamin C, fiber, potassium, phosphorus and folate. It also contributes some iron, magnesium, calcium and niacin.

I first had this soup at a dinner party with some great friends. Our friend, Annie, said she was going to bring a carrot soup to have with dinner that night. Seriously? Carrot soup? Cue eye roll. Let's just say I was less than excited to try, let alone eat, carrot soup with dinner. I admit wholeheartedly that I was way too quick to judge the soup by its title. I should also never doubt her taste in food (or wine!). It was delicious and I knew it was a recipe I needed. So, I found a similar recipe and have adapted it a bit, which is what I'll give you today. Trust me, don't judge this soup by the title!

White Bean Soup

White Bean Soup

This soup is another one of our family favorites that we've been making for years. It's not real pretty but it's so delicious! It is nice and thick and full of great flavors. I've made so many different variations of this recipe but the simple base is really just good on its own. I like this soup as an alternative to chili because the tomato juice and spices are hard on my stomach. Sometimes I will make this with some ground turkey or turkey sausage in it and crumbled cornbread on top. Yum!

This is an easy vegetarian/vegan recipe, hello "meatless Monday". The beans are a great source of iron, fiber, protein and potassium. It is also a very cheap recipe if you are looking to make your grocery budget go farther. You can easily make a larger batch of this soup for a crowd by using 1 cup of liquid per can of beans. Also feel free to use a little water in place of the stock to reduce sodium. Lots of options, people.

Sausage Potato and Kale Soup

Sausage Potato and Kale Soup

Fall is definitely my favorite season and it’s finally fall here in Kansas City. Two of our son's birthdays are in the fall as well as our wedding anniversary, which we will celebrate 10 years this year. I love the change in weather, the color change of the leaves and the change in my regular menu. We love some delicious soup at our house, with cornbread of course. Soups are easy, versatile, can pack in a lot of great nutrition and make great leftovers. I can't wait to share with you 3 of our favorites over the next few posts.

This first one, sausage potato and kale soup, is one we definitely all agree on but our 8 y/o goes nuts for it. He will eat 3 full-sized bowls in one sitting, no problem. Leftovers are double delish, btw!

Funny story... I was making this soup at my Mom's a few years ago and made it early enough to let it sit for a while before dinner. I gave my son a small bowl to "taste test" since it's his fave. My Mom asked him how the soup was and he said "this is damn good soup". He was probably 4 years old and I have never laughed so hard, of course, while trying to tell him not to say that word. My Mom still talks about that story and we now call sausage, potato and kale soup the "damn good soup". I think you will too!

Cinnamon Energy Bites

Cinnamon Energy Bites

Energy balls or energy bites or protein balls or whatever you want to call them. These damn delicious little things are the best to have around for a quick snack, sweet treat or to take them on the go instead of a bar.

My son loves all things cinnamon like ice cream, bagels and of course snickerdoodle cookies. So, I used cinnamon for the inspiration for this recipe hoping he would like them. Are all kids this hard to please? Really, I made these for his baseball tournament last weekend and they ended up being a big hit in the dugout. Don’t freak out, I asked about allergies before passing them around.

These bites only require a few steps and they have lots of goodness inside. I used chia seeds, which you can find out more on their nutrition benefits here and they contain dates for a natural sweetener. I made 2 versions, one with protein powder and one without. I use Vega Organic Proteins and Greens powder, which has stevia making the bites have a bit of sweetener aftertaste. Both are good, just a little different.

Roasted Chicken 4 Ways

Roasted Chicken 4 Ways

A little bit of meal prepping can go a really long way when it comes to saving time and energy with meals. It is great whether you work full-time (or more), have kids in multiple activities throughout the week or just want something easy to make so you have more time for your favorite shows. Is anyone else watching Ozark right now? OMG! And, how 'bout them Chiefs! There are a few things I like to have on hand to keep lunch simple or to use for dinner when we are running out the door to soccer practice and baseball games.

One of our staples is roasted chicken. I love how versatile it is as far as flavors go and ways to use it. I roast a large pack of boneless chicken breasts at least weekly and use them in some darn delicious meals. Real chefs would tell you to use bone-in chicken for flavor but I don't care to mess with the bone-in breasts myself. If you don't mind it then give it a try! I also like to keep a lot of fresh veggies on hand so I often have most of the ingredients of the recipes I'm giving you today. With the chicken already cooked, meals come together in no time!